Guest Post: Best Bottomless Brunches

Greetings dear readers!  We have a special treat for you this week (we know how you all love special treats); a very special guest, Lizz Riggs from ChicagoTravler.com has penned us a list of her favorite Bottomless Chicago Brunches.  So without further ado, bottoms up!

Best of Brunch: Bottomless Boozing in Chicago

As Bunny and Brandy have proven, Chicago is a hot spot for brunch every weekend.  Whether you’re looking for a healthy way to start your Sunday or something to soak up the mistakes of the previous night, you can definitely find a wonderful spot to indulge one morning. When many people brunch, there’s something a little more important than the eggs and french toast. They’re looking for the bottomless booze. Who doesn’t love all you can drink bloody mary’s, mimosas and champagne? When you’re looking for the best bottomless cocktails on a Sunday morning, you can’t go wrong with these spots.

1. Angelina Ristorante is an Italian restaurant in Lakeview. They have a full brunch menu and the option of a champagne brunch that includes a dish from the menu and bottomless champagne drinks for $21 a person. Choose from a mimosa, Bellini, Kir Royale or just straight bottomless champagne if that’s more your style. You've got plenty of options for your meal, and all are bottomless and delish. They get pretty crowded for brunch, so it’s best not to come absolutely famished, because you might have to wait 20 minutes or so. Luckily, the wait is worth it, because on top of the champagne drinks you literally can’t get enough of, the food is amazing. I don’t eat eggs, so I’ve never personally tried any of those dishes on the menu, although I hear they’re amazing, but I have fallen victim to all of the pastas on the menu (a surprisingly perfect start to a Sunday morning), the delicious and fresh Bosco salad, and everyone’s favorite, the banana stuffed French Toast.

2. Broadway Cellars is a little farther North, but only by about 8 minutes up North Lakeshore Drive. They serve bottomless mimosas and bloody mary's for just $10, which is about what you pay for just one drink at some other places, so I’d say it’s well worth it. They have tons of menu items that I've heard rave reviews about, most of which have eggs, but there are a few things that I really love here. The apple pancakes are really delicious when you’re in the mood for something sweet, and the baked caprese sandwich is just right when you want something salty but meatless. And of course, they’re known for their wine, and even though there’s no bottomless option for that, they've got a great selection for sampling and wine pairings.

3. Lokal has the deal when it comes to bottomless booze. $7 for bottomless mimosas, but it has to be while you’re eating. If you finish your food and stick around to keep drinking, they charge you $2 per refill. They also have bottomless bloody mary’s ($9) and champagne ($12) but the mimosas are truly the real deal. I love a good beer on a Sunday morning too, and when I’m not in the mood for the standard brunch booze, Lokal has a great selection of beer on tap. The food on the menu here is not as elegant and delightful as many other places, but it’s good nonetheless. They have great sandwiches and I've always been intrigued (but never had the guts) to try the “cheese & pickles.” At least it’s always there for when a moment of adventure arises...

4. Deleece Grill Pub is another Lakeview favorite for bottomless mimosas. The wait is never as long here, and who can say no to mac and cheese? They serve it six ways! It’s $15 for the bottomless mimosas here, and a good selection of wines, beers and whiskeys for the non-mimosa-loving patrons in your party.

5. Victory’s Banner is a great spot in Roscoe Village for those who don’t want a hangover at 2pm on a Sunday, but still want bottomless drinks. They make their own Chai lattes from scratch, and you can get have all you can drink (hot or cold) for just $5. Personally, I’m a big fan of the blackened chicken wrap, but who doesn’t love a delicious chocolate chip waffle to go with all that Chai?

No matter where you do your brunching in Chicago, there are plenty of places to make it bottomless.

This article was written by Lizz Riggs, editor of ChicagoTraveler.com, a site dedicated to helping travelers find things to do, deals and Chicago hotels.

