Restaurant Review: Uptown’s Pick Me Up Café an uplifting experience during the holiday season
During the bustling holiday season, health professionals urge you to TAKE A BREAK! What better way to relax than to sit down in a cheerful, eclectic space with a hot cup of coffee and a plate of comfort food?
One Chicago diner serving up soul-restoring repasts is Uptown’s Pick Me Up Café, founded in 1997. For nearly 30 years, owners Joe and Lavinia Mann have served people with all types of food preferences. As they say on their website, “Whether it’s a plate of vegan French toast, a hearty chorizo burrito or a perfectly crafted latte, we have something for everyone. We serve breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner into the late hours of the night.”
Start with one of their whimsically named apps, such as MAGIC CAPS, which are baked mushroom caps stuffed with a basil, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato mix, served with homemade onion rings. GOING BACK TO CALAMARI are lightly breaded calamari, fried golden crisp and served with homemade marinara lime garlic butter. DRUNKEN CHICKEN ON THE BARBIE are marinated chunks of chicken, grilled to perfection and served with a triumvirate of honey dijon, honey barbecue and peanut sauces.
SAMMITCHES are served with your choice of French fries, soup, house salad, pasta salad, mashed potatoes or fruit. THE BUMPEN GRINDER is a garlicky spread slathered on a french baguette, topped with peppers, eggplant, onions, tomatoes and melty provolone. THE B.T.H. CLUB has been christened “the mother of all sandwiches!” They’ve got mounds of turkey, roast beef, ham, bacon and “all the goodies.”
But breakfast, served “all day and all night” is a major reason why people come for a “pick me up!“ Try a GOLD COIN PLATE, a classic two eggs served any style, choice of bacon, turkey sausage or ham, and choice of toast or bagel, served with home fries. HUEVOS RANCHEROS DELUXE are scrambledeggswith a healthy mix of tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic cheddar, and flour tortillas, served with salsa, black beans, and sour cream. For the child in you, there’s a festive CLOWN COMBO with two eggs, two pancakes, toast or bagel and your choice of meat, and served with home fries. BACON BENEDICT is a twist on a classic:poached eggs served on top of an English muffin with crisp bacon, grilled onions and/or homemade hollandaise sauce, served with home fries. Muffin, served with home fries. A VEGAN BENEDICT has fried tofu, peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach, and tomatoes, served on an English muffin with their own vegan sauce, and served with home fries. Omelettes are served build your own or with a variety of ingredients, including GORP (goat cheese, onions & red peppers) CAB (cheddar, avocado & bacon) and STOMP (spinach, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms & provolone.)
Full plates include the CHICKEN RUB DOWN, achicken breast dredged in an herbal rub, pan fried and served over white rice with spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and onions. GNOCCHI, GNOCCHI, WHO’S THERE? areItalian potato dumplings in tomato cream sauce, served with garlic bread. STIR CRAZY AFTER ALL is an Asian combo of peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and broccoli, with your choice of shrimp, chicken or tofu. It’s stirred and fried in a soy and Thai peanut sauce, and served over a bed of rice.
Ours is far from the only positive review. Google reviewers were delighted with the food and service.
“Pick me up café’s name is exactly how the experience felt,* said one. “You feel very welcomed and they treat you like you are family and want you to have the best experience possible. I will say I haven’t had vegan pizza, nachos or a cake ever and I will say I was very pleased. Nachos are large enough that it could have been a meal on its own. If you try pick me up café you won’t be disappointed!”
“Iordered the 3 egg/3 ingredient omlette. Unlike many other omlettes, the presence/flavor of each ingredient was pronounced, as it should be,” said another. “I asked for the home fries well done and they were delightfully brown and crispy. The service was cordial and efficient, and the quirky ambiance of menu and décor just added to the positive experience.”
Pick Me Up Café is located at 4882 N. Clark Street. They are open Monday to Friday from 10am-10pm. Weekend brunch is served 9am-3pm, Saturday, 8am-11pm, and Sunday, 8am-10pm. For more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
