Luella's Southern Kitchen Opens for Breakfast in Lincoln Square

Throughout the United States, Southern cuisine is woven into the fabric of breakfast. From bacon to biscuits, breakfast has always had a soulful, family oriented essence. "I consider breakfast to be the most important
meal of the day, and I can't see any family having breakfast without Southern staples," says Chef/Owner Darnell Reed. At Luella's Southern Kitchen he intends to give Chicagoans the quintessential Southern breakfast with the introduction of weekday breakfast, currently served from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. Weekend brunch continues on Saturday and Sunday.

Reed has vivid childhood memories of the delicious Southern breakfasts prepared by his late great grandmother Luella, for whom the restaurant is named. As an homage to his grandmother's dish, Luella's breakfast menu includes a Jambalaya with Carolina Gold Rice, Andouille sausage, and poached eggs.

In crafting his breakfast menu, Reed has remained steadfast in using locally sourced Southern ingredients as much as possible. The menu exudes Southern comfort, with dishes such as the Nashville Hot Chicken and Waffles, prepared with golden crispy chicken, Nashville hot sauce, and maple syrup, all atop Liege waffles. There also is the Bourbon Strawberry Shortcake Waffles consisting of Liege waffles, fresh strawberry compote, bourbon maple syrup, and Chantilly cream. For his Homemade Oatmeal, Reed uses Anson Mills Oatmeal from South Carolina and embellishes it with southern flare: dried cherries and a Sorghum Pecan crumble.

Other breakfast choices include the Buttermilk Blueberry and Brown Butter Pancakes with maple syrup, Smoked Brisket Biscuit with Slagel Farm brisket and egg, served on a homemade buttermilk biscuit with pimento cheese, Brioche French Toast with maple caramel, butterscotch and pralines, a Soft Shell Crab Benedict with buttermilk fried crab, farm eggs, and smoked hollandaise. There is a featured seasonal Southern omelet of the day, served with red bliss potatoes and caramelized onions