The kind folks behind the seemingly foolproof gimmick that is Meatloaf Bakery really want you to have a successful meat loaf experience. After all, meat loaf is an infinitely variable and deeply personal foodstuff, a paragon of comfort and familiarity. Any reasonably competent home cook can make it at a fraction of what the loaves, “cupcakes,” and “loafies” (meat loaf bites in pastry shells) cost here. But as simple as it seems, a lot can go wrong. At first glance, the bakery’s offerings look like meat loaf corpses, chilling under glass in this tiny Lincoln Park takeout storefront. But meat loaf is supposed to have something of a refrigerated shelf life, and once you get them home and reheated, most develop an appealingly crusty exterior, and many of the flavors in the eight or so varieties pop out of their meaty matrices. Each variety has a clumsy, cutesy name that pains me to type, let alone say out loud, but I’m particularly fond of the (argh) Wing and a Prayer Loaf, made with ground chicken and blobs of blue cheese, and El Loafo del Fuego, ground pork chorizo molded with almonds, green olives, and hot peppers and crowned with garlicky mashed potatoes. The Herby Turkey Loaf, which sounded like it could be the most boring of the bunch, was surprisingly distinctive, and the house beef-pork-veal Mother Loaf was an honorable incarnation of the classic. Less appealing was the Omega-3, a fluffy croquettelike lump of wild-caught Alaskan salmon that could be used as crab bait. Some of the accompanying sauces show special care and love, especially the demi-glace with the Mother Loaf and the mushroom-sherry sauce with the del Fuego. Wine pairings are suggested on the menu, and detailed instructions on reheating are provided, though I’d cook them lower and slower than the recommended 20 to 25 minutes at 375 degrees, as each came out just a hair too dry for my taste. The key here might be to call ahead and try to time your arrival as they come out of the oven. —Mike Sula
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2464 N. Clark, 773-698-6667
1329 W. Wilson, 773-561-0400
899 S. Plymouth, 312-362-9999
