Revist: New Summer Menu at Grand Lux Cafe

"Two words: Hen Night," Brandy said to her good friend Starr. "What does that mean? Are you asking me to go out for fried chicken?" "No, silly, a Hen Night! You know, with cocktails and gossiping and lots of fresh summery nibbles?" "Oh! A Girl's Night Out!" "Right! We call them Hen Nights on my side of the pond." "Gotcha. Where should we go?" "Somewhere downtown with a lovely view so we can people watch. And somewhere with an extensive and varied menu so we have lots of options for snacking. And fantastical drinks, of course. Comfy seating." "Sounds like somewhere we both know very well. Grand Lux Cafe it is!"

And so, Brandy and Starr headed down to the Magnificent Mile, grabbed a prime booth by the window overlooking Michigan Ave, and started off a night of frivolity and a whole lot of inappropriate giggling.

Drinks were in order, of course, to kick everything off. Brandy went with the classic Mai Tai, which she found to be perfectly fruity and delicious. Starr went for the more sophisticated sounding Asian Pear Martini, which she actually found quite sweet and strong, but with a pleasant flavor at the front.

Picking from the new summer items, Brandy and Starr ordered the Tuna Poke Tacos, a delightful fusion of Latin and Asian cuisine. The taco shells were actually deep fried wonton wrappers, which had a brilliant crunch that matched well with the soft and silky filling of tuna, avocado, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. "Now these are the definition of finger-licking good!" said Starr as she finished off the last of her taco. They also ordered the Pot Roast Fries, which Brandy instantly fell in love with. "Tender meat, cheese sauce, and crispy potatoes. This speaks to the most primal part of my soul," she said as she stuffed another handful of fries into her mouth.

Next, to lighten things up, they split one of the new summer salads, which came dressed with roasted pears, strawberries, feta cheese, and almonds, in a balsamic dressing. Brandy has always been a big fan of fruit in her salad, so this mix of sweet, creamy, and crunchy ingredients was just perfect for her.

Starr went for the Fish and Chips as her entree, which also came with a side of peanut coleslaw. The fish was tender and light with a nicely crisp tempura batter. She also liked that the dish came with a side of house made tartar sauce, which combine well with the lashings of vinegar she added to the fish. The slaw was also a nice little surprise, as it had a unique peppery flavor and plenty of crunch.

Brandy went with the new Brie and Bacon Burger. The combination of the melty brie cheese, the smokey bacon, some peppery greens, creamy mayo, and a sweet red onion jam was so utterly perfect in Brandy's mind. Of course, the combination of the sweet and savory flavors was an instant hit, but Brandy also really liked that no one thing really overwhelmed anything else. As a side dish, Brandy
also ordered the Crispy Glazed Brussels Sprouts, which turned out to be the best thing she tried all night. Sweet, a little crisp, savory, and so very delicious, Brandy could have eaten several more servings of these sprouts if she hadn't already indulged in so much deliciousness.

Finally, the ladies wound down their evening out with a pair of coffee cocktails and an order of Warm Butter Cake. The rich and gooey cake was so perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of marinated strawberries as accompaniment. Even though both ladies were full to the brim, they still managed to finish off every last bite of that cake, which is certainly saying something.

"Ah, we need to do this more often!" Brandy sighed with contentment. "Not too often though," said Starr, "Otherwise you're going to have to buy me a gym membership!"

The writers of this blog were invited to dine by the restaurant free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Grand Lux Cafe Revisit: National Waffle Day

With spring in the air and a spring in her step, Brandy was feeling light as a feather. "The weather may be manic and the world may be crumbling to pieces, but there's always happiness to be found if one looks hard enough," was Brandy's sentiment of the day. She decided to take her energy for a walk around the Gold Coast and do a bit of window shopping and people watching. The streets were teaming with the happy faces of those who had come outside to see some long awaited sunshine and Brandy gleefully wandered up and down Michigan Avenue amongst them for quite some time, that is until she began to feel a bit peckish. Glancing up, she realized she was right below the Grand Lux Cafe, a recent favorite brunch destination, so she decided to head upstairs to grab a seat near the window and continue her people watching from afar.

