Brunch at D4 Irish Pub & Cafe

The scene: St. Patrick’s Day has extraordinary transformative powers, turning ordinary men into wild-eyed drunkards in a matter of hours. The holiday does a number on otherwise unassuming pubs too.

This weekend, for example, you can experience two versions of D4 Irish Pub & Cafe. The first is what you’ll get Saturday, when the spacious pub opens at 9 a.m. to accommodate pre-St. Patrick’s Day Parade crowds. Expect it to be loud, packed with "everyone’s Irish" types drinking much earlier in the day than they probably should be, and most likely a heck of a lot of fun. Also expect a limited menu (corned beef sandwiches, fish and chips, Irish sausages on a bun) and seriously scaled-back beer selection (drafts, green Bud Light bottles, canned Guinness).

Show up on Sunday, when things return to normal, and you’ll see another D4. Though it’s far too big to be cozy, a couple of fireplaces and warm service lend this spot more intimacy than you might expect from a 5,400-square-foot Irish-themed pub on the ground floor of a Streeterville apartment building. Claim a fireside table, tuck into a hearty brunch and linger over a proper pint (while sending up a little prayer of thanks that it’s not another keg cup of green beer), and you’re on your way to recovering from any St. Pat's mischief you may have gotten into the day before.

The cuisine: You won’t find a lot of surprises here, but you also won’t leave hungry. Even without the black pudding (a.k.a. blood sausage), which D4 decided to cut out after a few too many uneasy responses from folks who inquired about it when brunch started last year, the Irish breakfast ($12) provides more eggs, bangers, rashers (Irish bacon), breakfast potatoes, beans and toast than most people could reasonably finish.

Average appetites can be satisfied with typical American brunch fare such as omelets ($8), pancakes ($7) and cinnamon challah French toast ($7), but the most interesting thing on the rather predictable menu is the Irish smoked salmon plate ($12). Just brace yourself: It’s huge too, loaded with salmon and buttered slices of hearty brown bread around halved grape tomatoes, capers, diced red onion, crumbled hard boiled egg and a generous smear of Boursin cheese.

What D4 really does best is booze, and brunch cocktails don’t disappoint. There’s even a solution if you’re torn between beer and a cocktail: the black mimosa ($6), a velvety combo of Guinness and champagne. Even if you weren’t drinking green beer the night before, it’s possibly the smoothest way we can think of to bring balance to your St. Pat’s weekend.

***

Loved it: A beer list that goes beyond Guinness.

Hated it: Breakfast potatoes. Contrary to popular lore, the Irish do not have an edge in all things potato.

Brunch time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday; regularly 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Cost: $20-$25 with cocktail, tax and tip

Wait: None

M. Kathleen Pratt is the Metromix dining producer. kpratt@tribune.com

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