Nightwood
2119 S Halsted Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Pilsen

Nightwood.

Nightwood is a seasonally focused restaurant that Jason Hammel and Amalea Tshilds—the owners of popular Logan Square spot Lula Cafe—opened last year.  Anna and I finally made it to Nightwood for their exclusive Sundays-only brunch this afternoon and we absolutely loved it.  Nightwood is very charming inside with exceptional woodwork, exposed brick walls, and antique lighting fixtures throughout the restaurant, as well as a covered outdoor seating area that I’m sure will be in use once it gets a bit warmer in Chicago.  Anna and I started our brunch off by sharing a bacon butterscotch donut that was incomparable to anything we’ve ever tried before.  The pieces of bacon complimented the butterscotch very well, achieving the perfect balance between sweet and smokey.  For my main dish, I went with chicken wings and waffles that were topped with rum raisins, hazelnuts and vanilla anglaise.  I’m not an expert when it comes to chicken and waffles, but I enjoyed Nightwood’s version of the classic soul food entrée very much.  Anna had an amazing scrambled egg dish that included veal meatballs, ricotta salata, and arugula as well as tots and toast on the side.  She also ordered a Sunday Morning cocktail that consisted of seasonal fruit puree and prosecco that was very refreshing.  While it has many great contenders in Chicago, Nightwood is definitely our new favorite brunch spot.  Next time we plan on checking out their dinner menu, which, along with their brunch, is also a revolving menu that is hand-written each day for a different dining experience every time.

-Rob

Bacon butterscotch donut.

Anna’s Sunday Morning drink with the donut and Rob in the background.

Anna’s veal meatball, ricotta salata, and arugula egg scramble.

Rob’s chicken wings with waffles.