Tavern on Little Fort or The Big Game

The Slow and Savory Review

For a sports fan in Chicago, autumn can be the most stressful time of year. Are The Bears going to ever find a halfway decent quarterback? Just how many injured players can The Blackhawks put on the ice before everything falls apart? Is there a second part to the Curse of the Billy Goat that means The Cubs will be in the playoffs for the next century, but will kill all of their fans by playing insanely stressful games? These are all questions Brandy never used to waste any of her brain cells thinking about ("Those brain cells are reserved for killing with alcohol, by God!" as she says), but now that she's been in Chicago for over a decade, they are the things constantly at the forefront of her mind.

"Maybe it's because I brunch every Sunday morning and I have inadvertently absorbed all this sports nonsense," Brandy was saying to her good friend Bailey one day, "You know, the televisions are always on at the bars and such, so I must be subconsciously acquiring information from them while I sip my mimosas." "It's hard to live in a city like this and not become a sports fan of some kind," said Bailey, "Speaking of which, there's four different games I need to catch that are about to start. Would you like to come watch with me?" "Well..." "And grab some brunch?" "I suppose I could be persuaded."

They ended up at Tavern on Little Fort, a comfy Bavarian style bar in the heart of North Center. The dark woods that covered the inside of the bar gave the place a warm and familiar feeling, but Brandy was glad to see that they also had a beer garden and a sidewalk patio for those diners who desired a little more light. Though Brandy usually prefers to stay indoors, Bailey convinced her to take a table on the patio where they could still keep an eye the various games being broadcast on the televisions inside. The trick was that alongside the Chicago games, Tavern on Little Fort is actually a Hawkeyes, Raiders, and St. Louis Cardinals bar, so a variety of teams and sports were being shone.

Though the mimosa and bloody mary bar were tempting, they decided to start things off with a pair of cocktails from the regular menu: Bailey got the RBC Spritzer, which was a mix of a honey scented cider and a sauvignon blanc, while Brandy went with the Mimosa After Dark, which came with a splash of passion fruit liqueur along with orange juice and champagne. Brandy rather liked the additional flavor, which gave the drink a pungent yet enjoyable fruitiness. Bailey felt her spritzer was a little more heavy on the wine and sort of watered down the taste of the cider (as an admitted cider snob, it was the addition of the cider that had peeked her interest in the first place).

For their appetizer course, they picked out a couple of easy-to-munch dishes that wouldn't get too messy if they dropped bits of them down their fronts when they had to suddenly turn their attentions to the games. Firstly, there was the Fried Brussels Sprouts, adorned with bacon, smoked almonds, and cranberries. Brandy was pretty taken with these flavorful little morsels, which were crispy, crunchy, smokey, and sweet all at once. Bailey only had eyes for the Loaded Tater Tots; a pile of freshly made golden nuggets topped with crumbled chorizo, chihuahua cheese, tons of green onions, and a drizzle of crème fraîche. The result was an indulgent mountain of deliciousness, held together by some really well made tots that were crunchy on the outside, but like mashed potatoes on the inside. Bailey especially enjoyed the flavor of the chorizo, which had a good spicy kick that helped cut through all the richness and starchiness.

For her entree, Bailey chose the Brunch Schnitzel. The massive slab of breaded pork came topped with a fried egg and a healthy portion of smoked potatoes and pickled red onion. She was very happy with how juicy the pork was on the inside as well as the well flavored potatoes and onions, which stood up to the meat quite well. "I'd say that I could eat this every day, but if I did, I'd be as big as one of those line backers," she giggled, mostly to herself, as Brandy was enraptured by a play happening in the baseball game she was keeping an eye on.

When not distracted by the game, Brandy was munching on her Breakfast Burger. She realized after one bite that she had actually tasted this burger before, at Tavern on Little Fort's sister restaurant Commonwealth Tavern, but it was just as tasty as she remembered. The patty had been made with brisket and bacon, which gave it a wonderful smokey under current, and the fresh made bread and butter pickles lifted the whole thing with a little tangy sweetness. "I didn't even mean to order the same burger I had back at the beginning of the year, but goodness, am I glad I did! Do you see how perfectly that egg on top was cooked? It's certainly the MVP of the whole meal."