Angelina Ristorante or Luck of the Italians

The Slow and Savory Review:

Americans have this strange relationship with St. Patrick's Day which baffles Bunny and Brandy.  Back home in jolly old England, St. Patrick's Day is just a day where one goes to the pub and has a pint (that's pretty much every day in England, though).  But here in America, it is apparently legally required that the entire population drink to the point of sickness, dye everything green from their hair to the rivers, and insist on celebrating their Irish "heritage" (which in most people seems to amount to a second cousin who once visited Dublin while back packing across Europe) by asking random strangers to kiss them.  Our Ladies thought they could avoid some of these strange rituals by going to Angelina Ristorante, an Italian restaurant, for brunch this week, but sadly the Irish had even invaded that corner of the world. 

Angelina's interior mixes old world charm with modern day sophistication.  Rare, signed, and ancient wine bottles line the walls just under several retro style black and white photographs of people eating in various joyous and absurd ways.  The room was awefully loud, which wasn't helped by blaring music that was forcing people to shout over each other in order to have a conversation.  A lovely bar was set into the back corner of the room, hung with dramatic curtains to enhance its intimacy.  Upon entering, Our Ladies were greeted by tables of glassy-eyed hung over youths, adorned in green plastic beads.  "Surprised they managed to get up this morning to go to brunch even," Bunny huffed when they were informed it would be a little bit of a wait for a table.  "My dear Bunny, these children never went to sleep.  They came straight from some 6:00 am bar, no doubt," Brandy chuckled.  She found the competitive nature of American drinking habits rather amusing. 

After about ten minutes of standing in the doorway, a table literally appeared (after a very kind server brought it out from some dark corner) and Our Ladies were sat.  Unfortunately, as this was a make shift space, Brandy's chair intruded into the middle isle of the restaurant, and any time a server, patron, or otherwise decided they needed to pass, Brandy would get jostled. 

Upon glancing at the menu, Our Ladies discovered brunch to be Cash Only, which hadn't been indicated anywhere else.  "Would have been nice to have a warning at least!" Bunny squeaked.  Drinks were very reasonably priced (such as $5 for a mimosa or Belini, or $9 for a Bloody Mary with a beer back) and there was also the option of having one brunch entree and unlimited mimosas for a flat $21, which seemed reasonable.  Bunny opted for a single mimosa, while Brandy (for once) chose not to drink an alcoholic beverage in protest of the St. Patrick's crowd and ordered an iced tea.  For Brandy's entree, she chose a breakfast sandwich, made with smoked mozzarella, Canadian bacon, and scrambled eggs on a croissant.  Bunny went with her old stand by, the Benedict, choosing the Florentine option from the three on the menu.  After ordering, Brandy made a quick dash to the next door Jewel for some cash and gum.

Bunny's mimosa arrived in a lovely tall glass and was more than a bargain at $5.  She reported that it was well balanced with not too much of one or the other ingredient.  Brandy's iced tea (which was a surprisingly expensive $4.50, presumably to make up for the cheapness of the alcoholic drinks) had a pleasant fruitiness she wasn't expecting.

Bunny found her long awaited Benedict to be very bright in flavor.  The eggs were wonderfully cooked, and the spinach lovely and fresh.  The potatoes that accompanied the dish were a tad greasy, decently spiced, but very ordinary.

Brandy's sandwich was dominated by the smokiness of the cheese.  She felt a veggie of some sort, as simple as a bit of tomato or lettuce, would have helped liven up the bite.  The croissant was good on flavor, but not very flaky, and the eggs were good, but a little greasy as well.

Since portion size was on the small side, Our Ladies decided to split a dessert.  They ordered some chocolate bread pudding, which came with vanilla bean ice cream.  The texture was wonderful, not too dense, but rich enough to be satisfying, and the chocolate flavor definitely came through.  The only improvement would have been, perhaps, a different, more exciting ice cream to accompany it.

Though the portions and plating were a little underwhelming, Angelina did present Our Ladies with drinks, entrees, and a dessert for two for just under $20 a piece.  Their advice; come early to get the good tables, bring cash, and in the words of Brandy to a group of young men in green plastic hats standing just outside the door, "Stop pretending to be bloody Irish and celebrate your own heritage, you wankers!"

The Short and Sweet Review: