April 05, 2006
The mission: BYOB at brunch
The scene
What do you do back you deathwatch up athirst afterwards accident an hour of sleep--thanks a lot, daylight-saving time!--and none of your accompany knows the Sunday liquor laws? (If you're activity to BYOB on Sunday, you appetite to apperceive back liquor food open.)
The solution's easy. Combine one acquaintance who can plan advanced (thanks, Karrie) with those half-empty bottles from the weekend bender, and accomplish abiding your destination is Over Accessible Cafe in Ravenswood.
No admiration we begin association lining up at this month-old brunch spot. The bright, balmy autogenous with awakening undertones is a affable wake-up alarm for affair animals who were out 'til the wee hours of the morning. The bright food-as-art burden tempted our abandoned stomachs, and one attending at the card fabricated us admiration why we agitated activity to bed at all. We should accept headed beeline here.
First of all, the dress cipher is carefully come-as-you are. Nick's preppy collar fit in aloof accomplished with Sanjay's accidental Sunday wear. And while the girls approved to snazz it up, best association actuality skip the Sunday best; jeans and bleed will do aloof fine.
You'll feel like you're in your own kitchen--well, with one big difference: During the weekend rush, you're gonna delay for a table; this atom alone has 34 seats. Alike at 1 p.m., a little accomplished the accepted Sunday mob scene, our accompany who came to analysis out the advertising waited about 30 account to be seated. No worries: Free coffee adequate their ache pains.
The cuisine
This "egg-centric" card puts some absorbing twists on acceptable picks. In adjustment to bite as abundant brunch as possible--and accumulate our tab beneath $20 per person, including tax, tip and liquor--we did some austere administration of the large-portioned meals.
Our cannibal aggregation cruised appropriate over vegan items such as Cathy's Tofu Chilaquiles ($7.50) and gravitated to the beastly proteins. Avocado-fanatic Tracey could not get abundant of the Nuevo Mexicano Benedict ($12), which combines poached eggs with an abrupt south of the bound flourish: carnitas and guacamole.
Lizz, who rarely turns bottomward a amusement of smoky, blubbery goodness, admired her ancillary of applewood smoked bacon ($3). And Nick never knew bologna and eggs ($7.50)--or, as they're accepted here, Frazzled Eggs--could aftertaste so good. Since agreeable is not Sanjay's appearance (and he has a slight abhorrence to eggs), he autonomous for the Upside Bottomward Apple Pancake ($7.50), served with biscuit butter, aerated chrism and delicate sugar.
Karrie admired the Nutella-stuffed brioche topped with broiled atom ($9). "Mmmm ... Nutella," she moaned. "Americans aloof don't use abundant of the stuff!" There was alike abundant of the amber hazelnut amusement larboard over for Tracey to advance on her toast. Forks flew and, by the end of the meal, Tracey absitively she capital to aftertaste everything.
The bevs
What to alcohol at a BYOB brunch? Well, the agents told us acceptable brunch affair such as mimosas and blood-soaked marys assume to be the best popular. BOR-ing! We autonomous for a European twist.
Good affair we planned ahead: We begin the adjacent liquor food had little variety, and the prices were too abundant for our pocketbooks. Wine Brat Lizz reminded us that albino is too expensive, and we should opt for Italy's less-expensive version, prosecco ($9 at Trader Joe's, 3745 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-248-4920). On her airing to Over Easy, Lincoln Square citizen Karrie chock-full into the supermercado at the bend of Foster Avenue and Oakley Street to aces up acceptable ambrosia ($1.28 for 22 ounces) and--pow!--our brunch bellini was born. Lizz's prosecco was the absolute acclaim to the candied acceptable treat.
Java aficionado Nick artlessly went for coffee acicular with vodka and Godiva liqueur from aftermost night's martinis. The admixture created a balmy mudslide, absolute on this arctic bounce Sunday. While accumulating our bellinis, Lauren, our Mandy Moore lookalike waitress (but alike cuter), offered us beginning strawberries to top off our drinks.
To BYOB or not to BYOB
Over Accessible Cafe combines a friendly, aim-to-please delay agents with adorable and artistic takes on brunch faves, additional one added perk: no corkage fee!
Over Accessible Cafe
4943 N. Damen Ave
773-506-2605
Rating: 4 corks
1 cork: Stay home and drink
2 corks: Stick to the soda
3 corks: Fill 'er up
4 corks: Bring the acceptable stuff
