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According to owner Greg O’Neill there were many reasons this spot made sense. “We might have ended up farther north, in someplace like Evanston,” he said, “but frankly, this was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. The Loop is exploding with many high-end residential buildings, then there’s the embedded Loop working population–over a quarter million in a quarter mile–and tourist hotels going up all over.” In addition, of course, we Chicagoans like us some cheese.
I decided to grab lunch, and when I asked a counterman about his favorite sandwich, he pointed me to the Bocadillo de la Mancha, a well-balanced blend of salty “Black Label” serrano ham, slightly creamy Manchego cheese, and membrillo, a quince paste with a sweetness that complements both the ham and cheese. For dessert, I picked up a few ounces of Crater Lake Blue Cheese, a relatively mild and soft Roquefort-style cheese pulsing with delicate tingles of mold.
