A year ago, a number of hotels were engaged in a quiet competition. They wanted to be known for having Chicago`s most expensive brunch.
To justify a $25 price tag, one hotel dismantled its huge buffet, printed a menu and provided table service. The food was good, but the hotel was proudest of the price.
Ultimately, the marketing ploy did not work. Another hotel came in a couple of dollars higher, and the escalation finally ended when it became clear that customers wanted to walk up, plate in hand, to a table with lots of things from which to choose. The big-bucks brunch competition wound down into just another worn-out restaurant promotion.
This year, ice sculpture seems to be the rage–and one more way that brunch spots are trying to lure customers their way. Truly, there are some very fine artists making statues of dancing fish, strumming angels and other images. But even this does not seem to be impressing the public greatly.
Live music lately has been added as a part of brunch, offering harpists, jazz players, string duets and other such things to create the fantasy that Sunday brunch provides for people on the one day when the world does not demand that we go out and make our way aggressively through the world.
All these accoutrements are nice. And some brunchers may decide that a certain clarinet player is reason enough to go to brunch at a certain restaurant. But there is another thing that impresses people more than anything else. It always has and always will.
That is The Spread. The Spread is the buffet. It has dozens of prepared salads. It has cheese, fruit, caviar, pate–all arranged artfully on a table that does its best to exhibit excess. Portly, mustached chefs with long knives cut slices from the honey hams and ”steamship” rounds of beef. Waitresses in black uniforms replace a picked-over smoked salmon with a fresh one. Young waiters walk around the room pouring ”complimentary champagne.” It all speaks of conspicuous consumption.
If all this sounds somewhat medieval in its outlook, it is. According to chef Louis Szathmary, owner of The Bakery restaurant, Sunday brunch goes back to the beginning of the industrial revolution in Europe. It became customary for people to use Sunday for the huge midday feast. It was a remembrance of things past. Until that time, before people left their homes for factories, offices and stock enchanges, a huge, leisurely midday meal was an everyday thing.
Now, wherever restaurants hold forth as fashionable meeting places, Sunday brunch is served.
Szathmary, a food historian, says brunch had a resurgence after World War II, when restaurants became more accessible to mainstream Americans, and not just the rich. And in the last five years, brunch has seen even greater popularity. The reason is that more restaurants are competing and promoting, and they are finding that brunch is the best time for the average Chicagoan to leave hearth and home and go out to be served in style.
The people do love it. And the more elegant and rarefied the atmosphere the better. There is something about being on the edge of gluttony in a room fit for gentle nobility that makes people at least feel that they have gotten their money`s worth.
What follows on these pages is an introduction to the most elegant and the most musical brunches–as well as those with the best view–in the city and the suburbs. Each entry lists times, prices and other details. (Credit card code: A, American Express; C, Carte Blanche; D, Diners` Club; M, MasterCard; S, Sears Discovery; V, Visa.) In many cases, complimentary champagne or wine is served, but please note that in Chicago and some other places, alcohol is not served before noon.
You will find that many have a fixed price. In many of these cases, fixed price brunches offer special prices for children, usually for those under 12. In most cases, reservations are accepted, but not really necessary, unless the place is small and extremely popular. In general, the advantage of brunch is you don`t have to make long-standing plans. You can stumble out of the house and enjoy what could be a marvelous feast on an impulse.
Though an attempt has been made to be comprehensive, new brunches are introduced every week, so we may have missed a few.
Also, do not dismay if your favorite brunch is not listed here today. This is only the first of seven weeks of brunch to be featured in Friday–each tied in to a special theme–offered in that time of year when brunch is most appreciated. Weather is milder, and leaving the house early on Sunday starts to look more atttactive.
Because this Sunday is Easter, many restaurants that are accustomed to doing brunch give it a little something extra at this time. And ultimately, it will be Mother`s Day (May 11). Never is it more important to decide on an appropriate place to entertain than on this day. We are doing you a favor
–giving you more than a month and a half to find that special brunch spot.
