Brunch Bites: Osteria La Madia and Maxwell's at the Club
In this week's batch of brunch bites, Osteria La Madia gives brunch an Italian accent and Sunday brunch returns to Maxwell's at the Club.
For years, Osteria La Madia has maintained as one of the most venerable destinations for Italian cuisine in River North, highly regarded for its pasta, pizza, and wine at lunch and dinner. Now the downtown stalwart is adding brunch to its repertoire, rounding out their portfolio with brunch antipasti, entrees, breakfast pizzas, a.m. cocktails, and more. To start things off, each party at brunch receives a complimentary basket of mini donuts from sister restaurant, Firecakes Donuts. From there, diners can make their way through plates small and large, starting with antipasti like brioche cinnamon rolls with red wine currants, toasted walnuts, and bourbon icing; potato fritters with housemade yogur, mortadella, and dried fruit; salmon belly crostini with rye toast, goat cheese, and caper berry gremolata; and pickled peaches with shaved almonds, radish, kale, currants, and housemade farmers' cheese. Heftier plates include crispy porchetta with roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, scrambled eggs, and crispy potatoes; fried egg bruschetta with grilled ciabatta, garlic spinach, aioli, bacon, sausage, and fontina; and housemade lombrichelli carbonara with Brussels sprouts, bacon, and poached egg. Save room for some of the breakfast pizzas, which include a version topped with fingerling potato and egg yolk, a carbonara pizza with guanciale and white sauce, and another with egg and prosciutto. To drink, there's mimosas made with options like peach puree, apricot puree, and pomegranate juice, along with an Italian Pisco Sour, a white Negroni, and a limoncello drink with Campari and tonic water. Brunch is served every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
In regards to another River North classic, Maxwell's at the Club is bringing back its Sunday brunch tradition. The restaurant at the East Bank Club features a bounteous brunch selection with options like freshly made waffles, lox, chilled shrimp, salads, and an omelette bar. The buffet-style brunch is offered for $24 per adult, $12 for children seven to 10, $6 for children four to six, and free for kids three and younger. Sunday brunch is served from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
- Matt Kirouac