Luella's Southern Kitchen: Authentic Southern Mother's Day Brunch that's as Good as "Great-Grandmother Used to Make"

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Luella's Southern Kitchen, one of Chicago's hottest new restaurants (4609 N. 

 Lincoln Ave.; 773-961-8196), is going to be a fabulous place to bring the whole family and enjoy a delicious, down home Southern Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All moms will receive complimentary house-made praline candy.Chef/Owner Darnell Reed will cook up some of his highly-praised Southern specialties, all inspired by his great-grandmother, Luella, for whom he named the restaurant. 

Among the delicious dishes on the spring brunch menu are Cream Cheese and Praline Pancakes ($10),  buttermilk pancakes served with fresh blueberry compote; Chicory Coffee French Toast ($11) made with coffee crème brulee batter and served with fresh berries; Southern Benedict ($11), prepared with braised Slagel Farms pork, poached farm eggs, Crystal hollandaise, and served over a freshly baked buttermilk biscuit; Andouille Sausage Quiche ($12), an Andouille sausage quiche made with Romano cheese, caramelized leeks, and farm eggs. By popular demand, Reed has added his popular Bourbon Chicken and Waffles ($12) to the brunch menu, made with a Liege waffle and served with bourbon maple syrup. Another favorite is the Shrimp and Grits ($15), New Orleans BBQ shrimp served with cream cheese grits.

To add a light touch to your brunch feast, enjoy two exquisite salad creations: the Kale Ambrosia ($11)  prepared with citrus segments, pineapple, goat cheese, candied pecans, toasted coconut, fresh basil and lime vinaigrette; and a new spring creation, Watermelon Salad ($11), with benne seeds, arugula, and sorghum vinaigrette.

Burger lovers will enjoy the Pimento Cheeseburger ($11), a Slagel Farms burger with pimento cheese, topped with an egg sunny side up, on a brioche bun, and served with Creole seasoned fries.

Luella's hasn't forgotten the kids: They will love the  Mickey Mouse Pancakes ($3), fresh buttermilk pancakes with Mickey's face!

  

Complete your Mother's Day celebration with some tempting Southern desserts, including Milk Chocolate Bread Pudding ($6), served with strawberry jam Anglaise and praline ice cream; Beignets ($5), 

fried dough pillows with a generous dusting of confectioners' sugar; or a new spring item, Blackberry Hand Pie ($6), served with salted caramel ice cream.

"The best compliment you can give us is that our food is as good as Mom (or in our case, Grandma) used to make," said Reed. "That's not just a cliché here at Luella's Southern Kitchen. Everything we do was inspired by the amazing Southern home cooking prepared by my great-grandmother, Luella, who originally was from Mississippi. She moved to Chicago many years ago and the rest of the family followed. She inspired me to become a chef and she is the matriarch of our family."

About Chef Reed

Darnell Reed is a graduate of Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago. He began his professional career in 1997 at the Palmer House Hilton where he served as Restaurant Chef at the French Quarter and the Big Downtown. In 2005, he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef at the Embassy Suites Chicago Lakefront where he handled banquet functions for up to 700 people. In April 2007, Reed was promoted to the dual Executive Chef position at the Hilton of Oakbrook and Hilton Garden Inn of Oakbrook. In May of 2010, he accepted the Executive Sous Chef position at the Conrad Chicago Hotel and was promoted to Executive Chef in 2011.

About Luella's Southern Kitchen

Luella's Southern Kitchen, located at 4609 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago's Lincoln Square, is a casual independent restaurant owned by Chef Darnell Reed. The restaurant opened February 3, 2015. Luella's serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Weekend brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; dinner is served until 10 p.m. on Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sunday. All major cards are accepted. Luella's is a BYOB establishment; no corkage fee is charged. Takeout and delivery service are available. For more information, call the restaurant at (773) 961-8196 or visit the website at www.luellassouthernkitchen.com.

Getting Better and Better: Luella's Adds Homer Soda to its Soft Drink Lineup

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Chef/Owner Darnell Reed of Luella's Southern Kitchen (4609 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-961-8196) in Chicago's Lincoln Square is making all the right decisions. This new restaurant, which has received rave reviews and is on Chicago Magazine's restaurant hotlist for April, continues to treat its guests' taste buds with impeccable yet very reasonably priced Southern regional specialties.

