Porkchop restaurant, Chicago

After my graduation from the University of Illinois at Chicago, my family went for brunch at an intimate and fun restaurant nearby, Porkchop. The place serves American comfort food with a modern twist. There are also plenty of the dishes that are current trends, like sweet potato fries and mac'n'cheese.

I have been intrigued by the sudden popularity of fried chicken and waffles, and since Joe has yet to take me to a Waffle House, I seized my chance to try this southern phenomenon. I rececived two large crispy and spicy chicken breasts on thick waffles with ancho maple syrup, and it was fantastic. I barely had room enough to eat one breast, though there was a lot of sharing around the table and a couple of bottles of champagne in constant demand.

My daughter Jessie chose the mac'n'cheese, which was creamy and filling, though the portion was smaller. The Damn Good Baby Back ribs were in fact damn good. Joe had the brunch pulled pork sandwich that was topped with chipotle bbq sauce, a fried egg, grilled tomato, and a side of roasted potatoes, red onions, and green peppers. My sister-in-law had the quirky but delicious cornmeal pancakes. I'd have to say, though, that nothing surpassed the dessert we all shared: a homemade bacon glazed donut. Heavenly.

Next time I visit, I'll be sure to order the appetizer called "Trio of Sausage Lollipops", a concept that can't help but be incredible. Apparently, it comes with a creole remoulade dipping sauce. Just for you, I looked up "remoulade" (okay, I didn't know what it was). It sounds like this is either a creole type tartar or shrimp cocktail sauce. I'm sure it's fantastic.

Appropriately close to the old Chicago stockyards and meat processing plants, Porkchop has a hardworking Chicago rustic feel to it. Between two sections of the dining room, there is a somewhat disturbing display of saws that might one day have been used for hog butchering and city building. I was relieved to see that these hanging saws were attached to the floor and ceiling so that a gust of wind from the opening door would not lead to an accidental decapitation. We all left without saw damage, and we were so full that we didn't even eat dinner.

Porkchop restaurant is at 941 E. Randolph, Chicago, Il 60607