Brunch places that meet the following criteria...

Friends will be coming to town and I'm looking for a Sunday brunch place that satisfies these criteria:

1) Takes reservations. We're old (see "Customer Profiling At Hop Haus" thread under "Other Culinary Chat"), and that means no standing in line with a crowd waiting an indeterminate length of time for a table.

2) Isn't super-expensive. (I could solve criterion #1 at the Four Seasons or the Ritz-Carlton, but I don't want to stick my friends with a bigger bill for their portion than they're comfortable with, and this isn't a situation where it'll necessarily be appropriate for me to pick up the whole check.)

3) Is in the Loop/Michigan Ave. area (let's say from Oak Street south to Roosevelt Road) where they'll be staying.

Atwood Cafe strikes me as one place that could fill the bill. There may be others. Both "buffet" and "non-buffet" are acceptable. Any suggestions welcome!

Zest at the Inter-Continental on Michigan Ave. just north of Wacker.

Takes reservations. I like the second floor area over looking Michigan Ave, nice view & its comfortable & quiet, because I think a lot of folks don't know its there.

Its about $25 for the brunch buffet last time I was there a few months ago (but check with them for the latest price), not as lavish as the Four Seasons, but they have an omelet & waffle stations, smoked fish, fresh fruit, meats, pastries, quiche etc. etc. I always order a smoked salmon omelet. You can also order a la carte if you prefer, with the usual standards of eggs benedict, fancy waffles etc. I think they fill a nice niche, a relaxed hotel brunch without all the Four Seasons extravaganza & prices.

All of these places meet your stated critieria: Atwood Cafe, Bistro 110, Cafe des Architectes, David Burke's Primehouse, Mercat a la Planxa, Prairie Fire, Shaw's Crab House, South Water Kitchen. All accept reservations on Opentable.com All are a la carte except Shaw's, which is a buffet. I don't know how the new "bento box" brunch at David Burke's Primehouse works; I enjoyed their previous "American dim sum" brunch.

If you'd be willing to stretch your geographic boundaries, I'd put in a strong recommendation for North Pond. Not only is the food great, but the setting in the park is exquisite and unique to Chicago.

Otherwise, I really like Atwood Cafe, with its luxurious decor and service in a casual atmosphere, and seeing people walk by on the sidewalk up above. I also like Bistro 110, and its layout as a series of small rooms, seeming like a private residence in France even though you're several floors up in a downtown Chicago high-rise.

If you wanted to go a little bit further south I would highly recommend Nightwood. I thought their brunch was excellent.

nsxtasy wrote:I also like Bistro 110, and its layout as a series of small rooms, seeming like a private residence in France even though you're several floors up in a downtown Chicago high-rise.

All excellent suggestions, folks. I appreciate it. Re the one above, I think you must mean some place other than Bistro 110, nsxtasy, since Bistro 110 is street-level. (I mention this not for the sake of correcting you, but for the sake of finding out what place you're really thinking of so that I can add it to the list.)

It's been a while since I was there, and I could be mistaken about what floor it's on. However, I am definitely thinking of Bistro 110, in the building on the north side of the one-block park where the Park Hyatt is on the west side of the park. And I know it was laid out as a series of small rooms; in fact I think there may have been some French doors between some of the rooms.

So many of the restaurants in that area are up one or more flights from street level, including NoMI in the Park Hyatt, and Avenues in the Peninsula on the south side of that park.

jesteinf wrote:If you wanted to go a little bit further south I would highly recommend Nightwood. I thought their brunch was excellent.

Plz note Nightwood only does Brunch on Sundays...

Athena wrote:Zest at the Inter-Continental on Michigan Ave. just north of Wacker.

Takes reservations. I like the second floor area over looking Michigan Ave, nice view & its comfortable & quiet, because I think a lot of folks don't know its there.

Its about $25 for the brunch buffet last time I was there a few months ago (but check with them for the latest price), not as lavish as the Four Seasons, but they have an omelet & waffle stations, smoked fish, fresh fruit, meats, pastries, quiche etc. etc. I always order a smoked salmon omelet. You can also order a la carte if you prefer, with the usual standards of eggs benedict, fancy waffles etc. I think they fill a nice niche, a relaxed hotel brunch without all the Four Seasons extravaganza & prices.

We've done that one, quite good. Second it enthusiastically.

Zest at the Intercontinental became my choice for the upcoming brunch based on your enormously helpful replies. Thank you! But now the criteria have changed, due to the preferences of one of our party, which I'd really like to honor if possible.

