So, I have some good news and some bad news. But because I prefer ending on a positive note, let’s start with the bad news.

Kinda Bad News

There will be no weekly brunch round-ups or information of any kind for the next two weeks or so on account of I’m going on vacation. Like, the type of vacation that I lose contact with the outside world  (except maybe an emergency contact number for my mother who will lose it if she’s unable to reach me to tell me about something she read in the Trib that was horrible and it could happen to me and did I pay all my bills this month? Do I need any laundry detergent? Why don’t I ever call? and so forth). Wah, wah. But turn that frown upside-down because the next order of business is:

REALLY Good News

Because I flaked out on Easter brunch and also because of aforementioned circumstances, I have compiled a monster brunch guide to Mother’s Day. Everything on this list is for May 9 and as an added bonus for the quintessential brunch day of the year, all listed restaurants are taking reservations (yay!). Seriously, this was a headache and a half, so hopefully you’ll find something you like. And if not, then, well, I guess you have a couple more ideas for where to brunch over the next few weeks.

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Society seems to be in a collective state of confusion about food. In one corner, you have the Jamie Olivers and Michelle Obamas of the world pleading with us what should only seem obvious to rational people: “Save our children! You’re going to kill your son if you feed him pizza every day!” A noble cause that has rallied up a good following of reforms (less salt in crappy pre-packaged Kraft products!) and questionable ones (only fresh shrimp for the new Taco Bell Pacific Shrimp tacos?).

But there’s this extremist backlash against the normal, balanced diet with a Caligula-esque mentality of eating the most fucked up shit in excess. The rise of TIWYF insanity seemed to be a self-contained home experiment of contributors pushing the limits. Soon, corporations caught onto the madness, appealing to our innate sense of curiosity with things that should never have been created. Among them, the Wendy’s Triple Cheese Baconator, the KFC Double Down and now this: the IHOP Pancake Stackers.

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Sky Full of Bacon’s Mike Gebert and I would like to congratulate Chicago Gluttons on their win for Best Indie Restaurant Blog at the 2010 Time Out Chicago Eat Out Awards.

The first time I attempted to have brunch at Lula, I showed up at 9:30 a.m. only to be told that there was an hour and a half wait, resulting in my first visit to Treat Restaurant. Naturally, it was the third time that was a charm, and when I finally got a table, it was at the bar. At 9:15 a.m.

For those of you who actually follow the pre-brunch guide diatribes, you should know that there are only a few things that I absolutely avoid when going to brunch: long waits and screaming children. Luckily, the latter isn’t much of a problem at Lula, but the former has been a huge issue. Mainly, I have to consistently explain why I’m too much of a little bitch to wait for a table in order to accurately give a weighted opinion of what I think of this place — and as a website that is based entirely on a meal for people who are too lazy and hungover to cook for themselves, I find this to be completely excusable.

I digress: So, last night, I was at the Goose Island Craft Brewers Conference VIP Event, and felt it was a great opportunity to ask Sous Chef Mike Simmons, “How the hell can I get a table?” Read the rest of this entry »