Maple & Ash

In Chicago, Food & Beverages June 25, 2017

Maple & Ash recently started serving Sunday buffet brunch. It’s posh, it’s fun and it’s $40 for unlimited filet mignon.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 001 — We’re on our way to family brunch. Chicago skies like this are a rare sight.

Pre-brunch group selfie — Baby D is keeping a low profile with her shades

Brunch

There are two to four items at each station offering salads, meat, eggs, sides and sweets. It’s easy for a restaurant to select 15 dishes for each category. There is something for everyone. But try to design a buffet menu with very few choices and there is more at stake. Maple & Ash does an excellent job with the menu and the setup.

Maple Smoked Bacon and Wood-Fired Sausage made in house, Crispy Potatoes and Francois Montand+St Germain Elderflower Liqueur

The filet mignon was flavorful and tender and came with the choice of beef butter, bordelaise or horseradish cream. Typically, I ask for the smallest sliver of beef to save room for everything else, but I went back for more and with each of the sauces.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 009 — Maple Glazed Ham and excellent Filet Mignon: Beef Butter, Bordelaise Sauce, Horseradish Cream

Eggs

I ordered a very small truffle, goat cheese, garlic scapes and asparagus omelette with the intention of trying the others but it was so good as was the rest of the food, I decided I will return and order a full one next time.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 008 — Egg station at Maple and Ash brunch. The Market Omelette with black truffle, garlic scapes and asparagus may have been the best omelette I have ever had.

Rolling Carts

The ever-fashionable rolling carts have come back en vogue. At Maple & Ash one can enjoy a taste of prawns, scallops, clams, fried chicken or one of my favorite Chicago pasta dishes, Maple & Ash’s Ricotta Agnolotti.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 012 — Table-side carts rolled around with items to taste: Fried Chicken, Prawns, Scallops, Clams and one of my favorite dishes, their house-made Ricotta Agnolotti.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 014 — This dish was served table-side to give a taste of the real deal. It’s available on their regular menu and is one of my favorite dishes in Chicago. House Made Ricotta Agnolotti, Trumpet Mushroom, Truffle, Lemon

Salads

There isn’t anything I would tell someone they should pass up at this brunch, although I skipped the salads since they tend to take up valuable stomach space. I have a personal dining mantra. Don’t eat or pay for something in a restaurant that I can easily make, make better at home, or have somewhere else where it will be better. In this case, I wanted more room for the “cooked” food.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 010 — Market Salad: Farm Greens, Shaved Vegetables, Almonds, Goat cheese, Champagne vinaigrette, Kale Caesar: Pecorino, Lemon, Savory Sprinkles

Splurge Day

Wow.

One of the best splurges in the city of Chicago. Roasted seafood tower ($175) — Baller Roasted Seafood Tower

Dessert

Save room for the coconut cream pie.

2017_06_25 maple and ash brunch 011 — The sweets table had just the right amount of choices. Brioche French Toast with a table full of toppings, Croissants, Cream Puffs, Coconut Cream Pie and Chocolate Brownies.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know of another Chicago brunch buffet using ingredients at this level, for food that tastes this good, at this price. If there is one you know of, please let me know in the comments. It’s not easy to spend $40 (excluding beverages, tax and tip) on breakfast, but as long as you don’t fill up entirely on salad you’ll feel you walked away with the deal.

This is what Baby D thought of brunch at Maple & Ash.

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Thank you @mapleandash and @officialchrisgerber for a spectacular Sunday that would convince even the Brunch Naysayers into believing that brunch can be awesome. $40 (current price) for unlimited filet mignon and the best omelette I ever had in my life could almost convince me to live the Paleo life. But that would be absurd because then I wouldn't be able to have the Coconut Cream Pie by @chefayafukai , which I believe is made out of coconut, cream and magic. _ Click on my circle (above) to watch my Stories and see the best of what we ate today. _ Maple & Ash | Chicago | 06/25/17 #loustejskal_mapleandash #babieswhobrunch

A post shared by Lou Stejskal 🌺 (@loustejskal) on Jun 25, 2017 at 4:45pm PDT