Yolk

With my 33-week pregnant belly hanging around, and superrrrrr cold weather upon us, exploring new brunch places has become so sparse (as sparse as my blogging in the last few months) that red velvet french toast is actually old news!  Well, it doesn't matter, as Yolk made me a big fan of it, and I might end up ordering more sweet than savory brunch dishes moving forward!  

Yolk is actually a chain of restaurants all over Chicago, and for some reason, I just tried it after more than two years in this city.  It started on Christmas Eve when my sister visited, and I was too lazy and tired (in the morning, I know) to whip up some good comfort-food-ish breakfast.  I've been hearing great reviews about Yolk and surprisingly they were open on Christmas Eve, and best of all -- no lines! Interior was simple, nothing earth-shattering - just bright and spacious and colorful.  The menu was interesting and had so many choices, but nothing too overwhelming.  

I had the popular french toast and I was more than pleased - so this is what the fuss is all about!  Didn't need no syrup.  Didn't need no whipped cream.  Didn't need no nothing!  It was good by itself.  My sister had some Italian omelette and boy it was magnifico - it's like pasta sauce with loads of meat wrapped in eggs!  Hubby had a skillet which had the best Andouille sausage I've ever tasted.  If I were to describe their food in 2 words - fresh and tasty.

We left the place with big smiles on our faces... we thought, we're definitely coming back.

Christmas Eve Brunch with my sister, Apple

The Big Easy Skillet & When In Rome Omelette

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Our second time at Yolk... the place still didn't fail our expectations.  My skillet had very tender steak bites that it seemed rare (which is not good for me), but it was actually well done.  Hubby had a trio of french toasts - banana nut, sweet orange, and lemon poppy seed, all topped with super fresh fruits.

Steak Skillet & Tour de France French Toast

My brunch buddy, hubby

Saturday Sunshine!

Today had the most perfect weather - sunny and cool at around 70F - great for walking and working out.  I didn't get too tired, despite having to walk probably 5 miles, on top of yoga and zumba!

Michigan Avenue at around 11AM in the morning.  

Brunch at West Egg Cafe - it was a long wait (thank God for complimentary coffee), but we had the best table in the house!

I loved my Celsa Con Salsa (similar to Huevos Rancheros & Chilaquiles).

We're apparently a Saturday Workout & Brunch Club now!

After brunch, we rewarded ourselves with a little retail therapy... I told my friends, I realize I've become a "blue" person now as I was in denial at first.  I guess that's what marriage does to you - call it compromise or "adapting", but my liking for blue things has become natural to me.  I bought blue single-serve porcelain baking dishes (for baked pasta, eggs, pies, chilaquiles), and this really chic trash can with circular blue patterns!  Who would've thought chic and trash can go together?!  I went gaga over these, they have it in all prints I love - ikat, damask, and these modern diane-von-furstenburg-like patterns.  I really love products with unexpected, quirky designs... 

Tomorrow we're headed to the Botanical Garden. I hope the weather is just a beautiful...

Brunch to Brunch

My two favorite things - brunch and weekend dine-outs with the family.  So with the few precious days we had together, we spent back-to-back days brunching at popular cafes in "downtown" Walla Walla.  I thought it would be fun to have a "brunchowdown" (i.e. brunch showdown) and it actually just all came together while I was looking at my photos.  Goes to show, we are kind of consistent with what we love to eat!  On Memorial Day, we went to this old-fashioned, award-winning diner, called "Clarette's," and on the following day, we headed down to "Maple Counter Cafe" which is a little more modern and had a "younger" crowd (including the staff - who wore the most fashionable outfits).  So here it is, my brunchowdown - photos on the left are from Clarette's and on the right are from Maple Counter:

Coffee vs. Coffee (Winner: Maple Counter)

Why? Coffee is darker, nuttier (has that "jolt" or "kick" or whatever you call it that keeps you awake), and didn't taste like it was too watered down, which is typical in refillable breakfast coffees.

Mushroom Skillet vs. Mushroom Omelette (Winner: Draw)

It's obvious, I love mushrooms.  The winner in the skillet: it had English muffins and over-easy eggs underneath the gooey cheesy sauce.  The winner in the omelette: the creamy bechamel sauce, plus the omelette itself which was baked so it was light and fluffy, and not greasy.

