Brunch at Honey

This sweet spot brings inventive eats to Glen Ellyn

By Lisa Arnett

November 19, 2007

Brunch at Honey
Photos:
Honey in Glen Ellyn Honey in Glen Ellyn Honey in Glen Ellyn Honey in Glen Ellyn
Brunch time: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Cost: $4.95-$12.95 for a la carte items

The wait: None on opening weekend, but that could change as word starts to get out.

The scene: Cute and contemporary Honey has an airy feel, with floor-to-ceiling windows, art-adorned walls and bubbly glass vases on each table. Opening weekend brought a fairly representative Glen Ellyn cross-section: a few older couples, 20-something gals chatting over coffee and a family ordering a round of cupcakes as an brunch appetizer for their three young, well-dressed girls (now that’s a bright idea). A take-away section bordered with copper countertops boasts a coffee bar, baked goodies such as red velvet cupcakes and a deli case with hearty sides like garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus with lemon aioli.

The cuisine: Elevated comfort food, with a health-nut bent. Though chef Alex Gomez (who’s worked at Orange and Darwin’s downtown) focuses on natural and organic ingredients, there are plenty of inventive, indulgent eats too. The triple-chocolate grilled French toast kabobs with milk, dark and white chocolate sauces were expectedly delicious, but at 12 bucks, pretty pricey for the portion size. The omelets are among the fluffiest we’ve ever seen, stuffed with combos such as sausage, pear and brie ($8.95). Specialty eggs benedicts are stacked with filet mignon, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms ($12.95) or made Caprese-style with fresh mozzarella and basil hollandaise ($8.95). Owner Elizabeth Janus is vegetarian, and though Honey as a whole is not, there are plenty of options for vegheads, such as a meatless breakfast burrito ($6.95), pan-seared oatmeal ($7.95) or tofu scramble with pico de gayo ($7.95). All eggs are from free-range hens; pony up two bucks extra to make ’em organic.

Better than a bloody mary: The rum-spiked Mexican egg nog sauce--called rompope--that comes with the whole-wheat pancakes topped with caramelized bananas and rich banana-infused ricotta ($8.95).

Loved it: A pancake sampler provides scaled-down versions of the above mentioned banana pancakes, plus two others: original buttermilk pancakes with scrumptious honey butter, and strawberry cheesecake pancakes with fluffy, rich cheesecake mousse, strawberry coulis and graham cracker crumbs ($9.95)

Hated it: Metropolis coffee flows freely from the servers’ carafes, but drinks from the espresso bar took at least twice as long as they should have, with the busy baristas also fielding to-go orders. 

[ Lisa Arnett is the metromix suburbs and shopping producer. ] lmarnett@tribune.com

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