Sunday Brunch-but where?

Happily celebrating my daughter's 18th birthday and graduation from high school in June. Want to have 10-15 people for a Sunday brunch. Don't need a private room. We are in Algonquin, relatives in South Aurora who can travel ok, and then my Dad from Lincolnwood who has a problem traveling more than 30-45 minutes in a car.

Have been to and enjoyed Allgauers in Prospect Heights/Northbrook. It is a hair expensive (34/person), and a bit far from the South Aurora area (ok, alot far).

Other suggestions? There's lots of places to eat breakfast--thought it'd be nicer to have an actual brunch...
Thanks!

Our previous go-to was Barn of Barrington, sadly closed now.

A few days ago, the illustrious Pigmon tweeted that brunch at Shaw's is terrific. It's also about $35 (call for exact price), and there is a Schaumburg location.

The Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace gets good brunch reviews - http://www.drurylaneoakbrook.com/dining ... unch.shtml

We periodically get together with a group of friends coming from the same general geographic area as you specified. Like you, we've enjoyed past brunches at Allgauer's and the Barn of Barrington. We got together a couple of weeks ago and wanted to try something different. Our choices came down to Shaw's, which is now $39.99 (free for kids under 12), and Pappadeaux, which is $16.95 ($5.95 for kids 5-12, free for 4 and under). We ended up at Pappadeaux. We had 14 people this time and they seated us at one table. The food was reasonably good - not the kind of food you would rush home to post about it on LTH, but there was a nice variety of choices, with peel-em shrimp and fresh seafood for fish-lovers and a carving station for meat-lovers, the turnover on the buffet was sufficient so that nothing was sitting around for very long, and it was all you can eat, so no one left hungry. You can see details by clicking here. Everyone seemed quite satisfied, and the price is right.

Pappadeaux
798 W. Algonquin Rd. at Golf Road, southeast corner
Arlington Heights, Il 60005
(847) 228-9551

We enjoyed the Shaw's brunch buffet this morning.

I will agree - if you like seafood, - it is amazing. Everything is fresh.

King crab "fingers" (cleaned pieces of fresh crab served cold or hot, fresh oysters, shrimp, maki, ceviche, bananas foster french toast, carved beef tenderloin and turkey, crab bisque, omlettes, carmelized country bacon, etc etc etc

Huge dessert selection, including homemade lollipops, cotton candy creme brulee,

It's $39, but kids 12 and under are free. That includes soft drinks. Mimosas (Blood orange, peach or orange) and bloody marys are $5.

kafein wrote:We enjoyed the Shaw's brunch buffet this morning.

I will agree - if you like seafood, - it is amazing. Everything is fresh.

King crab "fingers" (cleaned pieces of fresh crab served cold or hot, fresh oysters, shrimp, maki, ceviche, bananas foster french toast, carved beef tenderloin and turkey, crab bisque, omlettes, carmelized country bacon, etc etc etc

Huge dessert selection, including homemade lollipops, cotton candy creme brulee,

It's $39, but kids 12 and under are free. That includes soft drinks. Mimosas (Blood orange, peach or orange) and bloody marys are $5.

See, to me, if the oysters are good (and I know Pigmon is a fiend for the best bivalves), then $39 is a very fair price, because I'd probably knock back a few dozen oysters right out of the box, which would probably set me back close to that amount at most places.

The oysters were good, but not amazing. No mignonette (though we didn't ask for any - so they may have brought some on request)

They are also not marked by origin. Not complaining. Just letting you know.

I would highly recommend GNR Prairie Grass Café. It's close enough for you Father's driving limitations and they serve perhaps my favorite weekend brunches in Chicagoland. For a group that size, be sure to call ahead. They have a semi-private area that might be just perfect for your group.

Prairie Grass Café
601 Skokie Blvd
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-205-4433

David Hammond wrote:

kafein wrote:We enjoyed the Shaw's brunch buffet this morning.

I will agree - if you like seafood, - it is amazing. Everything is fresh.

King crab "fingers" (cleaned pieces of fresh crab served cold or hot, fresh oysters, shrimp, maki, ceviche, bananas foster french toast, carved beef tenderloin and turkey, crab bisque, omlettes, carmelized country bacon, etc etc etc

Huge dessert selection, including homemade lollipops, cotton candy creme brulee,

It's $39, but kids 12 and under are free. That includes soft drinks. Mimosas (Blood orange, peach or orange) and bloody marys are $5.

See, to me, if the oysters are good (and I know Pigmon is a fiend for the best bivalves), then $39 is a very fair price, because I'd probably knock back a few dozen oysters right out of the box, which would probably set me back close to that amount at most places.

Thanks for re-Twitting me, David.

Trix and I hit the nearly empty Shaw's brunch about 1.5 yrs ago when they first started and on our last visit (last Sunday), it appears to have caught on quite nicely, being almost a full house from the time the door's opened at 10:30 (ends at 1:30).
For the price, this is truly a brunch steal, offering up virtually anything that the higher-end hotel brunches do sans the cheese table or, say, eggs benedict, florentine, etc. IMO, this brunch excels largely because of the seafood it offers.

As usual, Shaw's service is first-rate, making for an even more pleasant Sunday morning.

Warning: if you're looking to get the Shaw's usual meticulously shucked oysters that brim with liquor, stay away. They're still delicious but I suspect they have there B-team there on Sundays crackin' the bivalves.


Shaw's Sunday Brunch Menu

I really like Dali's Cafe/Eggstasy - they have a lot of sweet and savory menu options. There is one in Downer's Grove and one in Oakbrook.

