Eggs Benedict review

Eggs Benedict – Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL

August 22, 2018

Eggs Benedict from Oxford Exchange is a brunch classic that is executed perfectly. Tampa’s hippest restaurant is the perfect place for this weekend’s brunch.

Oxford Exchange is a fun Restaurant and Shop located in Tampa, near University of Tampa campus. While the locale would suggest a prominently college age clientele, Oxford Exchange attracts everyone as the food and drinks are wonderful. The hip shop is just as enjoyable too.

Enjoy a moment browsing the books, candles, and other fun gifts before take a seat at your reservation.

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Crab Eggs Benedict: Millbrook Company- Sedgwick, ME

September 26, 2015

Eggs Benedict is my favorite brunch dish. I love to try it everywhere we go from greasy spoons to top rated restaurants. I love the classic version, but I also love trying other fun variations. I share my experiences and personal ratings in my Eggs Benedict Reviews in my Dining Out Section. Check them all out!

While we were visiting Price’s mom, Elaine, in Maine earlier this summer, we were on a mission to get a new grill for her house there. Since her house is on a itty bitty island it’s a decent drive into the closest town containing big box stores, like 45 minutes.

So we needed some strength to make such a journey (ha!), so we stopped for breakfast on the way at Millbrook Company in Segwick, Maine.

Of course, as soon as I saw an Eggs Benedict on the Specials Board, I was immediately interested. Not just you’re typical Eggs Benedict, but a Crab Benedict, and for just $12.95. It sounded like a delicious deal!

In the unassuming building on the side of Rt 15, sits Millbook Company. A breakfast and lunch place opened Wednesday- Sunday from 7.30am to 2.00pm. They have the basics, and they serve them well. When you serve a limited menu, you better do it right, and it seems like they really do with the nice crowds in there and the food we all enjoyed, from the standard breakfast favorites to the delicious specials.

Millbrook Company has a great bakery that creates fantastic breads, cookies, bars, sticky buns, and much, much more. They serve there delicious baked goods at the restaurant, as well as sell them at area farmer’s markets.

While I didn’t get a breakfast that had a side of toast I did get a bite from Elaine just so I could try their house made jam. I love that they pay so close attention to their products that they make their own breads and jams.

We ordered the Blueberry Buckle for Autumn, figuring it is similar to a muffin, which she enjoys. She did thoroughly enjoyed it, as did we, when we snagged bites ourselves. It was moist, rich, and packed with blueberries. I loved the crumb on top too.

I’ve had plenty of Crab Cake Eggs Benedicts before, which are always enjoyable, but I enjoyed the similar approach with just serving crab on the English muffin. It didn’t muddle things, it kept it all perfectly simple, allowing the crab to shine through.

I would have loved some bigger lumps of crab, but the crab itself was delicious and overall I appreciated that it was affordable.

The eggs were poached perfectly. I just love watching when velvety soft warm yolks start to trickle down when the eggs when cut. It blends really well with rich Hollandaise sauce.

The side of potatoes was a little bland, but I I didn’t mind that much as I do appreciate getting to season the potatoes myself as I often find they are under-salted or over-salted. The crust on the potatoes certainly made up for any deficiencies in the amount of salt used when preparing the potatoes. I love the good crust on homefries.

If you are in the area I suggest stopping by this charming small breakfast and lunch spot. The simple home-cooked meals for affordable prices make for a great place to visit. Be sure to check out the beautiful views from the pavilion too!

Rating

English Muffin– 17/20 pts

Crab– 16/20 pts

Poached Egg– 23/25 pts

Hollandaise- 23/25 pts

Homefries– 8/10 pts

Total: 87/100 pts

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Millbrook Company

160 Snows Cove Road

Sedgwick, Maine 04676

207.359.8344

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Eggs Hussarde Benedict: Toulouse Petit- Seattle

May 1, 2015

I practically jumped out of my seat when my best friend emailed me some suggestions for places to eat and I saw all of the Eggs Benedict options that Toulouse Petit.

EIGHT DIFFERENT EGGS BENEDICTS TO CHOOSE FROM!!!

I was blown away by their options for Eggs Bendict, but also from the brunch menu as a whole. They had so many offerings that all sounded so good. I knew I would get an Eggs Benedict dish, but I have to admit that I was temped with the Bananas Foster Pancakes ($12) and the Croque Madame ($14).

