Interesting and unique bread puddings

Please help me out here, I need to know of the best bread puddings in Chicago restaurants, if you could leave the recipe and the name of the restaurant and a description of why you loved it, it would be so helpful!!!!

Great idea for a thread.

Unfortunately, I cant think of anything unique off the top of my head but Gale Street Inn turned me on to the dessert in the first place. FANTASTIC bread pudding over there.

Any reason in particular why you're asking?

I haven't been there to try it, but Uncle Bub's in Westmont is reported to have Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Yes, I am doing research for a potential topic to write on. Anything unique or different about bread pudding that you have had in a Chicago restaurant, tell me about it!

I have no idea what qualifies as interesting and unique bread pudding, but Floriole has been making a cran-raspberry one the last few weeks. Not a restaurant, but you can find them at Green City Market and Logan Square Farmers Market. I guess check with Sandra to see if there will be bread pudding this weekend.

HB Home Bistro generally has some version of a bread pudding on the menu. The one version I have tried was very good, though I no longer recall much about it. Their bread pudding is mentioned twice in the thread linked:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb//viewtopic.php?f=14&t=14439

I like the bread pudding with whisky sauce at Dixie Kitchen in Evanston. It's no one's idea of a subtle dish, but it hits the spot on a cold night.

Don't forget, OP asked for you to leave the recipes too!!!!!

JeffB wrote:Don't forget, OP asked for you to leave the recipes too!!!!!

Oops. How the heck would we know recipes?

It doesn't necessarily have to be the recipe, just what comes with the bread pudding, anything that stood out to you as different.

Sweets and savories typically has a version of bread pudding on their desert menu. I haven't been in awhile, but last time I went they had one with chocolate chips and a port caramel sauce that was delicious.

I have dreams about the "'out of this world breakfast bread pudding" (their name for it) at m. henry. The description from their menu:

a bowl of our creamy vanilla and egg custard brioche bread pudding, topped w/warm peaches & blackberries. a meal on its own or a great starter to share.

I 100% endorse the name and their description of it. My MO when there with friends is to have each of us order our own breakfasts and then we order this to share for dessert.

m.henry
5707 N. Clark
Chicago IL 60660
773.561.1600

Is this for a book report or something?

ok great! keep em' coming!!!

no it is a story idea. I am helping do the research for my editor.

angchic wrote:no it is a story idea. I am helping do the research for my editor.

Angela, for future reference, I think it would be better (and nicer) to give a little more information up front. Rather than just saying "Tell me this information!", act as if you were talking to people in person. How about something like "I work for Chicago Magazine and my editor asked me to gather information about interesting and unique bread puddings for a potential story. Does anyone have suggestions about good examples they've had in Chicago restaurants?"

Without any context, your initial post comes off as quite odd. Rather giving suggestions about where to eat, you are asking us to help with your research. That's fine and I'm sure a lot of people are happy to do it, but you should be upfront about how to plan to use this information. That's what you'd do if you were interviewing someone in person, right?

My favorite bread pudding is from one of Charlie Trotter's cook books. It combines multigrain bread, chocolate, and cherries, and is served with a cherry reduction sauce. I wish I made it more often (but my wife isn't a bread pudding fan - strange, huh?).

Usually people in your position just mine the site for ideas. I like your moxy in actually soliciting research on the board. But you might make your motivations clear up front.

Tell your editor the bread pudding at La Unica is fierce.

not sure where he is working now, but the best bread pudding I ever had was by Ryan McCaskey. The bread was a pumpernickel and raisin, and the pudding was studded with Lobster and truffle. Still thinking about it after a few years.

Had a great pumpkin-caramel bread pudding dessert at C-House recently. Came with creme fraiche ice cream, toasted hazelnuts and some spiced rum cherries. Considered licking the plate, but I felt self-conscious enough during my solo lunch.

I had a good banana chocolate chip B.P. @ Deleece years ago.

Currently, Crofton on Wells has a savory rye bread pudding as an accompaniment to one of their dinner dishes. I haven't had it though, just aware it's on the menu.

I went to the preview dinner for new resto Hearty (the Hearty Boys newest venture that just opened yesterday) a while back and had the PB&J Wonderbread pudding. It was a delicious, gooey throwback, very much in tune with the "comfort revisited" theme of the place.

Couple other ideas that jump out: the Chocolate Toffee "Cabinet" Pudding at Sweet Mandy B's. It's like a head-on collision between bread pudding and chocolate fudge cake. Dense and decadent, with the "cabinet" moniker a nod to the term "everything but the kitchen sink," or something to that effect I assume.

Then there's the bread pudding pancakes at Southport Grocery & Cafe. Dessert for breakfast if I ever had one. Divine. Here's the description from their site:
a pancake made with gooey bread pudding topped with cinnamon-sugar butter & a side of vanilla custard sauce (featuring our house-made cinnamon-sugar butter from the grocery)

Hope this helps!

~M@

Thank you for the suggestions, they sound great!