Naming a restaurant is tricky.
Call it Blackbird, and no one expects to find one on the menu.
Call it Purple Pig, same thing (you would hope).
But call it Waffles, and you better damn well bring your waffle A-game.
It looks like that’s exactly what’s going to happen in the South Loop on Monday, when some Japonais and Bristol vets endeavor to join the pantheon of great Chicago brunch spots.
The interior is pretty much what you’d find at any good morning/afternoon joint. Bright, but mercifully not too bright—muted colors accented by a few orange gerbera daisies. You could come here with a group of friends and split some waffles on weekends, or find a space at the bar with a strong cup of Intelligentsia and an artisanal BLT as you try to make peace with the night before.
But really, you’ll come here for waffles. If you want a regular Belgian, they have it. If you want the kind they serve in Liège (i.e., extra sweet), they have that. If you want waffles stuffed with Wisconsin cheddar, filled with bacon, topped with braised short rib, smothered in hollandaise, flavored like Mexican hot chocolate or simply done up like a cherry-compote-covered red velvet cupcake...
Well, you get the idea.
Call it Blackbird, and no one expects to find one on the menu.
Call it Purple Pig, same thing (you would hope).
But call it Waffles, and you better damn well bring your waffle A-game.
It looks like that’s exactly what’s going to happen in the South Loop on Monday, when some Japonais and Bristol vets endeavor to join the pantheon of great Chicago brunch spots.
The interior is pretty much what you’d find at any good morning/afternoon joint. Bright, but mercifully not too bright—muted colors accented by a few orange gerbera daisies. You could come here with a group of friends and split some waffles on weekends, or find a space at the bar with a strong cup of Intelligentsia and an artisanal BLT as you try to make peace with the night before.
But really, you’ll come here for waffles. If you want a regular Belgian, they have it. If you want the kind they serve in Liège (i.e., extra sweet), they have that. If you want waffles stuffed with Wisconsin cheddar, filled with bacon, topped with braised short rib, smothered in hollandaise, flavored like Mexican hot chocolate or simply done up like a cherry-compote-covered red velvet cupcake...
Well, you get the idea.
