Second brunch of 2010

For our second brunch of 2010, we were feeling adventurous and headed on over to the Hoof Café. It was highly recommended, and rightfully so. I've barely begun to tell you about what we ate and I'm just so excited to go back!

Not only is the room tiny and charmingly decorated, the food is delicious and special. Like things I couldn't get anywhere else for brunch, like tongue grilled cheese or marrow donuts? My gut was to go for the tongue grilled cheese, but since I'd never had tongue before, I ordered the hash which had tongue in it, but also potatoes, caramelized shallots and soft poached eggs on top. I also had the toast which came with goat butter and blueberry jam (oh so delicious!). Turns out, I like tongue! Although I'm not sure if it was cow or pig. I'm going to say pig, since their sign has a picture of a pig on it. C decided on the sweet and ordered the brioche french toast with a side of spicy sausage that came on a bed of baked beans. Hey, that's two for two now with C ordering french toast at both 2010 brunch spots! C felt like he still needed something when he was done but turned down the marrow donuts when our server made the suggestion, thinking they'd be too heavy. Instead, he ordered the house granola with goat yogurt. He liked the yogurt, but thought my homemade granola was better! Yayaya! Oh, I should also mention that we both ordered tea (Earl Grey for me, green tea for C) which were freshly brewed from leaves, not bags.

All in all, there is something for everyone here: traditionalists, adventurers, meat-lovers, vegetarians, coffee-drinkers, tea-drinkers, booze-drinkers. But definitely more geared toward adventurous carnivores. Check out the slideshow of our brunch here.

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First brunch of 2010

Happy New Year! What better way to start off the new year than with brunch, and on a Friday to boot. Circumstances somehow landed us in the Junction and at Cool Hand of a Girl, a charming café C and I would pass by many times but never had a chance to stop in. I'm so glad we did because we're definitely going back.

I had the all-day breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and toast, to which I also requested a side of spicy chicken sausage. C had the French toast special which tasted like it had lemon poppyseed cheesecake melting between the layers of bread. Delicious and decadent. The food is organic and locally produced, which was a great bonus for us, and what we really liked was the vibe of the place. Very mellow but cool. Maybe I'm just biased because they were playing the Cure, but that in combo with a good coffee and cozy breakfast while it snowed outside put me in good spirits for the first day of the year.

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Gilead Café. It was all about the cheeseburger.

Saturday morning brunch catching up with Broccoli and Fusilli before they take off to Chicago next weekend. They turned us onto this special cheeseburger, which didn't disappoint in the least. This was the first time ever that I ate a burger with a tomato slice. Usually when I see those sad little whitish pink tomato slices, it makes me want to barf. But this tomato was calling out to me, so luscious and bright bright red. The crispy fries with apple cider mayo were the perfect friend to my cheeseburger. In fact, everyone at the table at cheeseburgers that morning! Good friends + good burgers = a very nice start to the weekend.

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Star-Shaped Scones

My networking group of graphic designers got together this past Sunday for a pot luck brunch at Matt & Mary's apartment in Logan Square. There was a good mix of different brunch eats (migas, muffins, egg dishes, etc.) and plenty of fixings and mixings for Mimosas and Bloody Marys. My contributions to the potluck brunch were a bottle of Prosecco and a batch of cranberry scones cut out with a star-shaped cookie cutter. The easy, shmeasy cream scone recipe is from Susan Branch's Autumn cookbook...yum. 

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Sunday Brunch

After the rain finally stopped Sunday morning it was time to meet Manchego for brunch at the local – Gilead Café. There's nothing like coming off detox with a bowl of poutine and a glass of merlot. More pics after the jump.

Turkey and barley soup.

Pork patty and potatoes.

Tres leches cake.

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March of the Birthdays

March is the month of my ladies. Four of us celebrate our birthdays this month so we opted for a potluck birthday brunch with a Secret Santa-esque gift exchange. My contrib: Nigella's Chocolate Guinness Cake with creamcheese icing. This cake is dense, moist, dark and delicious… a perfect chocolate cake. I cut out about a third of the sugar in the cake batter and nobody missed it. The frosting makes up for it.

Here's what else made for a fantastic Sunday brunch: homemade pizza with tomatoes & anchovies, mac & cheese, make-your-own fresh spring rolls, assorted bagels with assorted creamcheeses and something sparkly and bubbly for the festivities: Cava, instead of our usual Prosecco. Happy Birthday, Marchies! (Sorry about the chocolate tempt, Broccoli)


Chocolate Guinness Cake

From Feast by Nigella Lawson (reprinted in the New York Times on 12/8/04)
Yield: One 9-inch cake (12 servings)

For the cake:

Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar (I have used regular granulated sugar with no ill effects)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the topping:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat. Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture. Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth. Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour. Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.

Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.

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