One of the coolest things about Toulouse Petit is that they have a “Breakfast Happy Hour” that runs Monday through Friday from 8am to 11am. While we didn’t visit Toulouse Petit during those hours, it’s a very cool offering as the majority of their menu is $9.

We started out brunch with some great drinks. The selection of drinks included the classics, like Bloody Mary’s and a Sazeracs, and ones that were Toulouse Petit creations like the kahula and coffee based Mud Bug and the grapefruit vodka and sparkling wine Madame Toulouse. No matter what drink you pick, they are all $8.50 before 4pm.

Emily got the Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Scramble ($18). In addition to the crab and asparagus, there were tender shallots in the scramble. It was then topped off with chervil, chives,and a light mornay sauce. This scramble is served with a side of potatoes. She really enjoyed the scramble, with the exception of the shallots, which she just prefer to typically omit.

I decided to get the Eggs Hussarde Benedict as it sounded just so very good with its artisanal ingredients. The ‘Eggs Hussarde’ ($18/$15 during ‘Breakfast Happy Hour’) consists of a toasted split English Muffin, Snake River Farms Ham, poached eggs, the Veal Shallot Pan Sauce, and a Hollandaise Sauce.

Snack River Farms is an Idaho based farm so it’s not quite local but it’s in the region. And it’s well known for their meats. The ham was sliced thinly and was lean. The quality was top notch.

One of the reasons that I love Eggs Benedict so much is its saucy goodness. So I was in utter bliss considering that this had not one, but 2 sauces. Both were incredibly flavorful, smooth, creamy, and rich. Both sauces added so much to the dish from the creamy Hollandaise to the salty, rich pan sauce.

And of course one of the best things about the english muffin base of eggs benedict is that soaks up the Hollandaise so well. And in this case there were two delicious sauces!

The poached eggs were cooked nicely. Slightly cooked more than I prefer as the yolks were a bit firmer than I prefer but they were still pretty runny. Thankfully.

This was one of the best Eggs Benedict dishes that I’ve ever had!

Plus, there were 2 sauces! Not just your typical Hollandaise Sauce, but there was a Veal and Shallot Pan Sauce.

We both really enjoyed out breakfast so much that I can easily see why it’s consistently voted one of the best brunch places in the United States.

Rating

English Muffin– 18/20 pts

Snack River Farms Ham– 20/20 pts

Poached Egg– 22/25 pts

Veal Pan Sauce and Hollandaise- 25/25 pts

Homefries– 9/10 pts

Total: 93/100 pts

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Toulouse Petit

601 Queen Anne Ave N

Seattle, WA 98109

(206) 432-9069

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Lobster Eggs Benedict – Ceia Restaurant and Bar, Newburyport, MA

March 27, 2015

Just a few weekends ago I had such a fantastic brunch at Ceia Restaurant and Bar.

What was I doing way up in Newburyport?

I was getting to meet Carrie and Liz!!!!!!!

I have been talking to Carrie for ages and ages on social media, but have never met, although we live a little more an hour apart. Carrie introduced me to Liz when she invited me to brunch. So much fun.

Liz picked Ceia Restuarant and Bar for our brunch as we decided to meet in the middle of all of us. Liz lives nearby and enjoys going there for drinks and dinner so it sounded like a great pick. And it was!

Carrie ordered a Kobe Burger ($16). It’s a burger on a buttered focaccia bun and topped off with Serrano ham, manchego cheese, and a slice of tomato. All of their sandwiches are served with Duckfat fries. OMG! I snagged some and they were fantastic. It was the first time I had Duckfat fries, and I’m hooked now. Plus, they serve a house-made ketchup that is sweet, smokey, and creamy. One of the best homemade ketchups that I’ve ever had.

Liz stuck with the breakfast dishes and ordered the pancakes ($13). The pancakes were studded with black walnuts and thinly chopped pear, and served with with fresh maple syrup. The pancakes were cooked in Candy Cap Oil, which is actually oil infused with forged mushrooms, but has a maple flavor to it. Pretty cool.

Carrie ordered a mimosa and I ordered a Bloody Mary as our brunch bevies. The Bloody Mary was good, but I felt it it was missing something, spicy maybe? Plus, I thought it was ‘weak’. Similarly, Carrie thought her mimosa was too.

