poached eggs

Tip Tap Benedict @ The Tip Tap Room, Boston MA

October 1, 2013

For one of our monthly date days I took Pricer out to brunch at The Tip Tap Room here in Boston for their Tipsy Brunch. We have loved Chef/owner Brian Poe since we met him years ago when he became the head chef of The Rattlesnake Bar and Grill. I knew that brunch would be a hit here because of how awesome everything from the The Rattlesnake, and here at the Tip Tap Room, has been over the past few years.

Tip Tap Bloody Mary

our spicy homemade Bloody Mary with a candied bacon rim. $10.00

Obviously, brunch = Bloody Mary’s. While I love a mimosa, I can thow together some oj and champange/ perseco myself so I go I will order a Bloody Mary 9x out of 10. I’m always just so interested in how everyone makes their Bloody Mary base mix and how they finish off the glass with garnish. And this candied bacon rim was a winner. Sometimes I struggle with a bacon rim because it will be super smoked and I think that can just be too intense for the spicy sharp flavors of the Bloody Mary. So this slightly sweet bacon rim was really enjoyable.

Muffins and Stuff

Chef Poe’s blend of fresh breads with breakfast caramel butter $6.00

We started with the Muffins and Stuff to see what kind of fresh breads they offered. The chocolate bread was to die for. To-die-for. everything was incredible really with the moist breast, toasted English Muffins, and crunchy pastries. Plus, there was a caramel infused butter served along side of the bread basket. I wanted to sneak this ramekin into my purse. It was heavenly with its soft consistency and a sweet flavor that had toasty notes that went really well with the sweeter breads.

Corned Beef Hash

Topped with a poached egg $11.00

Price ordered the Corned Beef Hash entrée. It honestly surprised me because 1) he doesn’t covet Hollandaise like I do and 2) he doesn’t love runny eggs. So I had guessed he would pick something like the Belgian Beer Waffles or the Steak & Egg entrees.

So when he picked the Corned Beef, and loved it, I was really shocked. But he really enjoyed combining the in homemade shaved corned beef with the home fries and scooping up a bite of the Hollandaise sauce covered egg. It was that really balanced bite that he really enjoyed. The runny egg yolk was not too intense for him because it was mixed together with the Hollandaise sauce, and ultimately mixed together with the salty meat and crisp potatoes. A real play on texture and flavors.

I think that I have to give this a try next time.

serious noms.

Tip Tap Benedict

Butter Fried Smashed Potato Cake dusted with English Muffin Crumbs, Cured Ham, Poached Eggs, Beer Cheese Hollandaise $12.50

Of course I ordered the Eggs Benedict dish. duh.

I did consider some of the other entrée offerings, but only for a split second since I can’t resist Eggs Benedict and this once just sounded so incredible.

I was really intregeted by the Fried Smashed Potato Cake because I was wondering how it would taste and if it would have a chunky texture. I was thinking of the post- Thanksgiving leftover creations I make up. But I discovered this was not at all like my leftover mashups. (Thankfully!) This potato cake was soo light, fluffy, and very smooth. The English Muffin crumbs on the outside were super fine and a lovely golden brown color. Oh yeah, there might have been some butter going on.

On top of the potato cake was the cured ham, which was just like Canadian Bacon, and then the egg and the dreamy Beer Cheese Hollandaise sauce. I repeat… Beer Cheese Hollandaise. Yep, can’t have a tipsy brunch without some beer in your Hollandaise sauce. Plus it was cheesy too! So it was not like any other Hollandaise I had before since I’m sured to the more traditional sauce that is pretty lemony. The play on the sauce was really interesting. It was really think, creamy and all around amazing.

Under all that Beer Cheese Hollandaise sauce were the loveliest poached eggs. I love when they don’t look that uniform, like someone cut off the edges with a scissor. Besides that they were cooked well. The yolk was super runny and there was not too much (gross) runny white surrounding it.

I wanted to lick this plate clean to get every bit of the egg yolk, Hollandaise sauce and infused oil off the plate and into my stomach. But I had some self control and managed to resist myself.

Rating

Potato cake– 20/20 pts

Cured Ham– 18/20 pts

Poached Egg– 23/25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25/25 pts

No side*– 0/10 pts

Total: 86*/100 pts

*There was no side, like home fries or a side salad, which I rate because its pairing is just as important. Also, I can’t just ignore a bad side when looking at a whole entrée. So while there was no side (knocking it 10 points from my rating) it was a hearty enough Eggs Benedict that I didn’t feel like it was lacking, especially with the big potato cakes.

