2100 West Irving Park

We've been here before, but it's not been since we moved out of the general area and never for a Brunch.  It's a bar!  It's a good bar.  It's a busy bar. They like Halloween!

It's a long sort of skinny building split up into 3 sections by virtue of the walls that hold the roof up.  100% bar looking at the front, 100% brunch buffet looking in the middle (probably gets normal tables the second the brunch goes away), 85% kids section in the back (although this delineation is probably only apparent during brunch)...  It's a bar...  Lots of TVs with the games on, a mixture of high tops and normal tables, lots of options to drag tables around for bigger groups, and seeing it's Halloween season some fun decorations around the place that certainly got the kids attention.

It's a buffet, so you don't get much interaction with your Server, but she did come by to keep an eye on our drinks or to put in an order for an omelet or waffle.  She also didn't appear to be concerned with the kids not always being in their designated seats - she must have worked the kids section before...

Our meal went a little like this:

• Milk
• White Trash Mimosa - not exactly sure what the make up was, but you get a pint and it was sort of refreshing.
• Bloody Mary with Beer Chaser - it was consumed, and it comes with a big edible arrangement as a garnish.
• Brunch Buffet - plenty to choose from, including but not limited to...
  • Eggs, Bacon, Sausage 
  • Made to Order Omelets - but don't speak to the Chef, order through your Server...
  • Waffles - chocolate is an option that's hard for the kids to pass up
  • Yogurt / Fruit Bar
  • Biscuits & Gravy - I'm going to go with pretty good gravy - perhaps sausage?
  • French Toast 
  • Carved Turkey & Beef 
  • Sloppy Joes 
  • Dino Fingers - technically, for the kids, but I may have had 1 or 4...
  • Sweet Potato Fries - a pleasant surprise
  • Assorted Salads 
  • Cookies & the Like... 

It's not our neighborhood any more so even though we had a satisfying feed, it's unlikely we'll get back for brunch anytime soon.  But, if the stars align and we need a lazy brunch (or casual dinner) in the general vicinity of O'Donovan's we could give it another go.

Stay JOLLY!
DRon, Diane, Allison, Natalie

1417 West Fullerton

So, we went out the night before A Related Article for our Anniversary Dinner which was actually the day before the day.  Neither of us is really sure why we did that, so to make things right (and not spend the day on the couch) we headed off for Brunch - as late a reservation as allowed, just for the record.  Sprout was on our To-Do List the List... but technically for the Dinner, but after getting a great review from a trusted Brunch aficionado, we signed ourselves up.

It's easy enough to find with some banner type things going on outside, and had we been just a bit braver we could have parked right outside the door (seems like there's a lot of closed up shops / restaurants in the area and we hope that isn't any sort of bad omen for Sprout!) but instead took an easy spot about 2 blocks away - still nothing to complain about.

It's not a complicated space.  A short 'hallway' off the street to the entrance in the middle of the side, a host stand and bar to greet you.  From what we saw, there's two spaces.  The area around the bar we called the inside and back towards the front (remember we had to walk down the side to get in) to the area we called outside.  'Inside', dark woods, low lighting.  'Outside', bright and airy with big windows that open onto the street and exposed stone walls. If inclined, it does look like you can just grab a cocktail at the bar, but it might just be used for waiting?  We'll find out one day...

We thought it might be busier, but being almost the last ones in it was apparent the rush was over by the list of items we were told were no longer available - and this list appeared to grow with each incoming table.  I'd be cranky with a list of 86'd items this long at Dinner, but for Brunch almost not at all and this menu is of a good enough size and variety that it didn't bother me at all - although we did squeeze in for the last of the Bacon Buns which might have upset us to miss out on.

Brunch Servers are different.  Almost no chatting, and almost a little embarrassment when pointing out the 86'd items, but she was polite and able to answer questions.  However, when we asked for her thoughts on two dishes the one she chose as her preferred was not the same one she told the table next to us.  I think I was on win - win with the two dishes in question, so not holding it against her.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Rumaki Fizz (bacon infused vodka, pineapple, honey soy reduction, ginger beer) - different and a lot going on.  Perhaps a little heavy on the bacon, but no reason to send it away.
• Afternoon delight (frenet, raspberry, basil fennel syrup, prosecco) - refreshing and moorish.
• Lithuanian Bacon Buns - these are fun. Not sure what to compare them to. Just get them!
• Lamb: "Eggs Benedict" (green tomato, goat cheese, broccoli, baby turnip) - Eggs Benedict in the loosest definition of the word, but really really tasty. The lamb the pleasant highlight, the turnip the pleasant surprise. I could have had 2, but that would be greedy...
• Skirt: "Steak & Eggs" (crab, fingerling, sunny side egg, thai basil, sambal) - a nice piece of meat with a bunch of yummy stuff. No complaints when asked for a non-sunny side egg.

