Even though Easter’s over, most all the picks below are still open for brunch and still offer some great deals.

Being that this Sunday is Easter, pretty much the Super Bowl of Sunday brunches, we thought it would be fun to share with you some of our best bets for a delicious mid-day meal. Happy brunching!

PLRG’s Top Brunch Pick

If you’re willing to go the extra mile (north), head to Tweet in Uptown for the most delightful brunch we’ve had in a long time. To express our adoration for Tweet and their array of different hot sauces at each table (6 to be exact) in words, but found that one Yelp reviewer had already done it perfectly:

“I love you, Tweet. I will drive all the way from the other end of the city to visit you for brunch as often as I can. Your service is as delightful and warm as your lovely dining room. Your vegetarian items are the best in the city (suck it, Chicago Diner). You get me drunk before breakfast. What more could I ask? I love you. I love you. I am yours forever.”
-A.S, Chicago, IL

Sounds like a relationship we’re ready to commit to. Check out their brunch menu here and remember they don’t take brunch reservations.. so be prepared to fight for a table. (5020 N. Sheridan)

Some of our other faves

For something totally unique, Green Zebra is the place to be for Sunday brunch. Though the menu is almost entirely vegetarian (with the exception of some seafood and eggs), according to Noelle, “You’ll never even miss the meat.” Offering items like Fennel Soup with Candied Meyer Lemon ($5) and Caramelized Banana Crepes with Ricotta and Wisconsin honey ($11), Green Zebra will please both vegans and carnivores alike. (1460 W. Chicago; 10am-2pm)

Easter may traditionally be about Jesus, but at Rockit Bar and Grill, they’re all about Mary…Bloody Mary, that is. $5 Bloody Mary bar (with over 40 gourmet ingredients to spice things up), Mimosa Kits and $5 Mimosas, plus live music make Rockit the place to be every Saturday and Sunday for brunch. (22 W. Hubbard; 10:30am-4pm)

Looking to satisfy those carnivorous cravings after Lent? (Bunny) hop on over to Prairie Grass Cafe for a savory buffet-style selection including ham, Chicken Roulade, crab cakes, and made-to-order omelet and waffle stations. For a sweet bite, brunchers can hit up the fully stocked dessert station. (601 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook; Adults-$36, Kids-$15; 10am-2pm)

Looking for somewhere swanky to take the fam this Sunday? Then try Joe’s Prime Steak & Stone Crab for juicy steaks, tasty crab claws and homemade pies. Open Saturdays and Sundays for Brunch, right now they are offering a “Stimulus Package” special. For just $21.95 you can get one of two classic luncheon options (we like the 5 stone crab claws, hash browns, Joe’s cole slaw and key lime pie option). (60 E. Grand; 11am-4pm)

If you find yourself in Lakeview after Church this Easter Sunday, make sure to stop by Harmony Grill for a wholesome brunch. Located at Belmont and Southport, Harmony Grill is directly attached to Schuba’s bar and music hall. Brunch begins at 9am and includes an array of delicious treats including: fruit based pastries, omelets, Mexican style dishes and the house specialty, beignets. Brunch plates are moderately priced, averaging around $10 a plate. $4 Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas are also available to enhance your Easter Sunday celebrations. (3159 N. Southport)

(Lindsey Duda, Lacey Brenly, Caitlin Darcy, Sarah Saddemi, Kirsty Gordon)

We love Chicago because it’s the world’s biggest college town. In our experience, you are just as likely to see a drunk, 45 year-old man peeing in an alley or puking on Division Street as you are to see a drunk 21 year-old doing the same thing on Mill Avenue in Tempe, Arizona. If you don’t believe me, keep an eye out this weekend- St. Patrick’s Day is to Chicago what Homecoming weekend is to a Big Ten school.

Think about it. This weekend there will be parades, green beer and masses of drunk people everywhere. Some guys will have the nerve to wear kilts and some women the nerve to flash. Bagpipers will play on top of bars and people will make out with strangers. Topping it all off, the entire city will pull their version of a college prank and dye the Chicago River green. It reminds of something Elle Woods once said, “This is going to be just like Senior year, only funner!”

All of this revelry can easily put a dent in your wallet though, so it’s important to know where the deals are. We’ve hand picked some of the best spots for an affordable, Irish-style weekend:

I’m Starving!

St Patrick’s Day at Lawry’s The Prime Rib
March 13, 15, 16, 17, Lunch from 11:30am-2pm, Dinner from 5pm-10pm

Go high-end Irish at this classic Chicago spot. You’ll score lunch for just $14 or prix fixe dinner for $35! They’ll even be providing authentc entertainment, The Shannon Rovers Irish Bagpipe Band

St. Patrick’s Day at Morton’s, The Steakhouse (Wacker Pl.)
March 14, 11am-3pm

Morton’s is going green this year! Well, their $4 Miller Light Drafts are anyway. You can also chow down on their all you can eat buffet, including Irish faves like soda bread and corned beef, for just $14.99.