Brandy and Bailey eventually tottered away from Tavern on Little Fort with full tummies and a touch of stress induced indigestion from watching their respective teams make things a little too exciting. The service had been very relaxed, an accomplishment for a place that was actually quite busy and a little under staffed. There could not have been a better menu to enjoy a game with and the prices were fair enough to enable a couple of extra rounds of drinks should any games go into over time. "I suppose I have to accept that I am a bonafide sports fan now," Brandy sighed. "Is that such a bad thing?" Bailey chided her. "No, but it's hard for a former athlete like myself to just sit back and watch others compete." "You were an athlete?" "Of course. Competitive eating is a valid sport, isn't it?"

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

The Short and Sweet Review

Kick or Spice World

The Slow and Savory Review

Brandy has a complicated history with spicy foods.  While she is admittedly a bit of a coward when it comes to climbing the Scoville scale, she has acquired a certain level of tolerance for the hot stuff over time.  It was this realization that she actually enjoys moderate amounts of spice that she attempted to explain to her sweets loving friend, Mama Bee.  "Where as I used to be so afraid of spice that I rarely even added salt to my food, I now find that I occasionally crave a bit of heat," she said, surprising even herself.  "Oh, not me!" exclaimed Mama Bee, "Spice and I will never be friendly."  "But occasionally, spice can get along quite well with sweets, can it not?"  "No thank you!"  "But what about honey BBQ sauce?"  Mama Bee pursed her lips.  "Alright, you may have a point."  "I think we need to be a little brave and seek out some spice the next time we brunch.  You and I will learn to love the heat!"

So Brandy chose to take Mama Bee to Kick, a restaurant themed on spice and featuring a mix of world cuisines.  The restaurant resides in the old Sola space, a fact that understandably elicited mixed feelings from Brandy, and features a gorgeous patio as well as a spacious interior.  The layout of the inside hadn't changed much from its previous incarnation, but the color scheme of red and black with exposed brick walls and raw wood floors along with several fire features certainly spoke to the spice that was in store with the food.

Starting the meal off with some liquid courage, Brandy and Mama Bee ordered up some cocktails.  Mama Bee went with the Peach Mimosa, which was nicely bold in its flavoring, quite sweet, and very bubbly.  Speaking of bubbly, Brandy picked a cocktail called the Bubbly Berry.  This drink was lighter, less sweet, and more refreshing than the mimosa but still seemed to walk along the same path, with lemon juice, elderflower, berry flavors, vodka, and sparkling wine.  Finding their courage hadn't quite been leveled high enough, the two ordered a few more mimosas in Wild Raspberry and Grapefruit, both of which were very fresh and bright tasting.

Deciding to start with some sweets first, Brandy and Mama Bee tried a plate of the Challah French Toast.  This toast, straight away, was one of the best French toasts Brandy had ever tasted.  It had been coated on the outside with crushed up cereal ("Who is this Captain Crunch anyway?" Brandy asked, "I've seen his name around town.  Does he pilot one of those cruise ships docked at Navy Pier or something?")  and then topped with a cinnamon apple compote with cranberries and candied pecans.  Because of the coating, the outside had a nice light crunch, while the inside had a melty texture.  The apples and cranberries added a nice tartness to counteract the sweetness of the dish, and the pecans, which actually had a bit of spice to them, provided a contrasting crunch.

Still avoiding the inevitable, they next sampled a special of the weekend, some Red, White, and Blue pancakes.  This included one of each of the Red Velvet, Blueberry, and Buttermilk Pancakes, topped off with some fresh whipped cream and berries.  The pancakes were thin and a little chewy in texture, which Brandy liked, with a very buttery over all flavor.  Despite the garish food dyes, each pancake actually had a subtle flavor difference, though Mama Bee detected more of the flavors than Brandy did.  "Even though these are a denser type of pancake, they don't seem too heavy," Mama Bee commented, "And I do have to admit I have a soft spot for colorful sweets!"

Finally resigning to their delicious fate, the ladies tucked into their entrees.  Mama Bee had decided on something called The Silence of the Hams, which was a hash of sorts with bacon, prosciutto, and sausage over spiced house potatoes and topped with two eggs and a white wine sauce.  The flavor of the dish was quite smokey and savory, of course, with enough meat to please even the staunchest of carnivores.  The potatoes at the base were the real surprise, as they were the main source of heat in the dish, eliciting a slow burn on the palate that didn't overwhelm everything else.  Thinly sliced into rounds, some of them were crispier than others, which Mama Bee enjoyed picking out and crunching on when the heat got to be too much for her.  "Even though this is rather spicy," she commented between sniffles, "I'm beginning to understand how heat can be used to enhance a dish rather than as a gimmick."

