Roughly Half a Mile From the Riverside, but Still Noteworthy

Neon Memes • Few joys rival that of finding a treasure almost in one's own back yard. I felt just such joy this Saturday on visiting Riverside Café (7704 Ivory, 314.544.7711). The eatery lies all of five blocks from my bungalow as the clichéd crow flies, off a characteristically odd South Side wedge defined by Ivory, Schirmer and Virginia. A large, open space floored in lovely hardwood and painted mustard and olive, it opened in June, according to my waitress, who also estimated its seating capacity at 99 (mostly in four-tops). According to its menu, meanwhile, it specializes in diner and "home-style" fare daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, for instance, I gobbled an order of chili mac topped with cheese and diced onions pungent enough to make my eyes water and my nose run―not a bad thing, in my book, on a cold, gray November afternoon. My sole complaint? Despite a pretax menu price of $6.25, Riverside Café's cash register charged $7.25 before tax for my chili mac―so either the menu or the register needs to be corrected. That said, I hope to revisit the café―soon!―to sample its 10-ounce country fried steak. ―Bryan A. Hollerbach, Managing Editor