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Chicago Field Trip / Brunch / Museum Travel / Chicago / Olafur Eliasson / Brunch In Chicago / Art Travel / → All Tags

Eggs Benedict And Olafur Eliasson At Chicago's MCA

We luckily escaped New York City this last weekend for Chicago, just missing tornado warnings, hail, and the threat of having to stay inside for two days. Instead, on the lakefront here in Chi-town, we found a paradise of sun, brunch, and modern art. More specifically, we made a bee-line for Sunday brunch on the terrace at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which currently has an exhibition of Olafur Eliasson's works.

Olafur, in case you missed his waterfalls on the East River last summer in NYC, is something of a large-scale, light-and-color genius, and so pairing his 360-degree light room, prism hallway, and misting waterfall with eggs benedict is our highest recommendation for summer brunching in the city.

The exhibit, entitled "Take Your Time," spans fifteen years of Olafur's art, utilizing his architectural, engineering and lighting skills for constructions which, "at once eccentric and highly geometric, use multicolored washes, focused projections of light, mirrors, and natural elements such as water, stone, and moss to shift the viewer's perception of place and self, foregrounding the sensory experience of each work." It'll be on display at the MCA until September 13, and is way better than the waterfalls in our humble opinion.

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Restaurants / Green Travel / Brunch in Chicago / → All Tags

Eating Green in Chicago

We're not talking about Patty's Day or the city's curiously-colored river, we're talking about Uncommon Ground. This Chicago cafe/restaurant/bar is about as eco-friendly as it gets.

The tables here are made from trees that fell in nearby Jackson Park. The recycled paper menus were produced with hydroelectric energy. Even the drinks are environmentally friendly: Order a "tree-tini" and a local organization will plant another sapling in the Windy City.

UG does go a bit over the top with some of its food for the sake of appearing "green." The "organic himalayan goji berry syrup" that comes with the whole wheat pancakes doesn't seem any more natural to us than, say, plain old maple--and it certainly doesn't match up in taste.

But by and large the food here is quality, and it's a great spot for brunch. Try the french toast duo with seasonal fruit and wash it down with a strong cup of locally-roasted Metropolis coffee. Oh, and expect to pay a little more for sustainability: Even simple dishes cost around $10.

Related Stories:
· Uncommon Ground [Official Site]
· Chicago Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Matt Stratton]