 Brandy went with the Lobster Omelette, which came loaded with lobster meat, asparagus, prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella, all smothered in an Old Spice spiked hollandaise and serviced with more spicy potatoes, and toast with raspberry jam.  While the omelette was pretty tame on the spices, it was full to the brim with lots of tender lobster, crunchy veggies, and melty cheese, which Brandy enjoyed.  The potatoes too were almost too much for Brandy, but a bite or two of jam covered toast helped to alleviate the building burn.  "Do you know, I think there might be peppers in this jam as well!" Brandy exclaimed, "And I think I rather like them!"

After downing a glass of water to rinse away the residual heat and wiping their dripping noses, Brandy and Mama Bee headed out of Kick.  Their heat filled adventure had been quite satisfying, with prices right around average and very friendly service to boot.  "I think I may be becoming one of those pepper head people," Brandy smiled at her friend, "I might just start carrying around a bottle of hot sauce in my bag."  "You could barely handle some red pepper flakes on those potatoes and you're going to start dousing everything in hot sauce?" Mama Bee scoffed.  "Maybe you're right.  Well then, I suppose I just have to carry around a thermos of hollandaise instead, as per usual."

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

The Short and Sweet Review

Buzz Burgers, Barrels, and Beer or Why Bother with Buns?

The Slow and Savory Review

The first time Brandy had a real American cheeseburger, she was instantly in love.  Yes, it was fast food, yes it was greasy, yes it was not the normal gourmet experience she was used to, but by God was it tasty.  "I remember the perfect tang of the pickles, the sweetness of the ketchup, the soft bun, the melty cheese, the bite of the mustard... all coming together in perfect harmony with the beef.  It was heaven."  In fact, the burger inspired Brandy's very first trip to America, though as she gorged herself from one end of the country to another, eating every burger she could get her hands on, she started to get bored.  "My brain knew these things were still the same mix of deliciousness I had once coveted, but my tongue seemed less convinced."  So she slowed down on her burger consumption, only allowing herself to have one every so often so as to keep them special.

Recently, Brandy has started to take notice of a lot of fashionable burgers popping up all over the country, which has given her pause.  "I never thought there was anything wrong with the old fashioned kind of burger, but some of these new fangled concoctions do sound bloody intriguing!" she has been known to comment.  A newer burger joint in the North Center neighborhood called Buzz Burgers, Barrels, and Beer professes to be on the cutting edge of burger couture, so Brandy knew she had to check them out and satisfy her eternal craving for America's favorite sandwich.

Though the outside of Buzz looked a little nondescript, the inside was surprisingly refined with lots of dark, polished wood surfaces.  Other than the slightly dim day time lighting, the set up was pretty typical pub chic with booths, high tables, and a long bar towards the back with television sets above it, playing various sports.  "Seems like it would be quite cozy on a cold winter night," Brandy mused, taking a table by the window to watch the rain.

Glancing at the menu, the first thing to catch Brandy's attention was the cocktails.  "This price can't be right!" she said, switching her regular reading glasses to her super strength reading glasses.  But after calling over her server to confirm what she was seeing, she finally accepted that the price on the menu was correct: brunch cocktails were $3.  This included mimosas, bloody marys, and screwdrivers, apparently, and although these drinks were obviously not being made with top shelf stuff, there was almost no beating the price anywhere in town.

The menu of burgers was so appealing that Brandy simply could not choose just one, especially as two of the burgers were screaming to be tried.  Pointing slyly to the menu and explaining that she simply had to try that much food for the sake of burger eaters everywhere and that she also had a strict rule about savory and sweet foods, Brandy placed her order.

First up was a side of Hand Cut Fries, which came served with not only with some ketchup, but also a truffle aioli, which Brandy thought was a nice addition.  The fries had a perfect thickness and texture, with a crisp exterior and a fluffy interior.  "It's good to see they're not just throwing some generic frozen fries onto the table," Brandy said, "But I could do with some more of this truffle aioli!"

