Brunch Bites: Taus Authentic and Stan's Donuts & Coffee

In this week's batch of brunch bites, Taus Authentic rolls out Sunday brunch and Stan's Donuts & Coffee announces a new chef collaboration. 

 

Add another to the tempting brunch lineup in Wicker Park, as Taus Authentic joins the weekend fray with a new Sunday menu. Presided over by chef Michael Taus, the brunch program toes an elegant line between contemporary American and eclectic, starting with fresh baked pastries like apricot-walnut scones with honey-lemon butter and Czech fruit dumplings. Main dishes offer a little something for everyone, including the health conscious (avocado toast with turkey bacon and veganaise), the sweet tooth (French toast with Nutella and lemon mascarpone), the carnivore (steak and eggs with lardons, roasted shallot sauce and double-fried new potatoes), the spice-lover (braised pork tamale with Cotija cheese, salsa verde and scrambled poblano eggs), and the grazer (market salad with shaved fennel, radish, hard-boiled eggs, dill croutons, and lemon vinaigrette). And there's more where those came from. Cocktails include a "Gazpacho-esque" Bloody Mary, beermosas, apricot-splashed bellinis, and sangria. Sunday brunch is served from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

In breakfast pastry news, Stan's Donuts & Coffee continues its monthly guest donut series with a collaboration between chef Cardel Reid of The Signature Room. This marks the fourth donut collaboration for the donut shop, taking place through the rest of April at both Wicker Park and Streeterville locations. Reid came up with a cinnamon coffee cake old fashioned with brown sugar-bourbon glaze. The donuts cost $3.25 each, and $.25 from each donut will be donated to the Roman Family Foundation's Susan M. Roman Scholarship, which goes to students in the healthcare field. 

- Matt Kirouac