We certainly understand your skepticism, but spring has arrived, and with it, the peak season for Sunday brunch.
It`s easy to view brunch as a decadent pleasure, a time-consuming, calorie-intensive indulgence that distracts you from honest weekend labor. Nonsense. A good Sunday brunch can be the most satisfying meal of the week, when approached properly. Nothing quite compares to the feeling one has at the end of a serene, leisurely brunch. You`re contented, you`re fortified-OK, you`re stuffed-and the rest of the day stretches out before you-even if all you`re going to do with that day is stretch out yourself.
Brunching, moreover, is about the most cost-effective restaurant meal available. The up-front cost of a large-scale brunch is daunting at first, but consider: That price, which even includes a sip or two (or three or four) of wine, can provide you a day`s worth of food; the same amount of food at dinner time would cost far, far more. Brunch at the 95th or Seasons (the two best brunches in town) is still less than $30; try eating dinner in those restaurants for that amount.
The caloric impact of a brunch binge can be compensated for, because you`ve taken in all that food while the sun`s still high in the sky. It`s a simple matter to burn off your excesses during the afternoon activities (for the best workout, I recommend leafing through one of the heavier Sunday newspapers).
If a lot of buffet brunches seem very much the same, it`s because the market has made them so. Brunching is often a family activity, and quite naturally, restaurants have adapted a something-for-everyone philosophy. Cold tables, hot tables, sweet tables, carving stations, cook-to-order stations-these are the foundations of a solid buffet brunch, and if you can`t find something to your liking here, you probably aren`t looking. The last couple of big buffet brunches we attended even offered a children`s table, a selection of child-oriented food at a child-accessible height.
And if you`re looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, look no farther. There are plenty of options for those who don`t care if they never see a waffle iron again.
For instance, you can try brunch Italian style at Convito Italiano in Wilmette. The small restaurant began serving brunch last November, offering a six-item menu that ranges from a traditional bagel and smoked-salmon plate to rigatoni, bathed in cream sauce mixed with green peas and sausage. Price range is $4.50 to $7.95; all entrees include salad.
Start with a hefty muffin, so large that two could share it. The cranberry muffin and pumpkin muffins are quite good. Next comes salad, a nice composition of mixed greens and shredded jicama, in an orange-balsamic vinaigrette. A very refreshing course, with tart flavors throughout.
Bacon-and-egg pizza sounds bizarre (of course, this is the sister restaurant to Trattoria Convito, which introduced potato pizza to Chicago), but tastes very good. The crust is light and slightly crispy, the bacon still crispier, and the whole thing is topped with a dusting of parmesan. The frittatas are pretty basic, but the sausage frittata adds a little kick and the tomato sauce is good and rich. A peach fruit crepe is filled with sweetened cream cheese and doused with a thick peach sauce and sliced peaches. If you`re in the mood, Convito`s wine selection is first rate, and there`s a decent by-the-glass selection. Cappucino is very good here, and gives the meal a delightful finish.
Convito Italiano, 1515 Sheridan Rd., Wilmette, 708-251-3654. Brunch served 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun. MasterCard, Visa accepted. No reservations. Wheelchair accessible.
New Orleans-style brunching is available at Bistro 110, where a jazz brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. At noon, Grady Johnson`s Jazz Band provides background while you spread fresh roasted garlic on bread (the restaurant`s signature complimentary starter is offered even on Sunday morning) and peruse the menu. A selection of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and entrees is supplemented by 10 New Orleans dishes, all of them intriguing. Eggs Louisiana sets poached eggs atop crispy, spicy salmon cakes, topped with hollandaise; Crescent City Eggs is the same dish except that smoked-chicken hash replaces the salmon cakes. Both dishes feature perfectly poached eggs and good hollandaise; we much prefer the assertive salmon cakes to the limp, rather bland chicken hash.
Another dish is Herbsaint Charles, a spinach-egg custard mixed with bacon and Herbsaint liqueur and topped with parmesan. This is an impressive dish;
the custard has good flavor and texture and the liqueur adds just a hint of anise undercurrent. The bacon-wrapped, roasted asparagus accompanying the dish is excellent.
When available, bread pudding is a good dessert choice. Studded with raisins and figs, teamed with a pale and pleasant bourbon cream sauce, the bread pudding is satisfying and big enough for two.
For information, see listing in Friday Guide.
If you`ve ever been frustrated with the crowds (and no-reservation policy) at Frontera Grill, we`ve got good news for you. The experience of dining here-minus the 150 or so companions-is available every Saturday morning. It`s a great time to bring the kids along, and a lot of people do.
A truncated lunch menu is supplemented by 10 brunch items, most of them egg dishes, ranging in price from $5.50 to $8.95. Egg dishes are paired with various accents; huevos ala Mexicana blends scrambled eggs with serrano peppers (in mercifully moderate portion), tomatoes, grilled green onions, cilantro and avocado, and side servings of black beans and salsa verde; the flavors blend wonderfully, and the cilantro gives the dish a nice, clean finish. Another good choice is grilled skirt steak, chewy but very flavorful, served with chilaquiles-tortillas cooked with tomatillos, chilies and scrambled eggs-and a generous portion of earthy black beans topped with crumbled cheese.
