Apparently, Milk & Honey is under the impression that they are a bake shop, an impression belied by the dozen or more tables arranged inside and out at their Division Street location. Looks like a restaurant to me, an impression reinforced by the all too brief appearance of servers delivering your meal and busboys cleaning up after it. But when you want to order, forget about having a seat. You have to get in line. And on a weekend morning the line can be long, snaking out the door and past the front of the building.
To no one’s surprise – except maybe the people who have organized things this way – the line is slow. People are in fact ordering full breakfasts, not a pastry and a quick cup of coffee to go. (And, oh, by the way, if you are ordering a quick cup of coffee to go, they have a separate line for you. No sense in making you stand around looking at your watch if you are ordering a $2 cup of coffee; that pleasure is reserved for those spending more.)
After you stand in line for awhile, a hostess will ask if you want to sit down, and if you do, she’ll give you a number to place on your table. But don’t place it there. She’ll let you know when and where to place it. Customers who are not hip to their system can wreck havoc by putting that number down too soon or – gasp! – actually sitting down without first getting into line.
When you finally reach the counter, you’ll find the prices are exactly the same as those at a restaurant (you know, those places that actually have table service). And when you receive your coffee and collect your silverware and napkins and head out with your arms full to sit down at a sidewalk table, you’ll have to sidle your way past the people standing in line who are blocking the doorway.
After awhile, the servers (who are not really servers) will appear to deliver your meal and ask if you want any condiments. You’d better know right then and there because they won’t be coming back. And why should they? I’m sure very few customers leave a tip in this place, not when the customer is the one who has to stand in line and do all the heavy lifting. Nevertheless, there’s one of those conspicuous tip jars sitting right on the counter as if to say, “How ‘bout it, Bub?”
After all this, you would expect the food to dazzle. Remember, the soup Nazi was an unapologetic tyrant, but the soup was to die for. Not here. The Orange Brioche French Toast had a hint of orange in it and some orange slices on the side. Otherwise, it didn’t rise much above any other french toast topped, requiring plenty of syrup to give it a little pep.
The breakfast Panini was good but difficult to manage. The scrambled eggs and cheese were no match for the rigidness of the bread which tended to clamp down when you bit, squeezing the eggs out the opposite end in a crumbly mess. The huevos rancheros appeared promising, served like a casserole in a ramekin, but they were indistinguishable from huevos rancheros served anywhere save for the fact that they were mashed up and jammed into a ramekin.
The facade of Milk & Honey is its strong suit, charming and inviting, particularly in the summer when flowers surround the sidewalk café. Other reviewers have gushed over the blonde and green interior, the clean lines, the light filled space, the crackling fireplace. One would think that the folks at Milk & Honey actually want people to come in and sit down. If so, their ordering system favors those who are willing to get in and get out.
Their late location on Damen made no bones about it, inviting customers to grab something quick on their way to the El. It lasted less than a year before being refashioned as a deli, something that bears even less resemblance to a restaurant.
Milk & Honey appears to want nothing to do with being a restaurant. And yet it is.
I guess that's one way to boast that you have customers lining up out the door.
Milk & Honey Café
1920 W. Division
773-395-9434 / Reservations Not Accepted
Hours: Weekend Brunch 8am-2pm, Weekday Breakfast 8am-11am
Features: Outdoor Dining, Brunch, Carryout
Avg. Price of Meal for Two Including Tax $18
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