Folsom Grill: It only looks like a prison.

  

Look for the sign on Monroe Street.
It's on the opposite side of the building from the Folsom Grill.


Deep in The Gump, in a state office building opened in 1958, on the back side of Goat Hill, state employees and the occasional outsider all cherish The Grill in the Folsom Administrative Building. Why do they cherish it? It's convenient, the staff is pleasant, and you can get something to eat.

It is a place to find sustenance. It has rules ("Crackers are free with salad. $.10 per pack otherwise"). It has specials ("Tuesday Breakfast Special. 1 sausage. 1 biscuit. $1.10). It has two salad bars side by side (No explanation). It has styrofoam boxes and plastic cutlery. It was redone in 1990, after existing for 32 years in its original condition (formica tables, plastic booths). It was flooded in the last few years. It endures. At age 52, it ranks up there with Chris's Hot Dogs and the Farmers' Market Cafe for longevity in The Gump.

Monday through Friday, one can enter The Grill on the first floor of the Folsom Building and get breakfast or lunch. A "breakfast special" will bless one with eggs, sausage or bacon, grits, a biscuit, all in a pristine styrofoam box, with coffee, for less than $4. The box will be heavy in your hand, laden with carbohydrates, some protein, and some grease. Or, one can order a la carte, and get eggs with crispy sausage patties you can eat like a cookie, cheap.


Breakfast from the Folsom Grill.
$2.35.
(Did that sausage just wink at me??)

 For lunch, one can make a salad or visit one of the three serving stations for meats (something fried is always available), overcooked vegetables, and bread of some type. During breaks (which seem to last all day for some), one can find coffee, tea, and conversation in the seating area.

This is just basic Gump home cookin', folks. You will find something you like, or at least something you can tolerate, satisfy a rumbling stomach, and suffer little damage to your wallet. I ate there about 3 times a week for 17.5 years, and I survived.

I drank much coffee, listened to many stories, suffered much cigarette smoke, and watched the people go by, every weekday afternoon from 1972 to 1989. I went back last week to get some breakfast (see above).

The Folsom Grill is a non-profit cooperative, operated by an anonymous group of state employees. It keeps on going.

Celebrating New Year's Eve at The Pine Street Cafe

I took lunch today at a little known Gump cafe (short for cafeteria) which has been operating at 1725 Pine Street near beautiful Oak Park for over 75 years.  The Pine Street Cafe offers a variety of entrees, vegetables, desserts and salads all in an open selection format similar to the Commerce Cafe in the Center for Commerce.  This usually overlooked place offers amenities few other Gump eateries can match.  If, for example, you find your tasty grilled Tilapia wedged in your throat, highly-trained medical professionals are just a few steps away. In fact, a lot of the clientele today appeared to be rich doctors and beautiful nurses so you know the food must be outstanding. Although one normally needs someone to arrange formal admission .  It it is not an exclusive eatery like The Club.  Thankfully there is rarely a need for reservations at lunch. It is also extremely convenient for me when I visit my dear Mum who is recuperating from a broken leg in the nearby clinic.

Today I took a walk on the wilder side and selected the grilled Tilapia, corn and green beans. My butler fetched me a square of cornbread in honor of the Carp. For some unknown reason, I was granted discounts on every item which totaled $1.17 lowering the total charge, with tax and orange juice, to $7.29. Quite a bargain, I must say.  I only had to tender four shares of Synovus Stock and received change!

Some drawbacks: parking is usually difficult and the nearby ER traffic boarders on the seedy side, especially on New Year's Eve.  It is rather sad to see the parade of inebriated and foolish injured passing through the double doors a stone's throw away. Will our less fortunate brethren ever stop firing weapons in the air to celebrate the New Year?

Wait a second.  Just a moment please.  As I write this from my mother's accommodations the nurse has just brought in a tray of food and on the plate was a grilled Tilapia which looked suspiciously like my entree for lunch.  I took a bite and sure enough it WAS the same flavor.  I have now been informed that I have just written a review of hospital food.  Oh my.  Does this hurt my credibility??

The best fried catfish "B" has ever had.  Sorry, no corn bread.

Cheerio anyway and have a very Happy New Year!!