A fresh start

From this point on, I'll have a photo of the BP and more description. Merry Christmas!

Other BPs I have loved

Since I don't have a good memory of these, I'll just combine this posting. I don't know what is rich and too rich, so I guess you have to taste it to know. I don't guarantee that these places still serve BP as I visited them prior to 2010. And yes, it looks inconsistent, but sometimes I can like it even with raisins.

Teller's Gallery, Columbia, MO - 4, bourbon sauce, excellent despite raisins
Big John's Chicago, IL - 4, excellent despite raisins
Ralph Brennan's Jazz, Anaheim, CA - 3, vanilla, cream, big raisins
Catal, Anaheim, CA - 3, chocolate, too rich
Exposure, Chicago, IL - 4, huge portion, rich
Reading Market, Philadelphia, PA - 4, peach BP sold by an Amish vendor
Busboys and Poets, Washington, DC - 3, raisins and white chocolate
Nacionale 27, Chicago, IL - 4, ice cream, everything they make is fantastic
Marjorie's, Seattle, WA - 4, like everything they do
Medici, Chicago, IL - 3, great texture but sneaky raisins
Boudros, San Antonio, TX - 4, bourbon sauce and raisins
Mello Yellow, Chicago, IL - 3, good but raisins

Umbria, Boston

I would skip this one. Elegant but tiny portions and the BP was just ok.

Price: 9
Raisins: No
Sauce: Probably
Visited: January 2010

Skipjacks Seafood Emporium, Boston

Since it's been almost a year, I'm going to just enter the good ones in each city. Skipjacks had a lovely chocolate BP. The website makes you download the PDF for the menu, which gets on my nerves, so I'm not sure if they still sell it.

Price: 7
Raisins: No
Visited: January 2010

www.skipjacks.com/
199 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 536-3500

Legal Sea Food, Boston

Legal Sea Food is known for seafood, not dessert, so while the cherry BP was ok, and had a wheaty and dry taste, I wouldn't order it again. It may be a sporadic entry on the menu.

Price: 8?
Raisins: No
Sauce: Probably
Ice cream: No
Visited: January 2010

Flour Bakery, Boston

This place is awesome, so the BP had no choice. Despite being room temperature, the chocolate banana combination was memorable. The topping was generous. I want more! Thanks to whoever posted about the best BPs in Boston. I visited 5 of them.

Price: 3.99
Raisins: No
Sauce: Yes
Ice cream: No
Visited: January 2010

www.flourbakery.com/
12 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 338-4333

Brasserie Jo, Boston

These next entries are older, so I won't have much detail. The orange chocolate chip was served room temperature and it had a smooth texture. Brasserie Jo restaurants are in many cities. This one was attached to the Colonnade Hotel. It seems to still be on the menu but they may change flavors.

Price: 8
Raisins: No
Sauce: Probably
Ice cream: ?
Visited: January 2010

Elephant and Castle, Streeterville, Chicago

This big square of BP has a wonderful texture and sauce that enhances the flavor, though it's not needed. It gets one point off for having sneaky yellow raisins. Elephant and Castle restaurants are in many cities, sometimes as a hotel restaurant.

Price: 5
Raisins: Yes, sneaky yellow
Sauce: Yes, delicious
Ice cream: No
Visited: Spring 2010

www.elephantcastle.com/
185 North Wabash Avenue
Chicago

(312) 345-1710

Angelica's Bakery, Calumet Heights, Chicago

Angelica's is a bakery that is very popular, supplying desserts to many take-out restaurants in the city and suburb. I stopped by on a whim. The BP is wheaty-tasting and slightly grainy but good. It has raisins and they are too well-blended to pick out.

Price: 3.99
Raisins: Yes, but it's ok
Sauce: No
Ice cream: No
Visited: Summer 2010


www.angelicascakes.com/
1517 East 87th Street
Chicago, IL 60619
(773) 933-0400

Acadiana, Washington, DC

You can't go wrong with a BP from brioche with praline on top and a perfect egg custard. It was delicious, a round decent portion. The ice cream was nice but not necessary. I remember being glad my daughter didn't want any. I think of BP as grown-folks food, anyway.


Price: 8
Raisins: No
Sauce: Yes
Ice cream: Yes
Visited: July 2010

www.acadianarestaurant.com/
901 New York Avenue Northwest
Washington D.C., DC 20001-4410
(202) 408-8848

Bananas Foster Cafe, Edgewater, Chicago

This BP might rate a 3, but I should have eaten it there when it was warm. I like that it had nuts.

Price: 5
Raisins: Yes, but I didn't mind
Sauce: Can't remember
Nuts: Yes
Visited: October 2010

www.bananasfostercafe.com/
1147 West Granville Avenue
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 262-9855

Hypnosis

I was hypnotized on August 31, 2010, to help me kick my passion for sweets. If the hypnotist is honest, she'll admit that it didn't work. As I sit here eating gingerbread, I can't say I don't believe it could have worked, but it didn't. What it did was give me was a sense of control - for 2 months. On Halloween, I intentionally broke my fast, though the candy wasn't worth it.

