Magnolia Cafe

Magnolia Cafe

1224 W Wilson

Chicago, IL 60640

Brunch: Sundays, 10-3

I found this place somewhat by accident, trolling (trawling?) for good brekkies options online. It's way the hell up north on Wilson, and it's a much much classier place than you might expect to find on that street. By which I mean, it's expensive. A bit too expensive for me to enjoy on a regular basis (entrees are around $12). But if you're feeling fancy, you might wanna check it out. It seems to be as yet undiscovered by the breakfasting hordes of Chicago, because there's never been a wait when I've gone, which is a definite bonus. Plus, parking is relatively easy to find, and it's right off the red line.

The menu is gourmet (aka, expect to see wild mushrooms, goat cheese, arugula, and various smoked things) and features a good spread of breakfast fare, including 3 or 4 different benedict options (one of which involves steak), and a plethora of cocktails. There are also weekly specials lovingly described by the servers. Which has the unfortunate effect of making me feel like I'm not nearly classy enough for the place, but that's my own insecurity talking I suppose.

If you go, don't miss the Muffins with Lemon Curd appetizer. It's absolutely divine. The lemon curd is perfection, a silky syllabub of wonderfully tart goodness. The muffins are likewise fantastic, little bundles of crispy-on-the-outside-chewy-on-the-inside delight with a hint of cornmeal and big juicy blueberries. I thought I hated blueberries until I got up the nerve to revisit them at Magnolia. The combination of the slight sweetness of the muffins with the crisp tartness of the lemon curd and the juicy cool explosion of blueberry, wow. I admit to fastidiously scooping the remnants of the curd out of the dish with my finger and licking it clean. You can't take me anywhere.

Sean and I somewhat shamefacedly both ordered eggs benedict (oh Veiled Conceit, the legacy you have left us with).  The english muffin was wonderfully toasted, the poached eggs were spot on, the hollandaise was great but... the slices of ham are frickin' huge. The ham itself is really nice, but the slices are seriously 3/4 of an inch thick, which is just too much for me. But like I said, it's good ham. So it's not the end of the world. 

My only real gripe with the place is that their variant of potatoes is mashed. They're not bad as far as mashed potatoes go, though they're a bit heavy on the dairy for my taste (I understand that this is what a lot of people love in mashed potatoes, but it's just not my thing. The majestic potato does not need to be drowned in butter and cream to taste delicious.). But I just don't really wanna eat mashed potatoes for breakfast.