No yolking
Breakfast doesn’t live on eggs alone
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The cornerstone of any hearty breakfast is eggs. And why not? Eggs are available in a variety of styles, and they add a dollop of protein-packed richness to any morning plate. It’s hard to imagine a patriotic, American breakfast without them. Sometimes, though, eggs need to step off, and their ubiquity as a breakfast staple must be challenged. Here are some of Decider’s favorite local restaurants in which to ignore the call of the chicken ova and order something a little more daring.
There’s almost always a wait to get into Snooze on the weekends. Coffee-toting professionals, young families, and grimacing, sunglass-wearing club-goers all patiently endure lengthy wait times for a seat. If Snooze were a regular old breakfast joint slinging up eggs and potatoes, this would seem ridiculous. Sure, it has all the fixings for omelets, scrambles, and such, but those are not the main attraction: It’s the sweet-potato pancakes that are worth the wait. The potatoes keep the hefty cakes moist throughout, making each bite luscious. The sweetness isn’t overwhelming, either; they’re actually less sweet than regular pancakes. Without syrup, the yamcake can be a tantalizing appetizer or side dish. With syrup, it’s a sugary, melt-in-your-mouth delight.
Sputnik’s weekend brunches are legendary, and it’s not because of the scrumptious egg tacos and hearty egg sandwiches. Nay, it’s the deadly temptation of the $5 bottomless mimosas. It doesn’t sound too terrible at first. How many mimosas can one person really drink on a Sunday morning? When there are huge carafes of the stuff at every table, the answer is this: Enough to start the day totally bombed. After an hour, a full week’s supply of vitamin C will have been poured down your gullet and the champagne will induce sparkly visions of a wasted afternoon. After all, no one’s really at Sputnik to fuel up later for a productive jaunt around town. It’s a place to rehash gossip from the previous night, assuage a hangover, and probably end up in bed again by dinnertime.
If Lola were a human instead of a restaurant, it’d be a beautiful woman who you’d expect to be a giant bitch, but is actually really nice and friendly. This Highland eatery serves upscale Mexican chow and is decorated to the nines, and has a generous tequila selection and good-looking clientele. The waitstaff is pleasant, and it doesn’t get much better in the summer than a weekend brunch on the patio. The basic eggs-and-meat dish, El Admiral, is a fine item. Get the eggs scrambled and they come out light and fluffy, with chunks of scallion nestled on top—but don’t order it. For one thing, it costs $9. Yes, nine bucks for two eggs, your choice of meat, and a hunk of poblano-asadero grit cake. Add-ons like shrimp and fried oysters are available, but not cheap. Instead, shake some extra pennies out of the wallet and go loco with a carnitas plate. If money’s really tight, split the $12 breakfast torta with a pal. It’s loaded with ham and shrimp and seemingly the size of a shoebox. (Okay, there’s an egg on it, but it’s lost in all the other ingredients.) The sandwich comes with fried potatoes, too, to get those top buttons a-poppin’.
