Monday, May 23, 2011

Mimosa Brunch at Lokal, Chicago

Weekend all-you-can-drink mimosa brunches have become a norm, even when I'm traveling. On my recent trip to Chicago, I went in search of such. Lokal, a European restaurant in Wicker Park was top on the search results.

The restaurant has a very artsy feel to it from the paintings to the projection of film on the wall. I also like the exposed bricked walls and ducts.

They also have great silverware.

The owners of the restaurant are Polish and so is the cuisine. Some of the Polish items include Polish sausage rye sandwich with pear mustard, and potato pancake with dill creme fraiche. They also offer many regular brunch items.

On weekends, mimosas are all-you-can-drink for $7. I liked that our waitress even filled up the glasses after we had paid the check. If you prefer bloody marys, you can opt for their bottomless bloody's at $9.

Nutella frites was not what I had expected but it was still delicious. This was essentially a nutella and banana stuffed french toast. I really enjoyed the crispy toasted bread which seemed almost as light as brioche. The banana and nutella combination was lovely with the bananas adding a creaminess and the nutella adding chocolate sweetness. The whipped cream was fresh and homemade. You could tell that they utilize really good ingredients.

Duck confit poached eggs were a variation of eggs benedict. The eggs were topped with an apple star anise compote. The eggs were poached really well and the toasted bread was thick enough to soak up the runny egg. The duck confit was ample, however I think it lacked seasoning.

The regular French toast was topped with fresh whipped cream, an orange-maple syrup and fresh fruit.

To supplement my sweet french toast dish, I also ordered some eggs and toast. Unfortunately the only bread they offered was rye, so we asked for the same bread they used in their french toast.

I thought the food was tasty and reasonably priced. It's a pity we didn't order any of the Polish inspired dishes. The ingredients tasted fresh and the dishes didn't feel greasy or unhealthy. But the winner is the $7 all-you-can-drink mimosas.

Hits: $7 bottomless mimosas, nutella frites
Misses: only rye bread option
Rating: ***

Lokal
1904 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 904-8113
www.lokalchicago.com

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