River North Restaurant BRUNCH Hosts Breakfast with Santa December 10, 2011

Don’t miss catching Santa Claus as he stops in to get his shoes shined at River North’s Brunch, 644 N. Orleans at Erie, Saturday, December 10 from 7:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. As Santa Claus gets spiffed up for the busy holiday season, Brunch will give children the opportunity to meet and greet with the jolly old man while families nosh on some of Executive Chef Joseph Pierro’s holiday creations. Specialty menu items for the morning include Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pancakes, Spiced Pecans and S’mores French Toast.

Brunch features a modern, environmentally-friendly interior. Appealing not only to the leisure breakfast and lunch crowd, Brunch distinguishes itself with several unique features that will appeal to local businesspeople. The restaurant incorporates a shoe shine booth, a private meeting room, a newsstand, and a convenient express station located at the front of the restaurant. The fusion of office accommodations with its innate wooden features creates a warm atmosphere.

Under the direction of Executive Chef Joseph Pierro, the menu features a mix of classic brunch items like over-easy eggs and toast, as well as a wide variety of omelets, pancakes, pastries, and lunch items, including sandwiches, burgers, soups, and salads. The dining room, seating 130, also spotlights its breakfast bar with fresh, cooked-to-order waffles, smoothies, and a wide variety of soda, and organic beverages. Brunch, in support of Chicago’s own artists, is also proud to display artwork by the local Kristin Corna.

An ideal spot for businesspeople, Brunch houses a private meeting room adjacent to the dining room which is equipped with a teleconference system and Wi-Fi. Prior to any meeting, patrons can get a quick shoe shine at the shoe shine booth. In addition to a newsstand, professionals won’t miss a beat as Brunch offers power breakfasts and lunches, allowing busy guests to get back to their busy schedules. Brunch is also proud to offer a selection of pastries, espresso, and coffee to-go at its express station, which is perfect for the busy entrepreneur or Mom on-the-go.

Brunch focuses on environmental sustainability with a special reusable coffee mug program, complementing its house-blend Intelligentsia coffee. The program, which allows customers to bring in their own coffee mugs to use for hot drinks, is an effort to reduce the amount of water wasted when washing dishes. As well as receiving a discount for using a home brought mug, patrons have the choice to leave it at the restaurant, which will then be put into a regular rotation with the rest of the serving dishes. In addition, Brunch utilizes take-away boxes made from recycled material.

Dedicated to its environmental awareness, this restaurant purchases several of its menu items from local shops including its pastries from Bennison's Bakery in Evanston and bagels from NYCBD.Filbert's draft root beer and orange soda is also proudly served at Brunch.
Brunch is open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant is easily accessible by public transportation. For more information or reservations, call 312-265-1411 or visit www.brunchit.com