Corned Beef Hash vs. Corned Beef Sandwich (a.k.a. "The Reuben")

There's no winner here, because they could not be compared - one's an American, the other's an Irish (I think).  It was an interesting way of plating the corned beef hash like a patty - and I liked that the top was a little bit toasted.  The Reuben... you can't go wrong with this sandwich: corned beef and sauerkraut on rye, yummy.  My dad's only complaint was it had too much sauerkraut, which was definitely sour!  

Strawberry Shortcake vs. Apple Pancake (Winner: Clarette's Strawberry Shortcake)

Why?  Generous serving of strawberry preserve, which was not soggy at all; in fact, they're award-winning (so they say - and I am not surprised)!  Plus, I love the saltiness of the biscuit and how it complemented the sweet/fruity goodness of the strawberries and the richness of the whipped cream.  I had this during our last visit, and it certainly had a lasting impression, so we didn't let this opportunity pass!  The apple pancakes were also quite good, and very similar to what The Original Pancake House has on their menu.  

French Toast vs. Pancakes (Winner: Maple Counter's Pancakes)

I did get to try Clarette's pancakes, but it was nothing special - similar to IHOP actually.  I think their french toast was much better, and it was actually made of french bread (a little more appropriate, don't you think?).    BUT, comparing with just the pancake "sides" in Maple Counter, the latter is a clear winner.  It's what I call the "yeast-taste" factor.  Definitely fresh.

Ambiance (winner: Maple Counter)

Clarette's, though homey, can be quite creepy and stuffy with old-fashioned paintings and drapes.  Maple Counter had a cool, modern, country vibe going on.  And had high ceilings, which I love.

The winner of the brunchowdown?  No doubt, the Maple Counter Cafe.

What an Eggsperience!

My posts in the next few days are most likely going to be about my Mom, what we did, and of course, what we ate!:-) Today was uneventful as we just shopped 'til we dropped in Wisconsin, with the intent of escaping the commotion in downtown Chicago where the NATO Summit is being held.  Yesterday, we did a little more of the touristy stuff and we also continued our Saturday routine (with my mom!) - brunch.  We're supposed to go to XOCO, but we were an hour too late as they were already getting ready for lunch.  No more chilaquiles and torrejas - booooo!:-O  Since Eggsperience Cafe is right around the corner, we decided to have our first meal of the day there... I've actually been there once, about a year ago, and it was a great "eggsperience".  Good thing it wasn't too crowded like I expected, but that was maybe because people were trying to avoid downtown for potential protester rallies and God knows what else!  Anyway, the menu was quite overwhelming - they have everything your heart desires for breakfast (with eggs of course).  Pancakes, waffles, fritatas, omelets, benedicts, name it, they have it!  

Thank God they have chilaquiles!  So that's what I had.  It was good, but the serving was way too huge and the salsa verde was way too hot! The eggs were cooked perfectly (they better be!), so I was dancing for joy (in my head) when I had my first bite.  Mom had the strawberry cheesecake pancake - the cream cheese portion was good, but the pancakes failed in comparison with the other pancakes I've tried in Original Pancake House or Maple Counter Cafe.  Or maybe it was too high of an expectation for a place that does not specialize in pancakes!  For hubby's bacon, spinach, and mushroom fritata - hmmm... not to sound conceited (a.k.a. feelingera), I could've done it better (naks X 100)!  But the presentation was top notch though - just look at the photos...

What does chilaquiles look like beneath the eggs?  Here you go - it's a mixture of salsa, cheese, and leftover (potentially stale) tortillas... I'm still a fan.

Was it still a great experience?  No.  It was just a good, safe one.

Tweet! Sunday Brunch

I got sick yesterday (yes, on a Saturday!! :-() and Bobby had to work... what a great way to start a weekend!  So apart from doing mandatory office work (I'll leave it at that), I half-slept the whole day - not the most comfortable situation, and this was mainly due to insanely painful headache with matching slight fever.  I planned to do so many things - create a fabric necklace, bake cookies, attend a birthday party, and go shopping.  None had been crossed out from my list... oh but except one thing which I didn't exactly plan for necessarily - make cheese fondue.  I'll post this soon.

So enough with my whining session as this morning was a little bit better (at least the weather was).  Since our Saturday morning routine had gone kaput, we opted for Sunday brunch at this uptown cafe called Tweet.  If you check out their site, you'll be drawn to the cuteness of it - well I was.  I can imagine my own cafe and have this kind of website - the colors and graphics are very warm and inviting.  And the menu exhibits not only your typical breakfast fare, but also has healthy options - you'll see the words "organic," "vegan," and "gluten-free".  I was definitely sold.