Below is our listing of elegant brunches, followed by those that offer music with the meal. These elegant repasts are the ones where the ambiance is the thing. Some have rich food and a European look. Others are nouvelle in cuisine and have a light, airy look. Some of the more interesting brunches are at hotels, though many restaurants do a wonderful job. The one requirement is that the place have a large kitchen. That is because the kind of extravagance that people see most clearly early on Sunday is that which is on the table.
These are the brunches that cost $15 or more, which is not a bad price to pay to be regaled in a fine Chicago restaurant. Remember a couple of things. When the price is fixed, it does not normally include tips, and tips usually remain at 15 percent, even when it is a self-service buffet. And unless otherwise noted, dress is casual, which does not mean that you can`t wear a suit or go-to-meeting dress if you prefer.
Baguettes (at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield), 1800 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, 885-1234. Noon-2:30 p.m. $15.95; children under 12, $8.95. Carving stations feature honey-roasted ham and steamship rounds of beef. Seafood bar with varieties of fish, a pasta station and numerous chafing dishes fill out the extravagant display. For Easter ($17.95), roast duckling with lingonberry sauce, poached halibut with choron sauce, eggs florentine and other dishes are to be featured. Executive chef Maury Pearson will show his award-winning style as an ice sculptor. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations recommended. A/C/D/M/ V.
Bennett-Curtis House, 302 W. Taylor St., Grant Park, 815-465-2288. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $20. This brunch is a Victorian fantasy. Chef Sam Van Hook has taken an old house in a tree-shaded village, filled it with lavish antiques and now serves a menu brunch of many courses. Easter brunch runs through April 15 and has things like duck-shaped cheese and a ham and egg casserole in a pastry Easter basket. In nice weather, a first course may be served outside in the garden. No liquor license, so brunchers should bring their own wines. Easter decorations are special and this year may include Hook`s teddy bear collection dressed for the occasion. Reservations recommended. A.
Bolton`s, 21 W. Goethe St., 951-0195. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Fixed price of $14.95. The owners of this brand-new restaurant (where Enzio`s used to be)
have decided that people prefer breakfast items at brunch. They offer some old standbys: eggs Benedict, eggs Florentine and omelettes. Also on the menu are cold poached salmon and chicken wrapped in endive with herb butter. A buffet with fresh fruit, muffins and petit fours gets brunchers started. They finish off with a selection of about 10 dessert pastries, most of them made in-house. Glass of champagne included. Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Cafe D`Artagnan, 2242 N. Lincoln Ave., 248-6543. Noon-2 p.m. This tiny room is deceptive. It is set back on busy Lincoln Avenue and is small, even crowded. But the feel is one of informal elegance. Entrees are $6.95-$10.95 and include smoked salmon omelette with morels and red snapper in brioche. Pastries, including an apricot white chocolate tart, average $3. Owner Pierre Etcheber was the sommelier at Le Francais, so the wines are exceptional. In balmy weather, a courtyard is open. Reservations recommended. A/M/V.
Cape Cod Room (in the Drake Hotel), 140 E. Walton St., 787-2200, ext. 25. Noon-3 p.m. $17.50. Combination order from menu entree (including scrod creole, crabmeat quiche) plus buffet with seafood pates, smoked fish, lox and bagels, Chinese dishes, hot rolls, pastries and salads. Bar and wine list available. Valet parking. Wheelchairs use Oak Street entrance. Reservations necessary. A/C/D/M/V.
