Iced-over sidewalks and plunging temps are enough to drive even the wildest party animal into hibernation. With promise of bloody marys and hangover-helping hashes, these recently debuted weekend brunches make leaving the comfy confines of your couch a little more tolerable. redeye@tribune.com | @redeyeeatdrink
Parson's Chicken & Fish
2952 W. Armitage Ave. 773-384-3333
Launched: Mid-December
Dishes: The star of this Logan Square hangout's small brunch menu is the chicken and biscuits ($12), made with fried Amish chicken thighs, housemade biscuits, a sunny-side-up egg and orange-honey reduction. You can also warm up with a bowl of pozole ($10); flavors rotate, with past versions including green chili-and-chicken and red chili-and-pork.
Drinks: Sip a bloody mary mixed with housemade sangrita and tomato juice ($8) or opt for the refreshing Beerdriver ($4), a blend of Hamm's and orange juice.
Brunch time: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. No reservations.
Honey Butter Fried Chicken
3361 N. Elston Ave. 773-478-4000
Launched: Mid-December
Dishes: Instead of chicken and waffles, this Avondale restaurant puts its signature poultry atop French toast with bourbon maple syrup and honey butter ($10). For less sweet and more meat, try the fried chicken breakfast sandwich ($10) which includes fried egg, garlic aioli, braised kale and bacon.
Drinks: Order a blood orange-pomegranate mimosa or the Threesome, housemade bloody mary mix blended with tequila and Tecate (both $8).
Brunch time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. No reservations.
Trellis
2426 N. Racine Ave. 773-644-6441
Launched: Early December
Dishes: Slightly spicy and served with sausage-laden gravy, the jalapeno and fontiago cheese biscuits ($9) at this Lincoln Park spot are so popular they've been known to sell out. The lobster and crab omelet ($10) topped with bearnaise sauce and tobiko makes a decadent alternative.
Drinks: Seafood lovers should try The Claw ($14), a bloody mary made with chipotle peppers and clam juice and garnished with a whole crab claw. Or get toasty with the Smoulder ($13), a bloody mary spiked with scotch.
Brunch time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Reservations accepted.
Azzurra EnoTavola
1467 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-278-5959
Launched: Early November
Dishes: This new Wicker Park spot offers traditional brunch items with an Italian bent such as a focaccia eggs Benedict ($11) with prosciutto and sun-dried tomato or the French toast with housemade walnut liqueur mixed into the batter ($9).
Drinks: Amaro, an Italian herbal liqueur, is meant to help with digestion after a meal, but here it's billed as a "hangover killer" ($6).
Brunch time: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Reservations accepted.
Bellwether Meeting House & Eatery
302 E. Illinois St. 312-222-1800
Launched: Late December
Dishes: The Streeterville restaurant launched brunch just a few weeks after opening, offering hearty eats such as a giant cinnamon roll served in a hot skillet with pecans ($10) and a quiche with Swiss chard, shallots and goat cheese ($14).
Drinks: Bellwether sticks to brunch standards with $6 mimosas and $7 bloody marys garnished with celery, olives and lime. "We try not to make the bloody mary a meal," said owner Nick Tsoukalas. "We just want to keep it simple."
Brunch time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Reservations accepted.
The Grid
351 W. Hubbard St. 312-321-1351
Launched: Early November
Dishes: Executive chef Eric Romano based this River North tavern's brunch menu on what he'd like to eat if hungover. That means quirky dishes such as the Eggs in Purgatory ($13), two eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce with goat sausage, goat cheese and charred bread or French toast ($13) made with panettone (an Italian sweet bread) that's stuffed with cream cheese, rolled in Frosted Flakes, deep-fried and then topped with carbonated blackberries and rum maple syrup.
Drinks: You can load up your bloody mary ($12) with imported cheeses, cured meats, charred shishito peppers and more. "It's like a meal in itself," Romano said.
Brunch time: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Reservations accepted.
Nouveau Tavern
358 W. Ontario St. 312-915-4100
Launched: Early November
Dishes: The River North restaurant's New Orleans-influenced menu features crawfish etouffee ($14) with Cajun rice and two fried eggs along with bananas foster French toast ($15) topped with fresh bananas, whipped cream and brown sugar syrup.
Drinks: For $15, you can sip bottomless mimosas throughout your meal.
Brunch time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays. Reservations accepted.
Jellyfish
1009 N. Rush St. 312-660-3111
Launched: Mid-December
Dishes: The Gold Coast restaurant's crispy chicken and green tea waffles ($14) puts an Asian spin on the traditional comfort food dish. Green tea powder replaces some of the flour in the waffles and the chicken is marinated for 24 hours in a dry rub, double-fried and topped with coconut syrup spiced with cardamom, star anise and cloves. The nori omelet ($11), a layered dish of egg and seaweed that resembles a gratin, was inspired by a dish executive chef Jason Im likes to make himself for breakfast.
Drinks: The signature bloody mary comes with an uni shooter ($20). For a fruitier option, try the Tokyo iced tea ($14), green tea-infused vodka topped with ginger-peach tea.
Brunch time: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Reservations accepted.
Bow & Stern Oyster Bar
1371 W. Chicago Ave. 312-988-0644
Launching: February
Dishes: Since opening the doors to this West Town restaurant last month, chef Brian Greene has been developing a weekend brunch menu with offerings such as smoked salmon rillettes with creme fraiche, herbs, shallots, lemon zest and pickled vegetables. A frisee and arugula salad with confit chicken thighs, poached egg and bacon is also in the works; topped with an onion marmalade and lemon-truffle dressing and served on a bed of French fries, Greene said the whole dish will resemble a bird's nest.
Drinks: Greene's a big fan of bloody marys, so expect to find them mixed with smoked tomatoes and jalapenos and incorporated into oyster shooters.
Brunch time: To be announced
HB Home Bistro
3404 N. Halsted St. 773-661-0299
Launched: Jan. 12
Dishes: The menu is divided into sandwiches, such as roasted pork belly on a pretzel roll with pickled red cabbage, swiss cheese, fried egg and mustard ($13), and hashes, which includes choices such as wagyu corned beef with potatoes, pickled onion, fried egg and horseradish gravy. You'll also find sides such as housemade ginger-sage breakfast sausage ($5).
Drinks: The Lakeview restaurant is BYOB but, if you bring the booze, you can get a carafe of orange juice or bloody mary mix for $4.
Brunch time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays. No reservations.