Brunch Bites: Compass Bar and Chicago q

In this week's batch of brunch bites, Compass Bar begins brunch and Chicago q rolls out a Bloody Mary bar.

(Chicago q)

All directions point to Compass Bar when it comes to brunch in Lincoln Park. The new beer-focused eatery recently rolled out a brunch program, which consists of all sorts of reliable American dishes, but with a few twists and turns thrown in there. Such as crab cake Benedict served on a buttermilk biscuit, steak and eggs with a bit of artichokes and creamed spinach, French toast spiced with ginger and cinnamon, and breakfast pizza flecked with oven-poached eggs and bacon. Brunch is available Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Why have just one Bloody Mary when you can have a whole bar of them?! That's the admirable mindset at Chicago q, the Gold Coast barbecue haunt rolling out a new Bloody Mary bar for weekend brunch. For a mere $10, guests can nullify their hangovers with a miscellany of customizable ingredients. So if you want a plain Bloody Mary you can do that, if you want one infused with tomatillo juice and pickled okra you can do that, if you want one studded with steak sauce and cauliflower that's a possibility, if you prefer barbecue sauce and "pig powder" go for it, and if you want carrots and pepperoni you can do that too. Basically the sky is the limit at this Bloody Mary bastion.

- Matt Kirouac