Last Minute Chicago Holiday Dining Recommendations

I was invited to dine at the restaurants mentioned free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I love staying inside the week between Christmas and New Year's, usually snuggled under my down comforter with my dog noisily snoring beside me and a cup of some boozed up hot beverage clasped between my hands, eventually I start to get a little cabin fever. And with this year being unseasonably warm (seriously, Chicago, what the hell? I could go back home to Arizona for 50 degrees in December!), I'm feeling the itch to get out for a few more meals before 2018 ends. So enjoy this quick roundup of some of my recent favorites for brunch, dinner, and everything in between!

Dinner at Le Sud

This French/Mediterranean inspired addition to Roscoe Village has gotten great buzz ever since it opened earlier this year. Me? I like a bit of non pretentious French cuisine, so I was very interested to check it out. The inside is the perfect kind of cozy without being overly cramped and the perfect kind of vintage without feeling artificial. This isn't the kind of place you're going to find Americanized French staples, like onion soup or coq au vin. Instead, you will find things like house made charcuterie, a decadent fois gras tart (that is so perfectly balanced between sweet and savory that it could easily be an appetizer or a dessert), a perfectly simple steak frites, and a very inventive vegetarian seared pumpkin entree with leeks and fregola. Everything here is incredibly thoughtful and uncomplicated, while demonstrating an immense amount of skill and care. Go any night you can, or check out their special service for New Year's Eve.

Dinner at Bobby's Lincoln Park

Bobby's recently opened their first location in the city in hopes of replicating their beloved Deerfield location's success. The menu boasts a lot of meat and seafood focused plates as well as handmade pasta dishes, but the vibe is surprisingly casual. The space is open and airy, a rarity in crowded Lincoln Park, and the service is exceptionally friendly and personable. It's may sound ridiculous, but I was impressed right from the start with the bread service, which came with a simple roasted garlic butter that I would have happily bought a bottle of if they had been selling it. The Shrimp Bobby was an excellent take on a scampi, the Steak Tartar was gloriously delicate (I also mixed that delicious garlic butter into it and by God, it was amazing), and the scallops with cauliflower puree and orange zest were a delight. If you want a little taste of everything Bobby's has, order The Mark Miller, which is a platter of sausage, roasted chicken, tender skirt steak, peppers, and onions. For a lighter (by comparison) plate, the Linguini Nduja is also wonderful, with a rich egg yolk sauce, crisped panchetta, sweet onions, and a little kick of heat.

Brunch The Kitchen

Having dined at The Kitchen a few times, I knew to expect only the best. Of course I wasn't disappointed, and despite some minor Instagram drama (don't ask...), I found myself more impressed than ever before with the inventiveness coming out of The Kitchen's kitchen. Highlights for me included a collection of awesome non-alcoholic cocktails (something I'd love to see more of at other restaurants), a succulent southern style Shrimp and Grits with andouille sausage, an earthy Mushroom Toast with red kale and scrambled eggs, an impossibly creamy yogurt panna cotta with blueberries and housemade granola, and poached eggs with green shakshuka, chickpeas, and toast points. They will actually be serving brunch on Boxing Day (December 26th) from 10:00-3:00 and all day New Year's Day, so if any of this sounds good to you, get on that. Also, they will be featuring an exclusive holiday donut flavor (pst... it's chocolate spice with cranberries and candied ginger!) in addition to their already stellar line up of freshly made pastries.

Tea at Vanille

Taking family to a relaxed tea service is just the kind of tradition I'd like to add to my already packed list of holiday traditions. After all, who can resist tiny sandwiches and delicate tea cups? Vanille Patisserie recently launched a beautiful tea service at their Lakeview and Hyde Park locations, offered at 12, 2, and 4 Mondays through Thursdays. The service consists of as much Benjamin's Tea as you can drink (my personal favorites include the Forest Berry and the Roasted Almond) accompanied by mini sandwiches, scones with a variety of spreads, freshly baked madeleines, Vanille's signature macarons, mini cupcakes, and other delightfully tiny treats. At just $28 a person, I think this might be one of the best tea service deals in town. Pinkie's up!

Brunch at Parley @ Joy District

I think we all know that I have very mixed feelings about brunch buffets, but if you're looking for a spot to drink away your holiday stress with a group of fun loving friends, this might be the place for you. Especially if you have a sweet tooth! The dessert table at Parlay is a little overwhelming with it's donut wall, platters of cereal treats, and legions of layered pudding cups. Fresh pizzas and chaffing dishes with various savory dishes help to balance out the glucose, but I'm tempted to tell you to skip them all together and just go in on the sweets. Calories don't count in December, after all. $50 gets you access to all the food as well as bottomless mimosas in a variety of flavors, but if you STILL haven't uped your insulin levels enough, there's the brunch cocktail menu that features giggle inducing large format cocktails, like the Scumdilyuptious served in a gumball machine with rubber ducky floats, or the Mega Mimosa and the Mega Mule; giant sized versions of the classic cocktails that are perfect for using as selfie props.

