Luella's Southern Kitchen: Authentic Southern Mother's Day Brunch that's as Good as "Great-Grandmother" Used to Make

    CHICAGO, IL, April 20, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Luella's Southern Kitchen, one of Chicago's hottest new restaurants (4609 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-961-8196), is a fabulous place to bring the whole family and enjoy a delicious, down home Southern Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef/Owner Darnell Reed will cook up some of his highly-praised Southern specialties, all inspired by his great-grandmother, Luella, for whom he named the restaurant. All mothers will receive complimentary praline candy.

Among the delicious dishes on the spring brunch menu are Cream Cheese and Praline Pancakes ($10), buttermilk pancakes served with fresh blueberry compote; Chicory Coffee French Toast ($11) made with coffee creme brulee batter and served with fresh berries; Southern Benedict ($11), prepared with braised Slagel Farms pork, poached farm eggs, Crystal hollandaise, and served over a freshly baked buttermilk biscuit; Andouille Sausage Quiche ($12), an Andouille sausage quiche made with Romano cheese, caramelized leeks, and farm eggs. By popular demand, Reed has added his popular Bourbon Chicken and Waffles ($12) to the brunch menu, made with a Liege waffle and served with bourbon maple syrup. Another favorite is the Shrimp and Grits ($15), New Orleans BBQ shrimp served with cream cheese grits.

To add a light touch to your brunch feast, enjoy two exquisite salad creations: the Kale Ambrosia ($11) prepared with citrus segments, pineapple, goat cheese, candied pecans, toasted coconut, fresh basil and lime vinaigrette; and a new spring creation, Watermelon Salad ($11), with benne seeds, arugula, and sorghum vinaigrette.

Burger lovers will enjoy the Pimento Cheeseburger ($11), a Slagel Farms burger with pimento cheese, topped with an egg sunny side up, on a brioche bun, and served with Creole seasoned fries.

Luella's hasn't forgotten the kids: They will love the Mickey Mouse Pancakes ($3), fresh buttermilk pancakes with Mickey's face!

Complete your Mother's Day celebration with some tempting Southern desserts, including Milk Chocolate Bread Pudding ($6), served with strawberry jam Anglaise and praline ice cream; Beignets ($5),
fried dough pillows with a generous dusting of confectioners' sugar; or a new spring item, Blackberry Hand Pie ($6), served with salted caramel ice cream.

"The best compliment you can give us is that our food is as good as Mom (or in our case, Grandma) used to make," said Reed. "That's not just a cliche here at Luella's Southern Kitchen. Everything we do was inspired by the amazing Southern home cooking prepared by my great-grandmother, Luella, who originally was from Mississippi. She moved to Chicago many years ago and the rest of the family followed. She inspired me to become a chef and she is the matriarch of our family."

About Chef Reed
Darnell Reed is a graduate of Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago. He began his professional career in 1997 at the Palmer House Hilton where he served as Restaurant Chef at the French Quarter and the Big Downtown. In 2005, he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef at the Embassy Suites Chicago Lakefront where he handled banquet functions for up to 700 people. In April 2007, Reed was promoted to the dual Executive Chef position at the Hilton of Oakbrook and Hilton Garden Inn of Oakbrook. In May of 2010, he accepted the Executive Sous Chef position at the Conrad Chicago Hotel and was promoted to Executive Chef in 2011.

About Luella's Southern Kitchen
Luella's Southern Kitchen, located at 4609 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago's Lincoln Square, is a casual independent restaurant owned by Chef Darnell Reed. The restaurant opened February 3, 2015. Luella's serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Weekend brunch is served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; dinner is served until 10 p.m. on Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sunday. All major cards are accepted. Luella's is a BYOB establishment; no corkage fee is charged. Takeout and delivery service are available. For more information, call the restaurant at (773) 961-8196 or visit the website at www.luellassouthernkitchen.com.

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