I'm now looking for a Sunday brunch place that has dining al fresco (since the weather will have a good shot at being nice that day), and is somewhere on the north/northwestish side of the city or near suburbs. (Close-in is still OK; but I'm expanding the territory toward the city limits and just beyond in that direction.) "Takes reservations" is still one of the criteria.

Thanks again for the much-appreciated help already provided, and thanks in advance for your indulgence of the moving target.

HI,

I just looked at the weather predictions for Sunday: high of 63 and rain. I live only 25 miles north of the city, I doubt Chicago's weather will be much better.

Regards,

riddlemay, the weather is supposed to be wet & very windy on Sunday in the city. I'd be very wary of planning for al fresco.

:::Full disclosure--I'm friends with people at the radio station:::

Although it's smack dab in the middle of downtown at 1 S. Dearborn, WLFM 87.7's Rick O'Dell hosts a live on-the-air Smooth Jazz Sunday Brunch at Rosebud Prime from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM for $29.95. Interesting items include Kobe beef hash and lobster mac-and-cheese. Check out the pics:

http://www.877chicagosmoothjazz.com/SundayBrunchPage.aspx

They had a full house last week at the debut Brunch, and I believe there is an outside patio area as well. Valet parking too!

Rosebud Prime
http://www.rosebudrestaurants.com
1 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60603-2302
(312) 384-1900

Hi Cathy and Athena. Thanks, but just in case others were making the same assumption as you about my question, my brunch is not this Sunday, but a Sunday in mid-June. (I see now that my use of the term "upcoming" may have misled you.)

Hi, sorry, I missed that you weren't talking about this weekend.

Further north, maybe Magnolia Cafe (Broadway & Wilson) - its been a while since I've eaten there, but I recall that their brunch is a la carte & was quite enjoyable. Reservations are essential, it gets crowded. Someone else on the boards may have eaten there more recently than I have.

Are the eggs/waffles/etc. type of brunch a necessity? - when we do "brunch" on the Northside more often than not we tend to end up in either Albany Park (Dawali has been a fav recently) or Uptown (Thai, Vietnamese etc).

Just to be sure I understand all of the criteria, what color were the waiters' shirts supposed to be again?

Shaw's

stevez wrote:Just to be sure I understand all of the criteria, what color were the waiters' shirts supposed to be again?

Do my criteria seem absurd in their sheer volume? I don't think so. There are only three. But to reiterate, they are:

1. In the central city, near north, north side, northwest side, or near suburbs in that direction.

2. Al fresco dining available.

3. Takes reservations.

Thank you to those of you who've taken my query seriously, and to those who will do so. I appreciate the help.

stevez wrote:Just to be sure I understand all of the criteria, what color were the waiters' shirts supposed to be again?

Please see This thread Sucks

What about GNR Tre Kronor? Real neighborhood Chicago (NW side), inexpensive brunch menu, outdoor dining in season, easy on-street parking, and takes reservations.

Tre Kronor
3258 W. Foster
Chicago, IL 60625
773-267-9888
http://www.trekronorrestaurant.com/#/tre-kronor

Does Tre Kronor take reservations for Sunday brunch? We discounted that as a possibility the other weekend (when we went to the Greenwood Inn) because I'd assumed they did not (I can't imagine why they would - they've got a line out the door on weekends, why turn away a sure thing for a maybe? If they do, though, we'll be doing that for our next uncomfortable family brunch.)

Mhays wrote:Does Tre Kronor take reservations for Sunday brunch? We discounted that as a possibility the other weekend (when we went to the Greenwood Inn) because I'd assumed they did not (I can't imagine why they would - they've got a line out the door on weekends, why turn away a sure thing for a maybe? If they do, though, we'll be doing that for our next uncomfortable family brunch.)

Last time we went for brunch, we were able to get a reservation for a party of 5--can't remember exactly when, some months ago. Can't hurt to call and ask if the OP (or you!) is interested. It is possible that even with a reservation there, a party might have to wait a short time--that has happened to us there.

Pierre Gourmet
Penninsula Hotel
http://www.peninsula.com/Chicago/en/def ... ot_Gourmet

A favorite spot of mine.

108 E. Superior
312-573-695 for reso

We've done the brunch at Magnolia Cafe in Uptown and it was very good. They have some al fresco seating on the sidewalk, but the area is not huge. I remember eating inside when I went because that day was brutally hot. According to their website, they accept reservations.

Lula in Logan Square also does a very nice brunch. They have a huge outdoor area on the sidewalk where I brunched, and it was lovely. I don't know whether or not they accept reservations.

