Flo, Noble Square, Chicago ****4/5 stars

I've been travlin' a lot lately, kids. And traveling means eating amazing brunch. Especially when we're in Stephacago's hood. Wicker Park, the Ukranian village and the surrounding neighborhoods are swarming with great brunch spots. Today we visited Flo which specializes in Mexican breakfast (my favorite). 

When we visit Steph, we also have to partake in late-night bar hopping activities that you can't do in Minneapolis. When your mom said nothing good ever happens after midnight, she was pretty much right. Nothing sensible, anyway. So rolling on about 6 solid hours of sleep for the entire weekend, we stumbled into this beautiful oasis. The patio is nice, but it was too blazing hot outside. Inside, we found cool air, high tin ceilings and a chalkboard telling of a mimosa flight special. Yow!

We got a great round table in back under a skylight. Beautiful ambiance. Great art, too.

Ever had a bloody with tequila? I swear, it's really good - smokey and sour and the madra of all hair-of-the-perro drinks I can think of...

Here's the champagne whores with their sparkling flights. The best deal in the house. Mimosa rosa with red wine, a bellini and an original mimosa. Don't get too excited...

The menu consists of a variety of eggy, beany, avocadoy stuff like this giant smothered burrito, which most of us ordered. Chili stewed beef, beans, scrambies and jack cheese smothered in ranchero sauce. Ay yay yay!

And here's the chilaquiles. Kind of looks like a pile of failed nachos, but it tasted even better than the burrito...

And to top it all off, literally, they had house-made sauces which were mui amazing.

Holding it together...

Muchas gracias Stephonics and hasta luego Chicago!

Lucky's 13 *** 3/5 stars

And...we're back! Apologies for the extended hiatus... I got sidetracked by a trip to Costa Rica where I had the best Huevos Rancheros of my life...look for the post coming soon. But, first I have to recap the stellar Sunday Mother's day brunch that I enjoyed with my dearest friend, Gramma B and her handsome pack of men. Don't let the nickname fool you, she's not wrinkled or gray or slow moving, but she does own a kitchen better than most people I know. And, sometimes gramma needs a break from cooking, so we met for brunch in her neck of the woods @ Lucky's 13 in Bloomington. Normally we burst into flames when venturing outside the 494/694 loop during the weekend, but this was a special morning. 

So, Lucky's looks like pretty much every typical suburban frontage road restaurant sports bar. But this ain't yo mamma's Applebees, if you know what I'm saying... I mean, it's way better than you'd expect if you are a jaded minneapolite like me.

Also, if you're like me, you don't really like small things that live, but I make exceptions for certain individuals who use crayons for nose jobs.

There's the disc golf champion of the family. And don't get me started on the small fry, whom I affectionately call "my grandson". But enough about our future generation, let's talk about the booze.

The bloodies are decent, but what makes them great is that they come with a tiny BLT sandwich and a tiny baby Coors. Okay, so I never said I didn't like tiny things that don't live. Baby Coors is my grandson, too.

So, the mimosas are poured over ice, which made me leery, but they actually tasted great.

Let's get to the food, cuz it's good. Like, where have you ever seen walleye benedict with corn cakes on the menu? Let me know; I'd like to compare....

And the breakfast burrito was lovely according to B...

And here's a burger with an egg on it. That qualifies as brunch...

Mmmmm... bacon. Mason tried dipping everything on the table into his syrup and then finally gave up and tried to drink it straight out the dish. Way to go, junkie.

And then complimentary chocolate covered strawberries for the ladies. I fooled them cuz I didn't have to sqeeze out a baby and I still got the goods. Sorry, gramma...

My grandson says you'd better get yo ass down to Lucky's, fool. There's free popcorn.