Disappearing act

Photo Illustration: Jamie Divecchio Ramsay

BELOVED DISH Brisket panini at Vella Café (1912 N Western Ave, 773-489-7777)
The glory days The sandwich of tender brisket slathered with caramelized onions and a plum-apple compote dates back to Vella’s early days as a Green City Market stand. While die-hard fans might not believe it, co-owner Sara Voden explains that after a year on the menu, the panino just wasn’t that popular anymore. So when spring rolled around this year, she took it off and tacked on new menu items, such as a pulled-pork sandwich.
Return probability 93 percent. “It’ll come back,” Voden promises, although she won’t say exactly when. “Probably the fall—if we get so many requests, we may bring it back sooner.” Got your pencils ready?

BELOVED DISH Trio of miniburgers at May Street Market (1132 W Grand Ave, 312-421-5547)
The glory days The plate of gourmet burgers—which includes a mini duck burger with oven-roasted figs and Maytag blue cheese, as well as venison with poached pears, pancetta and aged Spanish goat cheese—was a hit as soon as the place opened, but chef Alex Cheswick couldn’t keep up with the demand. “They were too hard to make during the busy rush, and I would have had to compromise their quality” to keep making them, Cheswick explains, so he handed them their walking papers.
Return probability 55 percent. Cheswick seems hesitant to start pumping out the miniburgers again, but he says there’s a “good chance” they’ll pop up on the menu over at the new café section of the restaurant.

BELOVED DISH Banana split at Otom (951 W Fulton Market St, 312-491-5804)
The glory days The kebabs of pureed banana squares were on Otom’s dessert menu the first night the restaurant opened in 2007, yet no amount of hype could keep chef Daryl Nash from giving them the boot. “As good as it was, it was time for it to go,” Nash says. He wanted to keep a limited menu with seasonal items, and that banana split had soaked up enough of the spotlight.
Return probability 34 percent. There are no plans to put the dessert back in the running, but it does make the occasional appearance as a special whenever the restaurant has a “glut of bananas,” Nash says.

BELOVED DISH Milk-shake flight at HotChocolate (1747 N Damen Ave, 773-489-1747)
The glory days It started with a small, handcrafted wooden board with four little indentations. In those went four tall shot glasses, each holding a different milk shake, with some little cookies on the side. But with only one blender, chef-owner Mindy Segal said filling orders was “a nightmare.” So the popular shake quartet disappeared.
Return probability 3 percent. Segal vows never to add them back to the menu but admits, “People come in and say, ‘Oh, please, we drove all the way from Iowa just for those milk shakes,’ and I’ll make it for them.” So, lie your asses off, Chicagoans.

BELOVED DISH The McRib at McDonald’s (locations citywide)
The glory days The McRib—a boneless pork patty formed into a vague shape of a mini rack of ribs—debuted in 1982 as what McDonald’s spokesperson Danya Proud calls a “promotional menu item.” Nevertheless, fans of the sandwich came out in droves to petition the Golden Arches to keep it around when a “McRib Farewell Tour” PR stunt a few years ago got people all worked up.
Return probability 18 percent. Apparently, boneless pork is only in season in October and November. Or at least those are the months that Mickey D’s in various parts of the country serve them, provided that their local co-op voted for them as a promo item that year. Can’t chance it? The McRib is a permanent fixture at McDonald’s franchises in Germany. No wonder they hate us.

BELOVED DISH Elvis French Toast at Over Easy Café (4943 N Damen Ave, 773-506-2605)
The glory days Bananas and peanut butter layered between brioche French toast, drizzled with honey and topped with whipped cream—who in their right mind would take this off their menu? Owner Jon Cignarale, that’s who. He pulled the plug on the dish in mid-June, “just because I get bored.”
Return probability 65 percent. “It’ll make its debut again,” Cignarale promises. ETA? “There really isn’t a formula,” but he seemed to suggest that if enough people start asking “Hey, man, when are you going to make that Elvis French toast again?” that might speed up its comeback.

BELOVED DISH Braised octopus at Avec (615 W Randolph St, 312-377-2002)
The glory days Avec opened its doors in September 2003 with a menu that included this dish of baby octopus braised low and slow, and it quickly made a name for itself. But after a two-year run, it was time to make a change. “Koren [Grieveson, Avec’s chef de cuisine] told me she was sick of it,” Chef Paul Kahan says, “and wanted to take it off, and I said, ‘No,’ and then a month later, she asked me again, and finally, I said, ‘Okay.’”
Return probability 0 percent. Kahan’s final words: “It’s left and gone and will never rear its ugly head again.”

Has your favorite dish gone missing? Drop us a line at eatoutdrinkup@timeoutchicago.com, and we’ll investigate.