On Saturday, we went out to Southport for brunch. The destination was the Southport Grocery, whose menu we'd had a glimpse of during our previous visit. I remembered mouthwatering pancakes and omelettes with creative twists, so I was quite excited.

After missing the turn onto Addison and the resultant confusion in the not-so-familiar neighborhood, we arrived at the gourmet grocery-café at around 10. The outside tables had just opened up, but we took a table inside, just by the large front window to avoid the already rising heat while securing enough light for the photographs. The dark brown walls (which is echoed by the same-colored tee shirts that servers wear), aluminum shelves and white tables and chairs insisted that it's a coooool place (which it is).

We sipped their wonderfully punchy coffee while waiting for our brunch. Judging from the fact that the Southport Grocery sells coffee from the two top coffee roasters in the town (Intelligentsia and Metropolis), the coffee probably came from either of the two. It was a bit on the acid side, something I don't like, but otherwise it was a nice coffee, with enough strength for any incurable caffeine addict.

Among four interesting omelette combinations, Patrick's chose one with sausage, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and pesto. It was very good, if not outstanding (although the herb-sprinkled Tater Tots were quite addictive). The true winner was my Sweet and Savory French Toast, a dish that satisfied both my sweet tooth and savory palate. I often feel tragically conflicted between sugary breakfast and savory breakfast, so this dish was a savior. Three slices of French toast were layered with herbed ham and Gruyére cheese, and were accompanied by a little cup of warm maple syrup. The interior of the French toast was amazing: infused with milk and eggs, it literally melted in my mouth, almost like a very light, fluffy custard pudding.

The fun thing about the Southport Grocery is, as we found out on their menu, that many of the items feature one or more of the specialty goods they sell in the grocery department. So, for example, Patrick's omelette used white balsamic vinegar from the grocery shelf, while the maple syrup on my French toast was an organic variety also from the shelf. The owner Lisa Santos says that she wants to combine two of her biggest passions: dining out and digging around in fine grocery store. Judging from the menu, the Grocery seems to do this quite well. Another fun fact about the store on this "About" page is that it focuses on domestic fine food--something rare in the predominantly Europhobe (but not without a good reason) gourmet grocery industry.

Bottom line: if you're allergic to pretentiousness, don't go there. (A guy in his 30's with designer glasses expressed his love of the store because "their menu is very intelligent". If you think you might start screaming gibberish--I almost did--when you hear this sort of comment at the table next to yours, don't go.) But if you can take some level of hipness and all the emotional baggage that comes with it, give it a try. The space is beautiful, the food is inventive and high-quality.

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Southport Grocery
3552 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, IL
773.665.0100