We enjoyed it, and although technically off the To-Do list, we'll make sure to get ourselves back some time soon for Dinner because that's really how the Chef caught our attention on Top Chef.

Stay JOLLY!
D

3819 N Broadway

It seems like only yesterday A Previous Visit we here having a Grand time with Grand friends over a Grand meal. But, technically, it's been 8 days...  We've often said we want to return to a place, but we recognize that we sort of favor new experiences just a little more and as such our To-Do list tends to take precedence over our Re-Do list. 

We did really enjoy what Hearty had to offer and one of our group said she had been for Brunch and that it was great.  We've said before we don't really do Brunch A Previous Article (because we struggle to get ourselves together in a timely fashion on weekend sleep in days!) but when a special occasion or event presents we do partake.  My datewife had just run a marathon10k (in crazy stink'n heat, btw) so we were up, I was hungry and she was really hungry & really craving an adult breakfast beverage.  Hearty, here we come.

It's a different feeling for Brunch, that's for sure.  Different staff as far as I can tell took care of us, but all seemed more rushed and perhaps a little discombobulated dealing with the steady stream coming in on spec, the few (like us) with a reservation, keeping track of the ones waiting outside for a table or those who got to wait at the bar and even a couple who it seemed were happy to eat at the bar.  Not bad!  Just different.  Just Brunch-like.

Our Server wasn't especially chatty and was clearly hopping this morning, but he did take care of us, he was polite, and listening and responding as you would expect.  We didn't suffer at all, we didn't feel rushed at all considering how busy they were and our orders came out as requested.

Really wanted to order a couple of dishes to try more of the menu (those comforting favorites are here for brunch too! - actually a couple of the lighter dishes from the dinner menu show up) but I knew we had somewhere else A Related Article to be after we were done here.  The Brunch menu clearly comes from the clever chef(s?) who came up with the Dinner Menu.  Creative, comforting, familiar, but special, and definitely tasty.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Tang Cube Mimosa - just a fun bubbly way to get the day started (well, we'd started a few hours before...).  You are given the authority to make it as strong as you like - I started tentatively, but ended up going all the way.
• Bloody Flight (bloody mary, bloody bull, bloody caesar) - all different, all good, all with fun garnishes (including, but not limited to, cheese and sausage).  The bull was the favorite, but all were consumed to the last drop.
• OJ
• Toad in the Hole Eggs Benedict (rock shrimp cake, sourdough, basil hollandaise) - tricky as it's not what I was trained to think of Toad in the Hole as by my parents, but ultimately a great Eggs Benedict.  The shrimp cake was great, the sauce a perfect match, and although I would have prefered a slightly runnier yolk it all came to an end a bit too quick.
• Bacon Blueberry Pancakes (bourbon maple syrup) - best Blueberry Pancakes ever, and probably would have been even without the liberal use of bacon through out each one.  Mostly consumed without syrup, but nice to have a nice syrup.
  
  • Side of Bacon - ok, probably didn't need more bacon, but she'd just run that marathon we were talking about earlier.

Glad we went back!  Would not hesitate to go back for Brunch (or Dinner) if someone invited us to a meal.

Stay JOLLY!
D 

2100 W Roscoe

This is not the first a wonderful collection of articles rodeo we've been to when considering the thoughtful gift our Dear Friends hooked us up with a little while ago now. We've politely suggested they are evil geniuses a previous article for sending us to wonderful places that are not always easy to get into and that we'd probably not have attempted with out the gentle 'push' we received.  We're almost through them all, with the last now penciled in to the calendar. 

This one was a little bit of a challenge to get to because mostly we don't really do brunch.  It's not that we don't like pancakes or waffles, and omelets as big as your head and giant mugs of coffee and fresh squeezed juice, it's just that we mostly can't get it together enough to get our pants on in a sensible amount of time and make a trek off somewhere, planned or spontaneous for what is usually only a 30 or 40 minute event with the ever possible threat of having a 30 or 40 minute wait to get in.  We have a perfectly good coffee maker, waffle iron, griddle and carton of juice quite handy to our sofa and remote...

