Eggs Benedict Crawl
Started by
Guest_rockdoggydog_*
, Aug 19 2005 11:17 PM
91 replies to this topic
#31
Leslie
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Posted 17 September 2005 - 05:22 AM
I already have plans for Saturday (hubby's birthday), but if anyone is interested to go Sunday (either Etta's or elsewhere), please let me know!
#32
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Posted 20 September 2005 - 12:26 AM
Sunday morning Leslie joined a few friends and I at Etta's for brunch so we could push forward on the crawl. I ordered the crab benedict and a bloody Mary with a side of bacon. The muffin was well toasted and the the eggs were excellently done, with nice runny yolks. There was a nice amount of crab on the muffin but the hollandaise was bland, bland, bland. It had no tang and no zip and I couldn't detect a single hint of the supposed chipotle that the menu said was in the sauce. There was also a little too much spinach on the muffin and made it a little bit watery. The potatoes were really good and tasty and bacon was excellent, coming from Bavarian Meats. The sticky pecan bun we shared was excellent also and is the same one that comes from Dahlia Bakery. Leslie ordered the crab cake special which I'll let her comment on.
This is my least favorite bene so far, earning a 5 on my scale, it would be lower but everything else was good enough to keep it from going lower.. I enjoyed everything else very much and I would go back to Etta's for brunch, but I think I'll stay away from the bene.
Bloody Mary - (singing) Bloody Mary is the Girl I love
Pecan Sticky Bun - Mmmmm, good
Crab Cake Special
Veggie Frittata
Bacon!
The main event
Rocky
This is my least favorite bene so far, earning a 5 on my scale, it would be lower but everything else was good enough to keep it from going lower.. I enjoyed everything else very much and I would go back to Etta's for brunch, but I think I'll stay away from the bene.
Bloody Mary - (singing) Bloody Mary is the Girl I love
Pecan Sticky Bun - Mmmmm, good
Crab Cake Special
Veggie Frittata
Bacon!
The main event
Rocky
#33
Leslie
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Posted 20 September 2005 - 03:42 AM
Thank you for posting the photos Rocky!
I agree with Rocky about his eggs bene which I tasted, but I am a tad bit more critical of Ettas after this breakfast.
Tom Douglas should be embarrassed to serve the kind of crab cake that I and one of our dining companions (who was visiting here from out of town) ate on Sunday. It wasn't 'bad' per se, but it was mediocre. As our dining companion said, he's had better crab cakes at Anthony's, and I believe him. It was nicely crispy on the exterior, but it was so thick that the interior was kind of mushy in a mushy bread crumb kind of way. And the crab cake is supposed to be one of his signature items, so doubly dissappointing. My poached eggs were perfect, like Rocky's, and I liked my fried potatoes, too. But for a $15 breakfast entree I expect to get a perfect crab cake, and this was far from it.
The place has a nice vibe and energy to it, though, and was packed. A little hard to hear table mates at times.
The nibble of sweet roll and bacon I tasted was really good! Service was also good.
ps. the nectarine garnish was not quite ripe. But that is a minor quibble.
I agree with Rocky about his eggs bene which I tasted, but I am a tad bit more critical of Ettas after this breakfast.
Tom Douglas should be embarrassed to serve the kind of crab cake that I and one of our dining companions (who was visiting here from out of town) ate on Sunday. It wasn't 'bad' per se, but it was mediocre. As our dining companion said, he's had better crab cakes at Anthony's, and I believe him. It was nicely crispy on the exterior, but it was so thick that the interior was kind of mushy in a mushy bread crumb kind of way. And the crab cake is supposed to be one of his signature items, so doubly dissappointing. My poached eggs were perfect, like Rocky's, and I liked my fried potatoes, too. But for a $15 breakfast entree I expect to get a perfect crab cake, and this was far from it.
The place has a nice vibe and energy to it, though, and was packed. A little hard to hear table mates at times.
The nibble of sweet roll and bacon I tasted was really good! Service was also good.
ps. the nectarine garnish was not quite ripe. But that is a minor quibble.
#34
Eden
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 02:11 PM
We went to the Library Cafe for Brunch yesterday planning on trying their scotch eggs (another fab source of cardiac trauma) but they were sold out 
so I ordered the eggs benedict instead. I'd say these were a 5 at best. The sauce had a little lemon but not much, and had an odd thick texture, almost like they'd pureed hard boiled egg yolks, it was also slightly congealed looking, made me wonder if it had spent time under a heat lamp. Big sprinkle of flavorless paprika, unremarkable bacon, harmless muffin... the first bene was edible if dull, but the second one they hadn't poached enough, so the white was really runny (eww!) and they'd just sauced it over so I didn't notice at first. When I discovered the problem I had them take it back, and I will say that the replacement bene was noticably better. The egg was beautiful and the sauce much fresher tasting, if still unexciting. If you could count on getting it like this I'd call it a 6, but obviously quality is variable here.