Settling into the gorgeously decorated space, Brandy examined the menu. Skipping over the cocktails for once, she ordered the Mango Raspberry Swirl smoothie. For something non-alcoholic, the drink was presented beautifully, with a vibrant red puree blended into the orange-yellow drink. The flavor was refreshing and fruity without being overly sweet. It didn't exactly taste like a healthy type of smoothie, but it wasn't a decadent as a milk shake either. "Just the perfect little bit of sipable sunshine," Brandy smiled to herself, now feeling slightly uncomfortable with her own uncharacteristic cheeriness.

A pair of appetizers in the form of the Pastrami Reuben Eggs Rolls and the Asian Nachos were the next things to the table. The egg rolls were a rather delightful fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, with a crispy skin on the outside and melty Swiss cheese, salty pastrami, and tangy sauerkraut on the inside, and a side of Thousand Island dressing for dipping. The rolls were a tad greasy, but still very crisp with a true Reuben flavor that Brandy was both infatuated with and befuddled by. "I'm not sure a born and bred New Yorker would be happy with one of their signature dishes being transfigured into such an interesting form, but then again, New Yorkers aren't usually pleased by much."

Next up, the Asian Nachos, another international fusion, with crisped wontons serving as the chips and green onions, melted cheese, peanuts, and a spicy wasabi cream. The dish also came with a mound of Mexican fried rice, which had corn and beans mixed in. While she thought the rice side dish was a little unnecessary, the chips themselves were amazingly flavorful with a great balance between sweet, savory, and spicy. Though a little unwieldy to consume, Brandy thought these in particular would also make for a wonderful happy hour snack for a table full of friends who wanted to catch up over a few beers. "Happy hour and brunch are really cousins, in a way," she reasoned, "What with happy hour not quite being lunch or dinner. It's no wonder there would be some cross over between some of the best suited dishes."

Keeping with the theme of crispiness, Brandy next chowed down on an order of Chilaquiles, which came dressed with scrambled eggs, avocado, pepper, onions, tomatoes, corn, beans, cilantro, and cheese. The resulting mix was a little overwhelming at first, but with every bite being a little different, Brandy actually found it to be quite an interesting version of the Mexican classic breakfast dish. The spice level was bordering on being a little high for Brandy's liking, but sips of the mango smoothie helped to tame it. The most impressive thing was how crisp the chips remained under the weight of all of the veggies and eggs, a telltale sign of a good chilaquiles in Brandy's book.

Finally, in honor of the upcoming holiday, National Waffle Day on March 25th, Brandy ordered the Fried Chicken and Waffles, which came served with a butter maple syrup and chopped pecans. The waffle was perfectly fluffy and light with a slight crisp to the edges. The chicken had a substantial breading and a nice hit of pepper to it. The syrup, though, was the thing that really sealed the deal by adding a light caramel-like flavor to cut through the savoriness of the chicken. Brandy loved the syrup so much that she actually emptied out the tiny carafe, something she doesn't normally do when presented with a side of sauce. Her only criticism was that she could have done with a little side of fruit to help break up the richness of the dish, but otherwise, she couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate National Waffle Day, even if it was a little early.

Having taken her sweet time, savoring all of the dishes as she let her mind wander, Brandy headed out of Grand Lux Cafe not exactly feeling as light as a feather any more, but still feeling rather cheerful. "I wish every day was National Waffle Day," she was heard to sigh into the wind.

The writers of this blog were invited to dine at the restaurant free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Grand Lux Cafe or Golden Morning

The Slow and Savory Review

Luxury is something Brandy has plenty of experience with.  She's done everything from captaining a yacht to overseeing a couture textile company to putting her superior palate to use as a caviar taste tester, so she likes to think that she knows luxury when she sees it.  "Some people think that simply throwing a bunch of gold leaf on something or dousing food in truffle oil makes for luxury, but that's just silly," she says when asked about the subject, "Luxury is not something one buys.  It is a feeling."

It was this point she was attempting to argue with her good friend Mama Bee, who had just introduced a line of "luxury" honeys to her already existing honey empire.  "From a  branding perspective, saying something is luxurious is a self fulfilling prophecy," Mama Bee countered, "Simply seeing the word evokes the feeling of luxury!"  At that very moment, the two happened to be walking along Michigan Ave. and Brandy stopped in her tracks to point towards a restaurant on the second floor above them.  "See this here?" she said, "This is the Grand Lux Cafe.  Let's put your theory to the test and see if the mere implication of the word 'luxury' will give us a luxurious brunching experience."

