First Slice Pie Café
4401 N. Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-769-4226
Date of Review: April, 2009
This is one of my favorite Chicago hidden gems and also one of my favorite lunch spots. This cozy 20 seat café is located in Ravenswood between Montrose and Irving Park within the Lillstreet Art Center. The Lillstreet Art Center supports the arts through an artist residency program, gallery, studio space, education and outreach program. The art center has a jewelry shop inside that sells pottery and jewelry and offers art classes for both children and adults. I have spent many afternoons reading the Economist or the newspaper, enjoying a gourmet sandwich and a large unique coffee mug (made in the art center) full of wonderful coffee. It is nice to know that the wonderful food all contributes to a great cause also. First Slice Pie Café has a subscriber program where an individual or family picks up a week’s worth of convenient, home-cooked, restaurant-quality meals each weekend and part of the subscription cost directly contributes to funding the same high-quality meals for people in need. They also have a community-supported kitchen (in another location) where volunteers and staff serve hot, high-quality three-course meals to approximately 100 men, women, and children. There are many kitchens that serve food to the needy but what sets First Slice Pie Café apart is the quality of the food. They use local organic ingredients and they serve the same high quality food to the needy that the subscribers and the people who dine in the café enjoy.
They have excellent soups, sandwiches and baked goods (cookies, pies, etc.). They also have quiches, tamales and fantastic assorted salads. I have never had anything I haven’t liked here and everything is freshly prepared. I usually opt for the sandwiches. There are a few seasonal sandwiches that rotate on and off the menu like the excellent lamb burger but some of the staples include the Duck and Mozzarella, Pear and Cheese, and Ham and Cheddar with Grilled Onions. The food is gourmet so all of the sandwiches have a twist with some kind of red pepper or garlic aioli or fruit chutney with some caramelized or grilled onions or sautéed spinach. This is far from a deli. They also have excellent desserts (hence the name) including Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Michigan Sour Cherry Pie, Blueberry and Apple Pies to name a few along with cookies and lemon squares among their sweet selections.
Prices range from $5-10 for almost everything on the menu.
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