LINCOLN SQUARE — Geraldine’s Cafe, the latest entry to the bustling collection of stores near Lincoln Square’s centerpiece Giddings Plaza, arrived in the middle of winter.
Now, as the weather warms, it’s ramping up its menu as people emerge from their homes.
The new cafe at 4743 N. Lincoln Ave. is a sister store to Jerry’s sandwich shop next door at 4739 N. Lincoln Ave. The two stores not only shares owners, they share a common door.
“That’s the joke of the names, they both start with ‘Jerry.’ So there’s a lot of back and forth. People come into Jerry’s and then maybe pop into Geraldine’s to grab a coffee on their way out the door,” said Mark Bires, one of the owners. “Or they wander into Geraldine’s and they decided they’d rather have a sit down plate service lunch. They’re simpatico, complementary to one another.”
Geraldine’s menu features savory dishes, like a bacon pear sandwich, alongside coffee from Metropolis. And they have a star in their kitchen.
Geraldine’s baking program is being led by Eileen Kerbel, who won Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” in 2010.
“We do all our own cooking and baking, many coffee shops don’t do that,” said Bires. “We’re also trying to evolve away from just being a typical coffee shop with a few pastries. …
“We make our own buttermilk biscuits for example from scratch,” Bires said. “Eileen is really talented.”
Geraldine’s opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. on weekends and is typically open until 4 p.m. As the days get longer and weather gets better, the business aims to be open later.
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