Chef Craig Collier is a James Beard Award nomated chef for Best Chef: Southeast and Uptown Yolk is one of his restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Uptown Yolk is a "Southern Brunch & Dinner Restaurant" that "blends elevated classics with imaginative new dishes in an environment that's as sophisticated as it is modern."
I ordered the Benny Yolko: Two eggs poached and Canadian bacon on English muffins with hollandaise sauce with sides of mac & cheese and TN Fries, which are seasoned, diced potatoes. I also added dipping sauces: Hot Honey, Sorghum Mustard & Black Garlic.
Everything was done well. The eggs benedict had all the right notes and served a classic the right way. The sauces were able to add that special local flare.
The TN Fries were well seasoned and very lightly crisp on the outside. I'm glad I got the dipping sauces because I alternated between all of them to give each bite a bit more kick.
Grade: A
Krave Bagel offers New York-style bagels baked daily in North Myrtle Beach.
When I saw them along my drive, I pulled over into the drive-through and immediately ordered a lox bagel: garlic bagel, scallion cream cheese, lox, capers and red onion. These are my favorite toppings!
The garlic on my bagel was pretty crunchy and kinda fell everywhere, so I think I'd opt for an onion one next time. And I had some salmon that had a bit of chewiness texture wise, but most of it was spot-on.
Yum!
Grade: B
The brainchild of James Beard award-winning chef John Currence, Big Bad Breakfast gives the proper respect to “the most important meal of the day” in Louisville, Kentucky.
They're known for their custom-created meats, fresh biscuits and preserves, locally roasted coffee and cocktails.
"We wear our 'Big Bad' name as a badge of honor and take special pride in serving all your Southern favorites with the creativity and technique that only a skilled, world-renowned chef can bring to the table," reads the website.
I ordered the Jack Benny - sliced ham topped with crispy hash cake, wilted spinach, two poached eggs and hollandaise. Served with your choice of side (in my case, fruit). While I am not the biggest egg fan, I do enjoy me some eggs benedict. I especially love a little twist on it, like this crispy potato cake, which adds some nice texture. The side of fruit was key here though to bring out some balance of sweetness. That sort of unctuous hollandaise and yolk or satisfying.
Grade: A
The Lox Bagel Shop in Columbus, Ohio, hand-rolls, boils and then bakes their bagels - which has helped them earn spots on lists such as: Bon Appétit Magazine's "The Very Best Bagels in the US (yes, outside New York)" and Food & Wine Magazine's "The Best Bagels in America."
The trendy spot is a bit off the beaten path, but not far. They are known for their hybrid-style bagel - a beautiful blend between nice crunch exterior and soft interior. You can get them as plain, sesame, sea salt and herb, or everything. you can also add a spread or go for a bagel sandwich.
"Our bagels are a cross between a New York and Montreal style, boiled and fired in a live fire oven. We pride ourselves on sourcing the highest quality ingredients as well as sound technique to produce a delicious and enjoyable bagel or bagel sandwich," reads the website.
I had to try their namesake sandwich, the Lox, which has capers, onion, cucumber, and cream cheese. I made mine a sea salt and herb bagel with chive cream cheese.
I loved the sandwich so much. There was a perfect mixture of textures. There was some sweetness from the pickled red onion. There was lots of savory from the herbs and chives. Delicious.
Grade: A
I visited The Belgian Waffle Shop a few months ago and was excited to try out something new. Sure, you're probably familiar with Waffle House, but there are a handful of local places around the state that also focus on the waffle. Wheeling happens to be one of them.
To start, I feel for the businesses in this part of town that have had the road inaccessible for quite some time. I'm sure that affects business. Additionally, there seem to be some behind-the-scenes struggles in terms of ownership that have made the rounds on social media lately. I don't want to get into that debate.
But I will debate what IS a Belgian waffle. In comparison to regular waffles, Belgian waffles are smaller without an outer rim and are a bit crisp on the outside and fluffy and dense inside. I think a lot of places use the term Belgian to sound fancy, but most are just regular ol' waffles.
The small shop offere several specialty waffles - Butter Pecan, Double Triple Chocolate, Strawberry-N-Cream, Toffee Crunch and Traditional Vanilla Bean. Plus, they do bubble waffles. And drinks.
