I have had the pleasure of eating at Deleece Grill Pub twice in a couple months, and it is quickly climbing to the top of my list of favorite Chicago spots!

My first visit was for a long, boozy Girl’s Brunch, organized by my favorite Food Whore, Vivian! I really love the brunch menu, because there are so many unique options! I get tired of seeing the same old thing at every breakfast joint in the city. The Eggs Benedict is usually my go-to brunch item, but since Vivian was dead-set on the lobster benedict with white truffle hollandaise (well worth the $13!) I decided to branch out. I ordered the Breakfast Mac ($10), which is white cheddar mac n’ cheese with bacon and tomatoes, topped with 2 sunny-side up eggs. This is by far one of the best brunch meals I have ever had! When I mixed the eggs up with everything, it reminded me of pasta carbonara, one of my all-time favorite dishes. Rich, creamy, smoky…wow.

This mac n’ cheese will stick to your ribs too! Like a proper food whore, I would NEVER miss a meal, but I almost didn’t eat dinner that night!

And the BEST part of Deleece’s brunch? Bottomless mimosas! I think I drank more mimosas in those 3 hours than I have drunk in my entire life COMBINED! With a $15 price tag, those mimosas will pay for themselves pretty quickly, because they bring the mimosas to your table in pitchers! Yes, PITCHERS…which our waitress cheerfully refilled for us MANY times! My advice: If you are going to take advantage of bottomless mimosas, don’t have any plans for the rest of the day, because you won’t be running any errands or going to any appointments. You will be too busy enjoying your 17th glass of mimosa! (But who’s counting?)

My second meal here was decidedly less decadent, but no less enjoyable! Mr. Man and I were looking for something low-key that wouldn’t break the bank. The place was fairly empty, but then again it was Inauguration Day. We were seated at a nice table in front of the fireplace. The only thing I can really complain about is that our waiter gave us 4 menus! Menus are some of my favorite reading material, but I thought that was a bit excessive! I suppose they want us to know what all our options are! So after perusing the Dinner, Cheese, Beer & Wine, and Whisky menus and munching on a few of the complimentary homemade potato chips, we were ready to order.

I found the wines all to be very reasonably priced! Most bottles were in the $30 range. I ordered a very nice glass of Petit Syrah. Mr. Man is a fan of fancy microbrews, so he tried one of those.

Since Deleece has a whole menu dedicated to cheese, we decided to try a few! (By the way, the cheese menu also suggests beer pairings for each variety). We ordered the Humboldt Fog and the Marieke Gouda. We got a couple pieces of each, along with bread, dates and grapes. I LOVED the Gouda! To be honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since!

I’m glad we opted for a light starter, because my dinner was hefty! I asked our server for a recommendation, since I was torn between the hanger steak and the Tokyo sirloin. He suggested the hanger steak, and he did not steer me wrong! It was peppercorn crusted and topped with blue cheese. It had a perfect char on the outside, with a nice crust. MMM. All the entrees come with 2 sides. Do yourself a favor and get one of the mac n’ cheeses as a side–it’s only a buck more! I chose the Gruyere with butternut squash and fried shallots. OH YUMMO. Slightly sweet from the squash, a nice crunch from the shallots…so good. I guilted myself into getting a veg for my other side, and I enjoyed my perfectly cooked broccoli. And I got all that for $17! WOW! Mr. Man ordered the BBQ beef sandwich. I liked that it wasn’t drowned in sauce, and he liked that he could still taste the smoky flavor of the beef beneath the sauce. Very nice! He also opted for mac n’ cheese–the Asiago with bacon and garlic bread crumbs, and he loved it!

We didn’t have dessert because we had homemade birthday cake at home, but I couldn’t resist a look! They all sounded really tasty, especially the chocolate chip oatmeal ice cream sandwich cookie!

The food here is consistently great! While it can be a little pricey for brunch, at dinner it is a great value for the money. Mr. Man and I went a bit more economical on this dinner–no bottle of wine, sharing an appetizer, one entree and one sandwich, and no dessert. It’s nice to know that you can tighten the purse strings a little without feeling like you are sacrificing taste or quality!

I HIGHLY recommend Deleece Grill Pub! It’s a great neighborhood spot, I wish I lived closer! My next visit to Deleece will be for their $20 prix fixe dinner on Sunday or Wednesday.

- Michelle

Neighborhood: Lakeview
3313 N Clark St
(between Aldine Ave & Buckingham Pl)
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 348-3313
http://www.deleecegrillpub.com/

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