Sham-Rockin at The Smoke Daddy
March 14, 12pm-3pm

Smoke Daddy celebrates St. Patty’s day, bbq style. $20 gets you food (pulled chicken, mac-n-cheese and other bbq classics), green Bud Lights and entertainment by the jazz and blues band, The Northside Southpaw.

Pre-Soak Breakfast at Jake Melnick’s
March 14, 9am-12pm

Our favorite place for cheap martinis on Thursdays will open early this weekend to feed the drunken masses. Join them for an amazing $5, all-you-can-eat breakfast, and you’ll be ready for the big day of drinking ahead.

I Need a Drink!

Irish Beer Tasting at Cafe Ciao
March 13, 6pm

Get prepped for the weekend with a tasting of various Irish beers (think stouts, ales, reds and others) for just $13. You can also snack on irish menu items like corned beef on rye and fish and chips.

Chicago Sport and Social Club St Patrick’s Day Party at Trinity Bar & Grill
March 13, 8pm-10pm

Hang out with this sporty crowd and enjoy $2.50 Coors Light Drafts, $3 Bushmill Shots and $5 Bailey’s Irish Coffees.

St. Patricks Day at Crossroads Public House
March 13, 11am-2am; March 14, 9am-3am; March 14, 11am-2am; March 17, 9am-2am

Swing by this St. Patty’s party for $6 green beer pitchers, Guiness and Smithwick’s drafts. If you’re in a bold mood, try a shot of Jameson or Bushmills for just $5. If you’re really ready to party, head over on Saturday when their $30 drink package also includes a dinner buffet.

St. Patrick’s Day at Park 52
March 17, 5-10pm

Beer will be half-price at this Hyde Park spot, plus you can get a plate of wings to share ($10 & $18 batches). But, we know what PLRG’s will be sipping on- the $7 GaelicTinis (think green apple)!

(Lacey Brenly)

Whether you voted for Obama or not, we know PoorLittleRichGirls are always looking for a reason to celebrate and have a good time. And, what’s the official drink of inauguration day? The O-Bomb, of course! Below are our picks for where to be when the torch is passed:

In Fine Spirits (5420 N. Clark)
No Cover; Specials until 10pm
Join your friends for a toast ($9 Domaine Carneros 2005 Brut Sparkling Wine, and the White Lady and Black Tie cocktails) and half price “Chef’s Features” (salads, flatbreads, etc.) in honor of the inauguration. If you’re still in the mood to celebrate come Wednesday, you can also join them for a $44 red, white and blue theme prix fixe dinner.

C-View (Affinia Hotel, 166 E. Superior)
No Cover; 5pm-11pm
What better place to celebrate a hometown win than at this rooftop lounge with amazing views of the city. Festivities include live music, complimentary apps and dessert and $10 specialty drinks in honor of the inauguration (with names like “Bon Voyage” and “All American”).

People Lounge (1560 N. Milwaukee)
No Cover; 5pm-2am
At this neighborhood-y Bucktown spot you can watch coverage of the event while enjoying $5 “Obama Bombs” and Svedka drinks and $4 drafts. Of course they’ll also have their regular menu available if you’ve got a hankering for some delish tapas.

Crimson Lounge (Hotel Sax, 333 N. Dearborn)
No Cover; 8pm-2am
If you have to be at work for the main event, you can catch the recorded coverage of the swearing-in at this boutique hotel lounge. They’ll also be serving up $8 red, white and blue specialty cocktails.

Marge’s Still (1758 N. Sedgwick)
No Cover; 11am-12am 
It’s a PoorLittleRichGirl’s paradise, with $7 martinis, $5 glasses of Freixenet (sparkling wine) and half-price bottles of wine. If you stop in for lunch, between 11am-3pm, you’ll get a free soup or salad with any burger or sandwich.

(Lacey Brenly)

10pin Bowling Lounge (330 N. State)
$4 blue moon drafts, $6 bombs

42 Degrees North Latitude Kitchen & Cocktails (4500 N. Lincoln Ave)
$5 martinis

404 Wine Bar (2856 N Southport)
$6 burger of the week, $15 goose pitchers

A Mano (335 N. Dearborn)
$11.95 lunch time special 11:30-2pm, $5 wood oven pizzas

Ai Japanese Restaurant & Lounge (358 W. Ontario St)
$4 happy hour sushi 5-7pm, $3 sapporos, $3 hot sakes, free valet

AliveOne (2683 N. Halsted)
$4 jameson shots, $3 three floyds drafts, $3 absolut cocktails

