maximiliano's - birthday brunch

i didn't make a big deal out of my birthday this year. for my actual birthday, i just had dinner with a few close friends at wurstkuche (see this post, and this post for food photos).  on sunday i had a brunch with my family at what is my new favorite restaurant (it helps that its less than a mile from my house!), maximiliano's in highland park!  maximiliano's just started serving brunch a few weeks ago and i've been dying to try it (love their dinner menu!), so what better occasion to try it than my birthday?

its not brunch without a bloody mary, and this is probably one of the best bloody marys i've had!  it was nice and spicy (the way i like it it), and the garnish was soo good too!  the season salt around the rim complemented the drink perfectly.  if the food was bad i'd go back just for this bloody mary - but the food was AMAZING!

breakfast pizza - with potatoes, bacon, sausage & eggs!  my sister got this, but of course i had to have a slice and this pizza literally tastes like breakfast!  i'm a big fan of breakfast pizza and this one did not disappoint!  also, i'm pretty sure ron swanson would love this pizza!

eggs benedict - this is what the boyfriend got and he loved it!  he ate it all before i had a chance to try it, but i'm guessing that means it was delish! 

ricotta pancakes with lemon curd & fresh fruit - oh.my.god.  this was even better than it sounds.  can i eat this everyday?  so amazing!  i want to eat this everyday! 

chocolate cake & olive oil ice cream with caramel and sea salt - even though i was so full after my pancake, we ordered dessert for everyone to share (it was my birthday brunch after all).  the chocolate cake was delish (as to be expected), but what i really loved was the olive oil ice cream!  it sounds strange but the olive oil flavor is really subtle and the caramel and sea salt really complement the flavor. 

so my new favorite dinner spot is now also my new favorite brunch spot!  if you ever happen to be in highland park, maximiliano's is a must for brunch (or dinner!  i love the bianca-verde pizza)!