Brunch Bites: Buck's and Bar Toma

In this week's batch of brunch bites, Buck's embraces Southern brunch comforts and Bar Toma gets in on the weekend action.

 

After closing for a reconcept, the Carriage House space has morphed and reopened as Buck's, a more casual and upbeat ode to Southern comfort. And hot on the heels of its recent opening, the Wicker Park newcomer has wasted no time in serving up weekend brunch. Perhaps no cuisine is more suited to brunch than Southern fare, especially considering the region's proclivity for buttery comfort foods. Items at Buck's won't disappoint, featuring a concise selection of enriching items like an egg and cheese biscuit with scrambled eggs, aged cheddar, and optional bacon and sausage supplements; a sweet glazed "Cinnabiscuit," and farm eggs cooked any style, with sides like potatoes, bacon, and sausage. To drink, there's coffee, mimosas, Bloody Marys, and spiked coffee.  

While one newcomer skews Southern, another gives brunch an Italian accent in the Gold Coast. Head to Bar Toma for a new take on brunch this year. The downtown hot spot recently began weekend brunch service, open from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. New items include the "Rise and Grind" pizza with bacon, onion, cheddar, and egg; the Diavolo pizza with spicy sausage, jalapeno, cheddar, and egg; the Primal Mary with a PBR beer back, featuring a skewer of beef jerky, provolone, spicy salami, bacon, pickle, pepperoni, and olive; and the Moremosa, a mimosa with fresh strawberries and an orange wedge. 

- Matt Kirouac