The Apartment (2251 N. Lincoln Ave)
$1 domestic drafts, $1 house cocktails, $1.50 Captain Morgan & Smirnoff cocktails, $3 cherry bombs

The Ashland (2824 N. Ashland)
$4 draft beers, $4 jack daniel cocktails, $4 infused vodka shots

Avenue Tavern (2916 N. Broadway)
$5 specialty martinis

Bar Celona & Grill (3474 N Clark St)
$4 selected tapas, $2 miller lite bottles, $4 cosmos, $2 sangria, $4 soco limes

Beachwood Inn (1415 N. Wood St)
$1 off top shelf, $2.75 bottles of leinenkugel’s

Beer Bistro (1061 W. Madison)
$5 martinis

Between Boutique Cafe & Lounge (1324 N. Milwaukee Ave)
3 plates for $20

Big City Tap (3474 N Clark St)
$1 beer of the day, $7 ny strip steak dinner

The Black Duck Tavern & Grill (1800 N. Halsted)
$5 martinis

Blue 13 (416 W.Ontario St)
Half price wine, $35 three course prix fixe dinner menu

B.L.U.E.S. (2519 N. Halsted St)
$1.50 Jager shots, $4 Jager bombs (and live music)

Bricks Pizza (1909 N. Lincoln Ave)
$4 22oz bottles of fat tire

Broadway Cellars (5900 N Broadway St)
Fixed price $23 three courses/ three wine pairings for $7

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba (2024 N. Halsted St)
$3 tapas, $1 pintxos in bar area from 4-6pm

Cafe Selmarie (4729 N. Lincoln Ave)
3 course dinner for $22

Cans Bar & Canteen (1640 N. Damen)
$2 domestic cans

Catch 35 (35 W. Wacker Dr)
$2.50 domestic beer

Chaise Lounge (1840 W. North Ave)
$5 seasonal martinis

Citizen Bar (364 W. Erie)
$15 buckets of corona & corona light, $5 o-bombs

Cleo’s (2048 W Armitage Ave)
$4.99 12in. pizzas

The Copa Cocktail Lounge (1637 N. Clybourn Ave.)
$3 draft beer, $3 jameson shots

Corcorans (1615 N. Wells)
$3 miller lite pints, $15 buckets of coors light, $5 sweet tea vodka lemonades, $1.5 mini cheeseburgers

Crimson Lounge (333 N. Dearborn St)
$3 champagne, wine and draft beer

Cuatro Restaurant (2030 S Wabash Ave)
$30 three course prix fixe menu

D’Agostino’s (752 N Ogden Ave)
$3 domestic bottles, $5 mixed drinks

Dine (733 W. Madison St)
$3.50 corona bottles, $2.50 lite drafts

District Bar (170 W. Ontario)
1/2 priced entree salads, 1/2 priced bottles of wine, $5 Pearl vodka drinks

Duffy’s Tavern & Grille (420 1/2 W. Diversey)
$1 burgers, $2 bud products, $4 drop shots

Fizz (3220 N. Lincoln Ave)
25 cent wings, $5 shot and beer special, trivia at 8:30pm

Grace O’Malley’s (1416 S. Michigan Ave)
$4 Grace’s lemonade, $4 drafts of Blue Moon

The Grand Central (950 W. Wrightwood)
“Acoustic Thursdays”: $3 all beers, $5 shots

Hub51 (51 W. Hubbard)
1/2 off all sushi from 3pm-6pm

Kelsey’s (2265 N. Lincoln Ave)
$1 domestic bottles, $5 select bombs and Jameson shots, $4 Malibu cocktails

The Ledge Bar & Grill (1745 W. North Ave)
$3 Jameson shots, $4 well drinks

Lincoln Station (2432 N. Lincoln Ave)
$2 Bud Light, $2.50 Stella, $3 Guinness

Marche (833 W. Randolph St)
3-course prix fixe lunch for $18.95

Matilda (3101 N. Sheffield)
$3 Point Pale Ale, $5 appetizers

Motel Bar (600 W. Chicago Ave)
$5 Skyy Vodka Cocktails, $5 Martin Miller Cocktails, $5 Guinness

Moxie (3517 N. Clark St)
$3 You-Call-Its, $4 O-bombs, 1/2 price apps, DJ at 9pm

Nacional 27 (325 W. Huron St)
$20 Happy Hour Cocktail Class

Northside Bar & Grill (1635 N. Damen Ave)
$2 PBRs

The Red Canary (695 N. Milwaukee Ave)
50% off all bottles of wine, $40 table kegs

Relax Lounge (1450 W. Chicago Ave)
$3 PBRs, $4 Burgers, $5 Jim and Jack

Sopo (3418 N. Southport)
$4 caramel apple and chocolate martinis, $3 Amstel Light, $5 all food