As a variation on the fries, Brandy also ordered the Hipster Poutine.  Brandy was a little disappointed to see that this was not really a poutine, but more along the lines of chili cheese fries, which is perhaps why they were called "hipster."  Instead of gravy, the fries had been topped with something called "sauce of a dozen spices," which while delicious, served more as a seasoning for the fries than a dressing.  There were no cheese curds (the ultimate sin in Brandy's mind), but a mix of various cheeses had been melted onto the top of fries, making them gooey and even more decadent.  The fries were also topped off with some green onions, Tasso ham, and bacon, which gave them nice bits of texture and smokiness.

Starting with her first burger, Brandy dug into the infamous Ramen Burger, a dish that was popularized in California last summer and has somehow only now made its way to Chicago.  Instead of a traditional bun, this burger had two rounds of deep fried ramen noodles, which while not the most ideal means of burger containment, provided a really unique crunch.  The meat on the burger was actually a very good quality kobe beef, which meant the texture was soft and succulent.  The toppings included an aged cheddar, arugula, sun dried tomato, Sriracha, and a fried egg.  Pressing down the ramen bun caused the egg to burst immediately, though sadly the yolk seemed to just drip through the burger and onto the plate, making the bottom bun soggy and loosing the velvetiness it could have lent to the burger.  The egg was actually very salty, causing Brandy to take sips of her drink between every few bites, and although she had braced herself for the hot sauce, there was only one bite that she could even detect that it was there.

Lastly, since the Ramen Burger served as her savory, Brandy countered it with the Donut Burger.  This delicacy was supposedly a Southern invention, originally made with a Krispy Kreme glazed donuts in place of the bun.  The burger this time was made with Angus beef, which made it a more heavy and deeply flavored, though it was a little difficult to taste the meat underneath a heavy handed, yet not unwelcome douse of housemade sweet ketchup, which almost resembled more of a barbecue sauce.  "It's rather smart of them to have paired the donuts with a sweeter sauce," Brandy smiled, "Going more savory would have been folly."  Also adding to the sweetness were some caramelized strawberries, but swinging back into the savory direction was some bacon, pepper jack cheese, and just a little bit more of that truffle aioli.  The thing that Brandy appreciated most about the burger was the fact that the top donut had been slightly charred, giving it not only a burnt sugar taste, but also a smokiness that matched well with the dish's more savory aspects.

After bidding goodbye to her sweetly talkative server, Brandy waddled off outside into the rain, feeling as full as she ever had, but quite satisfied with her little burger adventure.  "Sometimes, it's nice to reacquaint one's self with an old favorite," she said, "It's like suddenly being reminded why you fell in love with someone you've been with for years.  There's nothing wrong with a little variety, after all."

The Short and Sweet Review

Grand Tour or It's a Small World After All

The Slow and Savory Review

As regular readers of this blog will know, Brandy is quite the well seasoned world traveler.  "I have lived for at least six months on every continent on this planet," she will proclaim, proudly, "And let me tell you, those six months in Antarctica weren't as cold as you might think."  In fact, Brandy isn't quite sure why she decided to settle in Chicago for the time being, but she's been here so long now that only her native land of England can claim to have held her longer."It just seemed like the right time to stop," she says when asked, "I suppose I just started to acquire too many...things, and those things just happen to be best kept in Chicago.  Not that I don't still have a touch of wanderlust, I just like having a place to come home to at the end of the day."

Recently, it came to Brandy's attention that Chef Roger Herring, formally of Socca, had opened a new restaurant in North Center called Grand Tour.  This establishment professed to serve dishes from all around the world, from South American to Europe to Asia.  As Socca was one of Brandy's favorite brunches of all time and with the concept behind this new place being right up her alley, Brandy simply could not wait to visit Grand Tour for herself.

The inside of Grand Tour was quite impressive, in both size and spacing.  A huge circular bar held the focus of the room, which was lined with high tables, booths, and ornate stools to accommodate any sort of desired seating.  At the back of the room was a small, well lit stage, where, presumably, live music could be performed for the room, but currently the large television screens that encircled the bar provided the visual entertainment while piped in classic rock played.  Other than that, the decor was unremarkable and pretty typical for a bar and grill.  "I'd love to see a little more indication of the theme," Brandy mused, looking around the room, "Not necessarily safari helmets and corny props like that, but maybe some subtle hints of world travel would have been nice."

