Sugarbowl Benny - $12

Another weekend of waiting in line for breakfast. And another case of it being worth the wait. I think A chose the restaurant this weekend. All I know is that I was super hungry and could hardly stand the wait for my Benny! Sugarbowl (10922 88 Ave) didn't have a "traditional" benny on their menu... And although I was a little disappointed at first that the benny didn't have fat sauce, I was willing to take my chances. I can say that I had no regrets!

The Sugarbowl benny is untraditional in that there is no English muffin... The poached eggs and ham sit atop a slab of cornbread and is slathered with a generous amount of black pepper infused béchamel sauce. OMG. The first bite was heaven on a fork. Perhaps it was because I was famished, or maybe it was because this Benny was not technically what I would call eggs Benedict.... But it was delicious. The cornbread was crumbly but good, there was the perfect amount of meat for me (I am all about the eggs 'n sauce as you know), and most importantly, there was a lot of sauce! Even though the sauce wasn't hollandaise, it was very flavourful and creamy.

I do have to make a few unfortunate comments about Sugarbowl: the service we received was not the best, the waitress seemed a bit grumpy or something... Just not as pleasant as I would've liked for my Easter Sunday benny. The mimosas we ordered weren't very good, but we did receive one free because A told our server that we weren't satisfied by the very obvious difference in taste between hers and mine. The potatoes weren't that special, but the ketchup was delicious! The coffee didn't wow me either and I don't think I even drank one cup. Lastly, when we first entered the restaurant after waiting outside in the sunshine and fresh spring air, I had to comment to A how I thought it smelled like stale body odour inside the building. Maybe it was one very ripe patron, I'm not sure, but it wasn't pleasant. By the time we finished our breakfast we were quite warm ourselves. I think this is because of the south facing windows.

Conclusion: The Sugarbowl Benny was delicious! I would eat there again despite the initial smells and the less than cheerful service. Based on the criteria I am trying to use to find the BEST eggs benedict EVER... Even though this Benny was yummy, it did not have hollandaise, which to me is a key ingredient for the dish. So, as the next best thing and I would have to say that béchamel sauce like that made at Sugarbowl is the perfect substitute for fat sauce and a pleasant change.

http://www.thesugarbowl.org/