Sunday Brunch - Four Season/Ritz/Sig Room?

I was really craving some waffles, omelets, and croissants this past weekend and what better way to get it all than at Sunday brunch? Unfortunately, time ran short and I wasn't able to satisfy my craving, but now I at least have a belated Valentine's Day celebration idea for this coming Sunday.

Problem is, I'm not sure where to go. I did a search for Sunday brunches but found less than I'd hoped for. My original thought was the Signature Room. Besides LAZ's recommendation for it, though, I didn't find much else that was posted about it. The view is a big draw, except I think this weekend is supposed to be mostly cloudy again, so that kind of brings down the appeal a few notches.

There were good things posted about both the Four Seasons and the Ritz. I know the quality at either will both be above par, not sure if one would be significantly better than the other.

Both the Four Seasons and the Ritz buffets are $60 per person. The Sig Room is $42.

Would anyone like to throw out a vote for any of the three?

Oh, and I did read Gary's review of the Peninsula, but we were just at that hotel a few weeks ago, so I'd like to go somewhere different this time.

If you give me $60/person, I'll cook you anything you want for breakfast (and lots of it).

If money is no object, the Ritz has the best brunch in town hands down.

jesteinf wrote:If money is no object, the Ritz has the best brunch in town hands down.

Can you provide a little more info on what makes this so in your opinion?

Based on my experience there for lunch one day, I'd have to conjecture that the Sig Room is a very distant third. I'll go with the Ritz being the best, with the Four Seasons a fairly close second. (My recollection is that on pure quality, the Ritz wins, but on variety, the Four Seasons wins, with quality being pretty darned good.)

The quality of ingredients at the Ritz brunch is pretty much unmatched, especially when you consider it's a buffet. They have sushi, a few different kinds of smoked salmon, omelettes, a carved meats station. There are also a couple of stations preparing small items to order (peking duck, seared tuna). The selection of salads is always interested, and there is also a very respectable selection of cheese and cured meats. In addition, the room is lovely.

Oh yeah, there's also some chilled crab claws and shrimp. The desserts are also fantastic (sometimes they have mini souffles, other times they have a chocolate fountain...how can you go wrong?)

jesteinf wrote:The quality of ingredients at the Ritz brunch is pretty much unmatched, especially when you consider it's a buffet. They have sushi, a few different kinds of smoked salmon, omelettes, a carved meats station. There are also a couple of stations preparing small items to order (peking duck, seared tuna). The selection of salads is always interested, and there is also a very respectable selection of cheese and cured meats. In addition, the room is lovely.

Oh yeah, there's also some chilled crab claws and shrimp. The desserts are also fantastic (sometimes they have mini souffles, other times they have a chocolate fountain...how can you go wrong?)

Wow. OK, that sounds like enough of a preview to entice me to go with the Ritz. I guess I can always reserve the Sig Room for drinks and the Four Seasons for afternoon tea.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Just wanted to add that we have done the brunch buffet at the Four Seasons a couple of times (thanks Mom and Dad!) and it is AWESOME. There is every kind of breakfast food imaginable, from the omelet station to waffles, pancakes and pastries. But even more special is all the other stations. There's an amazing seafood station with crab claws and shrimp, an amazing Asian station with dumplings and sushi and other little bites, a carving station, a mediterrean food station, a huge spread of fruit and cheese and crazy, crazy desserts. I'm sure the Ritz is great too, but I just wanted to add a favorable review of the Four Seasons.

I would suspect based on reading that account of the Four Seasons brunch that the Ritz and Four Seasons have similar, if not identical brunches. The Ritz here in Chicago is owned by the Four Seasons and the two hotels did, at least for a little while, share culinary resources.

If you are just looking for breakfast and not a huge brunch, I recommend NoMI. The food is outstanding, and with the east exposure the views can be incredible.

riddlemay wrote:Based on my experience there for lunch one day, I'd have to conjecture that the Sig Room is a very distant third.

You cannot compare the Signature Room's lunch (or even dinner) with its brunch. Apples and oranges.

That said, if money were no object, I'd go to the Ritz-Carlton. On the other hand, since I was last there not only have all the chefs changed but also its sommelier/dining room manager, so I'm not up to date.

Same here. I haven't been to the Ritz since Sarah Stegner left, so I am not up to date either.