Chestnut Street Grill (in Water Tower Place), 845 N. Michigan Ave., 280-2720. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Choice of 10 order-from-the-menu entrees ranging from $6.95 to $13.95, including banana-walnut French toast and charcoal-grilled salmon. Full bar, wine list and wine by the glass. Park at Water Tower garage. Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Deer Path Inn, 255 E. Illinois Rd., Lake Forest, 234-2280. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Fixed price of $14.50 for a buffet that might be one of the most elegant anywhere. Appetizers are oysters on the half shell, lox, smoked trout and many other things. Omelettes and waffles (with blueberries) are made to order. Hot items include bacon, blintzes, chicken a la king, asparagus-ham rolls, veal marengo and round of beef. Champagne is included. This brunch is a little dressier than most, not because of the inn, says the general manager, but
”because of a sense in the community.” The weekly brunch is on a first come, first served basis, but reservations are mandatory for Easter and Mother`s Day. A/C/D/M/V
L`Escargot, 701 N. Michigan Ave., 337-1717. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Prix fixe of $14.50 is for a three-course meal, which features some of the city`s most authentic country French cuisine. Appetizers are on a buffet that features dishes like potato salad with sausage and smoked salmon. Entrees include poached eggs in a puff pastry with cream sauce, and the dessert table is chocolate-run-amok. A special Easter brunch is $16.50 with extended hours of 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Reservations accepted; wheelchair accessible. A/C/ D/M/V.
Gordon, 500 N. Clark St., 467-9780. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Called the Gordon Sunday Breakfast Club, this a la carte, order-from-the-menu brunch includes choice of 15 entrees (such as deviled crab cakes with mustard cream and pecan waffles with praline butter) ranging from $6.75 to $9.95. Wines, champagnes and drinks available. Desserts and appetizers such as pineapple fritters with rum sabayon available. Easter brunch features a jazz pianist and four-course brunch for $15.95. On-street and free nearby lot parking. Reservations accepted, necessary for five or more. A/C/D/M/V.
Mallory`s of Hyde Park, 1525 E. 53d St., 241-5600. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. This high-ceilinged old room, atop the Hyde Park Bank, is evocative of another time, yet it is bright and has a contemporary feel. Brunch entrees are $8.25- $13, and for an extra $3 brunchers can partake of the buffet table, with juices, salads, pates and mousses. Entrees include Virgina ham and eggs and extravagant pancakes with brandied fruit fillings. Complimentary champagne. For Easter, a dinner with full buffet and entrees is $14.50. Free for kids under 5, and half price for those under 11. Wheelchair accessible.
Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Oak Terrace (in the Drake Hotel), 140 E. Walton St., 787-2200, ext. 27. 11:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m. $19.95. Buffet includes unlimited champagne, extensive choice of appetizers and entrees (including paella Valencia, prime rib, changing specialties like braised goose), pastas, pates, terrines, salads, fresh fruit, cheeses and extensive sweet table. Valet parking. Wheelchairs enter through Walton Street or Oak Street entrances and security will bring up to Oak Terrace. Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
The Pump Room, 1301 N. State Pkwy., 266-0360, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $14.95. The food has been subject to indifferent reports, but this was and still is a premier celebrity meeting place. Menu includes a four-course meal, with beverage extra. Dishes include smoked fish, minute steaks, Spanish eggs, German apple pancakes and a corned beef hash that has been in owner Rich Melman`s family for years. Reservations recommended. A/D/M/V.
Ritz-Carlton Cafe, 160 E. Pearson St., 266-1000, ext. 4160. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $14.50. Buffet includes choice of 10 cold entrees including soups, breakfast pastries, lox and bagels, pates and fruit and vegetable salads. (Children ordering off cold buffet, $9.75). Or order a hot entree
(Belgian waffles, eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and truffles, pasta)
from $14.50 to $18 (includes cold buffet) off the menu. Full bar, wine list and wine by the glass. Special entrees for Easter brunch. Valet parking or public lots nearby. Reservations not accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Tango Restaurant (in the Belmont Hotel), 3172 N. Sheridan Rd., 935-0350. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $13.50. Order-from-the-menu brunch gives you a choice of 12 entrees (tenderloin of beef and eggs, and fettuccini and smoked salmon), juice, breads and choice of appetizer and dessert. Full bar, wine list and wine by the glass. Valet parking. Reservations accepted. Handicapped must negotiate two steps. A/M/V.