For those 2 months, it felt so good to say no, to think about what I was eating and whether it was worth sabotaging my goal. It was a feeling I've never had, and I listened to the session almost daily on my iPOD to keep me motivated.

I was even looking forward to being free of my desire to start this blog, since I wouldn't be eating BP anymore, or at least not as faithfully. Well, it was really up to me to keep my sweet fast going and I didn't. So now I have to work on self-control and self-hynosis because I know it's possible, if I would only cooperate. But until then...

Grand Lux, Downtown, Chicago

What doesn't Grand Lux do well? I sorely miss the banana bread pudding from years ago, which may have inspired my quest for more, more, more BP. I think they change flavors from time to time. Now they have a Sticky Bun BP that could really stand alone and filling and fantastic without the accoutrements of whipped cream, ice cream, and way too much caramel sauce. The portion is generous because this is Grand Lux, after all.

Price: 7 0r 8
Raisins: No
Sauce: Yes, loads
Ice cream: Yes, big scoop
Visited: November 2010

http://www.grandluxcafe.com
600 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 276-2500

John's Place, Roscoe Village, Chicago

John's Place rates a 4 for brunch and a solid 3 for dinner, but my goodness, the chocolate bread pudding hurt my feelings. I went for my birthday and thought it fate that I hadn't pegged John's for BP before we ended up there. We lost a reservation at Coobah, so here we were. Well, no matter that the double chocolate BP was dry and tasteless, with big ole cubes of bread on top - a no-no for me, I will still go back, but just make a different choice.

Price: 5
Raisins: No
Sauce: Don't remember but it wouldn't have mattered
Ice cream: No
Visited: November 2010

http://www.johnsplace.com/
773/244-6430
2132 W. Roscoe, Chicago, IL 60618

Markethouse, Streeterville, Chicago

This is some of the best BP I've ever had. Markethouse has delicious food, but I go and get the BP to go without anything else. It's butterscotch, a very subtle flavor from the sauce, but let me tell you, the BP doesn't need it. It's a HUGE portion of perfectly smooth fantabulousness. And it has nuts, which I love.

Markethouse is in the Doubletree Hotel.

Price: 7
Raisins: No
Sauce: Yes, butterscotch
Ice cream: Yes, vanilla
Visited: November 2010, but I will be going back again and again. I went back in February 2011 and got the photo!

http://markethousechicago.com/

611 N Fairbanks Ct

Chicago, IL 60611

Amelia's Mestizo Grill, New City, Chicago

Amelia's is a classy restaurant, not your typical Mexican. It is so elegant and intimate, and thus, so was the bread pudding. It was a normal portion, which took me by surprise in this town of excess. I don't remember the BP itself except that it was very good, but what I do remember was the generous slice of candied pumpkin that decorated the plate. Yum. It was a perfect end to a lovely meal - but not enough to share :). It was a seasonal special, but it's a great place and relatively kid friendly.

Price: 7
Raisins: No
Sauce: Maybe
Ice cream: Small scoop, but not necessary, though I enjoyed it
Visited: November 2010

http://www.ameliaschicago.com/menu_dessert.htm
4559 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL

(773) 538-8200

Karyn's Cooked, Gold Coast, Chicago

I will never believe that this HUGE portion of lusciousness is vegan. I trust Karyn Calabrese, but it seems impossible that she infused so much flavor, texture, richness, and I don't even know what other adjectives into her bread pudding. My mouth says it has butter and cream, but it's lying to my brain. I mean, it's got coconut, raisins, nuts - Ok, I'm not sure what's in here but it's worth going just for that.

Price: 4
Raisins: Yes, but I give it a pass because this stuff is purely heavenly.
Visited: November 2010
Sauce: Yes

www.karynraw.com/Cooked/
738 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 587-1050

Finally!

I've been wanting to do this blog for YEARS! I've been looking for bread pudding in every city where I travel forever, in fact, this is how I choose restaurants to visit. Ok, New Orleans is where you can find it anywhere, but there must be a revival because I find it wherever I go.

I don't know where the love came from, but it's been around for at least 7 years, my current tenure in Chicago.

I hope I find some other BP lovers.

M Henry, Andersonville, Chicago

OMG - the breakfast bread pudding is TDF with the fresh peaches and berries. I mean this stuff is lush! I could eat it all day, every day. It was the first time I've had BP last for more than one day. The full serving is more than enough. I don't want to ever know the calories. I even bought some as a gift for someone. Now, the downside is that it's right by the yoga studio so I've been going from bikram to bread pudding. Not the wisest move, though M. Henry staff does give me water while I wait for my to-go order.

Price: 7
Raisins: No
Visited: December 2010

www.mhenry.net/
5707 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 561-1600

Le Fleur de Lis, Bronzeville, Chicago

I'll have to go back. The bread pudding bottom was soggy, thus I believe it wasn't cooked. Ick!

Price: $4
Raisins: Yes, but I'll give it another chance.
Sauce: Yes, vanilla
Visited: December 2010

I must say the gentleman who helped me was incredibly service-oriented and kind; he even ran out to bring me the glove my daughter dropped.

lefleurdelischicago.com/ (former Negro League Cafe)
301 East 43rd Street
Chicago, IL 60653
(773) 268-8770