Yolk
1120 S. MICHIGAN AVE. 312-789-9655
If you’re in the mood for a new lunch and weekend brunch spot, get in line at this South Looper. Crowds have already started to form on Sunday mornings for the super-lengthy menu. Yes, you’ll find more eggs here than in your average hen house: skillets, frittatas, omelets, scramblers–you name it. But that doesn’t mean other specialties won’t compete for your attention. Try bacon quesadillas ($7.49) or sample from a lineup of eight kinds of crepes ($5.99-$9.49), including a “peach cobbler” crepe that comes drizzled with Grand Marnier. Lunch items include sandwiches, salads, wraps and burgers, most between $7.99 and $9.49. The room achieves a self-consciously contemporary feel with electric blue and bright yellow walls and funky brushed metal accents.
ZKF
1633 N. MILWAUKEE AVE. 773-278-9600
Fans of Zoom Kitchen, that gone-but-not-forgotten group of comfort food cafeterias, take heart. There’s now a just-opened Bucktown “cousin,” as one person there described it to us. Some of the partners in this new venture were involved in Zoom Kitchen, and it certainly retains a bit of the former’s DNA–if you consider meatloaf ($10.25) to be a genetic trait. One difference: ZKF offers table service in addition to grab-and-go items such as sandwiches ($6.25-$9.25), salads ($8.50-$10.50) and a few bakery items. Check out its as-yet undiscovered BYOB Sunday brunch (go for the veggie benedict, $8), or try the free wi-fi if you like to surf while you eat.
Pierogi Factory
1034 W. BELMONT AVE. 773-325-1015
We love the only-in-Chicago spirit of this month-old quick-serve Lakeview spot that brings that Polish specialty, pierogies, to the masses. The menu features 17 different sweet and savory varieties of pierogi ($4.99/six; $7.99/dozen). Savory choices include sauerkraut and mushroom, and potato and cheddar. For dessert, try a blueberry- or plum-filled version. Non-pierogi items include polish sausage ($5.50), borsch ($1.99), potato pancakes ($2.99), and cheese blintzes ($3.99). Pierogies are available hot to eat in, or frozen to heat and eat at home. Owner Tom Stec tells us to be on the lookout for more Pierogi Factory stores soon, including one in Greektown.
Pasticceria Natalina
5406 N. CLARK ST. 773-989-0662 (NOT YET CONNECTED)
This stretch of Clark Street in Andersonville is already home to a Swedish bakery and, a little farther north, you’ll find a few Mexican panaderias. But if your sweet tooth is of the la dolce dente variety, you’re in luck: This Sicilian-flaired pastry shop is slated to open in mid-December. “Natalia” is Natalie Zarzour, a south suburban native who trained in classic French pastry technique in Lebanon. But her Sicilian heritage–and memories of the Italian-American bakeries in Melrose Park and Elmwood Park–inspired her to open her own shop. “I looked around and realized, you can’t get this stuff around here,” says the current North Sider. Prices are to be determined, but the seasonally inspired menu will offer tarts, cookies (for Christmas, Zarzour will stock traditional fig cookies), cakes and prepared-to-order cannoli, among other delicacies.
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