The Tip Tap Room

138 Cambridge Street

Boston, MA 02114

(857) 350-3344

Tipsy Brunch: Sunday 10:30am—3pm

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict @ Christie’s, Newport RI

August 17, 2012

When Price and I were wandering around Newport we spotted a pretty nonchalant sign for brunch but there was something that caught my attention on it. Their Bacon Bloody Mary. Yuu had me at bacon. So we hop, skipped, and jumped into Christie’s for brunch. Obviously I got Eggs Benedict! I can’t pass up an opportunity to enjoy it! And enjoy it I did, just like the rest of our meal!

Bacon Bloody Mary – so completely bacony. I love bloody mary’s so I love trying different kinds. Our awesome waitress told us that they make their own bacon infused vodka. I like their dedication to making the best- like making a bacon salt mixture to use on the rim on the glass. As a bloody mary lover I really liked this because it was a great balance of tomato, vodka, and seasonings. However, I don’t like smokey bacon and this was made with a smokey bacon so I didn’t love it. ($10)

Tomato Bruchetta – Such a great starter. Simple, fresh, flavorful. The tomato bruchetta was fresh and lightly dressed so the tomatoes were really on show instead of being overpowered with garlic, oil, and S&P. The mozzarella was milky and very soft. The greens on top was a nice change from the typical basil. ($4)

Christie’s Burger- Price had the burger and really enjoyed it. It stood tall on a cutting board with a burger, lettuce, tomato, and a tempura onion ring. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The fries that accompanied the burger reminded me of fries that I used to get at the beach growing up. The reminded me of summer. ($12)

Crab Cakes and Poached Eggs– This is such a great version of Eggs Benedict with it’s large crab cakes, poached eggs, and a tomato hollandaise sauce. The crab cake base was very good with tender, moist crab cakes that were not stuffed with filled. The crab cake was full of crab and tender vegetables like red pepper. The crab cake was seasoned well that it was good alone. I would have preferred for a bit more larger pieces of crab- maybe this was just mixed too much? The eggs were oozey and delightful. The tomato hollandaise sauce was like a typical hollandaise sauce but with a punch of extra flavor. The slight tint from the tomato made the sauce more orange than yellow, which went to well with the green from the herbs in the sauce. The biggest disappointment was the hash-browns. They were so crispy but under-salted so very bland. ($12)

The service here was fantastic from the moment we walked in. Our waitress was kind, informative, and attentive. The place was pretty quiet which is disappointing since we had great food, drink, and service so I hope that people take a step off the street to get into Christie’s. Enjoy the deck and have fun!

Rating

Crab cake– 34 pts

Poached Egg– 25 pts

Hollandaise Sauce– 25 pts

Hash-brown and Greens– 6 points

Total: 90/100

Christie’s

351 Thames Street

Newport, Rhode Island 02840

401-846-8018

Hash Benedict @ Deluxe Station Diner, Newton MA

May 5, 2012

Recently, Price and I went to Deluxe Station Dinner in Newton, MA for an early morning weekend breakfast. We had been to their sister restaurant, Deluxe Town Diner, in Watertown, MA more times than we can remember. And we would always pass by Deluxe Station as we took the train everyday so we finally made plans to stop in one day for breakfast.

The diner is located at the Newton Centre T stop on the D-line (Green Line). The building is charming inside and out. The diner is located inside the old train station. It is filled with fun accents and interesting artwork.

We settled into a booth together as a friendly waitress gave us some menus. We had checked out the breakfast menu before going so we knew what we were getting but it was nice to take a peak again. We enjoyed some coffee before placing our orders. Price ordered the Deluxe Colossal Hungry Person Special and I ordered the Hash Benedict, natch.

Hash Benedict – Two Poached Eggs and Homemade Corned Beef Hash over English Muffin with Hollandaise Sauce and Homefries or Salad… $12.50

My love of Eggs Benedict was satisfied during our visit. The large plate it barely visible with the combination of Hash Benedict and home fries piled high. The eggs are layered with English Muffin, Corned Beef, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. They use the hearty English Muffins from Wolferman’s so the stand up well to the flavors stacked up high on there. I was so excited for this when it was placed down in front of me. I was eager to dive right in.

I loved the combination of each bite. The Hollandaise was very good as it was light, lemony, and very buttery. The color is always so inviting. The Hollandaise was a little lumpy so it was a bit disappointing.

The corned beef hash was flavorful, tender, and piled high. I would have prefered it to have been on the griddle a bit longer as I love crunchy edges on corned beef.

The eggs were cooked perfectly. The poached eggs were neatly trimmed, the whites were set, and the yolk was warm and runny. Once you pierce the egg the yolk cascades down the corned beef and onto the English Muffin.

A generious portion of home fries were plated along side the eggs benedict. The home fries are simple without adornment with veggies (onions, peppers), but are seasoned well with are fresh herbs.

I highly suggest visiting the Deluxe Station Diner when you crave a great breakfast. If you love corned beef hash or eggs benny as much as I do then you should really order this. You might want to take a nap afterwards but it will be worth it. 🙂