However, The Ritz gets my vote hands-down. The food quality is excellent at both, but the Ritz seems to try just a little bit harder. I also found items that I have never seen on any other buffet at the Ritz for those who want to venture beyond the realm of waffles and eggs benedict.

That said, the Four Seasons room is more airy and inviting in my opinion, but I still think brunch is all about the eats.

The Ritz certainly puts out a massive groaning board, and I can't imagine that has changed. I'd be surprised if the standard of service had, either. You pay a lot, but they do try to give you your money's worth.

Unfortunately, these days, I'm in the Breakfast under $2 league.

Let me chime in for the Four Seasons, which is a spectacular spread that I have enjoyed on a couple of occasions. Good breakfast standbys, meats and other savories, but what I most enjoyed was the Japanese breakfast table, and all the various cooked, smoked and raw seafood options.

I have not sampled the Ritz or the Signature Room and most likely will not soon. I admit to generally disliking brunchs (and almost all buffets) because they consist of a bunch of sadly abused food slowly turning into rubber on hot plates, plus some passable (but I could do better at home and often do) freshly prepared breakfast fare such as waffles and omelettes, and then the real payoff if there is one, of a few interesting salads and seafood options that are meant to be served cold and so are peak.

And for that I spend $30 or more? Hard to figure the attraction. But, if brunch I must, the Four Seasons is my choice. The Ritz would not be a bad option, either. Hard to imagine the Signature Room is in the same class, but I agree it is a different game than a real meal.

Used to go to the Hilton for their brunch before football games a few years back, and it was pretty decent, though definitely not as nice as the Four Seasons. I would think the Signature Room would be closer to that standard. While we are at it, I have been to the Drake a couple of times (the 99 year-old aunt used to like to take us out for Easter brunch before age slowed her down - I swear that is the only reason I know these things), and aside from the crowd it was not bad. The Swissotel was also pretty decent, even if Easter brunch had this unpleasant similarity to trying to dine in the left lane at the Austin exit on the Eisenhower - more harrowing than enjoyable.

To recap, my admittedly not too current ranking of hotel brunches is:

1. Four Seasons, and then a big step down to:
2. Hilton - I like the room on the balcony, and all the light.
3. Swissotel - there is a tidiness and structure that I find reassuring, plus there was a more Eurpoean style to the offerings, including decent pain au chocolat.
4. Drake - charming in its way, but nothing too memorable.

So we did end up making it to the Ritz for brunch on Sunday, and we were not disappointed.

Though it may not have matched the view from the Signature Room (and it did turn out to be sunny this weekend), the Dining Room at the Ritz definitely provided a luxurious enough setting for a belated Valentine's Day celebration.

As others have mentioned, the seafood in particular was a, if not the, high point. Steamed shrimp, crab claws, and some of the best oysters I've had on ice. At one point, one of the station chefs was cooking up large sauteed shrimp scampi which he piled on our plates with abandon.

Other features included a sushi station (good, if not as great as Katsu or even Matsuya standards), prime rib roast, whole roasted suckling pig...that was interesting sight....three platters of assosrted cheeses, waffles (which were great), omelette station, yogurt and granola station, breads basket (with some very good croissants), small assortment of dim sum items, pomegrante and champagne cocktails, exotic fruit smoothies... I didn't get around to trying too many of the hot dishes, though my boyfriend said he enjoyed the chicken saltimbocca.

By the end, I was so full that I could only manage a sampling of a few items from the dessert table. My favorite was a pear and grapefruit financier cake. Other offerings included chocolate passionfruit tartlets, lemon panna cotta, chocolate banana mousse, made-to-order chocolate souffles....Hmm, I'm getting hungry now.

All in all, I was pleased by the variety and creativity of the Ritz's brunch offerings. If there was any downside it was that they, as my boyfriend put it, tended to play it safe with the flavors, which is probably typical of buffet brunches anyway. Everything was still above par in quality.

Service was also definitely a point of distinction. I'm sure service at the Signature Room would have been pleasant enough, but we definitely felt taken care of by the Ritz staff from the hostess stopping by to ask how we were doing, to the service attendants refilling our coffee and juice, to the station attendants encouraging us to come back for more.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning. I'd be interested now to try the Four Seasons and the Signature Room at some point in the future to compare.

LTH,

I had occasion to stay at the Hilton on S Michigan Ave Saturday night and had brunch Sunday. While not the elaborate to-do of the Peninsula, Four Seasons or Signature Room, it's a well managed, both food and service wise, straight ahead brunch that offers, given the context of a Michigan Ave hotel, good value for ones dining dollar.