Yoshi`s Cafe, 3257 N. Halsted St., 248-6160. Noon-3 p.m. (no seatings after 1:30 p.m.) $13.50. Order-from-the menu brunch includes choice of appetizer, entree (changing specialties include sauteed skate with brown butter and capers, confit of duck leg salad, osso bucco) and dessert. Full bar, wine list or wine by the glass. Special Easter brunch is $18.50 (extended seatings 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.). Free lot parking next door and available on street parking. Wheelchair ramp at back of restaurant. Reservations accepted. A/M/V.
Yvette, 1206 N. State Pkwy., 280-1700. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. A la carte, order-from-the-menu brunch features such entrees as poached salmon with spinach, egg and hollandaise and shirred eggs with chicken livers ranging from $5.50 to $8.95. Appetizers, baked pastries also available. Full bar, wine list and wine available by the glass. Special three-course brunch ($15) for Easter includes entertainment by violinist Johnny Frigo and accompanist Joe Vito. There also will be an Easter egg hunt for a 2-ounce, 14-karat gold Easter egg. Brunch patrons are invited to special music performances from 3 to 5 p.m. on selected Sundays; April 6, Audrey Morris; and April 13, Cathy Ford. Public lot, reduced-price parking across the street. Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
WITH MUSIC
At brunch, you may hear music that you might not otherwise even think about. Harpists, strolling violinists and some very sharp Dixieland and modern jazz types are de rigueur at some brunches. They are never obtrusive, only mild and pleasant. Music at brunch accomplishes any number of things. For the more refined among us, it provides a rare glimpse of a gentler age. For those people with a part of their brains still in last night`s sauce, it points out that civilized pleasures are alive, well and flourishing on the Sabbath.
Avalon Restaurant (in the Hamilton Hotel), 400 Park Blvd., Itasca, 773-4000. 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Fixed price of $18.95 ($9.95 for children under 12) for a huge buffet that includes as many as 75 items. Music is soft, mixed with some big-band sounds that are appropriate for the large 12-story lobby where a portion of this brunch is served. The buffet has as many stations as a trade show–you can get crepes, Belgian waffles, roast beef, ham and a variety of egg dishes in silver Sterno service trays. Unlimited champagne. Easter hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and there will be a petting zoo for kids with bunnies, ducks and a baby goat. Wheelchair accessible. A/C/D/M/V.
Bar Association Restaurant, 1224 W. Webster Ave., 871-1440. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. $6.95. Combination buffet/sit-down brunch includes one glass of champagne or bloody Mary, choice of four entrees (including filet mignon with eggs and nine-ingredient omelette), salad/fresh fruit bar and hot rolls. Live classical piano music. Street parking. One step for wheelchairs to negotiate. Reservations not accepted. A/V/M.
The Benchmark (in the Westin Hotel O`Hare), 6100 River Rd., Rosemont, 698-6000. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. A harpist serenades brunchers with classical numbers in addition to mellower versions of popular songs. After a trip to the appetizer buffet, brunchers order from the menu; prices are $12.50 to $19. Easter brunch served in the Astor Ballroom, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; price $17.50. Seafood in puff pastries and special egg dishes are among entrees. Desserts
(which, like appetizers, are included in price of entree) are parfaits, mousses and other delights. Parking at hotel free with brunch. Wheelchair accessible (with one step up from the lobby). Reservations accepted;
recommended for Easter. A/C/D/M/V.
Buckingham`s (in the Normandy Lounge in the Chicago Hilton and Towers), 720 S. Michigan Ave., 922-4400. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $21.95; children ages 6-12, $12.95; children 5 and under, free. Buffet-style brunch includes all the champagne you can drink plus extensive selection including smoked salmon and caviar, omelettes or pasta dishes made to order and assorted vegetable salads. You also get a choice of nine entrees (including duck a l`orange and venison with lingonberry sauce) and two huge tables filled with desserts. Live music varies from a light jazz quartet to a pianist. Reservations accepted for seven or more. A/C/D/M/V.
