Eyes bigger than your stomach this morning? Don’t throw those leftovers in the trash! In the ongoing quest to solve the Great Soggy Brunch Leftovers Debacle, Chicago Brunch Blog asked recent Baconfest Chicago Pro Cookoff winner, Chris Pandel of The Bristol, for some ideas on how to salvage scraps:
“Brunch leftovers are a touchy subject. The soggy food is always a problem because of all of the heavy sauces, syrups and eggs involved. If it’s a savory dish, I may try to make it into a scramble for the next day’s lunch with fresh scrambled eggs. If it’s sweet, maybe find a way to fold it into ice cream for a decadent leftover dessert the following evening.”
Ghosts and Goulets, it’s that time of year again when we place our dull lives on hold for one night to live vicariously through the eyes of celebrities, politicians, French maids and other sexy professions. Often, the end result is waking up and looking more like a monster than when you left the house. And what better way to cure said hangover than with some breakfast mash.
If you’re really in a tight spot, here’s a last minute suggestion that is almost entirely effortless: find inspiration from the movie Face/Off. This costume idea works best as a pair, but those going stag can pull it off with a little creativity. Simply emulate your partner the entire evening, or attempt to play John Travolta impersonating Nicolas Cage. And you even have an apt line from Castor Troy: “If you dress like Halloween, ghouls will try to get in your pants.” So true.
Pumped for pumpkins? Here’s where to brunch this weekend:
Ask a brunchpert provides viable brunch-solutions to some of life’s most challenging problems. This week’s question comes to you from Ian Besler of Los Angeles, CA:
Compared to other meals, the shelf life of brunch leftovers is pretty non-existent. In the ongoing quest to solve the Great Soggy Brunch Leftovers Debacle, Chicago Brunch Blog pulled a Nancy Drew and asked Top Chef Master, Rick Bayless, for a creative way to rework scraps from your morning meal into something solid.
Unsurprisingly, Bayless uses chorizo a lot for brunch. “If you happen to have any left over—take that chorizo and make it into a fabulous queso fundidio later. Just put with a great melting cheese, add some roasted chilies, put in hot tortillas and get down with a fab taco!”
Only two weekends left to buy a last-minute costume or develop something that requires pedantic explanations throughout evening. This year, I thought I was being original ordering the “It’s Bubbly Champagne” costume, but it turns out that I’ll be looking like a just another common Halloween streetwalker. The $30 dress bears the type of rushed and careless craftsmanship only found within a professional sweatshop. Sigh, First World problems.
(Photo: Carly Fisher)
This weekend’s outlook isn’t looking so sunny, but luckily brunch takes care of two meals to ensure a healthy food coma and denting your favorite spot on the couch.
Hey guys, looks like vacation left someone with a case of the Mondays that kind of pushed into Tuesday — and, uh, Wednesday too. Anyway, as promised, a new feature is starting on Chicago Brunch Blog. Ask a brunchpert will provide brunch-solutions to some of life’s most challenging problems: birth control, laundry, General Hospital drama.
Our first set of questions comes from Katie Heath of Chicago, IL.
In a string of really intelligent vacationing decisions, I’ve decided to head up north for vacation when it’s totally fucking freezing, instead of somewhere with beaches and cocktails decorated with tiny umbrellas. This weekend, you’re on your own in terms of finding a brunch restaurant, as I am heading to Toronto for a little R&R, poutine and, of course, maple syrup. That said, Chicago Brunch Blog has a wonderful Restaurant Directory for your convenience, including a few new adds.
It’s that time of the year again when 45,000 runners hit the streets of Chicago with the will to run 26.2 miles or die trying. Although I totally respect these dedicated athletes, you will never, ever see my face among these runners. However, my lady of the morning, Ailie, will be running 26 miles for her 25th birthday. In addition to it being her special day and the culmination of months of training, it is also a personal victory, as it means no more sober Friday and Saturday nights because of said training.
Those who are waking at the crack of dawn to cheer on their own totally insane runner friends from the sidelines need not sacrifice the most important meal of the day. Take one for the team and stuff a fatty eggs benny in your mouth, unintelligibly shouting “You go girl/boy!” at one of these brunch spots near the Chicago Marathon.
Disclaimer: no guarantees on the Chicago Marathon street closure schlep factor.
Not too long ago, I gathered up the courage and motivation to make some quiche. If the word doesn’t quite ring a bell, quiche is basically a deliciously fatty egg pie hailing from the land of culinary wonders, France. That said, if you don’t like egg, pie or delicious things, you probably won’t like quiche. Being that I like all three of these things and also since I have only been talking about it for something like six months now, I decided that there was no better day to blow off all the work I needed to do and take 15 minutes to throw a quiche together. If you’re lazy, but moved by procrastination like me, you can make quiche too.
As one of Chicago’s original brunch-specialty joints, The Bongo Room continues to turn tables with their notable menu of hot cakes infused with cool ingredients like candy bars and liquor-soaked fruit. On the downside, popularity also means you can expect a good 40 minutes to an hour and a half as the average weekend wait time. Hint: In the event you ever fall ill to a full day of playing PS3 instead of going into work, weekday wait times are drastically shorter and oftentimes non-existent.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (Photo: Carly Fisher)
I was able to “Hit the Bongo,” so to speak, twice recently in order to gauge whether it’s worth the wait. I’ll give you two guesses.
(Photo: 
(Photo: Carly Fisher)
Oh Lawd, no (Photo: 
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes (Photo: Carly Fisher)
