Ina’s on Randolph: The Breakfast Queen serves up avocados for breakfast!

Samples from the tasting

Ina’s restaurant at 1235 W. Randolph St. in the West Loop has been one of our favorite breakfast spots since we moved to Chicago in 2003. Sure she does lunch too, but her Web site address is www.breakfastqueen.com! And don’t get us started about her vegetable hash (it’s awesome). Last week we had the opportunity to sample some new menu items made with avocados from Mexico.

At Ina’s Table
We were fortunate enough to sit at owner/chef Ina Pinkney’s table where we were served some interesting dishes and learned all about Hass avocados from Mexico. Also at Ina’s table was Cristy-Lucie Alvarado, Assistant Account Executive at Lewis & Neale in New York. Lewis & Neale is a communications agency specializing in marketing food and beverages.

Sampling menu (click to see larger)

Tasty and Beautiful
Some of the menu items included an avocado-mango parfait made with Greek yogurt, pureed mango, diced ripe avocado, and homemade granola; savory Indian rice and lentil pancake with shallots, tomato jalepeno, cilantro with side of avocado chutney; and spicy rock shrimp and grits garnished with andouile sausage, avocado and avocado sauce. All of the samplings were delicious (we cleaned out plates) and beautifully presented. The avocado not only added a splash of color to the dishes above, but a smooth creamy texture as well. Ina’s makes their own bread and rolls, served with meals. They are delicious, but at our tasting, they were served with avocado butter! The spread was light creamy and sweetened with a bit of honey.

If you’ve never been to Ina’s, you’re missing out on some great food, friendly service, and did we mention they have great vegetable hash?

Parking is Always Free
Ina’s is easy to get to by public transportation and if you have a car, she has free parking in her own lot. Have you been to Ina’s? If you have, let us know what your experience was like.