Bongo Room

Ok, I'm finally getting around to this. It only took me 2 weeks. Let's see what I can remember. There was a long wait, although they told us at least an hour and it was only 45 minutes. They were cash only because the credit card machine was down. I can't really knock them for that. It was a slight inconvience that resulted in my eating a couple Butterfingers in an attempt to get cash. But I did get to eat Butterfingers. So maybe that should work in their favor.
It's a cute little place though much smaller than I expected. Everyone raved so much about this place that I was expecting this massive room full of people. There was a room. It was full of people. It wasn't massive. I think it sat MAYBE 75 people. That would explain the long wait.
Our server was good. Not great. But good. He may or may not have had a beard. That's the extent of the impact he had on me.
On to the food: The pancakes? Really good! I got the blueberries and cream single pancake. I really like that you can order just one of any of their pancakes. That's a nice touch BR. My pancake had blueberries in it, blueberry syrup on it and - get this - creme anglaise! Uh huh. It really was that good. I love creme anglaise. I would eat it by the jug if I could. Gene got a salted caramel/pretzel/white chocolate type pancake that was good...but not as good as mine. Greg got a red velvet that he loved but I wasn't a big fan of it. We each thought we got the best pancake but I think everyone knows that I did. That's the extent of my good comments on the food. They had some potatoes (I think?) that were good but flavored with dill which is not my favorite seasoning. I can see why other people liked them though. It was just a little too dilly for me. And my omelet? I got a beef tenderloin omelet - which was clearly made with the beef tenderloin that was borderline rotten so they cooked the crap out of it and stuck it in an omelet. I shouldn't be surprised. It's brunch. That's what you do - use up your leftovers and throw them in some eggs. But I guess I forgot. I could've lived without eating that omelet.
Pricewise, I thought it wasn't bad for being in the South Loop (right in the downtown area). A little more than I'd like to pay for brunch but considering the amount of food & location, I don't think $20 is unreasonable. They didn't serve alcohol, which was ok by me, but I think $20 on brunch food with no alcohol is just a teensy bit high.
I gave this place an 8. Gene and Greg gave it a 10. or a 9.5. I don't remember because I overruled them. I might stretch it out to an 8.5 because the pancakes really were that good. But I'm still holding out for better.

(Note: with the Paleo challenge there may or may not be a slight hold on the brunch outings. Stay tuned for further reviews.)