Genesee Depot (Eclectic American) [was gnr nomination]

Personally, I can't think of a better nominee than Genesee Depot. It is on Broadway a little south of Irving (3736). It has been described, accurately, I think, as "Eclectic American cuisine served in a casual country atmosphere." It is BYOB. It is my neighborhood "go to" place and neither I nor anyone I have taken there has ever been disappointed.

What I like about Genessee Depot is real attention to the food. Good recipes, good selection of ingredients, thoughtful combination of dishes to make a balanced meal, and incredible prices. I could characterize it as gourmet dining at diner prices. A dinner with salad or soup, bread, entree, and two sides is $18 to $24.

There is nothing exotic about Genesee Deport. Tonight I had the Seafood Gruyere, a menu standard, which is shrimp, scallops and crab cooked with carrots and shitake mushrooms, served over rice and topped with a lightly browned Gruyere sauce. My companion had the salmon, a special. It was topped with champagne caper sauce and served with asparagus and angel hair pasta.

We both had house salads (included) of mixed greens with shredded red cabbage, tomato wedges and cucumber slices, topped with a white French dressing. The bread is a light brown bread that also appears to be made there. The soups and desserts, which vary, are also made there.

Another personal favorite of mine is the veal dumpling, which is a thin slice of veal wrapped around a ham-flavored bread stuffing, topped with a sweet sauce and served with spatzle and red cabbage. There is another similar dish prepared with chicken instead of veal. There are several beef choices, including beef stroganoff.

Working against this nomination is that it has only been mentioned on this board three times, twice by me and once by someone who didn't like it. My post and the negative one are linked below. My other post is basically all repeated here.

My rave.

The pan.


Genesee Depot
3736 North Broadway
Chicago
773-528-6990

I've been to Genesee Depot a couple of times, and while I won't pan it, I can't get particularly excited about it, either. While I respect Chuck's opinions generally, I think it's a bit of a stretch to call it gourmet dining. The menu, as I recall, was a step above comfort food, and while competent, it was a bit on the bland side for my tastes. It reminds me in many ways of the long-gone restaurant Grandma's Receipts, which was on Clark a little north of Diversey. I like the fact that it's BYOB, but in my mind, I think of it as competent, but not outstanding.

I will second the nomination, based on past experience. However, I need to get back to the Depot soon.

Genese Depot has always been a clutch BYOB place, that was before BYOB became a much bigger thing that it is these days. Genese Depot was one of the first BYOB places that I went to where you could get a steak. (Tomboy, was about the second and is no longer BYOB).

I am not a big fan of their small selection of entrees, but when I used to go on a more regular basis, the desserts and soups were made on site. Personally, I did not find any of the dishes lacking flavors, but I do agree that there seasoning of dishes used a judicious hand.

I will try to schedule another visit soon and report back.

pd

I agree with Peter that the menu is limited.

If nothing else, I hope this thread will encourage others to try the place. If your taste runs to the exotic, the Depot won't do it for you, but if you are looking for an excellent overall experience in terms of food, service, atmosphere, convenience and value, the Depot won't disappoint.