This place has always been on my list of breakfast places to try and so after a 20 minute commute, ahhh... we finally meet.  Okay... so, the exterior and interior design did not actually live up to the cuteness (almost Winnie-the-Pooh-like) of the website.  It was rather rustic and eclectic - too many colors going on and odd paintings filled the walls.  But it was not bad - it' just not what I expected.  Staff was very friendly and our waiter, Rex, had this "small-talk" thing going on -- I probably only understood half of what he said but I smiled (and sometimes made small laughs) politely.

Now for the food review.  Coffee - typical refillable taste.  They are very attentive to your coffee mug, refilling it so often even if you've just had a sip or two.  They have complimentary breakfast bread (so they call it), but it's actually cake-ish - sort of corn muffin but with blueberry flavor.  I liked it.  Bobby ordered the Denver Omelette - as you can see in the photo below, it was overflowing.  And I thought we're eating healthy haha!  It was good - you can't go wrong with ham, bell peppers, and onions, but what made it a little different and sinful is that it had cream cheese inside and out.  A lot of it.  It was also served with a cup of fresh fruits and english muffins with butter and jam.  Not bad for $11 because you can share this meal as it was a definitely large portion.  But of course we didn't share, tsk, tsk.

I had my usual Mexican selection... Chilaquiles.  Again, large portion and bursting with colors - definitely a feast for the eyes with all the cilantro, avocados, cheese, and sour cream.  I decided to go vegetarian on this and did not get chorizos with it.  Good idea.  I wasn't able to finish the whole thing!  It was okay for me, loved the first few bites, then it got overwhelming.  Too many tortillas, and the black beans were a little bland.  Would've wanted more salsa or mole, but the eggs and cheese made up for it.  XOCO still reigns supreme.  

And if those weren't enough, we also ordered a short stack of buttermilk pancakes for dessert.  Probably since it came with the main course, it already got cold and dry, but then freshly whipped butter saved the day!

I'm not jumping up and down (ala Randy Jackson of AI), but overall it was a good brunch.  The ingredients all looked and tasted fresh and unpretentious.  If there would be a next time, I'll make sure to just share with hubby, or cut back on the second main course.

Finally... m.henry... then, panini.

Bobby and I are back to our Saturday morning routine - a.k.a. breakfast anywhere but home!  We missed it last weekend because of our Columbus trip so today we went to this popular Chicago breakfast place/bakery called "m. henry". And this time around, two friends came with us, so it was extra fun - and I got to try more dishes hehehe!  So here goes...

Restaurant's interior - a little of country, whimsy, and modern... very cozy.
I think they also have a dining area in the garden, but it might have been closed due to cold weather.

Works of art: dulce banana rumba french toast, huevos borrachos (with chorizo, eggs, bean cakes, and masa tortilla - again, with my mexican breakfast craving), and chocolate french toast with berries, mascarpone cheese and chocolate ganache (the last one was Bobby's and I find it cute that he said, "parang pang girl 'tong sa kin hehehe"!)

Rustic peasant quiche and two happy customers

Ahhh... Saturday sunshine!  Great way to start the day!  

I'm so glad that the taste kept up with the plating.  

Definitely inspiring... so...

I spent the rest of the day shopping and watching "Hunger Games" with hubby... ok, seriously (but those were true too :-)), I decided to finally use our cuban sandwich/panini maker which was already gathering dust because it's never been used (got it from White Elephant back in December).  I've probably looked at the recipe for a Cuban Sandwich more than ten times in the last four months, but always managed to forget about it.  I don't know why!  Anyway, it was definitely a success and I was able to get my hubby to eat pickles and mustard with his sandwich and most importantly, no mayo!

The Cuban Panini

Ingredients: Rustic Wheat Bread (baguettes will do), Pickles (I used sweet ones), Dijon Mustard, Butter, Roast Pork, Sweet Ham, Provolone Cheese

Just pile all the ingredients inside the bread (except the butter) then spread the butter on top of the bread.

Grill for about 5 minutes (up to you really, how much you want it toasted/crispy)... 

Cut into half and serve with potato chips. For hubby, I used Sour Cream and Onion pringles!

It was really tasty - the secret to a good panini?  Freshly baked bread, good cheese, and of course, the right amount of grilling.  I think this panini maker will be my best friend for more laid back Saturday nights...