They had service issues as well, and I won't be going back, not even to try the only Scotch eggs in seattle.
so I ordered the eggs benedict instead. I'd say these were a 5 at best. The sauce had a little lemon but not much, and had an odd thick texture, almost like they'd pureed hard boiled egg yolks, it was also slightly congealed looking, made me wonder if it had spent time under a heat lamp. Big sprinkle of flavorless paprika, unremarkable bacon, harmless muffin... the first bene was edible if dull, but the second one they hadn't poached enough, so the white was really runny (eww!) and they'd just sauced it over so I didn't notice at first. When I discovered the problem I had them take it back, and I will say that the replacement bene was noticably better. The egg was beautiful and the sauce much fresher tasting, if still unexciting. If you could count on getting it like this I'd call it a 6, but obviously quality is variable here.They had service issues as well, and I won't be going back, not even to try the only Scotch eggs in seattle.
A change of meat is often good, and those who are wearied of common food take new pleasure in a novel meal.
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#35
Scorched Palate
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 04:45 PM
We went there, once, when we lived a few blocks away. Once was enoughWe went to the Library Cafe for Brunch yesterday
! I don't think anything we ate there could even have charitably been given a 5... unless the scale was 1-100.
I'm no longer participating on Mouthfuls, but feel free to visit our blog.
#36
laurel
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Posted 26 September 2005 - 05:12 PM
Apparently there are scotch eggs at the Athenian:They had service issues as well, and I won't be going back, not even to try the only Scotch eggs in seattle.
http://www.thestrang...ntent?oid=22668
That review doesn't sound too favorable though
I can definitely believe the faux-sausage thing, though. I've just been in Scotland and a lot of the unusual-parts-of-animal products like black pudding and haggis turned out to taste a lot like various veggie-meats. Maybe I should try to invent meatless foie gras now that the real thing is geting banned everywhere...
#37
malarkey
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Posted 28 September 2005 - 02:34 PM
OK, looks like Rocky and I will be sampling the Maximillian brunch this coming Sunday, the 2nd of October. Anyone want to join us? We haven't set a time yet...
I'm looking forward to regretting this.
#38
Leslie
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Posted 28 September 2005 - 02:57 PM
unfortunately, I can't make it. We're going to Salmon Days in Issaquah that day. I will be real curious to hear how Maximilien does. Have fun!
#39
malarkey
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Posted 02 October 2005 - 08:54 PM
Today Rocky and I & Lauren and Paul ventured to Maximillians to try the esteemed Eggs Benedict on their menu. The Edlunds declined the Eggs Bene for other dishes, so I'll just speak to the benes here.
Alas, they are no longer serving the Eggs Bene with steak! After much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, we ordered the regular Bene for testing. Verdict:
Hollendaise had a strong lemon/vinegary bite, my eggs were adequately runny, but Rocky's were hard cooked. English muffin could have been toasted a bit more, and the roasted potatoes on the side were good. The ham didn't really taste like black forest to me (that's what the menu said) it came grilled and thinly sliced. Rocky was comtemplating giving this one a 4 rating, so I'll let him discuss that.
One distracting thing was the silverware had a strong bleach smell, like it had been soaked and not rinsed off that well. *shrug* It certainly didn't add anything positive to the experience.
All in all, not a bad bene, but not really a great bene, and nowhere near knocking 35th St off it's throne.
edited to add: I had a lovely champagne cocktail here, and the Bloody Marys that Lauren & Rocky ordered were quite possibly the best I've ever tasted.
Alas, they are no longer serving the Eggs Bene with steak!
After much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, we ordered the regular Bene for testing. Verdict:Hollendaise had a strong lemon/vinegary bite, my eggs were adequately runny, but Rocky's were hard cooked.
English muffin could have been toasted a bit more, and the roasted potatoes on the side were good. The ham didn't really taste like black forest to me (that's what the menu said) it came grilled and thinly sliced. Rocky was comtemplating giving this one a 4 rating, so I'll let him discuss that. One distracting thing was the silverware had a strong bleach smell, like it had been soaked and not rinsed off that well. *shrug* It certainly didn't add anything positive to the experience.
All in all, not a bad bene, but not really a great bene, and nowhere near knocking 35th St off it's throne.
edited to add: I had a lovely champagne cocktail here, and the Bloody Marys that Lauren & Rocky ordered were quite possibly the best I've ever tasted.