The cheerful waitress happily explained all of the drink specials to Brandy, charming her by letting her know the red sangria wasn't at it's best that day.  "It's a little dry, if you ask me," she said, "But some people like a dryer sangria."  "I'm certainly not one of them," Brandy winked at her.  Brandy opted instead for one of the many interesting sounding cocktails on the front of the drink menu (though it took her several minutes to read the menu, as the one she'd been given was severally water spotted), ordering something called the Weathered Traveler made with white whiskey, blueberry lemoncello, lavendar, soda, and bitters.  The drink was strong without being abrasive, and had a nice refreshing effect.  The lavender did make it a little perfumey, but not unpleasantly so, and Brandy found it a rather nice drink to sip throughout her meal.

First she started off with the French Toast, which the menu marked as being Canadian inspired.  Brandy supposed the Canadian element was the maple syrup, and in that way, the theme seemed to be a bit tacked on, as the syrup was simply a drizzle on top of the plate.  The French toast itself was pretty standard, being cut into thin triangles and topped with slices of banana, strawberry, and pecans as well as dollops of whipped cream that looked suspiciously like they'd come from a can.  The overall taste wasn't bad at all, but Brandy couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.  "One of my favorite French toasts of all time was at Socca, Roger Herring's old haunt, and in comparison to that dish, this one is just not on the same level," Brandy whimpered, "And especially with an $11 price tag, I'd like to think I'm getting something a little more special than what a greasy spoon diner would give me for half as much."

Lastly Brandy ordered the Merica Burger, an homage to perhaps America's most well known fast food favorite.  The burger came topped with American cheese, lettuce, bacon beer jam, and "special sauce" (at this point, even non Americans like Brandy know that "special sauce" probably means Thousand Island dressing with relish) and was served with a side of fries.  The fries were yet another unremarkable part of the meal: under seasoned and probably cooked from frozen, but tasty enough for plate filler.  The burger was actually quite nice: the meat seemed to be a custom blend as the texture was fairly smooth and lean.  Brandy wished for a bit more of either the sauce or the bacon beer jam, as both seemed to fade into the background, though the burger itself provided a nice meaty flavor and the American cheese, as much as foodies like to make fun of it, did lend a nice silky feeling to each mouthful.

Though the service was warm and friendly, the space open and inviting, and the concept intriguing, in the end Brandy felt a bit let down by the food at Grand Tour.  "It's not that anything was bad," she tried to explain to herself as she left, "I was just hoping for a bit more oomph, as they say.  That meal was less a worldly tasting and more a standard American brunch dressed up to look exotic.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with an American brunch; it's what I've grown to love these past few years, after all.  But if that's what is on offer, don't try to trick people into thinking there's some grand design behind the menu that's not really there.  Or maybe I'm just still bitter about paying $11 for that damned French toast..."

The Short and Sweet Review

Endgrain or Donut Vortex

The Slow and Savory Review

Sometimes we all need a little inspiration.  Some of us look to the web to become our muses and teachers.  Others find inspiration in daily living; the beauty of a rose bush in a front yard or the laughter of children on a playground.  Brandy, of course, often finds inspiration in the bottom of a glass, or rather the bottom of a teacup.  "I find my tea leaves as inspiring as anything.  Why, my old neighbor Mr. Pollack used to come over for tea just so he could study my tea leaves.  He said he found their patterns 'organic and chaotic,' whatever that means.  But then again, I've never been much of a painter."

It was one particularly chilly morning when Brandy's old friend, the genius inventor Brocco Leigh Binto, was lamenting his lack of engineering initiative.  "Its so hard to think of anything useful when everything outside is cold, slushy, and grey," he complained, "How am I supposed to better the human race when I have no desire to come out of my lab?"  "What you need is a good hot meal," Brandy said, "Getting out among other people will help to lubricate that old noggin of yours.  I know the perfect place!"

And so Brandy brought Brocco and his lovely lab assistant Brassica to Endgrain, the still fairly new and very innovative neighborhood joint, known for its down to earth style of fine dining.  Endgrain was a little small on the inside, and only seemed to grow smaller as it filled up with people.  One side of the room was taken up by a massive coffee bar and counter space, while the other housed tables with banquette and chair seating.  Brandy and company were escorted to a big table in the corner where they could observe the whole room.  The walls housed a variety of questionable looking taxidermied animal heads, which did help to dress up the modern, yet rustic space.

Brandy, Brocco, and Brassica ordered up some drinks from the extensive coffee bar to start off with; for Brocco, a creamy, warming chai tea, for Brassica, a rich and smooth hot chocolate, and for Brandy, a dark and deeply flavored mocha.  Brandy was very impressed by the quality of the drinks, all of which were extremely pure tasting, not having been watered down or made with inferior quality products like some other well known places do with their extravagant coffee beverages.

