Brunch at Chicago q

This is such a typical “blogger” thing to say, but I love breakfast foods. I will eat them any time of the day, any day of the week. The thing is, I’ve spent the vast majority of my life not loving brunch.

See, as a person who wakes up early, brunch feels wasted on me. I mean, I almost always have to eat something before most people (you know, the normal ones who wake up later… like you, maybe) are ready to eat brunch. And then brunch feels awkwardly early because I had breakfast already and it’s not quite lunchtime and ugh, why can’t the whole world just operate on my schedule?

Okay, obnoxious moment over. 

Well, I’m coming around to brunch. I’ve learned the art of eating just enough to get me through the morning and the thought of relaxing over a sweet-and-savory meal plus dessert (!) in the mid-morning to early afternoon is becoming more and more appealing. I feel like such a millennial.

Anyway, yesterday I had brunch at Chicago q and it was pretty freaking outstanding and I want to tell you all about it.

When my parents and I started planning my return trip to Chicago, we realized that our usual grocery shopping trip on Sunday morning would probably not work out because it was Easter Sunday and pretty much all stores would be closed. We made a few adjustments to our schedule and decided that we would take advantage of the holiday and enjoy a nice Easter brunch together. After extensive research on brunch places, I came up with a few contenders and we decided to make reservations at Chicago q.

Chicago q: the atmosphere

Chicago q feels extremely homey and the set-up is like a large house without separated rooms. Does that make sense? It’s a bit dark, intimate, and pretty loud. But it’s completely adorable and the staff members were all very friendly despite the restaurant being crazy-busy. Also, there’s a cute little patio area and the weather is just starting to get nice enough to eat outside! Spring is great, isn’t it?

Chicago q: the food

BBQ and breakfast sound strange? Maybe it is a little, but it was also excellent.

The meal started with house-made BBQ potato chips and sweet pickles, which we demolished. I ate the majority of the pickles myself. Uh, gotta get those veggies in, right? 😉

I had a seriously difficult time picking a meal. I’m indecisive. What else is new?

I waffled between the Smoked Chicken & Eggs Benedict, Southern Eggs Benedict, Sweet Potato Hash & Eggs, and Egg White Omelete (with smoked feta!), but in the end I landed on the Southern Eggs Benedict. Pulled pork? Spicy hollaindaise? Fried green tomatoes? Yes, please.

{Sorry for the horrid lighting. Mine is the bottom left. My mom went with the Crab Cake Benedict (right) and my dad got the Benedict Flight so he could sample three different Benedicts.}

Look at all that pork! I made it through about a third of it comfortably, but it was so good. It was insanely tender and smoky and absolutely perfect with the crispy fried green tomatoes hidden underneath. The eggs weren’t as runny as I’d like, but they were still amazing. And so were the bites of my parents’ dishes I stole 🙂 We were all very happy with our meals.

The size of the drinks was slightly less wonderful. Teeny water glasses, teeny glasses of orange juice, and teeny Diet Cokes. But it is what it is. Some people aren’t as thirsty as me. 😛

Sometime before we ate, my dad pointed out a blackboard with all the desserts on it. There just so happened to be a peanut butter pie with caramel sauce and an Oreo crust listed. As we looked around at our fellow diners, we knew we’d be getting plenty of food without dessert, but… peanut butter pie.

After we had eaten our meals and before my sensible dad could talk us out of it, my mom and I decided to go for it.

Such a good decision. The pie was light and creamy, but somehow also truly peanut-buttery. The Oreo crust was thick and crunchy. The caramel sauce was the perfect complement – not too sweet or too salty, just smooth and rich.

Brunch at Chicago q is decadent and delicious and different, and it shows that you can combine two things that don’t seem like they naturally go together, like BBQ and breakfast, and get a serious success.

Do you like brunch? What about BBQ?

What’s the best thing you ate this weekend?