Eggcellence Cafe & Bakery

I stopped in to try this new breakfast/lunch cafe the other day.  There's a lot to like about it but also some problems.  These need to get worked out before it can really excel.

I was the only one there when I first arrived at 7:30. The service concept was carefully explained to me, so I went and grabbed a cup of coffee and settled in with the menu.  The coffee is brewed in large carafes and is OK flavor but not that hot.

I settled on the Texas Sampler, since I wanted to get a taste of as much as possible.  It came with pancakes, eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, and hash browns.  When the plate came it was very attractive, but everything was kind of separated in a way that made me think it would be a little dry and overcooked.  And some of it was.

But first the good news--the pancakes were very good, nice and fluffy.  Pancakes are fluffy when the batter is not overstirred, so they had good touch.  There was a generous portion of sausage, two large links that were glistening and salty as they should be.

The rest was somewhat on the dry side.  That happens a lot with ham sliced at 1/4 inch on a grill, and happened here.  The scrambled eggs were way done and rather dry.  The bacon seemed like it might have been cooked earlier and warmed, it was a bit chewy.

The hash browns were a separate story.  They come in a formed disk, which looks neat but not promising.  They were not very brown and a little mushy.  They were barely seasoned at all, as were the eggs.  No, you do not let customers "season to taste".

In addition to the coffee I ordered a glass of orange juice.  It's a 12 oz glass, tasted good but more than enough for something that heavy and sweet.

This place is striving to be "fast casual upscale".  The interior has the modern exposed ductwork and is in an appetizing yellow.  The light fixtures are interesting but incomplete--several bulbs were out when I was there, and one fixture had lights with cold rather than warm white light--a distracting mismatch.  Other reviewers have mentioned it being drafty--they were aware of it and shut off the vent over my table.  The bathroom was clean and ready, but some have mentioned a smell.  I couldn't smell it from the dining room, but there is some lingering sewer issue.  No complaints on service though, they are very attentive and polite.

Breakfast set me back $25 with tip, which is a lot for what I got.  It is a cute place but they need to do more to live up to that price.

My Yelp Review