How often do you get to say that? Well, if you head over to Boys Town, any time you want; it doesn’t even have to be during Pride Parade or Market Days.
Wally & Agador’s Gourmet Cafe is a new sandwich shop that’s opened on North Halsted street. In that part of Chicago divas are de rigeur, so that’s what the sandwiches are named after, and considering what they’re made of they’re aptly named.
They’re created by Michael Lachowicz, a chef with an impressive resume and a haute cuisine restaurant in Winnetka called Restaurant Michael. With his background Chef Michael didn’t want just another place that slapped meat on bread; his are complex blendings of flavors you don’t normally associate with something you can pick up with your hands – and not be shown the exit.
The Judy Garland is a hearty vegetarian combination of portabella mushrooms, robiola cheese, sliced artichoke hearts and green and black olive tapanade on ciabatta. The Divine Miss M
is a portable steakhouse entree, made with grilled beef tenderloin, roquefort cheese spread, caramelized onions and bacon lardons. My personal favorite, which should come as no surprise to those that know me, is The Marilyn Monroe. It’s simply extravagant; a baguette holds red onion, brie, dijon mayo, and chicken liver mousse and duck pate. Pate, on a sandwich. Brilliant.
A close second is the Wham Sammich. It’s not because I, like every other girl who grew up in the 80s, thought George Michael was the most beautiful thing since Leif Garrett. It’s because the Wham is leg of lamb, with fresh goat cheese, and eggplant caviar, and garlic and black pepper mayo.
Wally & Agador’s is named after Chef Michael’s two dogs, so of course they have to have sandwiches as well. The Wally, peanut butter and banana (and marshmallow fluff), also brought me back to my childhood, although it could use some more peanut butter. The Agador substitutes nutella for the peanut butter.
You can get the sandwiches “dead or alive” (hot or cold), and each one comes with a salad or homemade chips. Prices range from $7 to $11, and $12 for The Esther Williams, but she’s made of lobster and scallop sausage, so we can forgive her. There’s also a deli case with take-out selections, including the pate.
And The Elton John? Chicken sausage “studded” with dried huckleberries with truffle sauce, shallot jam and pommes frites. Diva-licious.
Wally & Agador’s Gourmet Cafe, 3310 N Halsted St, 773-925-9664
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