Breakfast is easily the most conservative meal of the day, and there haven't been any significant creative developments on the morning menu since Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek, Michigan, kicked off the cold cereal renaissance in the late 19th century.

No way would the ascetic Dr. Kellogg approve of the revolutionary bacon-and-egg soup served at Back in the Day Cafe in the southwestern suburb of Lyons, but then who are you going to trust, your taste buds or the vegetarian quack who invented the yogurt enema?

Said soup consists of a substrate of hominy grits and bacon bits drowned in homemade chicken broth that covers two soft-poached eggs. The eggs are concealed by melted cheese, which in turn is studded with crunchy croutons that are turbocharged with pesto. The net effect is positively symphonic.

But if you're not up for soup that early in the AM, check out their breakfast pizza, which is essentially a bawdy partouze among pizza crust, sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, and melted cheese. I'm not saying any of this is remotely good for you, just that it's really, really good.

The ambience is your basic 60s kitschy cool, the service is fast and friendly, the coffee is sublime, and everything arrives at the table hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth.

Back In The Day Cafe, 8801 Ogden, Lyons, 708-485-8050