Today is the happiest of all Fridays and the happiest of all birthday brunches to me! Wondering how old I am? Old enough to know better, suckers! HA! Sorry if I’m sensitive to this, but I’m a Pisces (on the cusp!). But yes, today is my birthday and yes, tomorrow I will be hung-over as all hell — and definitely needing the perfect brunch. You know what would be a great gift? Voting for Chicago Brunch Blog on the 2010 TOC Eat Out Awards. If you want to, I mean.
Gonna be sippin’ on some syrup this weekend. (Photo: Carly Fisher)
First, let me say where you should NOT have brunch this weekend: pretty much any restaurant involved in Restaurant Week. David Burke’s, for instance, will be closed for brunch this week and next because they’re too busy plating out delicious portions of steak for all you cheapskates trying to get in on discount gourmet dining. Thus, I am not able to get a Brunch in a Box this weekend. Chicago dining scene: 1, Carly: 0. Upwards and onwards, let’s brunch.
Rise and shine with your fellow Chicago Brunch Blog readers on another glorious user-submitted video Monday. My homegirl Emily Stuart of Nature Assassin contributed this lovely video of her eating cereal, enveloped in a rain forest of house plants and listening to “Strange Brew.” Not featured: her mentally underdeveloped pure-breed Bengal cats knocking shit off the table and yodeling. Thanks Emily!
Currently debating whether I should take an aspirin, drink some tea and find the will to live or just voluntarily expire right here. Not gonna lie, it’s a really, really, really tough choice right now. Should have been drinking water for an hour last night instead of plowing into those chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds. Why?! If you are plagued by the same misfortune as myself, you know that after your recovery brunch, it’s such as hell gonna be a lot of effort to kick-start dinner. Table Fifty-Two executive chef and Common Threads founder, Art Smith, took a few minutes out of his busy schedule of cooking and rescuing babies from burning buildings to share some tips on how to save those scraps.
“Usually, brunch is mostly carbohydrates, so that immediately says casserole to me. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a casserole, honey! Often, I’d take left over croissants and make a bread pudding, or chicken and make a strata.”
Well, tickle me pink! Chicago Brunch Blog has just received a nomination for Best Indie Restaurant Blog on the TOC 2010 Eat Out Awards. Finally, I can live out my dreams of internet homecoming queen. I mean, just to be nominated! If you love brunch, blogs or voting, please take a moment to vote for the Chicago Brunch Blog. Have you done it yet? No? Do it now.
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, chocolates and stimulating the economy. It’s also a time of utter despair and reevaluating your biological clock for those of us without someone special. I almost completely forgot, were it not for the friendly UPS man reminding me that no one will be sending me flowers this year. Why doesn’t anyone love me?
Luckily, February 14 falls on a Sunday this year thanks to the Gregorian calendar, which means plenty of brunch options for lovers being in love and singles crying 99 teardrops.
As mentioned in last week’s weekend brunch report, Denny’s is in the process of slamming America with free breakfast from 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Here’s what you do:
1. Walk into Denny’s.
2. Be prepared to wait because there’s a lot of unemployed, hungry people with all the time in the world to wait.
3. Order a Grand Slam because it’s free.
4. Eat it.
5. Feel slight remorse, but then feel comfortable with your decision.
6. Tip your waitress and GTFO.
If you missed today’s Grand Slam deal, IHOP will be hooking up patrons with a free short stack of pancakes on Feb. 23 for National Pancake Day from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Proud to bring you another exciting installment of user-submitted videos showing Chicago Brunch Blog readers just like you eating breakfast and lunch! Today’s video comes from Justin Cheng of local dreampop band, Panda Riot, eating a bowl of soybeans and listening to Leonard Nimoy cover Seeger on a Saturday morning alone in front of his computer. That’s right, people. This is the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle in full-swing. Thanks Justin!
Winter is here, have you harvested? If not, try saving some of those brunch leftovers for evening hibernation. Today’s Scraps come from Blackbird Chef de Cuisine, Michael Sheerin. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blackbird doesn’t “do” brunch, but that doesn’t mean Sheerin can’t whip up some tasty ideas — admittedly for more advanced home cooks.
“I’d have to say that generally brunch is for leftovers. Most restaurants try to make sausage from meat scraps and use left over veggies in quiches. I’ve always thought about a great way to reinvent ‘hash’ would be [with] rye gnocchi, rabbit chorizo and a slow poached egg.”
Gonna be sippin’ on some syrup this weekend. (Photo: Carly Fisher)
Currently debating whether I should take an aspirin, drink some tea and find the will to live or just voluntarily expire right here. Not gonna lie, it’s a really, really, really tough choice right now. Should have been drinking water for an hour last night instead of plowing into those chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds. Why?! If you are plagued by the same misfortune as myself, you know that after your recovery brunch, it’s such as hell gonna be a lot of effort to kick-start dinner. 