Having recently updated his lunch, dinner and brunch menus for spring, Chef Darnell has now enhanced Luella's beverage program by carrying three legendary Southern all-natural craft sodas distributed by Homer Soda Chicago. These delicious soft drinks, all served in glass bottles ($2.50 per bottle), are made with pure cane sugar and are the perfect accompaniment to Chef Darnell's Southern hospitality. 

Among the new sodas are Blenheim's Spicy Ginger Ale from South Carolina. This bottler was the earliest and arguably, finest independent soda bottling company in the U.S. The zesty soda is made with water from the natural mineral springs in Blenheim, South Carolina and Jamaican ginger.  

From the Galveston-Houston area of Texas comes another old-time favorite, the delicious Triple XXX Root Beer, bottled since 1918. During the 1920s, Triple XXX operated more than 100 "Thirst Station" restaurants across the South and West Coast in addition to its wholesale business. Although the Great Depression took its toll on the restaurants, this delicious root beer has continued to be bottled and distributed throughout the United States. 

North Carolina is nicely represented with Cheerwine, a soft drink with a hint of wild cherry that is known as the "Nectar of North Carolina." It has been bottled since 1917.

"We are thrilled to bring these unique and exceptional soft drinks to our guests," said Reed. "We want everyone to know that, at Luella's, we are passionate about serving food and beverages that are delicious, authentically Southern and made with love. Each of these legendary sodas had their origins at small independent businesses and we're proud to continue the tradition here in Chicago."  

Luella's Southern Kitchen will continue to serve Coke products and also brews a delicious homemade sweetened iced tea. The restaurant is BYOB and guests are invited to bring their favorite alcoholic beverages; there is no corkage fee. 

Da Lobsta at Old Town Art Fair this Weekend June 14 & 15

There’s another great reason to visit the 65th Annual Old Town Art Fair this weekend, June 14 & 15. Da Lobsta! Take a break from strolling the 250 nationally acclaimed artists (100 of whom are new) at one of the best juried art fairs in America and enjoy a delicious authentic Lobster Roll in the heart of the historic Old Town Triangle. For more information, visit http://www.dalobstachicago.com or OldTownTriangle.com.

 

 

Delightful Pastries Sweet and Savory for Your Easter Table

           

Whether sweet or savory, Delightful Pastries has delicious treats in store for Spring and the Easter holiday season.
  

While you may think of Delightful Pastries for its sweet offerings, don't forget that they offer a  complete selection of savories and homemade breads. Create a memorable Easter brunch by starting off with Delightful Pastries' delicious Lamb & Spinach Pie with organic lamb, spinach and a cheese béchamel sauce, serving 12-14 people. Their Veggie Quiche with French pastry filled with leeks, spinach, m ushroom, onion and Swiss cheese is another great choice for your brunch menu.

  

 

 

 

  Chef Dobra Bielinski suggests adding a White Borsht Soup and a Fresh Sausage and Polish salad with organic arugula, roasted butternut squash, roasted local beets from Genesis Growers, oranges, spiced walnuts with house made mustard vinaigrette to your menu. Accompany the meal with a variety of breads such as Seeded Sourdough-a healthy delicious eggless bread with no dairy, sugar or yeast. It's a great vegan selection. In fact, Delightful Pastries offers a number of vegan offerings including their special Pecan Cranberry Sourdough, a whole wheat bread studded with dried cranberries and pecans and Holiday Bread with pecans, dried cherries, raisin, dried cranberries, candied orange peel and currants. 

  

On the sweet side, Delightful Pastries specials include Pound Cake finished with buttercream or powdered sugar, and an array of beautifully decorated and tasty sugar cookies in adorable shapes including bunny rabbits, carrots, flowers, and butterflies topped with icing and spring decorations. Delightful Pastries' Mocha Chocolate Bundt Cake, Rum & Raisin Babka and Chocolate Babka also make a perfect hostess gift or serving centerpiece for your own holiday table. 
  

Easter specials are available at all three Delightful Pastries locations: Old Town at 1710 N. Wells St., (312) 255-0724; Jefferson Park at 5927 W. Lawrence, (773) 545-7215, and Chicago French Market at 131 N. Clinton, (312) 234-9644. Visit http://www.delightfulpastries.com for more information.

