Greenhouse Inn at Misericordia

Drop by if you:

1. want a waitstaff who make sure you feel at home and ensure your glass is always full.
2. want to get the most bang for your buck! You can't beat the breakfast menu specials, which give you HUGE plates of food for less than $7!
3. don't like to wait in line for Sunday brunch!
4. like free parking, another rarity!
5. like contributing to a worthwhile cause. All proceeds benefit the residents here. It's a positive feedback loop! :)

The -1 star is because they didn't have Belgian waffles which I wanted for brunch! :(

The Greenhouse Inn was a busy place on a weekday afternoon in mid-December. Lot's of holiday events and Misericordia events making their parking lot look a bit like Woodfield Mall. I thought we might not get in for lunch. But we did, and it was a pleasant surprise.

First the room or the restaurant is much bigger than I thought. It is so well-staffed with regulars and volunteers that the service was, I daresay, uber-attentive. It took me awhile to figure out the buffet vs, menu items routine, and they have you fill out cards on the table to order. While the menu is attractive, extensive and extremely reasonably priced, the daily buffet special we could not pass up. It was soup, salad bar and an entree of beef, potato and vegetable for $10.00. Beverages and desserts extra. The choices are really very Ann Sather like with a lot of comfort food and baked goods. There is a bakery case near the front door. And it does attract an older crowd with its mauve and seafoam green cafe decor, smacking more of suburbia or Iowa than urban Chicago.

My friend had a silky and chunky Chicken Noodle Soup to start and I the Butternut Squash. Both were piping hot and brimming with flavor. The salad bar, which at $6.25 on its own I would return for in a New York minute, offered Cooked Shrimp, Salmon, greens, a very good pasta salad, and a surprising choice of charcuterie and olives. I skipped the fruit salads. One was just chopped fresh fruit, the other a concoction I refer to as "Terre Haute Cuisine,"with the whipped cream and marshmallows.  Greens, red onions and sliced tomatoes, too. The main event of sliced beef in au jus, baked potato, and the familiar vegetable medley of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, was a little on the institutional side, but for the price, still fresh and flavorful.

I found myself watching the other plates come out, and I have to say a lot of good-looking sandwiches flew by my head. My nose almost collided with a very handsome spinach omelet, too. I confess I was in a sandwich mood when I came in, but I found it easier to echo my disabled companion's buffet order for convenience  sake. But I am coming back for a sandwich or for breakfast sometime. Just not Saturdays or Mondays. They are closed.

With the adjacent Misericorida gift shop, things were very festive for Advent, pre-Christmas: nicely decked out trees and special baked goods and other gift items. So a good place to soak up the holiday vibe and not spend too much of your Christmas Club money on food.. I love the good mission and good cause aspect, too. One of our servers has a daughter who lives and works here and who has reaped the benefits of the education, wellness and caring. It was great to hear her story, and see the resident staff helping out in the busy dining room.

So pop on down to the Greenhouse Inn on your own or when Uncle Fred and Aunt Elsie blow in from Iowa. They'd love it. Great for families and groups, too.

Surprisingly, my mom was the one who introduced me to this place and I'm not quite sure how she found it but I'm glad that she did. The space really is like a greenhouse with a lot of plants and windows. I went with their special that day, which was a pork chop with tomato ragu which included soup and salad bar.

I got the pasta fagioli soup and which was tomato based with a lot of noodles and beans-I typically don't like beans but I liked this one because the consistency of it wasn't too mealy like I usually found with beans.

The salad bar was standard salad bar fare and was all right-it was restocked very frequently and their potato salad had eggs in it which added a protein kick and more well rounded flavor.

The main dish was delicious-it was from the hot bar which took me a while to find out-my mom ordered a sandwich which came out to her and I didn't know that mine was there for the taking. The pork was surprisingly tender-I thought it wouldn't be since it was on a serving platter but it too must have been frequently refreshed. The sauce was a great compliment to the pork and there were sprigs of thyme added to it that made brought out a whole lemony, slightly spicy flavor