Their menu is available on their website: http://www.daliscafe.com/

If you decide to go here, you will likely want to call ahead and make a reservation. They get really busy!

See, to me, if the oysters are good (and I know Pigmon is a fiend for the best bivalves), then $39 is a very fair price, because I'd probably knock back a few dozen oysters right out of the box, which would probably set me back close to that amount at most places.

I always say this and end up paying the ridiculous prices for these buffets, but then when I get there, I only see about a dowen oysters on ice at a time, and I just feel bad being "that person" that takes all the good stuff. Kinda like standing too close to the caviar LOL...

Is there some sort of "taking the good stuff" code?

bella54330 wrote:Is there some sort of "taking the good stuff" code?

I always leave a little booze in my glass when I leave as an expression of self-restraint, and I always leave an oyster on the buffet. This is my credo.

I totally agree with nsxtasy regarding Pappadeaux. It's not fancy, knock your socks off, but it's very good. When we've been there they had a really good special on the oysters that you could order, and they were fresh and divine! Like maybe $4 for a dozen? We come from Algonquin and take my older parents from Mt. Prospect, who both love it! You can't beat the price/value.

Does Pappadeux offer the breakfast selection of brunch things? ie eggs, pancakes etc etc? Or is it really more of a 'lunch' brunch??

I have to say, tho expensive (no under-12s will be there , sadly) the Shaw's sounds like a good idea. The birthday graduate is a pescatarian so she would like that....

While Oakbrook area places also sound great, I think it's a little too far for my Dad, as well as us coming from Algonquin and also Huntley (the other grandparents).

Keep em coming!

aviva5675 wrote:Does Pappadeux offer the breakfast selection of brunch things? ie eggs, pancakes etc etc? Or is it really more of a 'lunch' brunch??

They have breakfast stuff too. Scrambled eggs, bacon, benedicts, hash browns, etc. Custom-made omelets too. They also have pancakes and waffles; available toppings include syrup, whipped cream, fruit, etc.

Been lurking for years, but have a question similar to the OP:

We are planning a post-wedding brunch on a Sunday morning in July for ~30-40 people. Looking for something nice and around the $30 /pp range. Ideally it would be something in the city but not a deal breaker..

Any suggestions other than the ones mentioned? Prairie Grass seems like the best fit so far.

Thanks!

to the wedding planner (hopefully not J.LO, jk...): definitely hit up Jam. that place could def accomodate a private party and it's not that expensive. excellent scones (if you like that kinda thing) and the best quiche i have this side of lucerne. the resto has kind of a bro-ed out vibe (the owner and servers and chefs all look a touch juiced out), but this place is so far-out. in the summer, i bet it'll get pretty crazy light too, so hello photographs of the bride and groom!

it's on damen almost at chicago. it's a dream.

sfb

sailingfanblues wrote:... Jam...
it's on damen almost at chicago.

It's just 1/2 block South of Augusta.

Are you sure Jam could accommodate a private party on a Sunday morning, when they are at their absolutely busiest time of the week?

nsxtasy wrote:Are you sure Jam could accommodate a private party on a Sunday morning

POTS

nsxtasy wrote:Are you sure Jam could accommodate a private party on a Sunday morning, when they are at their absolutely busiest time of the week?

i sense of bit of a baditood, nxasty.

a wedding seems like as good of a reason to do a private serving on a sunday... and while it may be a touch more than $30... those juice heads at jam are total sweethearts and may be willing to accommodate a bit of time aside.

sailingfanblues wrote:i sense of bit of a baditood, nxasty.

Nope, not at all; it's a legitimate question. Maybe they can accommodate a private party on a Sunday morning, but maybe they can't. And that question needs to be asked of the restaurant owners (or whichever of their staff helps arrange private parties there).

nsxtasy wrote:

sailingfanblues wrote:i sense of bit of a baditood, nxasty.

Nope, not at all; it's a legitimate question. Maybe they can accommodate a private party on a Sunday morning, but maybe they can't. And that question needs to be asked of the restaurant owners (or whichever of their staff helps arrange private parties there).

fair enough... sorry, i can be a bit a touchy sometimes....

a tip of the hat to you. and good point.

Yeah, I wasn't criticizing Jam at all. (I haven't been there, but I've heard only good things, and I'm looking forward to trying it.)

When you have 30-40 people, you need a restaurant that has a private room*. Many restaurants do, particularly larger restaurants. My understanding is that the entire dining room at Jam only seats 38 people, and unless they have a private room, they probably wouldn't close the restaurant to the public to serve a private group, which is what they would need to do.

*In addition to a restaurant that has a room for private parties, there may also be a restaurant (other than Jam) that's normally closed on Sundays, and would be happy to serve a private party on a Sunday.

The other thing to consider is location, i.e. where the wedding is located. You really ought to find a place that's within a few miles of the wedding, rather than having the entire party drive 20+ miles to get from the wedding to brunch. I'm not sure where the wedding is located, since fblissjr said he/she is looking for a place in the city, but says Prairie Grass looks like the best bet. This is very confusing, since Prairie Grass Cafe is about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago.

Friends of mine threw me a baby shower at Sola and it was absolutely lovely. Although there was no private room, there is a separate raised area that the party was in that can certainly hold at least 30 people. Sorry I am blanking on any of the details but I recall it being a really nice setup and my friends said that Sola was very accommodating to whatever they wanted.

G Wiv wrote:POTS

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leek wrote:

G Wiv wrote:POTS

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Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome?

Plain Old Telephone Service

G Wiv wrote:POTS

leek wrote:Site says 404 not found

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome?

Fixed, thanks.

POTS = Plain Old Telephone Service