I had considered ordering the Shirred Eggs entree but when I saw they had a Lobster Benedict ($18) I just knew it was the thing I couldn’t resist. I mean how could I?!?

Poached Lobster, poached eggs, and a thick slice of Tomato set atop an English Muffin. And then a Spicy Hollandaise was drizzled on top. Then some dressed arugula was piled on top all of that.

It all just sounded too good.

And it really, really was so good.

The serving of the lobster was generous and cooked perfectly. As well, the poached eggs were just about perfect. The addition of the tomato and arugula was enjoyable as they added to the flavor and texture of the dish. The arugula added a bit of a pop to it all. The only disappointing element of the dish were the English Muffins. It seemed that they had forgotten to be toasted, or if they were it was done so lightly that the insides still seemed doughy. Yes, I could have requested new English muffins but I didn’t as I didn’t feel that I missed out on the overall experience of the dish but leaving them to the side. Plus, there still was a great side of hash browns to be enjoyed.

The side of potatoes were amazing. I loved how crunchy they were. They were a great vehicle for the ketchup that was served along side of them. That ketchup was unreal. I typically notice a heavy molasses or vinegar taste in homemade ketchups but this didn’t have either distinct flavor. It was a great consistency and well balanced.

Brunch with great food and great company is always fantastic. I can’t wait to meet up with Carrie and Liz again. And I highly suggest going to Ceia in Newburyport to satisfy your eggs benedict craving.

Rating

English Muffin– 13/20 pts

Lobster and Tomato– 20/20 pts

Poached Egg– 23/25 pts

Spicy Hollandaise- 24/25 pts

Homefries and ketchup– 9/10 pts

Total: 89/100 pts

Ceia Restaurant and Bar

38 State Street

Newburyport, MA 01950

978.358.8112

Cajun Pork Benedict- Top of the Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

November 12, 2014

When we were visiting Raleigh, North Carolina back in September we enjoyed some really great meals throughout Research Triangle area. There are so many wonderful places to eat that we had a blast. One place in particular had an awesome brunch.

Based upon some reviews and suggestions we went to Top of The Hill in Chapel Hill for brunch. Brunch is one of my favorite meals and obviously, my favorite dish is Eggs Benedict. And Top of The Hill, aka TOPO, did not disappoint!

Typically, we would not order a ‘starter’ of biscuits but Autumn can happily eat them so we ordered them. So, of course, we snagged some pieces of the light and fluffy biscuits too. Although they were buttery I felt it was super important to add some butter on top as well. Plus some jelly. When in Rome?

We also did get a cup of fruit ($3.99) for Autumn as well.

Sweet tea and a sweet baby.

Price ordered the Chicken and Waffles ($9.99). It is becoming the signature dish that he has been ordering lately.

He thought it was really good as the boneless chicken breast was really tender under all that crunch. The coating was on the sweet side, which went well with the belgian waffle. He remarked that he enjoyed how airy the waffle was. Two thumbs up.

Sadly, we arrived at right when they open at 11 and they don’t start serving alcohol until noon so we didn’t get to enjoy some brunch cocktails or their on-site brewed beers. The selection looked great so it was disappointing but you just can’t break state law!

I love Eggs Benedict but I love when restaurants change things up and play on the components of it. Which is exactly what TOPO did when they created the Cajun Pork Benny ($8.99). Their version included 2 cheesy grit cakes, Cajun pulled pork, 2 poached eggs, a beer cheese sauce, which were served on a bed of arugula, and lastly topped off with fresh salsa.

Each element was executed really well. I loved the spice and seasoning in the moist pulled pork. As well, the creamy, thick beer cheese sauce has a really nice spice to it. Of course it was made with theitr own beer. That went really well with the pepper arugula. I typically look forward to homefries but the arugula was nice instead as it added some nice crunch to each bite.

The best part of the Cajun Pork Benedict were the cheesy grit cakes. They were cheesy, creamy, and crunchy. Imagine croquettes but 10x better. The grits were cooked perfectly and they were formed into the cakes and gently fried. Be still my heart. I made sure I had a bit of the cheesy grit cakes with ever bite.

My eggs were bright and runny but just a tad over cooked.You might even say it was barely noticeable, but I do take note. However, I would always choose a slightly over cooked egg than under cooked so it wasn’t such a big deal. Plus there was enough of the cheese sauce to balance out some of the cooked yolk.