Start the long weekend today with brunch at SIP

Alright, I know what a lot of you have done.

Since Monday is a federal holiday — marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — many of you have taken today off as well to have a nice, long weekend. Good idea!

Start the relaxing today with brunch at Southport & Irving (SIP). That’s right, you don’t have to wait for a Saturday or Sunday to enjoy brunch.

The quiche and seasonal salad at SIP’s brunch.

Every week SIP features its brunch menu from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays as well as from 9 a.m until 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

SIP prides itself on giving a global twist to local ingredients and it shows in its brunch menu offerings. For example, it takes pork from northeast Indiana’s Gunthorp Farms and gives it an Asian twist, teaming it with ramen mushrooms, Korean leek, kimchee and a variety of other ingredients. Then it’s paired with a poached egg from Genesis Growers in St. Anne, Ill.

I know, some of you are saying right now: But Sue, I started dieting on New Year’s Day. I can’t go to brunch.

It’s that sort of thinking that gets you derailed in your plans to eat better. Too much austerity and before you know it you stop trying because it was too hard.

I say, go to brunch if that’s something you like to do. No one says you have to overindulge. And if you do go overboard, get yourself back on track the next day. (That’s another thing people do: they take one misstep and decide they’ve failed beyond repair and give up. No, you just had a momentary setback.)

I follow an eating routine that’s pretty low in carbohydrates. So for me, I’d go to brunch and have the quiche (pictured above) and give myself a carb break — for that ONE meal. Then, back to how I regularly eat.

So if it’s brunch that you crave and you’re starting a nice, long weekend, take a look at what SIP has to offer.

TOP PHOTO: The brunch chilaquiles at Southport and Irving