I ordered the toffee crunch, waffle, which was more of a regular waffle: large, fairly soft, fluffy. The toppings are really, well, over the top. Candy pieces and ice cream and whipped cream remove this from any breakfast territory and send it straight to dessert alley. My only hope is that my next waffle is more crisp.
Grade: B
Pete's Breakfast House is a family-owned restaurant that has been serving Ventura County since 1981.
"Back in the early 80’s, a young entrepreneur and food wizard, Peter Ransom, took over the small café '2055 Main Street,' with the intent to serve freshly prepared breakfast ... In 2003 Peter and Lyndsay Timpson (two transplanted Brits) happened upon 'Pete’s Breakfast House' and they had to buy it. Pete’s name was on the door after all! Forever after, Peter Timpson became known as Re-Pete."
This restaurant was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
"First airing in 2012, Pete's Breakfast House was featured on the Food Network's hit show Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Host Guy Fieri stopped by to see what your local diner was cooking up. We shared with him some of our favorites, including our pancake roll with yogurt and berries that he called 'righteous.'"
I ordered a simple grilled ham & cheese with a side of fruit. I always like having a side of something cool, fresh and sweet anytime I have a hot main entree.
Overall, it was fine. It was nicely grilled, and there was ample cheese. I was happy my side of fruit wasn't primarily composed of melon. A good, simple meal.
Grade: B
The Hershey Pantry is a beloved local restaurant in the area that is known for breakfast, lunch and, obviously, brunch.
I started with the Hot Chocolate with whipped cream topped with Hershey’s Syrup and a Hershey’s Kiss. Surprisingly, the chocolate itself was closer to the dark side, but the toppings and syrups sweetened things up.
I ordered the Crab Florentine with crab, spinach, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce over an English muffin. This is a familiar dish, but it is always tasty, so I really enjoy it. I love the combo of the lightly sweet crab meat with the savory eggs and sauce and, there's something luxurious about having eggs benedict for breakfast because it's not one of those dishes I'll make at home. It's just for special occasions.
Overall, breakfast here was a nice and delicious way to start the day in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Grade: A
My friend Kayla and I visited Café Patachou for breakfast recently. "Founded in 1989 by six-time James Beard Foundation semifinalist Martha Hoover, Cafe Patachou is an award-winning restaurant offering a world class breakfast and lunch experience," according to the website.
The light, airy dining space was like an adult student union, with coffees, breakfast items, and friendly chatter bouncing around the walls.
The menu features all day breakfast, which, of course, includes eggs, french toast and avocado toast.
I ordered: "SMOKED SALMON BAGEL - Sustainable Ora King smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, red onions, capers on an open face bagel. Served with microgreen salad: cherry tomatoes, carrot, red onions, EVOO, and salt."
This bagel was stacked high and came with ample components for me to build it to my liking. I especially liked the pile of capers, because I love adding a little extra briny-ness to my sandwich. Fresh and flavorful, this bagel was delish.
I added a side of fresh fruit, which is key to adding a balance of sweetness to the meal. It offers a reprieve from the fattiness in the sandwich.
Overall, a nice space with some tasty food that I would certainly not hesitate to visit again.
Grade: A
The Breakfast Caffe is a small restaurant on Blue Horizon Drive.
It is tucked away just out of the main traffic area and near some former businesses and hot spots. If you weren't intentionally coming out this way, there's a good chance you would miss it.
I placed an order online, but they were pretty busy so I took a seat inside and waited for the food to be done. The decor is minimal, but I think they're still finding their way. The menu, of course, has breakfast staples, like eggs, bacon, and pancakes. But the eggs Benedict caught my eye, because it's one of my favorites. That, plus a side of loaded hashbrowns, called my name.
I will say, it may have been the strangest eggs Benedict I've ever had. The eggs were like fried instead of poached. The hollandaise was not topped, but kind of thin and running about and broken. The hash browns were well done, but not necessarily super crispy.
So, they have some room for improvement. At the end of the day, nothing was bad. It was fried eggs on an English muffin and potatoes, and that's a perfectly fine meal. Not what was expected, but not bad.
Grade: C
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