And yes, that same wonderful, just-grilled aroma is in the air on Saturday mornings.
For information, see listing in Friday Guide.
Those with fond memories of brunch at Mel Markon`s can relive the experience at his new restaurant, Dixie Que. Several items on Dixie Que`s Sunday brunch menu are revivals from Markon`s departed Lincoln Park restaurant: Eggs benedict, banana-pecan french toast, nova lox platter and omelets. Southern-inspired dishes include Little Rock Scramble, scrambled eggs with ham, tomato, onion and jalapeno pepper; the Holy Smoker, an omelet with red pepper, tomato, onion and smoked andouille sausage; and Tennessee Fire, an eye-opening drink of tequila and spiced tomato juice. Prices range from $4.25 to $6.95. Plenty of free parking.
For information, see listing in Friday Guide.
A tapas (appetizer) buffet highlights brunch at La Paella, Chicago`s 12-year-old Spanish restaurant. The $15.95 brunch includes hot and cold tapas, plus entree and dessert.
The storefront exterior hides a beautiful interior. Tables are draped with pink cloths, covered in turn with oil candles and tiny vases of fresh flowers. Walls are covered with Spanish heraldry and three large brass chandeliers hang from the pressed-tin ceiling. Seating is at plush banquettes, or rustic-looking, padded wooden benches.
Highlights of the buffet include cold pork loin stuffed with spinach and egg; chilled mussels doused with light vinaigrette; a vegetable mousse of tomatoes, green and red pimientos and onions; flaky pastry filled with spinach and cheese; a rich blend of scallops and lima beans; and a surprisingly good pasta in cream sauce.
Among entrees, charcoal-broiled pork tenderloin and saffron rice is a solid choice. A cod fillet is paired with a red pimiento sauce that`s enlivened by some dried red pepper, but the dish is still rather bland.
Dessert includes bananas, sauteed and flamed in generous amounts of rum. The buffet table offers custard, fruit tarts and strawberries with whipped cream.
For information, see listing in Friday Guide.
Breakfast at the Planet Cafe isn`t really offbeat; the restaurant offers omelets, pancakes, bagels and the like. But on Saturday and Sunday mornings, anyone showing up in bedclothes (pajamas, nightgowns, even blankets) gets 10 percent off the tab. Quite a few people take advantage of the discount, making Planet Cafe one of the most eye-opening weekend morning spots in town.
For information, see listing in Friday Guide.
The Davis Street Fishmarket is a casual seafood restaurant that, on Sundays, gives adventurous diners a taste of the Old Sod. The full Irish breakfast (in Ireland, it`s called ”heart attack on a plate”) includes juice, porridge, eggs, bacon, sausage, white and black pudding, grilled tomatoes, soda bread and coffee for $5.95. It is a stupefying amount of food and, despite the cholesterol level (more likely because of it), tastes wonderful. The puddings are coarse-textured but smooth tasting, the sausages are hearty but not too greasy and the biscuits are excellent.
The Irish breakfast is one feature of a breakfast menu that offers plenty of hearty selections, including skillet dishes, biscuits and gravy, country breakfasts and typical egg and pancake creations. French toast, made with thick slices of cinnamon-raisin bread, is very good; biscuits and gravy is enhanced by bits of spicy sausage; Cajun hashbrowns, a component of the country breakfast (along with three eggs), are spicy but fairly tame.
The decor here is New England lobster shanty (lobster traps suspended from the ceiling, trophy fish mounted on the walls); during breakfast, the sound system plays Irish music and circa-`70s pop ballads.
Davis Street Fishmarket, 501 Davis St., Evanston, 708-869-3474. Breakfast served 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun., American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa accepted. Reservations accepted. Wheelchair accessible.
For most people, Chinese brunch means dim sum. But out in Du Page County, Grand Mandarin in Lisle serves Chinese dishes in a Western-brunch format. A massive building with an eye-catching green-tile roof, the Grand Mandarin`s interiors are equally dazzling, from the goldfish pond (complete with waterfall) in the foyer to the elaborate hanging lanterns scattered throughout the dining room. A pianist adds to the lovely atmosphere.
The $12.95 brunch here is very impressive: A buffet table includes several appetizers and entrees and a few desserts; there`s also a side station where a staffer prepares Peking duck.
Back at the table, there are more surprises: An opening soup course (a simple chicken broth with noodles and vegetables is followed by a full steamed lobster (one for every two adult diners) is part of the deal. The lobster, its shell conveniently split, has good flavor and very little salt and sits in a pool of spicy black bean sauce. Very impressive.
On the buffet side, highlights include the Peking duck, capably presented with a good plum sauce; roast beef in a sweet sauce, seasoned with ginger;
chicken in garlic sauce; and excellent pork-filled wontons.
Desserts are bakery-bought and taste fine, although strawberry layer cake and lemon cream pie look more than a little out of place here. There`s also a free champagne fountain, which is a nice touch-except that the fountain takes all the effervescence away. By-the-glass servings would be a much better.
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Grand Mandarin, 3099 Ogden Ave., Lisle, 708-357-0888. Brunch served 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sun. $12.95, $8.95 children. American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa accepted. Reservations accepted.
