1. 96 | | Summer 2016
Morning
Glories
Eggs Benedict, French toast and
pancakes are all great brunch options.
But it’s these creative chef-driven
dishes that give a whole new meaning
to rise and shine.
| By Lisa Shames |
Remember when most chefs
treated brunch as a dreaded chore?
Recently, it’s become a different
story with big-name toques all over
town taking the same amount of
care with the first meal of the
weekend as they do later on at
dinner. Getting out of bed just got a
whole lot easier—and tastier too.
Bohemian House
When this Central European restaurant first opened, we weren’t sure how it would fit in
with its flashy River North surroundings. Turns out, we worried for nothing. Chef Jimmy
Papadopoulos’ spot-on renditions of goulash, knackwurst and spaetzle are the real deal. He
doesn’t hold back at brunch either, with items such as smoked beef tongue hash, Bavarian
pancakes and, our favorite, an open-faced pork schnitzel sandwich. The labor-intensive dish
starts with a huge piece of Duroc pork loin that’s brined and seasoned with caraway and
marjoram before it’s fried. Underneath, a thick slice of rye bread is layered with housemade
horseradish and sauerkraut, which adds a nice sour note, says Papadopoulos. Melted
Emmentaler cheese and a fried egg top the dish, along with dill for brightness. “It’s a massive
sandwich that could easily feed two people,” says Papadopoulos. “Everything is made in-house
and with lots of love.” We have no doubts. 11 W. Illinois St., 312.955.0439, bohochicago.com
The Blanchard
If you’re looking for a basic choice-of-eggs kind of brunch, then this
Lincoln Park restaurant isn’t for you. “I don’t think brunch should be
eggs over easy with hash browns,” says chef Jason Paskewitz. “Brunch
should be a lot more fun than that.” And, boy, is it ever at this lovely
new French spot where Paskewitz taps into his extensive culinary
background to create lunch-driven dishes such as house-cured salmon
and quiche Lorraine. Simple-sounding, sure, but there’s a lot of work
behind each one, including the steak frites, which pairs grilled center-
cut prime rib-eye with a bordelaise sauce and bone-marrow compound
butter with some of the best fries in town. Eggs are so overrated. 1935
N. Lincoln Park W., 872.829.3971, theblanchardchicago.com
Frontier
Chef Brian Jupiter is no stranger to
unusual meat cuts. At this West Town
restaurant, he’s well known for his
whole-animal special-order menus
of goat, alligator and wild boar, as
well as the more mundane salmon
and farm-raised pig. At brunch, he
keeps up that adventurous spirit with
dishes such as the open-faced beef
tongue sandwich with whipped eggs,
jalapenos, pickled shallots, tonnato
sauce and queso fresco all served on
a toasted baguette. Says Jupiter, “For
me, the perfect brunch combo is meat,
eggs and spicy. Simple.” That’s easy for
him to say. 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave.,
773.772.4322, thefrontierchicago.com
PIG TALE
Bohemian House’s pretty
pork schnitzel sandwich
($19) has earned lots of
Instagram love for
obvious reasons.
NICE TO MEAT YA
Frontier’s beef tongue sandwich
($13) is one of the West Town
restaurant’s top sellers.
STEAK OUT
The steak frites ($28) at
The Blanchard is also
available as part of a
three-course brunch
prix-fixe ($48).
FOOD & DRINK

2. MOTTSTREETPHOTOBYMONICAKASSROGERS
TRENDS
Summer 2016 | | 97
The Winchester
As the new chef at this West Town cafe,
Duncan Biddulph is itching to add his
own creations. But he also knows not to
mess with a good thing. To wit: the Liège
waffles, which make multiple appearances
on the various menus. “There’s never a
time in this restaurant when we are not
making waffles,” he says. At brunch, you
could order a savory version that’s topped
with a creamy cheese sauce and cured ham.
But it’s hard to resist the sweet option with
housemade blueberry preserves and tangy
creme fraiche. Biddulph credits the brioche
dough’s long fermentation process for the
waffles’ deep flavor, while the caramel-
like texture comes courtesy of the larger
grains of pearl sugar in the batter. Can’t
decide between the two? Bring friends
and get both. 1001 N. Winchester Ave.,
773.698.8703, winchesterchicago.com
Autre Monde Cafe & Spirits
For most of us, brunch is just a meal. But for chef Dan Pancake, it’s much
more. “Brunch is a very personal thing,” he says. “It’s driven by experience and
the best things you’ve made or people have made for you.” A previous brunch
dish of black-truffle scrambled eggs came about after a trip he and fellow
chef (and partner outside of the kitchen) Beth Partridge took to Italy. For
shakshuka, one of their new brunch dishes, the chefs turn to Spain (where they
once lived) for ingredients such as housemade chorizo, which gets simmered
at a low temperature with onions, garlic and heirloom tomatoes until all those
flavors come together. Served in a cazuela—Spanish ceramic bowl—with pork-
fat potatoes, the dish is topped with two poached eggs and served with grilled
bread. Says Pancake, “Brunch is one of my favorite things to do.” The feeling is
mutual. 6727 W. Roosevelt Road, 708.775.8122, autremondecafe.net
Mott St
In the not-so-distant past, fusion was considered a bad word when it came
to food. These days, though, culinary mashups have moved into delicious
territory. And that’s definitely the case at Mott St, where chef Edward Kim
effortlessly weaves global flavors and ingredients on plate after plate. For his
new brunch, Kim wanders to Thailand (congee with issan sausage), New
Orleans (black bean shrimp and grits) and the Caribbean (coconut pancakes).
For his creative riff on steak and eggs—kalbi and eggs—he heads to Korea.
The thinly sliced short ribs are marinated in soy sauce, ginger and apple juice,
giving them a sweet-and-salty flavor, says Kim. After a quick spin on the grill,
the meat is paired with a sauteed potato-and-kimchee hash and two sunny
side up eggs. “The dishes that we do here aren’t traditional,” says Kim. “We’re
just taking from all of our experiences, and we want our brunch to reflect
that as well.” 1401 N. Ashland Ave., 773.687.9977, mottstreetchicago.com
BATTER UP!
The Winchester sells about 800
waffles a week in dishes such as the
blueberry preserves-topped ones ($9)
served at brunch.
MEAT AND GREET
Brunch at Mott St
takes a global
approach, including the
kalbi and eggs ($15).
CLUB MED
Shakshuka ($11) at Autre
Monde combines warming
spices with the sweetness
of tomatoes.