Chicago’s Family Friendly Eats and Treats: Glazed and Infused, Lulu Belles Pancake House

During my latest trip, I visited the Windy City. There, I reviewed Medieval Times and had fun – like a legitimate kid level of fun! You can click here for a recap of the full experience with tons of pictures and information…

Food. I adore every greasy spoon diner, fancy little bite and odd creation chefs come up. Sample local fare is an awesome way to soak up the culture and expose your kiddos to new experiences. My kids aren’t picky eaters. They weren’t really allowed to be in retrospect. If you didn’t try at least one bite, you didn’t eat. Soon, my kids adapted appreciation for food.

My goal is to open their awareness of what they are putting into their bodies as fuel, a chance to absorb the locale and possibly discover a new favorite flavor. Needless to say, they still favor chicken nuggets and burgers, but they are they mini-foodies with an openness to experiences some miss out on.

Every time we travel we always try and hunt down new places to eat. Chicago offers thousands of choices, but it is easy to be intimidated into skipping that new restaurant and sticking with what you know.

The Travel Moms Tip: Research kid friendly restaurants on your favorite food site like Yelp or Urban Spoon. Make a list of joints that fit your style and budget in the area you will be staying to prevent yourself from settling on a chain.

I’d like to state that there is nothing wrong with franchised or chain restaurants. They can be a great choice, but when you have the rich offerings in cities like Chicago, New York or New Orleans, I urge you step out of the comfort zone.

My family hit up several spots this time, but the two that stand out for me were Lulu Belles Pancake House and Glazed and Infused.

Lulu Belles Pancake House – We visited the Southport Avenue location on whim while out exploring one morning. The food has a southern vibe that covers a little bit of everything, but the star is the biscuits. Oh, these aren’t your average mounds of carbs. Belles’ biscuits are brought to you as soon as you sit down. They are the perfect size – not obnoxiously huge and they are covered in a sweet icing to give it a modern twist. The treats are made in house daily and SO good with coffee.

When I think of Southern food, I equate it with being a heavier affair that comforts your soul. Each dish on the menu was true to that, but, like their biscuits, had a contemporary flair. Turkey sausage that my kids fought over was offered instead of greasy meat. For every traditional offering there was a complimenting dish that seemed to be the healthier, but equally enticing counterpart. Sort of a like soap opera twins: one good and one deliciously evil. Deep Fried French Toast had a modern rival of thin sliced brioche griddled to perfection.

It was a no-brainer for my kids. They each picked the Mickey Mouse Pancakes. It came with blueberry eyes, strawberry mouth and a side of bacon. I had the pumpkin pancakes that had a light creamy infusion garnish that was sweet like a cream cheese icing, but wasn’t heavy and overly sugary like your typical topping. The coffee bar made a certain chain favorite of mine look silly. (It rhymes with Car Trucks.) They teas were a genuine infusion of herbs and spices – no syrup flavorings.

Glazed and Infused – Ah, donuts. They are my weakness. I opted to buy a dozen of the shops pastries after I walked in and smelled them…and sampled them…and looked loving at them through the glass. The photo above shows my loot. From left to right, top to bottom: 3-Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, 1-Crème Brûlée, 1-Apple Caramel, 1-Vanilla Bean Glazed, 3-Maple Bacon Long John, 1-Crunchy PB & J, 1-Gingerbread Old Fashioned and 1-Chocolate4. It was a box full of happiness (and gluttony).

My daughter inhaled the Vanilla Bean Glazed, so I can only assume it was delicious. Of the other options I tried the Maple Bacon Long John, the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip which were all divine. The bacon, as odd as it seems, felt like a natural fit. Salty with a bit of pepper collided with sweet maple glaze. It was like taking a bite of pancake with bite of bacon. The Pumpkin donut actually gave me a cannoli vibe for some reason – delicious and creamy.

However, the Creme Brulee was heavenly. A slight crunch of sugar was greeted with a vanilla bean custard in the middle that made it truly taste like Creme Brulee – only better. It was portable and stuffed with a creamy goodness that sent me into a carnal moment of selfishness. I didn’t share one bite.