Chesapeake, VA
757-410-8515
In her opinion:
I had not been to Virginia in about 20 years and my return wasn't exactly a happy one. My uncle passed away and we needed to spend a few days in Chesapeake to pay our respects. There wasn't a lot of time to try a lot of different foodie venues; after all, that wasn't the focus of this visit. But I did take a quick look at Urbanspoon Chesapeake and looked at their restaurant list. I made a note of their number one selection (the Broken Egg Bistro at the time of viewing but now called the Egg Bistro) and printed directions to the restaurant from out hotel - just in case we found some time!
Well, we did manage to wake up a little earlier and head over to the Egg Bistro before heading over to the funeral. The place was packed but we did find one of the last unoccupied tables. We were greeted by friendly servers. Our server came over to take our drink orders as soon as we were settled.
I ordered a much needed coffee. It was a good cup of coffee too.
Our lovely server then came back and took our food order. I asked about getting something off the kid's lunch menu - a grilled cheese for Ethan and she went back into the kitchen and had them prepare a very good grilled cheese sandwich for our little man.
After checking out their extensive breakfast menu, I settled on "the Corned Beef Hash". It is described on the menu under "Tripping Billies Country Breakfasts" as being served with "two eggs any style, hash browns or grits and toast or a biscuit." Well, when in the south...go southern and that's what I did. I opted for two over-medium eggs, grits and a biscuit.
I thought the corned beef hash was great. Flavourful and delicious. The grits were creamy. The biscuit was buttery and delectable. My eggs were cooked a perfect over-medium. I really enjoyed my southern breakfast.
I can see why the Egg Bistro tops the Urbanspoon Chesapeake list of restaurants. Great service and food in a very nice unpretentious atmosphere. If you are in the area...go and enjoy!
In his opinion:
Breakfast, Chesapeake, Virginia and mourning just don't go well together but one still has to eat. As we searched for a good breakfast place during our stay, the Egg Bistro kept coming up as a runaway favourite. As we are not ones to disagree with the masses or Urbanspoon for that matter, we decided to try it.
The place was absolutely packed. They were extending the restaurant during our visit and with very good reason. There were barely any empty tables from the moment we arrived until the time we left. Most of them seemed like locals and daily clients that ordered without even looking at the menu. Good sign to start.
I picked the the skillet, the feature dish at this restaurant. It's three eggs scrambled with green peppers, onions, tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Underneath all those eggs there were a bed of roast potatoes. I got sausage and toast as sides. The food was great and full of flavour. The eggs were perfect and the toppings meshed perfectly.
It felt like a pretty traditional southern breakfast to me even though I'm not from the south and could be way off. But in my opinion, it was what I envision Paula Deen serving to her southern friends (before her demise that is). I also think the restaurant tries to be a little too sophisticated with the dim lighting and the Italian landscapes on the wall but I sort of get it, they are going for the Bistro look so no harm done.
I also would like to point out that the dish I had, "the skillet" has a challenge in this restaurant. It is a 5 lbs version of it, and if you can finish it within an hour without leaving the table, it's on the house and you get $100 on top of it. Not for the faint at heart.
The Good: Extensive menu, lots to pick from and friendly quick and efficient staff. Food was southern style tasty.
The Bad: One feels some sort of confusion with the decoration and the type of food served. Even the patrons seem like they don't fit the "look".
The Verdict: All things aside this is a great restaurant for breakfast. Plenty of options on the menu, great portions as expected, friendly staff, open space and efficient kitchen.
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