To start off the meal, Brandy insisted on trying some of Endgrain's infamous donuts.  The group decided on the Bacon Butterscotch, the Vanilla Bourbon, the Honey Glazed, and the Salted Caramel.  The Bacon Butterscotch proved to be a hit all around with its crisp bacon topping, decadent butterscotch glaze, and melt-in-your-mouth yeast donut.  The Salted Caramel was Brassica's favorite for its simplicity, while Brocco prefered the Bourbon Vanilla, which was the most traditional of the four, yet rich in flavor.  Brandy's favorite was surprisingly the Honey Glazed, which was more of a cake like donut that had been cut in half and filled with a delicious cream.

To balance out the decadence of the donuts, Brocco and Brandy ordered a couple of light appetizers.  Brocco went with the Shaved Vegetable Salad, which came as a beautiful little bowl with lots of color and texture from the various vegetation, greens, and garlic croutons.  Brandy went with the White Polenta, which came with a poached egg, roasted mushrooms, and a goat cheese covered crostini.  Brandy was really surprised by this dish, which had a nice salty pop from some capers, a rich earthiness from the mushrooms, and a crunch from a few springs of frisee.  "I don't really even know what to call something like this," Brandy mused, spooning through the fluffy polenta, which really just served as a blank canvas for the rest of the ingredients to play upon, "A hash perhaps?  A melange?"  "How about 'a bowl of food?'" Brocco suggested, enthusiastically.  "'A bowl of delicious food!'" Brassica piped in.  "Yes... I was thinking perhaps something a little more descriptive, but well done," Brandy said.

For her entree, Brassica chose the Smothered Biscuit, which came with crispy onions, fried eggs, and harissa sausage.  "Its plated quite beautifully, isn't it?" Brassica said, studying the dish with a large magnifying glass she had pulled out of her pocket, "Such an organic design!  See Professor Binto?  This is the kind of disbursement we need for the matrix interface in order for it to operate less mechanically!"  Brandy was utterly baffled by this revelation, but Brocco seemed to find it intriguing.  After making careful study of her plate, Brassica finally dove into the dish with gusto.  She reported the biscuit to be heavy and filling, but in a very satisfying sort of way, balanced nicely by the rich gravy, which had just the right amount of spicy kick to it.

Brocco had gone with the BBQ Pork Biscuit Sandwich, but since he has become a strict vegetarian ever since designing an abattoir that was just a little too efficient, he substituted the meat for a a vegetarian sausage patty.  Brocoo really loved the punch from the jalapeno aioli matched with the sharp, creamy cheddar cheese, the fresh greens, and the beautifully fried egg.  "I do wish I could experience this sandwich in its intended glory, though," he sighed, "But I made a promise to the porcine community and I'm sticking to it."

Brandy also went with a biscuit sandwich, but hers was served with a fried chicken cutlet.  Brandy found it a little difficult to eat the tender, buttery sandwich with her hands, as it crumbled quite a bit with each bite.  The chicken itself was amazingly juicy and a triumph on its own, but when combined with a little wilted kale and pork sausage gravy, it made for a truly satisfying, rustic flavor combination.  Brandy was also rather delighted by the side that came with the sandwich, namely the thin and crispy homemade potato chips, which had a brilliant smokey spice to them, and the sweet house made pickle slices.  "I don't usually care much for pickles," Brandy said, studying one of the emerald colored circlettes, "But these I would gladly put on almost any sandwich."

Several coffee drinks, two appetizers, three entrees, and approximately two donuts each (Brandy demanded a few more to take home with her) only averaged each person about $35 after tax and tip, which Brandy thought was quite an impressive value for such high quality food.  The service too had been extremely friendly and attentive, especially impressive when one considers how crowded the restaurant got.

Just as Brandy had planned, Brocco seemed to be flooded with new ideas as they made their way to the front.  "What about a bicycle helmet that dispenses donuts straight into your mouth while you are riding?  Or a travel mug split internally in two so that you could have coffee in one side and tea in the other?" he was excitedly relating to Brassica, who was doing her best to put on her gloves at the same time as writing everything down.  In their hurry to record Brocco's torrent of inspiration, they actually lost track of Brandy, but soon collected her when they realized she'd gone back inside to order more donuts.

