Second City?

Well, maybe when I moved here from New York City in 1974, leaving a rent stabilized apartment on Central Park South, a job with the George Lang Corporation and the best friends and life imaginable.

"Chicago!", I cried (literally). Before the commuter marriage and the notion that one need not follow the other to a new city, I packed up and headed west through Pennsylvania (known), Ohio (sort of known), Indiana (totally unknown!) and into Illinois (gasp).

OK, so affordable luxury high-rise living overlooking Lake Michigan was nice, but surely 'these people' had no clue about food! (NOTE: I was an 'eater' not a 'cooker' in those days.)

I asked around and was told that Le Perroquet was the best of the best. HA, I thought. It ain't no Le Pavillion.

But it was. And even better.

For our anniversary, Bill gave me the gift of lunch once a week at this magical place, tucked on the second floor of a small building off Michigan Avenue, accessible via an old elevator with elaborate wrought iron gates and panels. Oh, and lunch was outrageously expensive - $7.00!

I had no idea at the time that these lunches would have far-reaching effects on my life. And when I think about the standards of perfection, they were the legacy that restaurant left for the entire food and restaurant community in Chicago.

Not knowing a soul here, it gave me reason to get dressed up, take the bus along the lake and enter this salum sanctorum of elegance, perfect food and unimaginable service.

There was a ballet going on all around me, the restaurant staff in perfect synchronization. The hushed tones and the silent service all added to the mystique. If ever a server, clearing a table, stacked a plate or put down a piece of flatware so that it was heard, he
immediately turned toward Jovan Tryboyevic, the proprietor, who was already looking disapprovingly in his direction.

I took mental notes at each visit . . .notes I would recall when training staff at INA'S.

One perfect spring day, many years later, the door at INA'S opened and Jovan appeared. I have never been as moved and terrified as I was at that moment. He said he had come to pay his respects.

I fed him, tried not to hover, listened for any clanging plates, and generally trembled throughout his entire meal.

He called me over, pronounced breakfast the best he had ever had, and said I should be very proud of what I had accomplished.

That wasn't my proudest moment, however. My proudest moment was when he came back.

Follow Ina Pinkney on Twitter: www.twitter.com/breakfastqueen1

Comments

[MGChefCIA76]

Breakfastqueen, I am a fan, a friend and it is always a pleasure to read what you write, cook or when you give a speech. You are unmatched.

[Raygun44]

Congratutions to one of Chicago's (and my own) real treasures. To the Queen of schmooz from her every ardent friend and admirer.

[breakfastqueen]

sbm606 and Spinnerama, thanks for your kind comments! We never tire of hearing that we're doing the right things every day.

As for my run for Mayor, stay tuned. It's a good story with typical 'Chicago clout' at work!

[AWR]

Ina
The crew of the Great Escape III is so happy you are in Chicago. We feel our wonderful results in the 100th running of the Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race last month was due to the delicious food you made for us for the race. Our children love coming every Sunday for their pancakes and we treasure your friendship.

[sbm606]

Hey Ina---great to see you on this page....I'­ve been a fan for a long time....he­ard you ran for mayor last year, but I don't know the whole story....h­ope you'll tell us some time....

[Spinnerama]

Actually, I don't think Chicago has any reason to compete with New York or any other city. This is a great city and we have all we need here. Most of my New York-centric friends point out that there are thousands more "great" restos there. Well, how many meals can you eat in a day/week/m­onth/lifet­ime? Just because NYC has 5,000 French restos does not mean they are all good. Quality rocks over quantity every time. Case in point is Ina's--I dare you to find a better breakfast anywhere, Manhattan or San Francisco or whatever. Since Ina's opened in her first location in 1991, my spouse and I have eaten breakfast, lunch, or dinner there probably 9 weeks out of every 10 (well sometimes we do go out of town). That would be...somew­here around 800 times. Come on--how often can you eat (or afford to eat) at the high-end 4-star restos of the world, whether here in Chicago or elsewhere? We need to have Ina's pancakes and fried chicken and tuna melt and pasta frittata, and--oh, have you tried the new smoked brisket hash, oy. Having Ina's makes us far luckier beings than Jill and Joe Manhattan. No, I'm not being paid to say this and I'm not related to Ina, but if she wanted to adopt me and feed me every day I'd be fine with that!!!

[Lon]

While Chicago certainly has its elite restaurants like Trotters, this is hardly the grounds for Chicago developing its reputation or getting out of New York's shadow as the Second City. This is a point of comparison by which Chicago will always lose.

What does make Chicago the favorite place I have ever lived is not that it has more marquee restaurants than New York, or other cities. But that in its neighborhoods, and Chicago has every kind of ethnic neighborhood imaginable, it has enough restaurants of every kind to make sure that one can get good food at an affordable price.

Similarly, although Chicago has professional theaters, obviously it is not going to go up against New York on such a basis. But Chicago probably has more good affordable theory than any other city around. It is probably the best city to live in on a limited budget. It is a perfect place to be a graduate student (as I was most of my time there).

[breakfastqueen]

You are so right, Lon. Every ethnic neighborhood has restaurants worth the visit. I especially love that TIME OUT CHICAGO regularly highlights a small struggling independent restaurant under the banner
"Save This Restaurant"!