The Southern

 Finally getting around to posting pictures of the deliciousness and awesomeness that is The Southern!!! We happened upon this gem by accident, when we originally planned on going to LOKal, a place that offers unlimited bloody marys and mimosas (I know, right?). Unfortunately, because it was St. Paddy's Day, they weren't taking reservations, and they were full by the time we got there. Nick was feeling a little worse for wear, so we decided to walk up the street to see what we stumble upon, since we're in a great area in North Chicago, where fantastic restaurants abound.

So we stumbled upon this adorable restaurant, with outdoor seating for warmer months, and a homey, rustic feel on the inside, with wood everything, and a great bar. They offer lots of micro-brews, a selection of small batch brews, whiskeys, and, of course, bloody marys :) We thought we would have to wait 30 minutes because they were taking reservations so the next available table was going to go to one of those parties, but they decided to let us just take it! The menu is small, but the options are awesome, and did you notice that Maple Bacon Manhattan up on that drink menu?? It literally comes with a slice of bacon in it. Yeah, I will have to try that next time (because there WILL be a next time). We tried the sugared donut holes for an appetizer and they came with this amazing coffee dipping sauce. Nick got the fried chicken, which is only offered on Wednesdays and weekends (and was delicious), and I got the French Quarter toast. Each piece was deep-fried (yes, please) and covered with this delicious, not-too-sweet syrupy-sauce, as well as pistachios, coconut, bananas, and raisins. Oh. My. God. So good. I could only eat one piece, but gladly enjoyed the rest for breakfast the next morning! It was hard choosing between that and the biscuits and gravy, which had andouille sausage in it, but that will be my order next time for sure!