Walking through the Grand Lux evoked a sense of old world grandeur with its high ceilings, rich furnishings in golds, greens, and burgundys, marble table tops, and mosaic wall decor.  "Reminds me of something out the Great Gatsby!" Mama Bee gasped, looking around the room.  "It certainly is even more beautiful on the inside than I supposed it would be from the outside!" said Brandy.

Settling into a booth that overlooked the street below, the ladies picked out a few cocktails; the Sparkling Spanish Rose for Brandy and the Strawberry Bellini for Mama Bee.  The Bellini was fresh tasting and very sweet due to the addition of Cointreau, which made it perfect for Mama Bee.  The Spanish Rose was a little more to Brandy's liking, being a combination of sangria and Prosecco, which made it a little dry, but crisp and very fruity.

They started off the meal properly with a Warm Goat Cheese Salad and some Double Stuffed Potato Spring Rolls.  The salad was quite an interesting combination of crunchy greens and diced apples with a peppery and lemony dressing and small warm spheres of bread crumb coated goat cheese, which added a nice pop of richness.  "I'm detecting a touch of honey here," Mama Bee said knowingly, "And that little hint of sweetness makes this salad such a unique experience!"  The westernized spring rolls were also rather delightful, with a fun mix of textures in the crunchy shell and the smooth mashed potatoes within.  The smokiness of the bacon mixed with the melted cheddar cheese and the pungent spring onions made the flavor just as fun as the presentation,  "One of my greatest pleasures in life is really well done fusion food," said Brandy, "And this is an example of just how fun mixing up cultures can be!"

For her entree, Mama Bee picked the Fresh Garden Omelette, which was packed with mushrooms, tomato, avocado, green onion, zucchini, spinach, Havarti cheese and sour cream and came with a side of house potatoes.  The eggs, Mama Bee felt, were a tad under-seasoned, but the veggies were fresh and crisp and just perfect.  "I'm very impressed by just how many vegetables they've stuffed in here," Mama Bee exclaimed, "Sometimes omelettes just become the forgotten standard on the menu, but this one does seem to have a bit of thought put into it!"  The hashbrowns on the side were fairly unremarkable, but had a decent amount of pepper in their flavor.

Brandy picked the DeLux Breakfast Sandwich, which consisted of scrambled eggs, tomato, bacon, Havarti cheese, and mayo on grilled brioche.  The sandwich was certainly substantial with a great buttery flavor that didn't translate into greasiness.  The addition of the scrambled eggs, as opposed to an over easy egg, meant the sandwich wasn't overly messy to eat, and the slice of tomato helped to cut through the richness of the bacon, eggs, and cheese to lighten up the over all flavor.  "I can't tell you how many breakfast sandwiches I've had that only needed a a little vegetation to make them perfect.  I'm so glad they've thought this one through," said Brandy.

Lastly, the ladies ordered the Churro French Toast and a pair of Honey Vanilla Lattes for a make shift dessert.  The lattes were surprisingly sweet and lovely, with a smooth coffee flavor that helped to wash away the sleepiness that comes from such a substantial meal.  The French toast was a rather extraordinary thing, with a very melty, custard like interior and a crunchy sugar coated exterior that really did remind one of a churro.  Due to the fact that the pieces had been positively bathed in cinnamon sugar and then doused in chocolate and caramel, Brandy and Mama Bee concurred that this dish would be much more appropriate as a dessert as opposed to a breakfast dish.  "If you ate this whole plate of French toast for breakfast," Mama Bee laughed, "You'd be buzzing on a sugar high for the rest of the day for sure!"

"Well, I don't know about you, but this certainly did feel like a luxurious meal, whether that was due to the name of the restaurant or not!" Mama Bee said once they had wandered back out onto the street.  "Comforting? Yes.  Delicious?  Certainly.  But luxurious?" Brandy questioned.  "What wasn't to like? Mama Bee questioned her, "The service was beyond friendly, the decor was stunning, and the food was lovely!"  "Yes, but the prices were actually quite reasonable," Brandy pointed out, "And to truly evoke a feeling of luxury, one must charge exorbitant prices so that the purchaser really has to question the quality of their experience.  That brunch seemed like a steal when put into those terms!"  "Perhaps you're right," Mama Bee pondered, "I better raise the prices of my luxury honey then!"

The writers of this blog were invited to dine at the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review