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Hi-
looking for ideas for Sunday Brunch in mid-June for 20ish people for an Aunt's 85th BD
Everyone will be in a hotel near DF Road and Milwaukee.
Elders do NOT want to drive into the city or "too far".

We are considering Walker Bros, and Prairie Grass,
but are wondering what other options might be out there- price is not the major consideration, but we are not looking to break the bank either.
Oh and it has to be vegetarian friendly, but not everyone is a vegetarian. LOL
Thanks
E

_________________
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

My sister got married in the area last summer and we considered a Sunday brunch the morning after the wedding at Walker Bros. The location in Lincolnshire has a nice private room I believe. That way, everyone can be in one room and away from the general noise of the restaurant so the older members of the party can have hear and have conversations. But we ended up going with Winberie's in Buffalo Grove on Lake Cook. It was your standard brunch buffet, I think priced at around $20 a person. But it was freshly prepared with lots of vegetarian options (omelet and waffle bar). Being 6 months pregnant right now, I have dreams about their lox and bagel spread We got a private room there as well

Winberie's
800 Lake Cook Road
Buffalo Grove, 60089
(847) 520-7447

Some of the hotels in the area probably have brunch buffets... I know of the one at Allgaur's at the Hilton in Northbrook. Seems to be popular with the senior crowds.

But can you go wrong with Walker Bros? Food is great and it's vegetarian friendly.

How about:
Saranello's
601 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Westin Hotel)
Wheeling, IL 60090
847-777-6878
http://saranellos.com/

_________________
"A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do."
-- P. J. O’Rourke"

Wildfire in Lincolnshire serves brunch, and offers a family style option for $17. Haven't been for brunch, so I can't vouch for quality. Here is their brunch menu, the family style is on the last page (pdf): http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/sites/default/files/menus/114_Brunch11.11.pdf

Wildfire is great, but we are having one of the weekend dinners there...LOL
so it's kind of out...

_________________
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

Have you considered JBWinberie's on Lake Cook Road in BG? It's a buffet, priced reasonably as I recall, there are often bridal showers and other luncheons there but if they're not booked up maybe they'd let you have some private space.

http://www.selectrestaurants.com/cafew/buffalogrove.php

Yeah Saranello's might work being at the Westin (and like Wildfire, they are Lettuce Enterain You, so you can get more points).

Walker Brothers was the first thing the popped into my head.

Cheesecake Factory does brunch too, but I don't know how the layout is at the Lincolnshire location for a large party.

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I'm bumping this topic because I have a similar need and I'd like to see if there are any additional suggestions.

Our group of 20 goes somewhere for Sunday brunch every year. That could mean a private room, or it could just mean a big table in the main dining room (or maybe an alcove).

We would really like a buffet-style brunch. For our size group, it's just way easier to deal with.

Our group has people coming from a wide area of the north and northwest suburbs. Buffalo Grove or Lincolnshire is pretty much ideal (which is why I'm bumping this topic instead of creating a new one), but if there are good suggestions, we could really go anywhere in the north or northwest suburbs; anywhere from Northbrook to Mundelein to Barrington to Schaumburg would work just fine.

Unfortunately, some of our previous places (Pappadeaux in Arlington Heights, Barn of Barrington) have closed and are no longer options; same for Seasons of Long Grove. (Coopers Hawk replaced Pappadeaux and does Sunday brunch but it's from an a la carte menu.) Last year we went to Millrose in Barrington and we all thought it was not very good so we don't want to return.

I'm looking into the above suggestion of Winberie's in Buffalo Grove, which may work very well. Allgauer's in Northbrook is a bit on the pricey side; it's currently $37 and I'm not sure that will be acceptable. I know Shaw's will be too much (I love it but it was $48 earlier this year).

Some of the other places mentioned above (Saranello's, Walker Brothers, Cheesecake Factory, Prairie Grass Cafe) don't offer a buffet-style brunch, and it appears that Wildfire no longer offers a family-style option.

If anyone knows of any additional buffet-style brunches in the north or northwest suburbs, with really good food and not too pricey (under $30 would be nice, although it's not an absolute), I would appreciate any suggestions you might have. TIA!

_________________
"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

The Lincolnshire Marriot Resort offers a buffet-style brunch, which isn't too bad. I ate there once when attending a wedding. As I recall, there were some decent choices, but pretty much what you would expect for a hotel buffet.

I have been to Pinstripes in Northbrook for Mothers/Fathers Day brunches. The buffet food has always been very good and in my estimation, decent quality. I think they serve a limited version of those holiday buffet brunches every Sunday.

There is also one in Barrington.

Adults: $20
Kids 6-12: $12

http://pinstripes.com/menu/

Pinstripes
1150 Willow Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062

The nicest brunch I know of is at the Deer Path Inn in downtown Lake Forest, which may be too far east for you. It is formal and expensive, but the buffet is large and very high quality. I have not been there for a couple of years, but they always had a great seafood selection, oysters, shrimp, crab, and cold poached salmon. They have a couple of carving stations as well as the regular breakfast stuff.

http://dpihotel.com/?page_id=148

-Will

We ended up at Lovell's in Lake Forest. (private upstairs room)
They did a wonderful job- worked with my cousin to stay on budget.
Everything was delicious
service was prompt, gracious, and friendly.
Second event we've had there and I can't say enough nice things about them.

_________________
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

I didnt realize that Lovells does brunch. Was it a regular thing or did they do it as a private party for you? They always do a great job with everything, but the regular menu can be fairly expensive. Their wine dinners are particularly nice.

-Will

It was a private event for us.
I do think they do it every now and then for the public, though.

_________________
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
~James Michener

So today we went to Winberie's for brunch. Overall, it was okay, with pluses and minuses. It served our needs.

The pluses: They have several private rooms of various sizes, including a large one that they can partition into two medium-sized rooms. I had to reserve with only one week notice and I was still able to get a room. It was easy to make the reservation over the phone, no long song and dance. At brunch, the service was very good. A few of the food items were pretty good, particularly the prepared-to-order items (omelets and waffles), bagels, and fruit. The price was good, especially for an AYCE buffet ($20 adults, $7 kids).

The minuses: Only one, really, but a big one. Most of the food was not very good. And by "not good", I mean downright awful. 'nuff said.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice!

_________________
"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

I've ruled out Winberies for my mom's 75th birthday!

However we are now looking again for suggestions for a group of about 20 people, location not critical (north burbs preferred, Sxhaumburg area ok) prices under $20/pp. Considering Gianni's in Palatine though their small private space isn't available. Wildfire wouldn't put a table for 20 together, just 2 tables of 10. I really dislike Walker Bros. Mom goes to the Continental on Buffalo Grove Rd weekly, I'd prefer not to host at a coffee shop/diner

Any new suggestions?