Chicago: Southport Grocery & Cafe

Southport Grocery & Cafe had been on my list for a while.  (Yes, I have a list.)  So when JH wanted to grab brunch, it was the first place that came to mind.  We left a little late, so we weren't surprised to hear that there was a wait:

About an hour and a half later, we were seated.  It didn't actually feel that long because JH kept us thoroughly entertained with stories from her recent trip to India.

As there were four of us, we each picked a dish.  At least that's how it was supposed to work.  Instead it kind of morphed into a joint decision process.  Regardless of our method, we were all quite happy with what we ended up ordering.

There was the sweet and savory french toast:

The french toast came covered with smoked ham and baby swiss.  Maple-mustard syrup tagged along on the side.  That's right.  Maple-mustard syrup.  I admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the syrup, but that's because it reminded me of Chinese dried plums, which I dislike.  A lot.

The bread pudding pancakes were simply amazing:

So incredibly moist.  The cinnamon sugar butter and the vanilla anglaise made it that much more heavenly.

The brisket and gravy was one of my favorites:

The house-smoked brisket gravy had a touch of sweetness.  The biscuits were dense and lovely.  And the eggs had the perfect consistency.

The ramp omelet was one of the specials:

The omelet was made of wild ramps, broccoli, and brie.  The side of mashed potatoes stole the show for me.  I couldn't get enough of that stuff.

We rotated the plates clockwise around the table, but everyone ended up reaching across to snag a bite of whatever they felt like at the moment.

A really solid breakfast, as expected.  If it were closer and the wait less crazy, I would be at Southport as often as I could.  Gotta try everything on the menu, you know.  There's some cupcake pancakes with my name on them.  CUPCAKE pancakes.  How genius is that?


Southport Grocery & Cafe
3552 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 665-0100
http://www.southportgrocery.com/