State (935 W. Webster)
$6.95 all food items* (*Some Exceptions)

Sub51 (51 W. Hubbard)
1/2 price bottles of Belvedere with table reservation

Suite Lounge (1446 N. Wells St)
$5 sangria and $5 mojitos

Sunda (110 W. Illinois St)
1/2 priced Apps, $20 sake/sushi flights and daily specialty cocktails from 5-7pm

Theory Sports Bar & Grill (9 W. Hubbard)
Chicken Finger Night ($7), $6 Effen Black Cherry You-call-its, $4 312’s

Vines on Clark (3554 N. Clark St)
Trivia Night, $10 domestic pitchers, $15 pitchers of Harp or Guinness, 1/2 price Cheeseburgers w/ FF

Zella (1983 N. Clybourn)
BBQ Night - $2.50 Miller Lite & Coors Lite bottles and drafts, $2.50 Well drinks, $3.50 call drinks, $2 hot dogs

Zocalo (358 W. Ontario)
$5 Sangrias and citrus cazuelas, 1/2 off appetizers (app deal in bar area only, from 5-7pm)

You’ve been so busy this week and now it’s Friday night and it’s Halloween and you haven’t made any plans yet. No worries. We’ve found the fanciest Friday yet, and costumes are welcome (If you managed to plan that far ahead)!

Venture over to Cuatro tonight, and make sure to get there before 8pm if you want to avoid the $10 cover. It will probably work best if 

you and your friends put together a last minute appetizer potluck and get your costumes on before heading out (you’ll score points for saving money on dinner and having a blast transforming into your “characters”). 

Once you arrive at Cuatro you can look forward to Live DJ’s, including lady D and Stacy Kidd, a costume contest and other prizes. But, best of all, they’ll be poring Veuve Cliqout Yellow Label Champage for $10 a glass and $50 a bottle!

This Friday will for sure be a treat!

Your friends might think you are the “life of the party,” but hosting a party is more than just unleashing your inner party girl. It can be hard work that entails extensive planning on theme, budget, and more. A successful party is measured in good company, scrumptious food, and of course, laughter.

There are several tips and tricks you can use when hosting an upcoming Halloween party. The key to hostessing is frame of mind. Forget the image of you greeting your guests in an apron. You aren’t Martha Stewart and this isn’t the 1950’s.

Your attitude will set the standard for the evening. Of course you want to portray an upbeat and confident aura. Be positive. Put on a smile. You can allow yourself a glass of wine or mixed drink to relax, but don’t 

be a drunken mess. Your main tasks are to look after people–get them drinks, make your place comfortable and stylish, introduce guests and encourage mingling and so on. But above all, be happy about your task. People love to be looked after.

Have a theme.

It’s Halloween. Transform your house/condo/apartment into a spooky atmosphere: strategically place candles throughout the rooms, hang cobwebs, carve pumpkins, etc. Provide themed ghoulish snacks and drinks. Create a fun atmosphere complete with scary music.

Let’s play dress-up!

Now throw costumes into the mix, and the outcome can either be disastrous or a success. Everyone is a big kid at heart, and people love an excuse to reveal their child-like side. But place some ground rules. No one wants “Blue Man Group” lying all over your white couches. Make it more exciting by taking it to the next level and have a costume contest.

The Perfect Party Go-er.

My Mother always taught me that you never should arrive empty handed. Whether it’s a dish to pass or a bottle of alcohol or wine, it really displays your appreciation to the host. If you’re close to the hostess, take it a step further and ask if he/she needs help. While the host may look like they have it all together, they could be screaming on the inside for a little helping hand. Also, be in tune to your inner party clock. Know when it’s time to leave. If you’re the last person there, it’s time to go home. Likewise, if you know the host wants guests to leave and you see that certain people are going to linger and outstay their welcome, then subtly hint that “we’re going to all turn into pumpkins soon” and encourage others to leave with you.

Some tips to remember:

• Remember to put away valuables and/or fragile things away like vases, heirlooms, and anything made of glass.
• Put the pets in a separate room.
• Give guests ample time to plan ahead and RSVP.
• Keep the music volume at a reasonable level. If neighbors call the police to file a complaint, then it’s not so fun anymore.
• Call a cab for anyone who appears drunk and insists on driving their car. If you have the room for them, suggest they stay on your couch.

Bon V
1100 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60607-1608
312-829-4805




www.bonvchicago.com

Free Admission until Midnight and 1 Complimentary Cocktail (Ladies Only, Must present this coupon)

Red Ivy
3525 North Clark St.
Chicago, IL
773-472-0900

 PLRG Readers get $3.00 Absolut and Absolut Flavors Cocktails on Fridays (present this coupon to redeem).