The Brioche Eggscellent BLT is a massive breakfast with enough leftover for lunch.
Today I woke up to no coffee, and it was my own fault. I had mistakenly bought Ugly Mug First Cup in beans instead of ground. And I couldn't grind the beans because in a manic yard sale fit a few years ago, I sold my coffee grinder and my crock pot. Sometimes I am such a dope.
Fortunately, we live a few blocks from Perkins restaurant on Park Avenue, so we headed over for breakfast and the restaurant's endless pot of coffee, served in individual carafes. I love how Perkins understands the importance of morning java, and the pile of half-and-half cream served alongside. When our daughter was little, she would drink all the cream before we even ordered, and the empty cream containers near my cup made me smile from the memory.
I hadn't been to Perkins in quite sometime, so I was happy to see the restaurant's seasonal promotion of “Fresh-Baked Brioche,” an assortment of entrees with house-made brioche, or as Tony explained it, challah without the kosher. There were half a dozen choices, including sweet options such as Banana Strawberry Brioche French Toast Platter and savory plates such as Bacon and Cheddar Brioche Burger. I settled somewhere in between and ordered the “Brioche Eggscellent BLT” for $7.99.
Another thing I love about Perkins for breakfast is how I can order eggs in different ways, including poached, my favorite. I asked for poached with my Eggscellent BLT, but our lovely server Dee Dee let me know that the cook didn't think poached eggs would work with the sandwich. So I switched to fried.
When my plate arrived, it included an aromatic heap of breakfast potatoes (so good at Perkins!) and the sandwich loaded with four or five strips of crispy bacon, tomatoes, fresh Romaine, mayo and two eggs. Wow. I saved half of the sandwich for lunch. The brioche was satisfying but not too sweet, and I couldn't have been more pleased.
Tony ordered Perkins' potato pancakes, which were served with sides of sour cream, applesauce and butter. He said they were “some of the best potato pancakes I've ever eaten in a restaurant.” This was a big endorsement, especially from a New Yorker.
If you want to try Perkins' brioche breakfast, you'd better hurry. The brioche dishes will be replaced in a week or two with the restaurant's next promotional menu, which, according to Dee Dee, might include pumpkin pancakes.
5112 Park Ave., Memphis, TN 38117 (901) 682-2777
