By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
December 16, 1998
200 N. LaSalle
(312) 782-5588
Hours: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Prices: entrees, $4.99; side dishes, $2.99.
Credit cards: All. To-go charge: none. Free delivery for orders of $20 or more.
Then I got a sandwich from Briazz. What a pleasant surprise! Not only was it fresh, but it was delicious. Launched three years ago by Victor Alhadeff, Briazz opened its doors in Seattle before expanding into San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago.
There are nine Briazz locations in the Chicago area, primarily in the city. The menu touts a commitment to serving food that is “fresh, fast and fabulous.”
Prepared in an 11,500-square-foot kitchen in Chicago, the food is transported fresh each day to the various restaurants here.
In addition to its lunch offerings, Briazz serves breakfast muffins, bagels and hot oatmeal in the morning.
The menu is simple, but extensive. For $3.99, I got a generous serving of brie and ham served on a delicious baguette. The sandwich comes condiment-free, so each diner can add just the right amount of mustard or mayonnaise to satisfy his or her palate.
The sesame chicken salad ($4.99) also is a tasty bargain. The bed of Napa cabbage is a nice change of pace from your everyday romaine or iceberg lettuce.
Another day, I wanted soup. The selection varies from traditional Portuguese bean soup with sausage, to vegetarian lentil and rice, to broccoli and cheddar. I opted for a 16-ounce bowl of clam chowder ($3.49; $2.69 for a 12-ounce bowl), that was filled with plump clams.
I topped that meal-in-itself off with a mint pineapple fruit cup ($2.99). Though I’m normally not a big jicama fan, it tasted sublime mixed in with the chunks of melon and pineapple, lime juice and mint.
But if sweets are your thing, you must save room for dessert. You’ll definitely want at least one of the pastries, which average $1.49 per item. The brownies are a chocohalics dream, but a sour cream muffin washed down with a latte caps off a hearty lunch without leaving you feeling too stuffed.
