March 11--I've eaten my way through a lot of bread pudding in this city, and the best I've had isn't at a fancy restaurant or a full-fledged bakery. It's at The Galway Arms Irish Bar Restaurant in Lincoln Park.
The pub calls its version Celtic bread and butter pudding -- a name that even makes it sound better than your average bread pudding, though technically all bread puddings are made with butter. (Recipes vary but usually involve recycling old bread by baking crust-less slices into spongy squares bonded with eggs, milk, heavy cream and butter.) Still, this version is extra-buttery, with a hint of cinnamon.
The large square is made up of individual, airy bread pieces that are tempting to pull off in hunks with your fingers, but the pudding arrives topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with gummy caramel sauce, so the best option is to cut through the soft layers with a spoon. With each gooey bite, the coolness of the ice cream melds with the warmth and spice of the square below, joining complementary flavors, textures and temperatures in a way that makes this dessert hauntingly delicious. 2442 N. Clark St., 773-472-5555, www.galwayarms.com.
