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I can't tell you the amount of friendly arguments I've gotten in with friends that hail from Chicago. I'm not the biggest sports fan around, so I usually let provocative comments about NY and LA teams slide. But when they start in about the country's best restaurants, creative cuisine, or top brunches, that's going too far. Foodies know that LA's cornered the American market for best sushi, and weekend brunch in NYC is a cultural phenomenon. Right?

Well...Wrong. After a few visits involving tasty breakfast and lunch research, I have to give one to Chicago. NYC doesn't own a monopoly on the brunch goodness of omelettes and waffles after all (contrary to what myopic New Yorkers like to believe). And no place can nurse a Sunday morning hangover like a top Chicago brunch restaurant.

Wishbone - I went to the Wishbone in the West Loop; there's another Wishbone in Lakeview. Wishbone has the best cheap brunch in this trendy area. The brunch focus is on Southern food, with blackened catfish, crab cakes and corn cakes on the menu. I had the fried French Toast, which is made with a crunchy corn flake batter. It was so good that my dining companions' forks kept somehow sneaking their ways onto my plate. The best brunch here, according to legend, is the shrimp and grits in cream sauce. I liked almost everything I tried here, the exception being the fried green tomatoes. As with all popular brunch spots on weekends (and Mothers Day), there's a wait to get in. A Bloody Mary helps the wait seem more than tolerable. Phone (312)850-2663