The Hot Spot

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: The Hot Spot
Location: 2824 W. Armitage


I’ve done a complete 360 on The Hot Spot. I started hot, got cold, and now I’m hot again. I’m like a 52-year-old lady going through menopause (minus the mom jeans, though I have the FUPA to pull them off).

Here’s the story.

HOT
My wife read about The Hot Spot in Time Out when it first opened up. It sounded great. Breakfast is our favorite meal of the day (not that I mind any meal), so we keep a lookout for places to go, and the Hot Spot sounded perfect. I’d already decided I liked it even though I’d never gone. And it would stay that way for some time. We never found our way to the place.

COLD
Fast-forward about a year and a half. We move from Ukrainian Village to Logan Square. Suddenly The Hot Spot is just a stones throw away from our new place (it wasn’t that far from our old place, but it shows just how lazy we are). So my wife’s family comes up and we head over for breakfast on a Saturday. I loved it the moment I walked in. I love the décor, the atmosphere, and the fact that we don’t have to wait even though it’s ten in the morning. If we were at Bongo Room I’d be standing outside for an hour (which I never complain about since Bongo Room has the best breakfast of all-time). Here? We sit right down. My favorite part is the breakfast bar. Great for grabbing a solo meal. I start off with a coffee and I’m pretty happy with it. There’s a lot to choose from on this menu. Luckily there was a group of us, so we got to sample a lot. They’re known for their Logan Berry pancakes, so my brother-in-law gets those. My wife ops for the lox bagel while her sister gets an omelet. I go for the Belgian waffle. Nothing special, but was in the mood for it. Not good. The waffle was just OK. The omelet was just OK. The lox bagel was just OK. The only thing that was above average was the Logan Berry pancakes. I was devastated. I brought it up with a co-worker (Anne) who had been there and she felt the same way. We decided the problem was that everything just kind of tasted like something you’d make at home. There was nothing unique about any of the dishes. This was worse than the time I saw Anchorman for the first time and nearly sent a letter to Will Ferrell asking for my money back (no joke). I had such high expectations and when the experience didn’t live up to those expectations it makes it worse than it really is. With Anchorman I declared it one of the worst movies of all-time. But then I made myself watch it again. And again. And again. And again (and again multiplied by about 100). And now it’s one of my favorite movies. After this first Hot Spot experience I wasn’t sure I would ever go back. I’m glad I changed my mind.

WARMER
My buddy Dave and I meet for breakfast every Thursday. Gives us a chance to catch up, chat, discuss football lines, and so on. One Thursday neither of us were working so rather than head downtown for breakfast we kept it close to home. The Hot Spot just happens to be directly in the middle of our places. So, we chose to meet there. This time around I got the Huevos Rancheros. What a treat. Just a slop of eggs, beans, salsa, sour cream, and chorizo served in a skillet. You just mix it all together and enjoy. I couldn’t get enough of it. Why didn’t I get this the first time? This changed everything. Maybe The Hot Spot was better than I gave it credit for.

HOT
So I’ve been back several times since, and each time I’ve been satisfied. From the burrito to the breakfast sandwich to the rancheros I haven’t had a bad meal since. The key is to not order the simple things on the menu that you can make at home. Omelets, pancakes, and even the French toast. All just average. And it’s because there isn’t anything unique about them (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I told Anne about my new love for the place and explained the change, and she said she never ordered anything but the plain pancakes or eggs, so now I know why she never truly enjoyed it.

The service is always great. The clientele is diverse. The atmosphere is bright. The prices are reasonable. And I love the food (now).

There you have it. The Hot Spot is like a goiter - it’ll grow on you.

Chest Bump.


Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.