You Need to Get Yourself to Lula Cafe – Logan Square

Photo: Marina Karassellos

Saturday brunch outside in the sun is one of the best ways to start your morning in Chicago. I didn’t even have to experience the usual long wait, the stars must have been aligned. I hope there are few more days for outside dining, we’ll see. Brunch line-up:

Strada ­­— savory pain de mie bread pudding with eggplant, bacon, basil, spinach, and provolone. The salad was a nice balance to the richness of the strada. As always bacon makes anything taste better but it also added a nice crispness to the softness of the bread and veggies. Highly recommend.

Breakfast Burrito with avocado, onion, pepper, potato, eggs, and cheddar; with sour cream and salsa verde. I am a sucker for a breakfast burrito but this one is definitely in the top ten. Every ingredient was fresh and the eggs cooked perfectly which can make the difference between an okay burrito and a great one.

Lula has a Monday night farm dinner (menu example, here). Many vegetarian friendly items as well. I hope to be back soon to try their dinner.

Lula Cafe – 2537 N. Kedzie Boulevard Chicago, IL 60647

Shut Up And Bake

Bleeding Heart Bakery is not for the faint of heart. Sorry for the kinda-pun but it’s true. Exhibit A: Deep-fried doughnut breakfast sandwich. Yep, a donut that is tempura battered and deep-fried with a fried egg and choice of meat and cheese.

BHB’s new West Town cafe is a beautiful and spacious diner with great artwork, murals and vintage touches.  I cannot wait for the rooftop next year. Cassie, our waitress/new BFF, broke down the large menu in terms of what we should get for first-timers. I also have to say, for Day 2 this place had it together. Everything ran smoothly and everyone that worked there seemed like they had been doing it for years. You might recognize the owners Michelle and Vinny Garcia from various Food Network competitions and their Roscoe Village and Oak Park bakery locations.

Cassie recommended swapping out one of the chai’s on order for The Dim…a banana split mocha…behold:

Next up, Housemade Biscuits & Gravy. I don’t usually get B&G so I wanted to try something different. These were good; some cayenne on top so there is a little kick to the thick and rich gravy. You could tell the biscuits were made from scratch, hearty but flaky. Had the eggs over easy.

My favorite dish of the meal, Veruca Salt Waffle: salted caramel mouse and vanilla anglaise. This was one of the best savory and sweet dishes I have tasted. The warm gooey caramel melting into the sea salt = complete gratification. The waffles were a perfect slight crisp on the outside and light and fluffy inside.

Last up, since it was “healthy”, the Caramelized Grapefruit. Basically crème brulée grapefruit. Sugar combined with tart thirst-quenching juice was the perfect way to end the meal.

Great relaxed vibe with a slight edge. Good for brunch anytime of the day and if you don’t have much time, order sweets/donuts/cakes and coffee from the to go counter. Vegan, vegetarian options and local and organic farm ingredients used. Also open 57 hours straight from Friday until Sunday so if you get some food craving late-night, head there. The A/C was cranked so if you get cold easily might want to bring an extra layer.

Cute bathrooms too:

Will I be back? Yes. Should you go? Definitely.

Join the Punk Rock Brunch at Bleeding Heart Bakery and Café - West Town, 1916 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622