The Kitchen or The Invisible Concierge

The Slow and Savory Review

Having so many friends scattered across the globe who could pop into Chicago for a spur of the moment visit at any time, Brandy has to be constantly prepared to show said friends a good time, which of course should center around an unforgettable meal.  Case in point, this past weekend Brandy's dear chum Babka (world renowned Polish rock star) popped into town for a quick visit.  "You are the keeper of the brunch secrets," Babka said to Brandy, "So I ask you to take me to the best brunch you can find before I continue on to the next stop on my tour."

Faced with trying to find a brunch reservation on short notice at one of the hottest places in town, Brandy turned to Reserve, a dining concierge service that just launched in Chicago, which allows users to find reservations quickly and easily, send reservation info to friends via a simple text, and even pay for the entire meal straight from their phones.  The moment she learned that Babka was headed into town, Brandy hopped onto Reserve, entered the day and time she wished to brunch, chose from a list of top notch restaurants, and in less than an hour, her reservation was confirmed.  "Thank goodness!" Brandy exhaled, "Now I don't have to take the poor girl to some grungy diner in the middle of nowhere for some rubbery pancakes and dry scrambled eggs!"

The restaurant Brandy had chosen to meet Babka at was The Kitchen, a beautiful open downtown space right on the river.  Removing her dark sunglasses cautiously, Babka took in the beautiful high open ceilings, the twinkling light fixtures, the gold and glass tables, and the all around fresh and beautiful space, which took full advantage of the gorgeous views of the city outside with the help of a wall of windows that flooded the dining area with sunlight.  "As always, your taste is exquisite," Babka said, approvingly.  Brandy breathed a sigh of relief.

A quick glance at the drinks menu made for easy decisions: a Mimosa for Babka and a Berries and Rosemary for Brandy.  Babka thought her mimosa was very well done, not being too sweet or acidic, but perfectly fresh and fizzy.  Brandy's cocktail, which had self explanatory flavors, was quite springy and refreshing with the herbs complimenting the berry flavor nicely.

The pastry menu proved to be an insurmountable temptation, so both ladies ordered up a Canelle, which is a traditional French pastry made with a custard base and baked to caramelized perfection.  "But what does it taste like?" Babka questioned.  "Sort of like a really good fortune cookie," the helpful waitress responded, and this answer seemed to please Babka.  The pastry did indeed have a nice caramel like flavor with a chewy exterior and a soft, eggy interior.  "It would be rather nice with a cup of coffee, don't you think?" Brandy asked.  "Yes, what were is the fortune? I still can't find mine," Babka replied, perplexed.

Next, in keeping with the sweet theme, the ladies split a Dutch Baby Pancake, which came adorned with fresh berries, mint, and ricotta cheese.  The texture of the pancake was slightly crisp and lightly chewy with a deeper flavor than a typical pancake.  The berries and cheese felt a bit heavy on top of such a delicate thing, but the taste was suitably subtle and fresh, especially with the little bit of mint.  "If I were eating this as my main course, I wouldn't mind a bit more berries on the side, as this beautiful little pancake can barely hold what's on top of it," Brandy commented, "But as a shared course or a starter, it does make a lovely impression for the rest of the meal."

Babka chose the Smoked Salmon Bruschetta as her entree, which consisted of diced salmon scrambled eggs, and greens atop a large piece of toasted bread.  Babka found the salmon to be exceedingly fresh and tender, but not over overpoweringly smokey, while the eggs had a downright silky texture that she really enjoyed.  The bread did seem a bit tough to cut, but Brandy supposed it was necessary in order to support the large amount of toppings.

Brandy decided on an old standby, the Steak Frites, which featured a dry aged Slagel Farms cut, topped with an herbed butter, two over easy eggs, and served with large portion of fried potatoes.  "I'd always thought frites meant a thin and crispy French fry," Brandy confessed, admiring the thick cut sticks, "But these are nice regardless."  The steak was cooked to an utterly perfect medium, only made more decadent by the addition of the melting butter on top of it, a touch one rarely sees on a breakfast steak.  Though the portion of steak was a bit small for the price (about 5 pieces for $23), Brandy was already rather full from the previous dishes, and so felt quite happy.

At the end of the meal, Babka was mightily impressed to see that Brandy had already taken care of the bill, via Reserve, meaning there was no sitting and waiting for the check, nor was there any more fuss for the server (in addition to the meal charges, there was also a $5 concierge fee).  Although the service at The Kitchen was impeccable, one thing Brandy did dislike about Reserve was that the tip level had to be decided before hand when entering the payment information, not after the meal when one could truly judge the quality of one's treatment at the establishment in question.  "Not that I ever tip under 15% anyway, even in the worst of circumstances" Brandy shrugged, "But I'd still like the option."  "Thank you for another fabulous brunch, my friend," Babka gushed as they collected their things, "Now I am fueled for the nine hour bus ride ahead of me."  "Yes, those road trips in a luxury tour bus can be quite trying, can't they," Brandy replied.

The writers of this blog were given a credit towards their meal by Reserve in exchange for an honest opinion of their experience.

The Short and Sweet Review