Brunch at Nana

Photo tour: Nana

"Organic" isn't a word you hear a lot in Bridgeport, where marinara roots run deep. So when brothers Omar and Christian Solis decided to open Nana, an organic-minded breakfast and lunch nook a few blocks from U.S. Cellular Field, they knew they had some persuading to do.

And persuade they did, not only luring folks to test their menu of brunch staples and entrees with Latin twists, but also getting them to return. Two months after Nana's opening, the dining room is still packed. Their secret? Focusing on organic as a concept-not a gimmick.

The bright little restaurant with wide windows and white wainscoting stands out in an area starved for good brunch options. A centrally placed coffee bar offers Metropolis coffees and tea ($1.65-$3.85) plus cups of Joe to go, giving the place a coffeehouse vibe. The menu keeps the theme with mostly organic ingredients while aiming to please the neighborhood with comfort-food flavors and just-filling-enough portions.

All the brunch items you'd expect are on the menu, from buttermilk pancakes ($7) and French toast ($8) to oatmeal ($5) and a breakfast burrito ($8) filled with scrambled eggs, chorizo, bell peppers and jack cheese. But the standouts are the dishes unique to Nana.

The Nanadict ($10) shakes up eggs Benedict, offering a pupusa (corn flatbread stuffed with cheese) topped with crumbled mild chorizo, a poached egg and poblano sauce. Not to be outdone are the baked chilaquiles ($9), which swap out the usual mess of tortilla chips for a square of tortilla-jack cheese casserole served with poblano sauce and a pool of black beans best soaked up by casserole bites.

Skip the two skillets ($10), which are just OK compared to Nana's signature dishes, but try the mascarpone-stuffed French toast ($10) if you want a super-sweet breakfast. If you're vegetarian, look no farther than the tofu scramble ($10) made with diced tofu, onions, bell peppers and broccoli and served with beans and tortillas.

We admit our eyes glazed over a little when we discovered diet cola wasn't on the menu (try six flavors of organic soda, $2.50 each, instead), but we didn't expect the Solis brothers to keep their organic concept totally secret. And they don't need to. So far, they're easing Bridgeport in nicely.

***

Loved it: Apple organic soda

Hated it: Crazy loud espresso machine

Brunch time: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily (lunch offerings begin at 11 a.m.)

Cost: $18 per person, with tax and tip

Wait: 25-30 minutes on weekends

Lisa Balde is the Metromix print editor. lbalde@tribune.com

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