Brunch Bites: Parson's Chicken & Fish and Headquarters Beercade

In this week's batch of brunch bites, Parson's Chicken & Fish brings back brunch service and it's game on for brunch at Headquarters Beercade. 

 

When one door closes, like the door to the patio, another one opens. Such is the case with Parson's Chicken & Fish. With patio season over for the year, the crowd-pleasing Logan Square favorite has brought back brunch to please the masses with crispy comfort food aplenty. This year's menu, which is available throughout the week, consists of old standbys like chicken and waffles with maple brown butter and sunny-side egg; and the "early riser," a plate of fried eggs, hash browns, and toast. These are joined by new dishes this year like chicken paprika, a chicken cutlet served with potato pancake, sunny-side egg, creamy paprika sauce, and celery salad; and huevos motuleños, featuring refried black beans, crispy tostada, ranchero sauce, Chihuahua cheese, sunny-side egg, ham hock, and peas. Be sure to wash this goodness all down with brunch cocktails like the Blood & Leather, or Parson's take on a Bloody Mary made with gin and Fernet. Brunch is served weekdays from 11:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and weekends from 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. 

While one restaurant is bringing back brunch, another hot spot is just getting started. Headquarters Beercade has introduced weekend brunch, offering fuel for all those arcade games you'll surely be playing for hours on end. The first ever brunch menu for the boozy arcade runs the gamut from decadent sweets to indulgent savories, like chocolate brioche French toast and a hangover cure plate with fries, creamed spinach, applewood-smoked bacon, fried Brussels sprouts, housemade hot sauce, giardiniera, scallions, and two over-easy eggs. For something really excessive and wild, try the "Turf War" burger, a behemoth made with grass-fed beef, a fried chicken thigh, pickled jalapeños, applewood-smoked bacon, Swiss cheese, Napa cabbage slaw, jalapeño aioli, bread and butter pickles, Dijonaise, and pea shoots on a brioche bun. 

- Matt Kirouac