Cold Days, Warm Iguana
By John & Susie Pratt in Food on Dec 22, 2004 5:09PM
Remember that guy you knew (of) in high school that had a pet iguana? He had a certain independent spirit – the kind that says, “Yeah, I can love a reptile, so what?” He also spent most weekends with said reptile wondering why no one ever came over.
Well, the times they have a’changed, and Iguana Guy is now packing them in at a local restaurant that combines coffee bar, sandwich shop, healthy wine/beer list, internet café, and creperie with the charm of a pet iguana.
As may be apparent from the 
laundry list above, the Iguana Café is not your average restaurant. First of all, located in an unlikely stretch of Halstead just north of Grand, the place isn’t exactly drawing foot traffic. So let’s pause for a moment to look at who makes the trek – Iguana diners include yuppies, college students, cops, club kids, frustrated writers, middle-aged couples, and, apparently, blogging food reviewers.
What Chicagoist is trying to say is that in a city as segregated as Chicago, it is refreshing to eat somewhere that doesn’t cater to a type. We think that’s because the Iguana Café is riding some kind of excellent Euro vibe which comes out in everything from the café tables, to the crepes for dessert. But let’s start with the sandwiches.
What’s so special about the Iguana Café’s sandwiches? Well, in a word, they’re pressed – put into one of those panini gizmo's that you have seen an infomercial for – and smashed to melty thinness. A quick word about the brilliance of the sandwich press – there are those of you out there in the reuben-loving community who consistently refrain from ordering it because you can’t get your mouth around the thing (you know who you are). Well, if the thought of unhinging your jaws in public leaves you cold, then the Iguana Café has your answer – a pressed reuben. It is the same delicious combo of rye, Russian dressing, sauerkraut and corned beef, but compressed to a manageable half inch. One warning – the sandwich press doesn’t heat everything equally, so if you dive too eagerly into your thinwich, you will get the rather unpleasant sensation of warm corned beef and melted cheese with cold sauerkraut and dressing. We liked the meatloaf sandwich too – but same problem re: cold mayo, warm meat and cheese. Our suggestion – wait a few minutes for the whole thing to get to room temperature.
(have you said “IGUANA” out loud yet? – do it – you’ll be glad you did)
Don’t forget the crepes. While we opted for a dessert crepe of fresh strawberries with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, we would have be thrilled if we had ordered a prosciutto and gouda crepe for dinner. Our new New Year’s resolution is to eat more crepes. Vive les crepes!
So where does the iguana figure in? Wouldn’t you be depressed if we told you he was the Wednesday night special? Settle down PETA, Chicagoist is kidding. Iguana surveys the scene from a large glass encased room set into the wall near the ceiling, and from the contented glaze of his eyes we can only assume he subsists on a diet of crepes.