I frequent a couple of group Facebook pages about Galena. Every time a soon-to-be visitor comes in and asks about breakfast several folks recommend Otto's Place. I hadn't even SEEN Otto's before, but I knew I wanted to give it a try. On a Sunday morning when I had no motivation to cook I knew it was time. I wasn't really planning to do a review, just planning to get out of the house on a nice day and let someone else do the cooking and cleaning.
Otto's Place was such a mystery to me that I had to do an online search to find it. They have a great website here and somewhere I found a street view picture that made me realize that I have driven by it many times, and in fact was married in nearby Grant Park. Husband and I arrived about nine o'clock, parked in the city lot nearby and walked on over to find there was about a half hour wait. We strolled off down the trail along the railroad tracks and spent some time enjoying the morning. We went back half hour later, had to wait a few more minutes and then were seated upstairs. The building and the decor are quaint, homey, and comfortable. High ceilings, wood floors, and local art create a comfortable atmosphere. Our server Colton greeted us quickly and offered drinks. Husband ordered the pretty well-known Bloody Mary. I requested a Diet Pepsi from the canned soda offerings. Colton returned to report that there was no more Diet Pepsi, so darn it, I had to go ahead and order a mimosa. The Bloody Mary is an amazing concoction, garnished with cheese, sausage, olives, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, and probably more things that I can't remember. I will let the photo show it all. The mimosa was pretty standard, good sized - I am not a frequent drinker of alcoholic beverages so I am not sure what is standard, but it would have been fun to have an orange slice or a cherry or something to dress it up a little. It looked pretty naked next to its cousin Mary.
Thanks for using paper straws, Otto's Place!
It was hard to choose from the fabulous sounding items on the menu. I finally went for the breakfast tacos and Husband chose banana bread French toast. The French toast was served with syrup and butter on the side. Husband said it was so sweet and delicious that nothing else was needed! The French toast looked a little lonely on the plate.... I know we are talking delicious and filling food, but a sliced strawberry or a couple of blueberries as garnish go a long way in making food appetizing. Although it just occurred to me that with the farm-to-table philosophy berries are not in season yet, so I'll give them that! The egg tacos were fabulous. I am usually one to go with the sweet items for breakfast, but no regrets in ordering these savories. They are usually served with sriracha, but I requested it on the side because of my dislike of "too hot" foods. I did dribble a little bit on there and it really added a zest that the tacos needed. Each bite with a little bit of feta and a tiny bit of the sauce was amazing. I chose the home fries (fruit is the other option) as the side. They were hearty and hot, cooked well, and yummy.
Egg tacos and home fries
Banana Bread French toast
As busy as it was, I didn't get a chance to explore the entire building. There is seating both upstairs and down, and with the weather getting more agreeable, they plan to provide more outdoor seating. Downstairs there was a bar right up front with a couple of seats and where you can place and pick up take away orders. I did check out the upstairs non-gendered bathroom. It was pretty and clean, considering how busy the place was. No changing table, but a small wash stand that might do in a pinch. There was a line for the downstairs bathroom so I didn't get a chance to check it out.
Covid precautions - The staff and servers were all wearing masks and everybody I saw had them on properly, covering both mouth and nose. I also saw this sign:
They did appear to be following these guidelines well as far as I could see.
As a historic building Otto's Place is not required to be ADA compliant. With the outside seating, however, it becomes more accessible. There are steps up to the front door, but I completely admit that I forgot to look for an alternate entrance or other accommodations. Is anybody familiar enough to add comments about the accessibility? Let those comments roll in if you are!
One more really nice feature - wall art is by local artists. It was too busy for me to go around and really scout without disturbing other diners, but I crept over and took one photo of a lovely work with amazing colors and texture. I'd really like to go back and do some more exploring of dishes, art, and the building. If you go to the website and read the story you'll learn that the story of the building, its original owner and the new owners is quite charming. With no wi-fi in the restaurant once you are there take the chance to unplug, sit down, take a good look around and relax.
Does anybody know the artist's name? I didn't get it!