I'm looking forward to regretting this.
#40
Leslie
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Posted 02 October 2005 - 09:23 PM
Thanks Malarkey.
I agree with you about the scent of bleach while eating being a real turn off.
Sanitary and clean = great. Bleach smell while eating = not great.
I wish restaurants understood that better and went through a deoderizing of bleach smell after sanitizing. Elliotts Oyster Bar suffers from this syndrome, as I have smelled bleach the last 3 times I have entered their restaurant. It is an obstacle that I try to overcome, but still...
I agree with you about the scent of bleach while eating being a real turn off.
Sanitary and clean = great. Bleach smell while eating = not great.
I wish restaurants understood that better and went through a deoderizing of bleach smell after sanitizing. Elliotts Oyster Bar suffers from this syndrome, as I have smelled bleach the last 3 times I have entered their restaurant. It is an obstacle that I try to overcome, but still...
#41
Guest_rockdoggydog_*
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Posted 03 October 2005 - 01:50 AM
Maximilien why? I was so looking forward to your bounty. Brunch started out well with a really excellent Bloody Mary, definitely one of the best I've had in a long time. We were a little dissapointed by the absence of the steak and bene but we were there for bene, and as long as there was bene it was all good. Then the bene arrived. It looked good and bene like but with my first bite my face puckered up, way too much lemon juice/vinegar. I moved on into the egg and it was cooked way too well done, , and I bet that had there been a nice amount of yolk to add to the hollandaise it wouldn't have had the pucker factor that it carried for me. The ham that was in the bene was overpowered by the hollandaise, it got lost and seemed bland next to the sauce. The potatoes were really good, excellent breakfast potatoes, but this is about eggs benedict. Maximilien gets my lowest score to date, a four. Between the overdone egg, the super tart hollandaise, and the ham that just disappeared I have to go below a five. On the other had it is no longer the only benedict below a five, I need to revise my score of Etta's downward to 4.5. I had given Etta's a points boost based on how good everything else was and that's just ot fair. Bad Rocky, can't do that. This was really dissapointing, and I'd like to give it another shot especially if they put the steak and bene back on the menu.
Rocky
, and I bet that had there been a nice amount of yolk to add to the hollandaise it wouldn't have had the pucker factor that it carried for me. The ham that was in the bene was overpowered by the hollandaise, it got lost and seemed bland next to the sauce. The potatoes were really good, excellent breakfast potatoes, but this is about eggs benedict. Maximilien gets my lowest score to date, a four. Between the overdone egg, the super tart hollandaise, and the ham that just disappeared I have to go below a five. On the other had it is no longer the only benedict below a five, I need to revise my score of Etta's downward to 4.5. I had given Etta's a points boost based on how good everything else was and that's just ot fair. Bad Rocky, can't do that. This was really dissapointing, and I'd like to give it another shot especially if they put the steak and bene back on the menu.Rocky
#42
tighe
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Posted 03 October 2005 - 06:08 AM
So glad I suggested trying Max's eggs bene....ouch.
It may have been Camelot for Jack and Jacqueline
But on the Che Guevara highway filling up with gasoline
Fidel Castro's brother spies a rich lady who's crying
Over luxury's dissapointment
So he walks over and he's trying
To sympathize with her, but thinks that he should warn her
That the Thirld World is just around the corner
But on the Che Guevara highway filling up with gasoline
Fidel Castro's brother spies a rich lady who's crying
Over luxury's dissapointment
So he walks over and he's trying
To sympathize with her, but thinks that he should warn her
That the Thirld World is just around the corner
#43
Guest_rockdoggydog_*
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Posted 04 October 2005 - 11:29 PM
This weekend Malarkey and I are on to Volterra. Remember we're clogging our arteries in a good cause. We're planning on heading over at 1100 on Sunday morning. If you'd like to come let me know.
Rocky
Rocky
#44
dubkat
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Posted 05 October 2005 - 03:14 AM
I think you can count me in for Volterra.
Willo
Willo
#45
malarkey
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Posted 05 October 2005 - 04:28 AM
Excellent Willo! Here's a description of the Volterra bene to lure anyone sitting on the fence:
Wild Mushroom Eggs Benedict
English muffin topped with sauteed wild mushrooms, poached eggs and truffle scented hollandaise sauce served with Volterra hash browns.
Wild Mushroom Eggs Benedict
English muffin topped with sauteed wild mushrooms, poached eggs and truffle scented hollandaise sauce served with Volterra hash browns.
I'm looking forward to regretting this.
