Carriage House And GT Fish & Oysters - New Brunches
Two excellent new options for weekend eats
Your weekend just got tastier.
We're here to report that the city's two newest brunches–both served Saturdays and Sundays–merit immediate visits.
Carriage House: We hoped this new Wicker Park restaurant would produce a brunch as creative and compelling as its Lowcountry-inspired dinner menu. Our expectations were met by daytime dishes that excite, like fried green tomatoes with pickled shrimp and smoked-tomato crème fraîche ($10), and toasty, just-sweet peanut granola ($8).
Don't miss the johnnycake, an oversize, cornmeal-packed pancake griddled until gorgeously browned and topped with apple preserves and Cajun-spice-dusted corn nuts (pictured; $9). The restaurant's excellent fried chicken thigh ($11) gets dressed for brunch too, paired with a waffle and doused with maple hot sauce. Carriage House, 1700 W. Division St.; 773-384-9700 or carriagehousechicago.com
GT Fish & Oyster: The brunch gang is all here: quiche, Benedicts, biscuits and gravy, but each with an appropriately piscatorial twist. Quiche ($12) is laced with silky smoked haddock, crabmeat peeks out from under the Benedict's hollandaise (pictured; $14), and biscuits are smothered in lobster-packed gravy ($15) reminiscent of lobster bisque. There are ample non-seafood options, with caramel-coated monkey bread, duck chilaquiles, and cioppino with grilled cheese being three worthy diversions. GT Fish & Oyster, 531 N. Wells St.; 312-929-3501 or gtoyster.com