Before sitting down recently with her lunch outside the new Magic Pan Crepe Stand in Northbrook Court, Peggy Lewis had an important phone call to make. “Guess where I am?” the Deerfield resident asked her daughter, 27, who was at work downtown.
Lewis, remembering special family visits to the old Magic Pan when her daughter was a child, wanted to reminisce. They would always get the chicken divan crepe, as Lewis had this day, as well as the spinach souffle crepe and a dessert crepe with ice cream, she said.
Although the carryout stand, with its bright blue and green decor–including color-coordinated KitchenAid mixers–has a decidedly different feel than the chain of country French restaurants on which it’s based, this Lettuce Entertain You venture is summoning nostalgic feelings in other customers too.
Ryan Jones, 23, unit supervisor at the Northbrook crepe stand–the first of what will eventually be several in the Chicago area, according to Lettuce–is too young to recall the original restaurants, which had their heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but he has heard from folks who do.
“We get phone calls from people who ask if we take reservations,” he said, sounding slightly amused, given the stand’s Styrofoam-plate-and-plastic-tray setup. He also had a clipboard full of diner’s suggestions on “classic” crepes (beef bourguignonne, seafood, ratatouille) they would like to see added to the menu, which now includes a few old favorites along with more contemporary offerings such as Thai chicken, pizza and quesadilla crepes on the menu’s savory side and Nutella and fudge brownie crepes on its sweet side.
With a menu change in the offing, he said, other classics will likely be rotated into the lineup, in hopes of keeping those older customers coming.
Still, Jones said, “It’s fun to see a new generation of Magic Pan diners.”
Does your mouth still water at the memory of a long-gone dish or restaurant? Send your favorite nostalgic noshes to [email protected].
Children, behave!
A recent Food & Whine column about some parents’ objections to a sign telling children they must behave while visiting A Taste of Heaven, an Andersonville bakery-cafe, certainly struck a nerve. Dozens of readers e-mailed us, many saying that these parents, in the immortal words of Ann Landers, deserve 10 lashes with a wet noodle–or maybe even a timeout.
Here are some of their comments:
“It seems to me … that the problem lies less with the miscreant kiddies than with their mothers. Children need to have behavior modeled for them, and if the dyspeptic mothers of today cannot be bothered with that task, then it is up to the rest of us to help them.”
Christopher Travers, Chicago
“I’m 36 and come from parents who set rules for behavior in public places. . . . Parents today don’t seem to set any boundaries for their children’s public behavior! Instead they take the position that kids will be kids and others should just put up with it.”
Mark Benzer, Chicago
“In addition to common consideration, do [these parents] not even consider child safety in restaurants? I’m sure the first time little Madison collides with a server and gets hurt, they’ll be threatening legal action.”
Lisa O’Keefe, Chicago
“The sign is there because it reflects a growing issue in our culture. … If more parents taught the difference between acceptable and unacceptable public behavior, then the sign … would not be necessary.”
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Shelly Hubman and
Tony Trigilio, Chicago
In the other corner are “those parents.” Here’s a comment from one of them:
“I prefer to go to other restaurants in Andersonville where I am not worried about being scrutinized or uncomfortable when I am with my children. I do my best to encourage my children to be respectful and behave appropriately at home and in public. I do not allow my children to scream, throw tantrums or act disrespectful, but as all parents know, this behavior is not under our complete control at all times. Most parents are working on these issues every day with their kids.”
Alison Miller, Chicago
As for why we didn’t hear more from those in Miller’s camp, perhaps, as three parents opposed to the sign suggested, independent of one another: Parents of young children “are too busy to send e-mail.”
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Have an observation, question or gripe about restaurants? Send it to [email protected].