Papa Ray's or It's No Game

The Slow and Savory Review

"The holidays can wait," said Hawk with a steely timber in his voice. "Winter weekends are for football and not much else, as far as I'm concerned." Brandy took this in. When he had first called saying he needed help picking something out, she had assumed he meant a present for his dear wife, Bailey. "No, no. I need help picking up some food for the game this Sunday!" he had laughed. "I just thought you'd be the perfect person to ask about where to go." "I deal in a lot of things, but game day food isn't usually one of them," Brandy responded, perplexed. "Have you thought about some wings or pizza or that sort of thing?" "Of course, but I don't just want any old pizza and wings. I want the best possible, because if my team starts losing, well... then at least I'll be eating something delicious."

Brandy put some thought and research into this unusual brunch request before landing on a home grown franchise called Papa Ray's, which has several locations throughout Chicago, all of which abide by the same tenants of making everything, from the dough to the sauce, in house and as fresh as possible. Stopping into the little store front in Uptown, Brandy and Hawk were greeted warmly by a couple of gentlemen behind the counter. Though the location does most of its business through delivery, an effort had been made to give those coming in for a quick slice a nice, warm place to sit down for a moment or two that resembled the neighborhood pizzerias of old. "Oh wow," Hawk exclaimed, looking at the menu, "I hadn't expected so many choices. I'm not sure what we should get." "Well, there's only one thing for it," said Brandy, "We better try a little bit of everything,"

Hawk's preliminary test was the wings, of which he ordered two different kinds: traditional wings with garlic and parmesan, and boneless wings with the house BBQ sauce. Both had a really great crisp exterior that didn't overtake the juicy chicken meat within. There was also quite a bit of meat to be had, even on the traditional wings, and the fact that they had never been frozen meant that the meat was succulent and supple. Hawk really liked that the garlic and parmesan wasn't too over powering a flavor, while Brandy very much enjoyed the BBQ sauce, which favored a more tangy vinegar flavor rather than an overly sweet one.

Speaking of the BBQ sauce, Brandy had also requested an order of the Rib Tips, which came slathered in the red stuff and served over a bed of fries. This was really where the sauce shown brightly, lending a tiny bit of heat to the tender rib tips, which again were generously meaty. The fries were a surprise as well, being more than just filler, they held their own, keeping crisp even under the weight of all the sauce. "Now this is some game day type food that one wouldn't normally think of, am I right?" said Brandy. "Pizza and wings are all well and good, but if you were to lay out a platter of these little darlings for your fellow fanatics to snack on, I think they'd be pretty pleased. There's nothing like ripping into some real meat while one grits their teeth during a decisive play."

Next, Hawk and Brandy moved on to the signature Mac and Cheese, which they customized with a bit of sausage, mushrooms, and spinach. Brandy was positively delighted with this pan of ooey gooey cheesy goodness. Unlike a lot of pizzeria mac and cheeses, this one actually had a strong cheesy flavor. Rather than being coated in a creamier sauce that can feel more indulgent than it tastes, this was a sharp, melty cheddar that clung to everything, from the pasta to the fork to the plate. "My goodness, I certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I am," said Brandy. Hawk repeatedly stabbed at the large chucks of sausage scattered throughout, saying he very much enjoyed how the bits of meat and veg ensured that every bite was its own mini adventure.

Finally, Hawk and Brandy decided to split a massive calzone, which had been filled with fresh tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and basil and served with a side of the house pizza sauce. Yet again, Brandy was pleasantly surprised by this pizzaria staple, most because of its impossible buttery and light crust. "Normally when I think of a calzone, I imagine a thick, doughy crust, but this! This is almost like a pastry crust! How delicious!" Of course, the monster had plenty of melty cheese inside, but the freshness of the basil and tomatoes really balanced things out and kept it from being just a mouthful of carbs and dairy. "Wait, how is this thing less than $10?" Hawk exclaimed. "This is easily enough to feed two people! With a couple of these at the tailgating party, no one's going to care how bad the game's going!"

And so, laden down with bags and boxes of goodies, Hawk and Brandy headed out of Papa Ray's, ready to set up the most epic football watch party outside of the Super Bowl. "I still can't believe how good their prices are," said Hawk. "I can't believe how fresh and delicious their food was!" Brandy replied. "Wait, you didn't know in advance that this place was going to be that good?" Hawk asked, stopping in his tracks. "One can only do so much preliminary work," said Brandy, "The truest test is always done in person with taste-buds armed and ready to go."

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

Tweet or Good Morning Sunshine!

The Slow and Savory Review:

Believe it or not, there are some people out there who don't like Bunny and Brandy.  People who are snobs.  People who are jealous.  People who are, well... French.  Mostly, we are referring to Bunny and Brandy's sworn mortal enemies, Brulee and Brioche, founders of "Brûlée et Brioche Blog Heure du Brunch," which they write from their home in Bitche, France.  There's some disagreement about who started the Brunch Blog first; Brioche says Bunny stole the idea from them in 2010 after being told about their blog while visiting Paris, while Brandy insists that although she and Bunny have only been online since last fall, they would have been blogging much earlier if they had known what a blog was before that point.  Either way, when Bunny and Brandy learned their counterparts were going to be visiting Chicago, there was only one thing to be done... invite them to brunch.