But, having just said that, we're glad we got our pants on and ourselves out the door for what turned out to be a zero minute (although my date wasn't allowed to sit until I had arrived from parking (which for the record was very very easy this morning)) wait for a table and a tasty way to get our construction filled day started.

It's the kind of place I think a lot of people might skip due to it's menu and philosophies.  Please don't!  If you arrived a little bit sleepy and we didn't tell you they are vegetarian and very spiritual (in a way I don't know how to classify correctly) you may not even notice. Nothing is forced upon you (although the music is not of my typical listening pleasure), no one looks down their nose at you and the menu has interpretations of all your old favorites, and then some.  Nice relaxing colors, pleasant prints and some pictures relating to their spirituality make it a nice place to get ready for the day, but probably make you feel just as ok if you're the last of the lunch crowd.

Our Server was polite and available, but not very chatty and no verbal specials to share.  I kind of think being chatty is not their thing because I don't think I saw any of the Servers (and they have a lot of them - and kitchen staff - in relation to the number of available seats) chit chatting the morning away.  That's fine, we don't have to become best friends with all our Servers.  All the diners were very chatty and plenty of opportunity for eavesdropping if you're so inclined.

The menu is of a good size for a brunch if you only look at the breakfast side and almost hard to choose from because it all sounds (and what we saw go by looks) great.  No bacon, or sausage to be found - or is there?  And if you come in after 11, the lunch menu kicks in where you can get Burgers, Wraps, Salads and more.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Coffee
• Mango Juice
• Apple-Pecan Waffle - syrup is optional, the right amount of goodies on top and a great waffle.
  
  • Soy Sausage - if we didn't tell you it wasn't real sausage, you'd never know.
• Egg and Sausage Bagel Sandwich - cream cheese and egg and 'sausage' all played together on the bagel just fine.

I don't think we would have found this on our own, so we're double grateful to our friends for finding it for us.  Next time we can get everything together enough to get out for Brunch, Victory's Banner will be on the short list.

Stay JOLLY!
D

131 N Clinton

Thanks to a friend who blogs He Sipped, She Sipped - a fun wine blog on a subject dear to us - wine, we were able to get enough of a heads up so as to get a hold of tickets for Meet Alpana Under the Eiffel Tower - A Champagne Brunch Tasting Event with Alpana Singh that sold out quickly and proved to be a hit with all who attended.

The market itself is about what I'd expect from a place with about 50 vendors over 3½ aisles all doing their own thing with not too much overlap.  A pretty good balance between groceries and treats ready to be consumed right there and then.  Bright and well maintained with French music playing it's easy enough to find what you need (or didn't know that you needed).  Occasionally very noisy as the Metra Trains do their thing right above you, but on a Saturday there's not too many of them.

The normal 'dining' area was set up quite nicely in communal quick-hurry-get-a-good-spot seating.  Pure luck had us with in range of our friend the blogger (but we couldn't sit together because she got a special seat with the Guest of Honor) and we made friends of they type we'll probably never see again with the people sitting around us.

Can you say organized bedlam?  The whole thing was supposed to be from 11am to 1pm with the owner of the place saying hello before Alpana shared some wisdom with us.  Did you know she's kinda funny?  She also did a very good (and generous) job of mingling by signing any book (which we got as part of the deal) that came her way and posing with a smile for photographs no matter how confused the photo taker got.  We kind of feel bad for her in that she didn't really get to sit down and enjoy the treats, both wine & food.  It was probably more like 11:30 before the first dish made it to us and was certainly closer to 2:30 than 2:00 when we retrieved our coats.  I admit to being a little bit wound up at how slow everything started off (and perhaps how little wine I'd get to taste), but they actually did a great job with the wine and kept it coming the whole time so concern alleviated and then it didn't really matter how long everything took...

For our Servers they'd rounded up some trainee chefs and they worked hard the whole time (well, apart from when they got their group pic with Alpana) but they had us jammed in perhaps a little too tightly to facilitate efficient service.  We really do appreciate their efforts! 

The goal was to get us 4 wines, coffee, orange juice and 8 tasting courses with everything being provided by the Vendors who make up the French Market.  An awesome plan!  But, hindsight says that we didn't get to see some things in their absolute best light, but we saw more than enough to let us know we MUST get back as 'real' customers sometime soon. 

Our meal went a little like this:

• Veuve de Vernay Brut Rose
• 1
  • Quiche
  • Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice
  • Cavapi Beef and Lamb Kabobs
  • Fresh Feta Salad
• Espirito Lagoalva
• 2
  • Raw Vegan Lasagna
  • Crushed Red Pepper Popcorn
• 3
  • Op la Frittata
  • Hot Chili & Teriyaki Chicken over Fried Rice
• 4
  • Pastrami on Rye
  • Belgium Fries with Curry Mayo
• Monastery Tvrdos Cabernet Sauvignon
• 5
  • Sole Fish Taco
  • Guacamole and Chips
• 6
  • Croque Monsieur
  • Rigatoni and Marinara Sauce
• Domain Saint-Vincent Brut
• 7
  • Ambre Dessert
  • Red Velvet Cupcake
  • Strawberry and Cheese Kolacky
  • Sorbetto Cremespresso
  • Marzipan and Raspberry Macaroons
• 8
  • Delice de Bourgogne
  • Aged Marieke Gouda
  • Aderkase Reserve
  • Fig and Black Tea Spread
  • Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
  • Assorted Berries

The Fries were probably the highlight.  The Taco was not far behind along with the Kabob.  All the cheeses did well.  The Lasagna the biggest surprise of the meal.  The wines were all pleasant enough, but we didn't spend anytime critiquing them amongst ourselves.  The Cab Sauv probably our favorite.

Was it a lot of fun?  Yeah, absolutely!  Was it the best example of a brunch with a wine tasting?  Probably not.  Did we get insane value for money.  Indeed I believe we did!  Did we get a signed (naming us both) copy of Alpana's new book?  Yep!  Did we get to say 'hi' to and get our picture taken with the same person who signed our book?  Yes, yes we did.  Did we get introduced to a Market we probably never would have found on our own.  Embarrassingly, yes.

We could probably get talked into (without all that much arm bending) attending another brunch similar to this one at the French Market, but we don't need any talking into to know that we'll be back for some grocery shopping and / or lunch one day soon.

Stay JOLLY!
D 

On the River, under the Arch!

We aren't spring chickens by any stretch of the imagination (although one of us does still get carded from time to time...) but we were aware quite quickly that we may be the youngest non-children on the boat.  Ultimately, we probably weren't, but not by much.  It's actually irrelevant to how our afternoon worked out, but we noticed...

It's a boat, and decked out very much in the style of the Riverboats of 'olden times' - the paddle on the back is just there for looks and no smoke comes out of the smoke stacks.  A couple of decks inside and plenty of room up on the roof, but if you want to just sit at your table with a cocktail you won't miss out on anything.  The buffet is on the lower level, and we assume that's where the dance floor is for the evening cruises. 

There's a 2 man band playing 'Riverboat Tunes' pretty much the whole time and although it's not unpleasant to have in the background, for me (and I'm not making any assumptions as to anyone else's take on this) I kind of felt like I needed to listen to some really heavy metal for a bit after we left the boat to undo what had been going on for just on 2 hours.

Not that it's relevant to the service we got, but boy did our Server look like one of the cousins.  Just say'n...  For what she had to do she took care of us - got our drinks, didn't lose my credit card security deposit (I think they prefer cash?), came and got us when the buffet opened up and collected our used plates promptly enough.  We did go back for seconds, and one of us would have had thirds had they not brought some cakes up to our level.

The site seeing part of the tour is not really the highlight and had this been our introduction to St Louis, we may have been a little disappointed, but seeing we'd completed our site seeing for the weekend by the time we stepped on the boat (and past the very annoying photo takers!) it wasn't the end of the world.  We expected a commentary of some sort and were a little surprised to only here the Captain chatting when he told us where to find a life vest - we didn't need one.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Screwdriver
• Chardonnay
• Brunch Buffet
  • French Toast
  • Blintzes
  • Scrambled Eggs (2 ways)
  • Sausage
  • Prime Rib
  • Shrimp
  • Stuffed Chicken Breast
  • Wild Rice Salad
  • Pasta Shells (2 ways)
  • Salad Salad
  • Fruit Salad
  • Cheese Cake
  • Chocolate Cake

We were relaxed, we got to take some fun tourist photos and we ate maybe one shrimp too many.  A very pleasant afternoon and end to our stay in St Louis.

Stay JOLLY!
D