Brunch at Whitehall


Whitehall Menu


Tien and Yvan. Not happy to be with 7 ladies at brunch?


Jeannette & Steph


Julie, Rachelle, Shannan


Poppseed scone. I like how the butter serving is as big as the pastry.


Whiskey french toast with grilled pineapple and vanilla mascarpone.

Jess and I didn’t realize we’d invited so many people to brunch on Sunday morning so on Saturday, we were in a bit of a scramble to find some place that could accomodate all nine of us. Luckily Whitehall, the third or fourth place we called, had no issues making the large reservation, at late notice, in the brunch prime time.* Jess said this place is pretty new**, so maybe they’re not totally slammed yet.

Whitehall has a bit of a British angle. Take, for example, the Old English Fry Up on the brunch menu, or the way the lady taking the reservation kept saying “Brilliant!”. I liked the mix of really rustic and really modern decor inside. The white tile and sunny day made everything bright and fresh, as did the fact that they had fresh flowers everywhere. They also had a great brilliant (!) cocktail selection. And I liked how they had the fresh, seasonal ingredients for the cocktails out on the bar and you could see them making each drink. I think our table probably sampled at least one of everything plus had coffee drinks all round. These were all delicious.

The brunch menu isn’t super huge, but it did have a lot of variance. The fruit and the watermelon were very light, the salad with poached egg seemed to be in the middle, the toastie or fry up were larger and more filling. I had the whiskey french toast with grilled pineapple and vanilla mascarpone and it was right in the middle. Satisfying, but not overly filling. Shannan, Yvan and I also split a scone just to try. Some people at the other half of our table ordered a couple and said they were amazing. Yes, I agree. Very good. Overall, a solid brunch choice. Good food, good service, good ambiance.

* I’ll not mention the name of the place that was all “Have you seen our dining room?” Uh, no, lady. As a matter of fact, I have not seen your dining room. They said they could only accomodate six people!

** Looks like they opened in November of last year.

Happy Belated Birthday and Merry Belated Christmas

This weekend my mom drove down from Wisconsin and cashed in on her birthday and Christmas gifts. For her birthday gift we went out for dinner and then to see Jersey Boys at the Bank of America Theatre.

Rhapsody Restaurant
Wild Striped Sea Bass :: Rhapsody, The Loop, Chicago

Dallas suggested dinner at Rhapsody because it was nearby the theater and he’d been there before for lunch and liked the food. I thought the food was good, but we were kind of wedged into a table with people really close to us on each side. The service was just ok.. and compared to other fine dining restaurants that are still kind of fun and casual, Rhapsody felt a bit stuffy. Lots of suits in there. Still, we had a good dinner.

For a starter we split a daily special of seared scallops. I haven’t had scallops in a really long time and these were really good. The portion was a bit small. I think the dish was $10 and you only got 2 scallops. For wine we split a half bottle of Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc. It was nice and crisp and refreshing. For an entree mom got the pork tenderloin that was cooked with apples. I got a wild striped bass (above). Surprisingly, after our starter, the entrees were pretty good sized. We each enjoyed what we ordered. We also split a side of first of the season peas with mint, almonds and preserved lemon. They were so fresh and flavorful. I spotted a dessert next to us that I thought looked interesting, so we ordered it to finish off our dinner. It was called chocolate symphony. You got four different small desserts, maybe a bite or two for each of us, which was just the right amount. The four desserts were warm chocolate lava cake, chocolate peanut candy bar, chocolate chip pain perdu, and cookies & cream lollipop.

Jersey Boys at the Bank of America Theatre
Rachelle & Mom :: Bank of America Theatre, The Loop, Chicago

After dinner we walked a couple blocks over to the Bank of America Theatre to see Jersey Boys. I Tried to get my mom tickets to see the show for her last birthday but they were all sold out. Jersey Boys was worth the wait, though. I was surprised that I knew or recognized most of the songs even though they are 40+ years old. I thought it was interesting to see the timeline of the Four Seasons and how the personal lives of the band reflected on the music. The cast was really talented. The recession was showing at the theater. Half the seats on our level were empty. I’d recommend this show, especially if you’re looking for something to take your parents or grandparents to .. people who would remember the songs the first time around. The theater could probably use your money too.

