I got the blues.....

My current challenge of finding Chicago's best blueberry muffin, just got tougher. Cafe De Luca changed their recipe-NOT a good idea! I ventured to Crumbs Bakery in the loop on Clark Street today and indulged in what I was told was the "best thing on the top shelf"......also a disappointment. It tasted artificial, chewy, and just plain weird.

Crumbs Bakery-Blueberry Muffin

November's Dinner Club Disaster

Disaster? Well, not entirely...my chicken pot pie provided some redemption. Benjamin's Restaurant in Highland Park sounded like the "place to be." After we were told that our reservation was not honored because they didn't want to turn away some walk-in guests, we started to raise a brow. Um, isn't that the whole point of a res-er-vation?

While trying to keep an open mind, we ate yummy pretzel-like rolls with a cheese fondue that were piping hot and delicious. My salad, although fresh and presented nicely was lacking flavor as I reached for the salt shaker at least twice. The best part of the meal was my chicken pot pie with sweet mashed potatoes. Yep, you read that right! As you can see it was the perfect comfort food with a nice twist---sweet mashed. Who would've thunk?

 Worst part of the meal was the service which all started after my fellow diner ordered what looked like a delicious burger until it arrived on her plate severely undercooked.

To complement our meal, we ordered the brussel sprouts with bacon which had a nice twist added....pomegranate perils. I've seen this offered as a side in many restaurants lately, but sans the perils. Benjamin's did it well.

My final answer: In all fairness, the food was quite good; however, I would not go back since the whole restaurant was getting free dessert by the end of the night and the manager's did not know how to deal. For those prices, you better deliver!