Some days, it's best to eat brunch outside of a restaurant, especially when the day in question is Easter Sunday and brunching alongside large, noisy families is sort of the last place you want to be. Luckily, Birchwood Kitchen offers all of its brunch items to go. A ten-minute wait and one Croque Madame ($9.50) in the bag later, and I was off to enjoy a brunch picnic in nearby Wicker Park.

Birchwood's Croque Madame is the ideal dish if you're not sure you want breakfast or lunch. The country ham, gruyere cheese, and Dijon mustard on hearty grilled sourdough bread all make for a memorable sandwich, but the sunny side up eggs on top of the dish serve as a nice reminder that the clock hasn't hit noon just yet. With a small side salad accompanying the sandwich, the dish is a surprisingly good deal. Of course, whether you're enjoying it inside the confines of their restaurant or outside at a picnic bench in the middle of a park is completely up to you.

Birchwood Kitchen

2211 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 (map)
773-276-2100
http://www.birchwoodkitchen.com