Phil Vettel's Brunch Guide

Did anyone see Phil Vettel's Brunch Guide in the Trib this week? What did you think? Any favorites left out? Did they get it right on?

thefrugalfoodie wrote:Did anyone see Phil Vettel's Brunch Guide in the Trib this week? What did you think? Any favorites left out? Did they get it right on?

Stephanie,

All in all a decent round-up. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kuma's included, a little disappointed Tre Kronor was not, learned Gale Street has a reasonably priced brunch with includes lox, but thankfully not barbecue ribs, and was reminded how spectacular the view is from the Signature Room.

Mention of a few slightly off the beaten path options would have been nice, dim sum at the Phoenix and one or two Indian buffets for example.

Since you've obviously given the Brunch Guide some thought I'd be interested in your opinion as well.

Enjoy,
Gary

Tre Kronor
3258 W Foster Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773267-9888

Here's a link.

Did anyone see Phil Vettel's Brunch Guide in the Trib this week? What did you think? Any favorites left out? Did they get it right on?

I agree with G Wiv that it was an OK summary. The omission of any dim sum place was a big oversight, especially since brunch at places like Coobah and SushiSamba Rio made the cut. The guide did make me curious about brunch at places I almost solely associate with lunch or dinner. For example, I would have never thought about a special brunch at North Pond, but I suppose that setting, earlier on a clear day could make brunch there worth the cost.

I liked the brunch guide a lot. It was the first time I've seen so many different brunches (more than 70) described in a single place, and the descriptions (of food, decor, etc) were reasonably thorough. It covered a lot of ground.

What I found surprising is that, with the sole exception of Bongo Room, they skipped virtually all of the places that offer breakfast/brunch every day of the week: Orange, Flo, Wishbone, M. Henry, Kitsch'n, Lou Mitchell's, and the Original Pancake House (including Walker Brothers locations).

And like usual, ignored most of the places out in the suburbs much beyond Schaumburg ... and many of the Indian restaurants throughout the city and suburbs.

nsxtasy wrote:What I found surprising is that, with the sole exception of Bongo Room, they skipped virtually all of the places that offer breakfast/brunch every day of the week: Orange, Flo, Wishbone, M. Henry, Kitsch'n, Lou Mitchell's, and the Original Pancake House (including Walker Brothers locations).

I had a similar reaction - as much as I enjoyed the guide, I was disappointed that Egg Harbor Cafe was left off the list. To me, they are one of the most consistently good, simple restaurants for brunch in the area. I emailed Phil and he replied that they purposely didn't include restaurants that served a daily breakfast, as they do not host a weekly brunch. Makes sense, I suppose.

Does this mean they're going to have review Chicago's Best Breakfasts?