Chicago Forward: Jobs for the Future on Tuesday

On Tuesday, March 25, Trib Nation Events presents Chicago Forward: Jobs for the Future, the second event in an ongoing series associated with the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board’s “A New Plan of Chicago” initiative. Key business, labor and education leaders will discuss job scarcity and how the city can achieve economic prosperity both in its commercial center and surrounding neighborhoods. Tribune Editorial Board member Greg Burns will lead the discussion. For more information about “A New Plan of Chicago,” which invites readers to address the challenges facing our city, visit chicagotribune.com/plan.  

In conversation with Greg Burns:

• Steven Koch - Deputy Mayor, Chicago
• Paula Wolff - Chair of the Board, City Colleges of Chicago
• Jorge Ramirez - President, Chicago Federation of Labor

When:                March 25, 2014, 6 p.m.

Where:               Venue SIX10, The Spertus Institute, 610 S. Michigan Ave.

Tickets:              Tickets are $20 and available for purchase at tribnation.com/events. Ticket sales will benefit the Chicago Tribune Foundation, which promotes education, access to the arts and journalism programs in low-income areas.

About Chicago Forward:

Chicago Forward: Conversations About the Future is part of Chicago Tribune’s Trib Nation, which offers events, seminars and programming to the Chicago community.  Presented by ComEd, Chicago Forward gathers business and government leaders and national influencers to discuss issues vital to Chicago and Illinois.  Audiences participate by asking questions of the panel and mingling with the speakers during a post-discussion reception. 

Lobster Corned Beef Roll for St. Patty’s Day at DaLobsta

St. Patrick’s Day has a new twist on the corned beef theme. Back by popular demand, Da Lobsta will be featuring its delicious St. Patty’s Day Roll ($12.95) on March 17 only at both Chicago-area Da Lobsta locations, 12 E. Cedar and at the Chicago French Market, 131 N. Clinton. The roll features lobster and corned beef, topped with a spicy picked relish. Delish. 

Delightful Pastries Gets Ready for Paczki Day. Have you ordered your Paczki?

If there ever was a question as to whom rules the queendom of Paczki making in Chicago, these photos will help solve the query. The mother-daughter team of Stasia Hawryszczuk  and Dobra Bielinski, partners of Chicago’s Delightful Pastries with brother Robert Hawryszczuk, and his wife Nico Hua rule the roost. The team, with a handsome able-bodied staff of helpers, is cranking out delicious homemade Pasczki to the tune of 1000s per day to meet pre-order demands of 36,000 plump and delicious filled authentic Polish Paczki. If you think Paczki are the same as doughnuts, think again. The traditional Paczki is “all about the dough. It’s denser; it’s a yeast dough that doesn’t collapse when you bite in,” said Dobra.  “One of the reasons ours are so good is that we don’t use any additives; everything is from scratch – flour, sugar, water, eggs are the base.:  Paczki day is an annual tradition celebrated in Poland tomorrow (on the 27^th of February) but here in America, it’s celebrated on March 4, Fat Tuesday.” Whether you’re a purist, choosing traditional varieties such as Fresh Strawberry & Whipped Cream, Custard Topped with Chocolate Fudge, Apricot Jelly, Raspberry Jelly, Rose Petal Jelly, Plum Butter, or want a gourmet flavor such as Cannoli Paczki or Passion Fruit Jelly, there’s a Delightful Paczki for every taste. However, it’s Delightful Pastries “drunken” Paczki that has had helped Delightful make its mark nationally, with three booze-filled choices:  Jameson Whiskey with Chocolate Custard, Vodka and Custard with Madagascar Vanilla, and Lemon Curd with Moonshine. All three Chicago area Delightful Pastries locations (Jefferson Park on Lawrence; Old Town on Wells and the West Loop at the Chicago French Market) will be fully stocked. Prices range from $2 to $3.25 apiece. Come hungry. It’s impossible to just eat one. Like Delightful Pastries on Facebook and Follow on Twitter @DelightPastries. Visit http://www.delightfulpastrries.com for more information. You can order Paczki at the Lawrence Ave. bakery at: 773-545-7215.

Dobra Bielinski discussing how to make Paczki