HP_042618

26 | April 26, 2018 | The highland park landmark Dining Out
hplandmark.com
A brunch of tasty options
Area restaurants
abound with
brunch-time hits
STAFF REPORT
Brunch — the hybrid
breakfast/lunch meal eaten
during the late morning/
early afternoon hours often
accompanied by mimosas,
sangrias and bellinis.
While brunch has been
an American favorite for
decades, in recent years,
millennials seem to have
taken the trend to a new
level, with brunch posts
flooding social media
feeds, restaurants across
the city and suburbs touting
exclusive brunch
menus, and T-shirts from
Target to boutique shops
donning corny phrases
like “Brunch so hard” and
“But first, brunch.”
But, with warmer temperatures
on the horizon
and several North Shore
restaurants dedicating
special brunch menus,
how can eaters pass up
the delicious options of
breakfast and lunch favorites
served at a time when
the warm, seasonal sun is
at its peak and appetites
are the most ravenous?
Here, we have a roundup
of some of the area’s
tastiest spots to hit up
for a classic brunch-time
meal. Read up, build an
appetite and head on out
to try them this spring.
Omelet — Disotto,
Highwood
Most people don’t think
of heading to an Italian
restaurant when they want
breakfast or brunch.
Highwood’s Disotto,
however, aims to change
that.
Disotto has a number
of breakfast items on its
menu, but Executive Chef
Juan Ramirez said the
standout item is the restaurant’s
build-your-own
omelet ($15).
The list of ingredients
to choose from spans far
and wide, with a number
of options for vegetables,
cheeses and meats.
Additionally, there is
no limit to the number of
items you can choose.
While the restaurant is
typically only open for
dinner, it is also open Sunday
mornings for breakfast,
said General Manager
Milena Jurado.
It will also begin serving
Saturday breakfast
once the weather permits
patio seating.
Jurado and Ramirez
took over Disotto roughly
six months ago. Since
then, they’ve almost entirely
rewritten the menu.
Ramirez said he focuses
on using fresh ingredients
to ensure the best flavors.
Sometimes, Ramirez
said, fresh and simple are
the best things you can be.
“Everything has the
chef’s touch,” Jurado said.
Disotto, located at 310
Green Bay Road, Highwood,
is open 4-9 p.m.
Monday-Thursday, 3-10
p.m. Friday and Saturday,
and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and
3-8 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, visit
disottoitalian.com.
Homemade waffle with
fruit — Caffe Buon
Giorno, Winnetka
Tucked inside Winnetka’s
quaint Laundry Mall,
Caffe Buon Giorno has
kept Winnetkans coming
back for yummy eats for
19 years.
The moment you walk
in the door, the enormous
menu will have you thinking
for a few minutes
about what to order from
the plethora of options.
Luckily for diners
who stop by during late
morning/early afternoon
brunch-time, you can
have your pick of anything
from omelets, fluffy
waffles with fruit, homemade
soups and gardenfresh
salads.
Owner Mary Jo Vlahos,
of Kenilworth, said while
the restaurant has an
abundance of items, there
are no specific brunch
specials, as tried and true
favorites have eventually
made their way to being
on the menu permanently.
“We have a lot of specials
that have become
popular and then they
stay, so our menu is pretty
huge,” Vlahos said.
One favorite item ordered
at brunch-times is
the homemade waffle,
which can either be served
as a plain, homemade Belgian
waffle with butter
and maple syrup ($9.95)
or topped with assorted
fresh fruit, bacon, sausage
or ham ($15).
With the fruit-topped
waffle, diners will enjoy
a floral-shaped Belgian
waffle with a light dusting
of powdered sugar
and fresh, sweet slices
of pineapple, cantaloupe,
banana, strawberry and
blueberry.
“We have really fresh
and unique menu items,
really different omelets
and different ingredients,
and I think our food is
super fresh,” Vlahos said
when asked about what
keeps patrons coming
back.
Caffe Buon Giorno, 566
Chestnut St., Winnetka,
is open 6:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tuesday-Sunday and is
closed Monday. For more
information, call (847)
784-8899.
Story by Jacqueline Glosniak,
Contributing Editor
Avocado toast — Market
House On The Square,
Lake Forest
Hospitality and listening
to customers is the
No. 1 goal for the staff
at Market House On The
Square in Lake Forest.
Carla Westcott, owner
of the restaurant, offers
a brunch menu on Saturdays
and Sundays and
special brunch events on
Easter and Mother’s Day.
“I think Market House
knows how to do hospitality,”
Westcott said. “We
love this community, love
welcoming our guests in,
love having families and
helping them have a special
experience. Mother’s
Day is one of our favorite
days here.”
This year for Mother’s
Day, Market House is taking
reservations for a special
Mother’s Day brunch
beginning at 10 a.m. with
the last seating at 2:30 p.m.
The Mother’s Day
brunch is $38 for adults,
$18 for kids and includes
a three-course meal and
brunch cocktails.
“We do three courses
for Mother’s Day and it is
kind of set up like prefix
menu,” said Dan Marquis,
the executive chef at Market
House.
The menu includes a
variety of options, such
as smoked salmon, eggs,
French toast and avocado
toast.
I stopped into Market
House and tried its famous
avocado toast, made
with artisan wheat bread
topped with avocado and
crab salad and served
with a small side of petite
The build-your-own omelet ($15) is available Sunday
mornings at Disotto with a range of ingredients to
choose from. Xavier Ward/22nd Century Media
greens.
While this item will
be on the Mother’s Day
brunch menu, it is also on
the regular brunch menu
for $15.
Westcott believes Market
House’s brunch menu
stands out from the rest
because of Marquis’ cooking
skills and his special
attention on finding fresh
ingredients that are locally
sourced.
Market House On The
Square, 655 Forest Ave.,
Lake Forest, is open 11:30
a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-8
p.m. Monday-Thursday,
11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and
5-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday,
and 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sunday. For more information,
call (847) 234-
8800.
Story by Alyssa Groh, Contributing
Editor
Short rib and hash —
Jolane’s Restaurant and
Bar, Glenview
From the wood-paneled
walls and glass tabletops
to the stone flooring and
sunlit windows, the enclosed
patio at Jolane’s
Restaurant and Bar basically
screams brunch.
And, now, the menu has
followed suit.
A few weeks ago, head
chef Jose Guerrero rolled
out his new, 30-item
menu: a combination of
longtime favorites and
new creations.
“We have something
for everyone,” he said.
“Nowadays, brunch is
like its own occasion, and
we wanted our menu to
reflect that, to have something
to fulfil your needs.”
When I asked to sample
a dish of his choice, Guerrero
didn’t hesitate. A
short time later, sitting at a
small table next to a window,
I dug into Jolane’s
short rib and hash ($17),
complete with burgundy
braised short ribs, skillet
potatoes, demi glace and
two sunny-side-up eggs.
The restaurant’s small
plates include buffalo
wings ($9), chorizo flatbread
($12) and, of course,
avocado toast ($10) while
the entrees range from
the breakfast wrap ($11)
with avocado, black beans
and scrambled eggs to the
brunch burger ($16) with
sweet balsamic shallots,
broiled tomatoes, arugula,
Brie and a fried egg.
Jolane’s Restaurant and
Bar, 1100 N. Milwaukee
Ave., Glenview, is open
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-
Saturday and 11 a.m.-8
p.m. Sunday. Bunch hours
are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
For more information,
call (847) 834-0485 or
visit jolanes.com.
Story by Chris Pullam, Contributing
Editor