The Short and Sweet Review

Wishbone or For the Love of Brunch

The Short and Sweet Review

Being from the British Isles originally, its always been a little hard for Brandy to grasp just how many different cultures there are in the United States.  From the accents and dialects, to the climates and foliage,the USA provides a huge variety to choose from, and though there are slight differences from region to region in the UK, Brandy has always felt there were more thing in common than not.  But its the regional foods of the US that have always amazed Brandy the most.  "You people can't even decide as a country on a base for clam chowder!  It's amazing you have a government at all!" she's often vented.

Living in Chicago has introduced Brandy to the pleasures of hot dogs with salad on them and pizza that is more like lasagna, but there is also a more interesting trend in the Midwest culinary world: Southern food for brunch.  "So odd that there seems to be no breakfast traditions in this part of the country," Brandy has wondered, "I suppose that's why they've had to import cuisine from the South to spice things up."  Having now dined at several Southern themed destinations in the past, Brandy has acquired a liking for the food from that particular region, so it was no wonder that she once again found herself craving that particular mix of bold flavors, heat, and good old fashioned hospitality that the South is famous for.  She decided on one of the more popular and well known Southern destinations in Chicago, Wishbone Northside.

The inside of Wishbone was just as bright and happy as the exterior, with a wide open dining space containing a variety of sitting options.  Brandy couldn't help by smile at the vibrant colors of the walls and the offbeat art work, which mostly consisted of abstract chickens and heads of lettuce.  Brandy was taken to a booth straight away and ordered up some iced tea ("What?  No sweet tea?" Brandy half joked), as to enhance her Southern dining experience.

Brandy started off with some Hush Puppies, an old Southern favorite.  The outside of these little puppies was perfectly crunchy, while the inside remained doughy and soft, with a great bit of texture from the cornmeal.  Brandy also loved the level of heat in the spicy mayo that came on the side for dipping.  "It doesn't add heat for heat's sake, but actually enhances the flavors, which is exactly what spice is supposed to do," she mused.

For her main course, Brandy chose the Shrimp and Grits, which came with a freshly baked biscuit on the side. The biscuit was rather nice, and so tender that it crumbled into buttery pieces when she tried to eat it.  Brandy would have liked something special to slather it with, like some honey butter or house made jam, but alas, none was to be found.  As for the grits, Brandy felt they were rather lacking in texture (she likes her grits to be a little more on the firm side) and seemed to be little more than mush at the bottom of a pool of cream.  The shrimp too were not up to par, as they were rather rubbery and flavorless (Brandy was quite sure they were frozen, but it's not as if Chicago has an endless supply of fresh shrimp at its feet, especially at this time of year, so that at least could be forgiven).  While the flavors of the bacon, mushrooms, and green onions were present in the dish, they just weren't quite enough for Brandy's liking, which was a shame, considering how visually appealing the dish was.  "It's like meeting a beautiful man and then realizing he can't carry on a conversation," Brandy sighed, desperately hoping with each bite that she would discover something fresh or some new texture to excite her palate.

It wasn't until after she had finished her meal that Brandy realized she hadn't had anything sweet.  "It's just not  brunch without sweet and savory!" she exclaimed in a panic.  Luckily, the sweet young waitress advised her of the dessert menu, and as Brandy was already quite full, she decided to take something to go.  When asking about the flavors of pie, one in particular stood out.  "Red Velvet pie?" Brandy asked in disbelief.  The girl nodded and ran off to fetch the confection for her.  But upon closer inspection, the pie looked suspiciously like cake.  Still, Brandy gave it a whirl and found the cake to be fairly traditional.  The crumb was small, creating a smooth texture throughout, but the cake was rather dry and lacked the tell-tale buttermilk tang Brandy has come to expect from a red velvet.  The cream cheese icing was spot on, being just rich and sweet enough without being chalky or sticky.

Though the service was nice enough and the food was decently priced (Brandy's total came out to about $25 even after tax and tip), there was just something lacking about Wishbone that really saddened Brandy.  "Its an odd thing to say, but I felt like I dined at a restaurant today," Brandy explained, "Some places make you feel as though a friend or family member was cooking for you.  Others make you feel like a royal dignitary   More pub like venues have a sense of community and joy.  But this... just felt lukewarm and commercial...  That is just not how Southern food should feel."

The Short and Sweet Review