The un-overwhelming number of replies in response to my query of Aoril 30 attests that even though my criteria weren't many (only three: outdoors, takes reservations, northern half of city), they were very hard to reconcile. (I appreciate the replies I did get, though.) Just wanted to let you know we're going with Zest (not outdoors, but meets the other two criteria) based on the recommendations here. I'm very much looking forward to it this Sunday and will report back.

Riddlemay,

I find your response somewhat puzzling when I count 23 responses. Plus the one you are going with was the very first response. If I understand the weather conditions for the weekend, you will be either sweltering or poured on.

Regards,

I didn't read through the whole thread so perhaps this was already suggested but Glenn's Diner would be right up your alley--not sure about the reservations but defintely up north a ways (Montrose and Ravenswood) and al fresco is available. A phone call over there would determine if they can accommodate your third request.

Good luck and hope the weather holds!

Jen

Cathy2 wrote:Riddlemay,

I find your response somewhat puzzling when I count 23 responses. Plus the one you are going with was the very first response.

There are that many posts in the thread, but not that many that contain suggestions of places that met all the criteria. (I changed the criteria midway through the thread when one of our party, whom I wanted to accommodate, requested "outdoors," which hadn't been one of the original criteria. Even so, a couple of folks came through! Thanks again.) I think you're right that with the weather prediction for Sunday, indoors will be better. It turns out that the very first suggestion is where I felt will prove the best for us, but I couldn't know that until I'd heard the various other options that LTHers came up with. That's OK, right?

P.S. I think I may see the problem. Three posts upthread, I refer to an "un-overwhelming number of replies." That was a poor choice of words. You're correct, the number of replies was not small, and should not have been called "un-overwhelming." That word indicates a dissatisfaction that I most certainly did not feel. What I meant to say (and should have said) was that the number of replies in which someone came up with a place that satisfied all the criteria was small. In fact, I'm inordinately grateful for all the replies, those that led us to our ultimate destination and those that didn't. Sorry for the miswording, and any misunderstanding that resulted.

This morning's Tribune has a piece by Phil Vettel in which he mentions some new choices for al fresco dining. At least one of them serves brunch--maybe more. Just passing that along to help pay back the nice suggestions I've received on this thread.

Sorry, coming late to this thread and realizing that I unwittingly went through the same process over Memorial Day weekend. I ended up going to a non-reservations place (M. Henry), but very nearly went with Perennial, whose brunch menu looks delicious (I've been for dinner, and that meal was quite tasty), takes reservations, and has al fresco seating.

This article on Metromix pointed out some other al fresco options I didn't know existed.

Just wanted to achieve “closure” (for our own experience, anyway) by reporting on our party-of-five buffet brunch at Zest yesterday. It was fine, though unexceptional. Omelets were well-prepared to order and efficiently brought to the table, and the nova lox platter was amply full, the lox buttery and mild. Other items on the buffet were satisfactory in their choice and variety, though nothing that would surprise you. Now let me add, in case you misconstrue my good-not-great review: It was exactly what we needed. Factoring in the preference by our guests to go to a buffet (not a la carte) brunch, the desirability of finding a place not too far away from their downtown hotel and from their post-brunch sightseeing destinations, the age of our guests, the need for a place that would allow long lingering for conversation, and a price that might prove palatable to all (I planned on picking up the check, and did, but I didn’t want anyone in our party to feel discomforted by the tab or feel driven to protest my picking up the check because of its exorbitancy), it filled the bill nicely; given the same set of circumstances and combination of factors again, I might well choose it again. Thank you, Athena, for the suggestion, because I didn’t know about Zest.

Service was good in most respects. Hostess and waitress were charming, cheerful and friendly. Coffee service and refills were prompt. I did have a premonition, though, that my Open Table points weren’t going to get credited, and in fact, this morning, they aren’t. (I’ve just sent off an email to get the situation rectified.) I announced our name and reservation when we arrived, but nevertheless got just the slightest feeling that the hostess was “finding” us a table (as if she didn’t realize we had a reservation) rather than showing us one she had waiting for us, and judging from the absence of dining points on my account this morning, my radar was accurate. The other thing I thought was slightly odd was that Zest starts breaking down its buffet at noon; a man came over to the table to make sure we knew that, in case we wanted to make one last visit. Our reservation was for 11 and we’d been there for an hour, so our needs were well-met already in that department, and it was not a problem for us. But other hotel buffet brunches I’ve been to extend well past noon. Just a “word to the wise” in case Zest is in your future—don’t get there any later than 11.

Thanks once again for all the other suggestions. In the end, my evolving understanding of what was best for our party led me to Zest and not one of the other choices, but all of it was good learning for me, and I’m guessing for other readers as well.