Kelly the Culinarian: Pizza Brunch at Robert's

Friday, January 6, 2017

Pizza Brunch at Robert's

There are few foods in life I enjoy more than pizza, and brunch is my favorite meal of any weekend. The fact that these two things have not found their way into my life together previously seems like an oversight. I was recently invited to dine at Robert's Pizza Company and it was a lovely experience. We showed up on a Sunday morning as soon as they opened. It was a snowy, blustery morning and we were greeted by Robert himself, who explained that the restaurant's artisanal pies are of his own design, and borne out of the frustration of trying to find a suitable Chicago alternative to New York pizza. After decades of perfecting his craft, he opened his namesake shop, which has a small menu of handcrafted creations using the finest ingredients. The restaurant bursts with personality, from the fully-stocked bar to the mounted (but operational) motorcycle Robert fixed up himself.


After getting seated and starting to thaw out, we decided on starting cocktails of mimosas and the brunch money, which was a very-welcome warm cocktail of hot coffee, Patron XO Cafe and heavy cream. Both did the trick in warming us up while we waited for the ZaDough cinnamon buns, a trio of rolls made with the eatery's pizza dough and topped with all the sticky sweet goodness one would expect from a dessert appetizer. The mint on top was a refreshing surprise.


As for the main event, we decided to try and tackle two of the restaurant's most enticing pies. We began with the huevos rancheros pizza, which is available all day long. It's a pie topped with black beans, chorizo, queso fresco, scallions, cilantro and salsa verde, along with four eggs baked right in. I am a sucker for runny eggs on top of almost anything and this did not disappoint. It was the perfect level of spice, and the egg brought the whole slice together.


We restrained ourselves from going too crazy because another signature offering was on its way. The LoxZA is everything a bagel and lox should be, except in pizza form. It features a generous portion of smoked salmon, along with double cream cheese, chives, red onion, chopped egg, dill and capers. It was as delicious as it was beautiful, We washed this course down with the citronge lime cooler. It cut through the heaviness of the entree with Patron Citronge lime, prosecco, sparking water and fresh lime juice.


In all, this was a pleasant, leisurely brunch in a very sleek and welcoming location with easy access to street and garage parking. I will be back, and I will be destroying a lox pizza. Special thanks to Robert's for the invitation and great service!



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