The next day my mom cashed in on her Christmas gift: Brunch and manicures and pedicures.

Bongo Room - Chocolate Tower French Toast
Chocolate Tower French Toast :: Bongo Room, Wicker Park, Chicago

I took my dad to Bongo Room once a few years ago and he still talks about it, so I thought my mom would like to see what all the fuss was about. Plus, I made our spa appointment at a place right next to Bongo Room. Mom and I decided to split two things, one savory and one sweet, so we got the sweet potato and black bean breakfast burrito and the chocolate tower french toast. Both were very good. We were glad we didn’t get two really sweet things to eat. With the burrito, the savory balanced out the sweetness.

After lunch we took a much needed walk around Wicker Park. It was nice and sunny out and we had a bit of time to kill. It’s pretty crazy how different some of the neighborhood is compared to when I lived down there.

Mojo Spa Pedicure
Mom :: Mojo Spa, Wicker Park, Chicago

Next, we went to Mojo Spa to get manicures and pedicures. My mom never had a pedicure before so I thought she’d enjoy it when I gave it to her as a gift. She was a little apprehensive because she’s had foot surgery and stuff, but the nail technicians at Mojo were perfect. They took their time and explained everything and were very friendly. It seems like most nail places are either high-end, expensive and stuffy or completely the opposite: a rush job. This place was funky and cute and personable, not busy, and somewhere in between. It was just the right choice. I think my mom might be hooked on nail treatments now!

Mojo Spa Pedicure
Rachelle :: Mojo Spa, Wicker Park, Chicago

Great weekend that went by too fast!

Orange

Orange
Orange, Roscoe Village, Chicago

Orange Frushi
Frushi

Orange Omelet
A three-egg omelet made with sauteed garlic, asparagus, forest mushrooms and Vella Farms dry, aged jack cheese, with marjoram (that’s wild oregano) and topped with toasted almonds, then drizzled with balsamic reduction

Orange Frushi
Frushi For Two

Orange French Toast Kebab
Coconut-infused French toast skewered and grilled with fresh strawberries and pineapples, served with coconut-mango salad

Literally years ago when trying to plan a Chicagoist brunch, Margaret suggested we go to Orange. I remember passing it over for something else, but always wanting to try it out. But I never did. So, I was really excited when I found out another Orange restaurant was opening on Roscoe, a few blocks away from my apartment. Now I didn’t have to search it out, it was coming to me!

A couple weeks ago when our office was moving, I was working from home and went to Orange for lunch. I loved it. Something is weird about the interior. Like the previous restaurant moved out and the folks at Orange just threw some tables and chairs in and hung a few paintings on the wall. It’s just off. .. but the food was really great, so I’m willing to forgive. I had the frushi (fruit sushi) and an omelet. I thought I posted on it, but I guess I didn’t, so today when Margaret met me at Orange for brunch, I took more photos to post. We had frushi for two and for a meal I had French toast kebabs. I felt the same about the interior, but the food was really imaginative and delicious so I’ll be back.

Father’s Day

Papaya for fruit salad
Papaya for fruit salad

breakfast
Father’s Day Breakfast

Old table
Old Table

New Table
New Table

Today my dad came down from Wisconsin and I surprised him by having breakfast ready when he arrived. We had Double Cinnamon French Toast, Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing, turkey sausage, and peanut butter cup cookies. Later on we went to Ikea. I needed to buy bookcases and realized that after I unpack my books from the boxes that they’re in I’d no longer have a living room table. My old table was two boxes of books with two shelves balanced between them. So I bought a table too. So far I only have the table assembled. Anyone want to help put together bookcases?