Our Ladies chose Tweet as their battleground, a lovely cafe in Uptown with a litany of its own rules that all the regulars know by heart.  As that Sunday was unseasonably warm, all of Chicago was out in droves, crowding up Tweet's two rooms, front patio, and back patio, causing Our Ladies and guests to wait in the bar for about 40 minutes.  Brulee, unable to control her sweet tooth, started eyeing up the cakes on display by the hostess stand and asked for a piece of Red Velvet to tide them over.  The cake itself was a tad dry, but the thick and rich cream cheese and almond frosting was more than enough to make up for it.  While savoring the cake, Our Ladies had a chance to take in the unusual local art choices spread around the interior.  Bunny gave a tiny yelp at seeing a picture of a naked man holding a tiny silver purse, to which Brioche snickered, "You English are such prudes.  In France, we have real naked men with purses in every restaurant!"

At last called to their table, Our Ladies and guests made their way through the crowd and past several smiling waitresses to a comfy little booth in the back.  The table was pre-crowded with every condiment one could ask for, including a plate of corn bread like chocolate chip banana bread for the brunchers to share.

After sifting through the gigantic and tantalizing menu, orders were placed; for Brioche, the Bim Im Bop, a Korean inspired breakfast bowl, for Brulee the Eggs Florentine (which completely infuriated Bunny), for Bunny the Crab Cake Sandwich (originally she had ordered the Tomato Basil Quiche, but they had sadly just sold the last piece) and for Brandy the Corn Aripas with a side of chicken sausage, as well as a cocktail called the Blue Velvet ("If anyone expects me to get through this brunch sober," she whispered to Bunny, "they are sorely mistaken.").  Ordered for the table to share was a house specialty called Danish Aebleskiever, a sort of oven baked beignet.

Brioche's Bim Im Bop turned out to be quite the hit.  Served with three sauces and loaded with organic brown rice, tons of veggies, and topped by a poached egg, the variety of ingredients insured that every bite had its own unique combo of flavors.

Brulee enjoyed her Eggs Florentine with relish (not literal relish, of course.  The color of traditional Chicago relish is enough to scare off the most discerning diners).  She declared loudly that the hollendais on this particular dish was one of the most delicious and buttery sauces she'd ever had.  Bunny's cheeks were quite obviously growing red and a distinct vein had begun to throb on her temples.  Brulee also reported that her hashbrowns were simple, but good.  Her fruit cup, however, was daintily served like an ice cream sundae with a good variety of morsels for sampling.

Brandy's cocktail was quite pretty to look at, and quite nice to drink as well.  A very clever alternative to the mimosa, it was light and crisp without being too sweet.  Her chicken sausage was rather nice too; it had a good snap and a lovely sweet, juicy interior.  The Corn Aripas, or corn pancakes, came served with a massive chunk of avocado on top, as well as some mildly spicy red sauce and sour cream.  The cakes were a little dry, but combined with the various toppings the effect was a bright, savory flavor that really awakened the taste buds.

Bunny's crab cake sandwich was a little disappointing.  The cake itself tasted good enough, with only sweetness and no fishy notes, but was so tiny that it barely covered half the croissant it was served on.  Bunny had also requested bacon and avocado, half of which she received and half she had to ask the cheerful waitress for.  The consolation was that she received both a fruit cup and a small side salad, so her plate seemed to resemble a colorful garden.

Last but not least were the Dutch Aeleskievers, which came served with maple syrup, orange honey, powered sugar, and some fresh berries.  More cake like than a regular beignet, yet rather light and fluffy on the inside, the confections made the perfect little sweet bite to end brunch with.

After such a table collapsing meal as this (though not wallet collapsing at an average of  under $20 a person), one would think everyone would leave with no more room left for ill will in their bodies.  But even as they waved goodbye to their rivals, Bunny and Brandy just knew that this war was not over.  Luckily, Bunny's brother, Mr. Bacon, knew a few people with good computer skills, who managed to redirect everyone trying to access a certain French brunch blog onto the homepage of Our Beloved Ladies.

The Short and Sweet Review:

M. Henrietta or The Unknown Twin Sister

The Slow and Savory Review
We join Our Ladies this week, approaching the entrance to what surely must be the greatest secret in Chicago brunch spots. The gentry often oooo and awe over Chicago’s brunch darling, M. Henry, but a little birdie recently whispered in Bunny’s ear about our dear Henry’s little sister, M. Henrietta, located precisely next door to the Granville Red Line stop. Boasting mainly the same menu as her sibling, but with less than half of Henry’s infamous wait time for a table, Our Ladies were taken to their seats only 10 minutes after arriving, though they were told to expect 20.

Once inside, Brandy noted the atmosphere isn’t quite as intimate as the aforementioned sibling restaurant, and with Bunny’s hearing not what it once was, conversation in this noisy open space proved to be challenging for the both of them.

Bunny duly ordered one of those new fangled coffee drinks, a Mochachinno they called it, to start off with. The cup size was quite generous, but Bunny was saddened that no attempt was made to make a design in the foam. She also felt the temperature of the drink could have been a bit warmer, but otherwise its chocolaty goodness warmed her on that early fall morn.

Brandy made a pig of herself in ordering 2 dishes: the Baked Egg with Polenta and a half order of the Out of This World Bread Pudding. Meanwhile Bunny opted for the renowned Blisscakes, here served with peaches and raspberries. All three dishes came to the table rather quickly, looking spectacular (indeed both Our Ladies gasped at their beauty), in particular Brandy’s egg dish, which came served with a most delightfully colorful salad.

Bunny’s Blisscakes were particularly light and flavorful, especially the crunchy oat topping, though the filling was not quite as creamy as expected. Brandy practically devoured her bread pudding before even touching her other dish, delighting in the custardy goodness and freshness of the fruit on top. The egg proved as good as it looked, with velvety polenta and a ring of bacon lurking underneath, though the surrounding salad was a bit herbaceous for her liking.
All in all, a lovely filling brunch for under $20 a person. Our Ladies advise looking up this scintillating sister snack seller instead of holding your breath for her brother’s attention.

The Short and Sweet Review: