Brunch Bites: Old Crow Smokehouse and Bow & Stern

In this week's batch of brunch bites, Old Crow Smokehouse heats up brunch in Schaumburg and Bow & Stern Oyster Bar rounds out their brunch menu with fall flavors.

(Pumpkin pancakes, Bow & Stern-style)

For those of you who just can't wait until lunch or dinner — generally reasonable meal periods — for your barbecue fix, hoof it to Schaumburg to partake in Old Crow Smokehouse's new Sunday brunch menu. Served buffet-style, dishes include Honeywell Ranch Bacon made with brown sugar and red pepper flakes, country frittatas studded with peppers, onion, ham, and cheddar, and DIY Bloody Marys accented with optional supplements like beef sticks, bacon, red peppers, baby corn, artichoke hearts, and more. Brunch is served every Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Bow & Stern, meanwhile, is amping up its brunch repertoire with a slew of seasonal menu additions. In line with the restaurant's classic-meets-modern whimsy and panache courtesy of executive chef Brian Greene, diners can expect dishes such as pumpkin pancakes glazed with Mick Klug Farms apple cider syrup, caramelized Honey Crisp apples, and Chantilly whipped cream; Harvest beer-steamed mussels with bacon chorizo, sage, and blue cheese cream; huevos diablo with braised pork neck ragu, and sunnyside-up eggs, and banana bread French toast. All this in addition to Bow & Stern's perpetual brunch staples such as Oreo and blueberry pancakes and the Bow Benedict striated with smoked whitefish brandade, poached egg, bacon, and Malagueta hollandaise.

- Matt Kirouac

Brunch Bites: Old Crow Smokehouse and Bow & Stern

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