Fresh fruit, cereals, cheese, pastry, cold cuts, omelet station, maybe 10 items in chafing dishes, including blintz, pancakes, surprisingly good scrambled eggs and among the best grits I've had in Chicago. Oh, and bacon, pretty good bacon, and lots of it, right next to the sausage, perfect for a fellow who capped his night at Kitty O'Shays. Coffee/juice served at the table, price $19.95.

Enjoy,
Gary

Hilton Chicago
720 South Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60605
312-922-4400

I have been to brunch and for Thanksgiving and/or Easter to all three. The Signature Room is terrible for brunch. The quality of the food is low and the prices are high. The view is beautiful but the set-up is not very comfortable or luxurious considering the prices. Seasons was wonderful (I went there once) and the Ritz is excellent (have been there several times). However, I suggest the Lobby at the Peninsula. I'm not sure if they have brunch every Sunday because I went there for Thanksgiving. The food was delicious, the surroundings extremely comfortable and luxurious and the service was perfect. It was a buffet but started with a cold seafood tower. It's in the same price range as the others. Definitely a splurge or a special occasion but well worth it.

Hey All,

For his birthday, I wanted to take my partner out to a brunch buffet at one of the fancy hotels in town (because we like binge-eating followed immediately by power napping). Has anyone been to the Sunday brunch at either The Peninsula, The Ritz Carlton, or The Four Seasons? Though we're happy-go-lucky boys who are satisfied by the small things like champagne and good sausage, do any of them stand out from the rest?

Thanks and Cheers!

Mark

Sixteen at Trump Tower.

Of the three you list Four Seasons gets my vote. Great eggs benedict & chilled seafood last time I was there.

The Ritz brunch has lost a step since they moved it into the lobby. I haven't had Sunday brunch at the Peninsula, but their regular lobby breakfast is excellent.

That all being said, The Four Seasons brunch is in a whole other league. It's very impressive, and might be better than the Ritz was when they had the best upscale brunch in town.

While we are on this topic, can someone comment on whether the brunches in these various places are served in rooms with windows? We had a lovely brunch at the Ritz back when it was still served in the dining room, but I really did not enjoy eating in that dark windowless dining room on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. (I work in a windowless office, so I seek out light on weekends.)

Maple Leaf wrote:While we are on this topic, can someone comment on whether the brunches in these various places are served in rooms with windows? We had a lovely brunch at the Ritz back when it was still served in the dining room, but I really did not enjoy eating in that dark windowless dining room on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. (I work in a windowless office, so I seek out light on weekends.)

The Four Seasons brunch is served in Seasons restaurant which does, in fact, have windows.

Maple Leaf wrote:While we are on this topic, can someone comment on whether the brunches in these various places are served in rooms with windows? We had a lovely brunch at the Ritz back when it was still served in the dining room, but I really did not enjoy eating in that dark windowless dining room on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. (I work in a windowless office, so I seek out light on weekends.)

Sig Room has windows...you can request a window but it is not guaranteed. But the view is pretty good from most seatings.

Maple Leaf wrote:While we are on this topic, can someone comment on whether the brunches in these various places are served in rooms with windows? We had a lovely brunch at the Ritz back when it was still served in the dining room, but I really did not enjoy eating in that dark windowless dining room on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. (I work in a windowless office, so I seek out light on weekends.)

Hands down, the Peninsula. The room is filled with light. The others are all dark in comparison. The food never stops and the service is impeccable. If you were looking for smaller, I would suggest North Pond, but that can definitely be dark.

Enjoy,

You might find this thread helpful. For discussion of the brunch at David Burke's Primehouse, see here. I'll note that I went to DB's brunch recently and thought a lot of it was great, but too much of it was only so-so. And not too many windows.

Here's an article in today's Trib discussing big fancy brunches and restaurants' cost considerations. And some details with a discussion of brunches at Sixteen, Arrowhead, Shaw's, and NoMi.

Ronna

My own personal favorite is NoMi's marvelous Sunday brunch. It's smaller, more focused than the Four Seasons but the quality of the offerrings can't be beat. I love the fact that you order your entree from the menu, so it's made to order. As Phil Vettel mentions in his article, the Lobster Benedict and the Steak Sandwich are excellent. They also often have a fish of the day. Terrific views too.