Brunch - Hot Chocolate

U Brunch n A meal that combines breakfast and lunch, eaten late in the morning (1) 1896, British student slang merger of breakfast and lunch. "To be fashionable nowadays we must 'brunch'. Truly an excellent portmanteau word, introduced, by the way, last year, by Mr. Guy Beringer, in the now defunct Hunter's Weekly, and indicating a combined breakfast and lunch." ["Punch," Aug. 1, 1896] (2)

    Originally written  Fall 2008

I love brunch! It is such a marvelous thing, and I don’t know of any place besides Chicago that Brunch is such an event. That is really what it is too, an event. I think people put more time and effort into dressing for and choosing a Sunday Brunch location. Some people stick to their standards, only patronizing their favorite neighborhood haunt, guarding it jealously from their coworkers and acquaintances so as not to muddle the experience with people out of their norm. Other brunchers flit about like butterflies going from one locale to the next, these unsatisfied few are searching for the ‘perfect’ place, while still others just like the variation and excitement of discovery and change. Brunch is the perfect time to try something new that doesn’t involve the hassles that usually comes with orchestrating a dinner outing. Just the other day I went with two of my best friends to brunch in Bucktown, this is how it went… “Hmmm…. Hot chocolate”. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t close their eyes and sigh when they hear those two little words. “Hot Chocolate”. Their speech slows, each word is thoughtfully considered and articulated, while the worry on their face disappears and a small smile steals across their face. It truly is a thing of beauty to see a transformation such as this. It is a bit of a hike up Damen Ave from Milwaukee especially when the weather is less than favorable, but…it is well worth the journey past the designer boutiques and Sunday brunch yuppies to such a lovely place. The décor stays along the same lines as their name…the color of chocolate. It must have been an excruciating thing trying to coordinate the many shades of brown that are represented in this little gem, but in the end it is a perfect balance of dark and mid toned woods, stained concrete, leather, soft lighting and frosted glass is achieved. Besides the cozy décor the food demands ones full and undivided attention it is so phenomenal. We three friends all had the same dish; Brioche French toast with lemon curd accompanied by two organic sausage links and a tiny little ceramic pitcher of maple syrup. - $10, it was kind of ridiculous. We took extra time deciding what to order because no one wanted to get the same thing as everyone else, but in the end we all decided to get the French toast, justifying this choice by the fact that we each chose a different type of Hot Chocolate. There were many different variations of hot chocolate, ranging from a White Chocolate version to a Dark Chocolate, and everything in-between. I chose the “Mexican” Hot Chocolate, with cinnamon… - $6. With each one tasting the other’s choice we were able to experience three different iterations of perfection.

Mindy’s Hot Chocolate Restaurant* Dessert Bar* Pastries 1747 North Damen Chicago IL 60647 Tel. 773.489.1747 Fax. 773.489.1777 www.hotchocolatechicago.com

Citations (1) Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (2)