Bakin’ & Eggs
Intelligentsia Coffee
Bacon Donut with Maple Glaze
Glazed and Raised Donut
Blueberry Scone
Earl Grey and Golden Raisin Scone
Red Velvet Cupcake
Carrot Cake Cupcake
Triple Berry Pancakes – Raspberry, Strawberry, and lots o’ Blueberries + Lemon Cream
Banana Pecan Bread French Toast – Hazelnut Ganache + Butter + Bananas + Banana Rum Whipped Cream
Lovely French Toast – Bread Pudding from butter, chocolate, and almond croissants + brown sugar
Southern Comfort Bowl – Potatoes + 2 Poached Eggs + Cheddar + Biscuits + Chicken Apple Sausage
Located on Lincoln Avenue in Lakeview with a footprint far larger than one would assume from the street Bakin’ & Eggs had long been one of the Chicago breakfast nooks I’d been meaning to visit and with selections at Cellar Door Provisions proving rather limited while the morning was prime for a leisurely walk it was with wide eyes that my sister, her fiancée, and I sat down to dine – a ten part order served across three courses soon to follow with only the overly dense scones and overburdened service proving less than excellent during the course of our ninety minute stay. Owned and operated by the folks behind Lovely Bakeshop with a friendly vibe suited for all ages it was inevitably with several selections from the case of freshly baked pastries that our indulgence began and paired to a bottomless cup of hot drip from Intelligentsia both donuts and cupcakes would show nicely, the bacon speckled base of the brioche donut particularly impressive and the carrot cake defiantly light despite a robust spice profile and tangy cream cheese. Moving onward to things more substantial as a small child beside us plowed through a short-stack of pancakes with remarkable gusto it was with a single savory and three more sweets that we proceeded and although the biscuits of the Southern Comfort Bowl suffered similarly to the scones everything else was exemplary, the weekend-only “Lovely French Toast” a true show-stopper with a dense crumb richly imbued by butter while fluffy pancakes took the opposite approach in arriving so light they seemed to threaten floating off the plate, a dollop of whip and lemon cream acting as both anchor and accent to bursting, fresh berries.
RECOMMENDED: Lovely French Toast, Triple Berry Pancakes, Bacon Donut with Maple Glaze, Carrot Cake Cupcake
AVOID: Scones and Biscuits both proved far too dense thus leading me to wonder if perhaps old baking powder was at fault versus a simple difference in technique compared to my personal preferences – either way, with so many superior options on the menu I’d not venture to retry either as there are better versions to be found elsewhere in the Windy City.
TIP: Featuring a thirty minute queue for a 4-top when we were leaving at 9:30 those in a rush should be aware that although reservations are not accepted there is an express counter for baked goods or coffee and with plenty of indoor standing room plus a few seats at the bar even those arriving later in the morning are unlikely to grow weary with waiting.
http://www.bakinandeggschicago.com/home.php
