Since I'm usually a late riser, I'm never up on time for brunch, as much as I love the words breakfast and lunch together. Only if I know exactly what I want to eat and where I want to eat, will I force myself to wake up. Well, Egg Harbor Cafe is one of those places. Because they are only open until 2:30PM daily, I made sure to set my alarm clock and head on over there so that I could finally try them out. I used to have breakfast at the restaurant before it became EHC every other day when I was in grade school, so I thought it was finally time for me to check out this new restaurant in its place after the original restaurant had closed down.
Let's get started:
☮Egg Harbor Cafe's colorful menu
☮Interior of Egg Harbor Cafe
☮San Antonio Skillet w/ over easy eggs
FOOD (3/5): The dish I ordered was pretty darn tasty-lots of chorizo pieces, perfectly cooked runny eggs, and plenty of vegetables and spices to make your mouth burn! As much as I would've loved to give the food alone a 5/5 rating, there were some things that definitely needed work on. Almost every dish EHC offers comes with a side of their famous "Harbor potatoes," which are essentially baked potato pieces with various spices. Well, their skillets are made using these potatoes, along with other ingredients of your choosing. The potatoes were the main big issue here-they were HARD as a rock. Granted I usually like my potatoes extra crispy, these were so hard to the point my fork could barely pick them up-it's as if these potatoes had been sitting out all day. You could definitely tell that they weren't as fresh as they normally were, since I did get a couple of pieces that were soft, but still a bit crispy (which I imagine is how they're supposed to taste). Because it was close to closing time, I decided to just wrap it up and hopefully soften the potatoes when I reheated it at home, which tasted even better than it did at the restaurant. In addition, this dish came with a side of English muffins and housemade jams. While I do love my muffins toasted (pun ;D), these were literally doused in a pound of butter, like soaking in butter-total turnoff in my opinion.
SERVICE (2.5/5): I was immediately greeted upon entering the restaurant and being seated, which is always a huge plus for me! I love seeing smiling faces and people who enjoy what they do, it not only lightens the mood, but puts me in a great mood too. My waitress, an elderly woman, was nice, although she took longer than expected to actually start servicing me. I had been sitting for about ten minutes or so after being seated to have been noticed. Usually not a big issue since I like to take my time glancing over the menu, but because I was maybe 1 of 3 tables there, I was sort of wary. My beverage was not brought to me until right before my meal arrived, but I liked the fact that they give you an actual pitcher of water (since I'm usually having to flag down employees for refills). NOTE: Don't order hot chocolate here-it costs $2.45 and you don't even get more than 2/3 of the cup. I learned my lesson the hard way when I had first ordered it as my beverage-when she brought it out, it wasn't even halfway full-and was lukewarm, so I had to ask her to take it back. During the duration of my meal, my server did come back a few times to check on me, which I did like. What I wasn't a big fan of was that she immediately brought the check to my table at 2:15PM when I was only half way through with my meal, when they close at 2:30PM, which is sort of a big pet peeve of mine.
DECOR (5/5): Eggs are synonymous with chickens, so with the restaurant's name being Egg Harbor Cafe, you can pretty much expect the place to be adorned with figurines and statues of the beloved poultry throughout the restaurant, and it definitely was. Besides that, the inside was very spacious and open. Upon entering, there's a main dining room, and then another huge dining area behind that, followed by the beautiful patio, which I usually opt for except for on warm days. The wooden benches added a very rustic appeal and were sturdy, and the stained glass lamps hanging overhead were such a cute addition. EHC doesn't have crazy or wild decor, but it has a very calm, cool and collected feel to it-no wonder why it's a popular brunch spot for people in the area, in addition to its welcoming atmosphere.
Overall, while the service wasn't too great and the food was pretty average, I still think that Johns Creek/Duluth finally has a decent brunch spot! I miss the old country breakfast/BBQ restaurant that was there before EHC (I'm a JR's girl!), I'd still say that I'm a fan of EHC. They have such an extensive menu, from breakfast foods to lunch plates, that I'd definitely be willing to come back more often and try out some other dishes. And for this area, which is considered to be the "Buckhead" of the Northeast, the prices are very affordable too!
Thanks for stopping by,
-Sandy
FTC: I was not paid or compensated for this review. All reviews and opinions expressed are my own.
If you'd like to invite Bella Vivere to cover & share your restaurant's media events, tastings or parties, feel free to shoot me an email at bellavivere@gmail.com-Thanks!
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