I was out in Kansas earlier this summer and spent the night in Manhattan, always one of my favorite places to visit. (No, really! I'm serious! Manhattan is a great little city!) I wasn't too impressed with the breakfast they had at the hotel, so I decided to set out on the town to find a place to eat. I found a place in Manhattan's downtown area that looked pretty interesting and I ended up stopping into The Chef.
During the middle of World War II, Charles "Cotton" Limbocker opened a little cafe in Manhattan and called it The Chef. It was a small place and patrons were encouraged to order quickly and eat fast as others always seemed to be waiting for a seat at the horseshoe-shaped counter. After running the place for 28 years, Cotton Limbocker retired in 1971 and his sons Bob and Teryl took over. The Limbocker boys changed up the menu and The Chef became a very popular place for the breakfast and lunch crowd in the "Little Apple". Because of the popularity, the Limbockers expanded The Chef by taking over a space next door to the little eatery.
By 1986, Bob and Teryl had enough of the restaurant business and they closed The Chef much to the dismay of locals and students at Kansas State alike. The restaurant changed hands over a number of years, then sat dormant for awhile when Kurstin and Kevin Harris found the space available in 2008. Along with longtime Manhattan chef Zach Filbert, the Harris' wanted to have a breakfast cafe with locally-sourced organic and naturally-raised foods. They weren't going to call the place The Chef, but in doing some research on the history of the space, she found the original neon sign for the restaurant at a local historical museum. The Harris' bought the sign from the museum and hung it back on front of the building. The Chef was back in business! (Filbert is no longer affiliated with The Chef, but is the head chef at the upscale Harry's restaurant located catty-cornered from The Chef in downtown Manhattan.)
I pulled up to The Chef located on S. 4th Street near the intersection with Poyntz Ave. and was able to park on the street just down from the place. (see map) It was a little after 9:30 and the place was about half-full. The original horseshoe counter was gone, replaced by a small L-shaped counter that was full of diners when I walked in. The place was painted in a combination of vivid yellow, blue and green pastels with a bold dark blue wall behind the counter.
I took a seat in the dining room off to the side at a table along the front window. A young lady came over with a menu and asked if I wanted anything to drink to start out. I got an orange juice to start out.
It was an extensive menu at The Chef. They had a number of breakfast items - omelets, pancakes, frittatas, different styles of eggs Benedict, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast burritos. The Chef also has burgers and sandwiches on the menu. Interestingly, since they only serve food up to 2 p.m. (3 p.m. on the weekends), they also have beer and mixed drinks including bloody Mary's, mimosas, and Irish Coffee. They also had something they called the "Manmosa" - a pint of Busch Light beer with a splash of orange juice. Uh..., no thanks.
I am a sucker for corned beef hash and I was certain that The Chef had good corned beef. I ordered that up from another young girl who came to drop off my orange juice. A third young lady brought out my corned beef hash - topped with two over-easy eggs - and a side of whole wheat toast. An au jus sauce came in a container on the side. The server who brought the corned beef hash out to me said, "You know, I never had corned beef hash until a couple months ago when I first started to work here. Now, it's my favorite thing on the menu."
I'm always dubious of comments like that, but the corned beef hash was - in a word - outstanding. It was really corned beef, slowly braised and fried up with potatoes. I couldn't quite put a finger on the taste of the au jus on the side - it seemed to have sort of a fruity taste, but it also tasted somewhat like ham drippings. I didn't use it that much because the taste of the corned beef hash was simply outstanding.
The Chef was a great little find for breakfast. The corned beef hash was excellent, the service - three servers tag-teamed in helping me - was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was cozy, but fun and inviting. The second incarnation of the Chef continues to be a favorite for people living in Manhattan with their top-notch breakfasts, one that you should try if you make it to the "Little Apple."
i want to go to Manhattan for breakfast!
Posted by: Buffy Veber | October 19, 2017 at 01:23 PM