Restaurant for Two: a feature where I bring a friend to a restaurant and we write a review together. This time around, I joined a group of fellow writers for breakfast at Luella’s Southern Kitchen. 

Serving quintessential Southern breakfast with a twist, Luella’s now offers weekday breakfasts from 8-11a.m. Monday through Friday. Chef/owner Darnell Reed uses locally sourced or authentically Southern ingredients as much as possible.

I tried five different meals while at Luella’s. The buttermilk blueberry and brown butter pancakes were definitely my favorite. Order the sorghum and toasted ancho chili bacon or the boudin breakfast sausage patties for the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

Next up was another sweet treat: brioche French toast smothered in maple caramel, butterscotch and pralines. Nothing says NOLA like pralines!

Chicken and waffles are a true Southern staple. Reed coats the crispy chicken with Nashville hot sauce, and then sets it atop a Liege waffle* coated in maple syrup.

The bourbon strawberry shortcake waffles were almost too pretty to eat. Here, Liege waffles* are topped with fresh strawberry compote, bourbon maple syrup and Chantilly cream.

The final dish we were served was the Jambalaya, a delectable combination of Carolina gold rice, andouille sausage, and poached farm eggs. Story goes it, Reed crafted this dish after his grandmother, whom the entire restaurant is named.

I went to Luella’s last year for dinner. Check out my review here!

Luella’s Southern Kitchen

4609 N. Lincoln Ave.

Lincoln Square, Chicago

*According to Smitten Kitchen, Liege waffles can be described as caramelized, chewy, burnt sugar caramel, stretchy, and buttery. While still tasty, Luella’s waffles missed most of the adjectives above. They’re definitely hard to make; the only time I’ve had one that was actually worth of each of these descriptors was at the Belgium exhibit at the World Expo.