Chez Paul Country House Restaurant, 1900 Hicks Rd., Rolling Meadows, 253-9880. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $9.95. Buffet includes unlimited champagne and choice of salads; variety of egg dishes, including eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine; breakfast meats, including bacon, sausage; omelettes to order; lox and bagels; desserts; hot entrees, including chicken crepes, London broil or turkey or lamb, sauteed breast of chicken; and sweets table. Pianist plays popular music. Free parking lot. Reservations accepted. A/M/V/D.
The Dairy, 1936 W. Augusta Blvd., 252-4090. 11:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m. $11.95-$15.95. A pianist plays light jazz and show tunes in old-style ambiance–a renovated old dairy attached to an older West Side Victorian house. Table service includes a menu of nine entrees, including omelettes, eggs Sardou and a seafood Madeira dish. Includes free champagne. Easter brunch includes a small family portrait taken at each table. Free indoor parking next door. Wheelchair accessible (one step). Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Dixie Bar & Grill, 225 W. Chicago Ave., 642-3336. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. The a la carte, order-from-the-menu brunch features Cajun specialties from $7.95 to $10.95. Selections include Bubble & Squeak, a cornbread, oyster, ham, cabbage and egg dish; and Florida grouper with Georgia pecans. Wine by the glass. Warren Kime`s Brunch Bunch plays moderate jazz and Dixieland. On-street parking. Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Hotel Moraine, 700 N. Sheridan Rd., Highwood, 433-4100. 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (last seating is 2:15 p.m.). $15.50. This attempted re-creation of Highland Park`s old Hotel Moraine has a buffet table that takes up an entire ballroom. A band plays popular songs and jazz favorites for those who want to use the dance floor. Garde manger (cold table) is decorated with mirrors, and ice sculpture surmounts the entire display. Seafood table includes oysters, clams, shrimp, etc. Waffles and omelettes are made to order, and 11 other hit items are offered. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations accepted. A/C/D/M/V.
Hugo`s (in the Hyatt Regency O`Hare), 9300 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Rosemont, 696-1234. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Fixed price is $18.95 for one of the most complete selections of entree items in the area (though we are in numerical regions where only statisticians would care). There are 20 different beef dishes, 15 chicken dishes, and 25 types of cold salad. During the period between Easter and Mother`s Day, wild game selections will be featured. Served in the immense John Portman-designed lobby of the hotel with continual music, from a harpist to a band of Italian men playing popular songs. Reservations recommended. A/C/D/M/V.
Hugo`s Market (in the Hyatt Oak Brook Hotel), 1909 Spring Rd., Oak Brook, 654-8400, ext. 6065. 10:30 a.m-2:30 p.m. $14.95. This is one of those grand buffets, replete with ice sculptures, for which Hyatt chefs are well-known. Buffet stations are manned by cooks carving ham and roast beef and making omelettes. Unlimited champagne. Dessert tray includes chocolate mousse, trifles and amaretto torte. Pianist plays classical and popular numbers. Easter brunch ($15.95) is 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. and will have a petting zoo with small animals for children. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations recommended. A/D/M/V.
La Tour (in the Park Hyatt Hotel), 800 N. Michigan Ave., 280-2230. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $21.50. Elegant decor and superior service highlight this brunch which includes unlimited champagne after noon. Choice of 5 appetizers and 10 entrees served at the table, and a dessert buffet. Pianist and oboist
(Firework Ensemble) play delicate classics like Hindemith and Schubert. Valet parking with hotel doorman. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations recommended. A/D/V/M.
Stetson`s (in the Hyatt Regency Chicago), 151 E. Wacker Dr., 565-1234. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Chef Janos Kiss is one of Chicago`s elite who really likes to mount a buffet spectacle. It costs $24.95 at Stetson`s in the hotel`s east tower. Ice sculptures, waterfalls and other visuals get full play here. Brunchers are offered the normal brunch fare, along with an extraordinary bread display and homemade pastas with choice of sauce. Strolling trios perambulate around the fountains of this archipelago-like dining room in the lobby. For Easter, the price goes down a bit–$21.95 and $12.95 for children
–and Kiss adds giraffe loins and other things to the list of entrees. Reservations recommended. A/C/D/M/V.
Next week: Dim sum.
