the morning hustle: a five day Breakfast sandwich extravaganza

last week we got a glimpse of how morgan spurlock felt while he was making his documentary super size me as we embarked on a mission to eat breakfast sandwiches five days in a row. ten pounds heavier and burnt out on eggs, we suffered through it for the good of the column. we're happy to bring you the scoop on the morning hustle.

dining date: 03.26.07
eatery: west end grocery on spring st
pricing category: pretty pricey for breakfast
guest critic: sporty spice
flavah grade: B-
hustle factor: B
coffee: B
tea: C
(maybe if they would actually open one of the honey jars they have for sale so you can use it in the hot beverages, they would have been better than "average")

the lowdown:
we were all fans of the cook, he was sassy and had a lot of personality. some of us (the usual in particular) were disappointed that breakfast burritos were the only option. those of us that enjoy breakfast burritos were a little disappointed that the only choices for filling beyond the norm were beans and salsa. the beans and salsa added a good deal of flavor to an otherwise mediocre burrito, though you might want to pass on salsa in the morning if you have a weaker stomach. the egg and cheese were fine, nothing special. the burritos were pretty huge, with enough filling to keep you full for a while. the price was a little hefty for what we were given, basically the price of a lunch burrito. despite being friendly, the service wasn't all that fast, but the good news is that while you wait you can grocery shop and snack on dog biscuits.

from sporty spice:

i would say that i found the west end grocery breakfast experience to be a good one overall. when TBC and i ordered from the cook at the back of the market we were treated to some good-natured sass and a number of options for how we would like our burritos prepared: plain, wheat, or garlic & herb tortilla; bacon or sausage; cheese or no cheese, etc. i found this nice since i could get basically what i wanted without any trouble. the burrito itself was good. well seasoned with salt and pepper and plenty of cheese. the only complaint i have is that there was nowhere to sit and eat, so we had to eat upon the ledge of the building next door, although that had a charm of its own. all in all, i had a good experience: good food, reasonable price, friendly service and good speed.

dining date: 03.27.07
eatery: ohno cafe on brackett st
web: http://www.ohnocafe.com/
pricing category: average, worth your dime all the time
flavah grade: A
hustle factor: A-
coffee: A
tea: A+ (organic teas, self-serve hot water, and honey!)

the lowdown:we here at TBC like to refer to this eatery as the oh YEAH, as it ranked as our top review of the week. while an outstanding array of choices guided our way, we had the option to modify our orders as we pleased. the usual was pumped to find soy sausage on the menu, a rarity that turned out to be a wonderful edition to a plain egg and cheese. wild toast and benny girl ordered the same thing because they were so excited that avocado was an option. they both thought that the smoked turkey, avocado, gouda, eggwich was the bomb. this place is so great that we found a couple of our east end friends who trekked across town waiting in line for their morning fix when we got there. that's dedication. p.s. the ohno is closed on mondays.

dining date: 03.28.07
eatery: o'naturals on exchange st (no longer open)
pricing category: pricey but organic
guest critic: "the cheapskate" aka S2H
flavah grade: A/A-
hustle factor: A-
coffee: B+
tea: A+ (organic teas, self-serve hot water, and honey!)

the lowdown:
this local stop offered an organic component to our week. the flair of flatbread gave the ohno cafe a run for its money, mixing up the usual egg and cheese on a bagel or english muffin. o'naturals also has a great selection of toppings for your sandwich, as well as some tasty specials. wild toast's selection of egg, cheese, spinach and sausage was good except for the odd rabbit turd sausage bits tucked in the cheese. the usual was impressed with the complete change of pace that her sandwich brought. being a bit of a health nut, benny girl appreciated the thick slices of tasty, organic bacon that accompanied the free range eggs and all-natural cheddar. the service was great and the sunny atmosphere was a good way to start a day.

"from the cheapskate" (S2H):

so, ordinarily i cringe at the thought of paying more than $3 for a breakfast sandwich. i mean, the ingredients can't cost more than a dollar, maybe a buck fifty, so naturally i winced at the $4.17 egg, cheese, and bacon on a panini. we are talking organic though, so the chickens aren't kept in cages the size of bowling ball bags, which is going to make it more expensive. all in all though, it was pretty good and filling - that's the big one. there's not too much flare you can add to a egg/cheese/bacon sandwich, so if you're gonna charge over 4 bucks, i'd better not wanna eat lunch (i'm cheap by the way). the panini was also a pleasant surprise. the service at o'naturals was delightful - it's not a waitress setting, but our chef anna was nice enough to bring our food to us. good jobs guys... keep fighting the good organic fight, just try not to tag our wallets in the crossfire. overall - a B/B+

dining date: 03.29.07
eatery: market street eats on market st
pricing category: medium/expensive
flavah grade: B+
hustle factor: B-
coffee: N/A
tea: incomplete

the lowdown:
the wrapping of eggs and other ingredients can be tricky, but jeff behind the counter at this joint made it happen with ease. market street eats does wraps exclusively, but has a wide selection of fillings to start off the day. another nice touch is that they're wrapped with delicious syrians, as opposed to the ever typical tortillas. we all chose wraps with veggies and avocado right alongside the egg and cheese. the experience might have been better if the cheese had been melted onto the eggs, or at least next to it in the line-up. unfortunately it was seperated by the multitude of other fillings, leaving the cheese a little solid. a perfect amount of "hots" was a nice touch for wild toast and benny girl's wraps. one slight complaint was that the eggs were a little rubbery / chewy, according to one TBC member. just a side note, no hot beverages in this place, so swing around to exchange street to grab a cup to go. friendly service and mellow atmosphere make this a unique stop in the morning hustle.

dining date: 03.30.07
eatery: vaughan street on vaughan st
pricing category: pretty average to inexpensive
flavah grade: C+/B-
hustle factor: B+
coffee: B-
tea: B+

the lowdown:
don't be fooled by the lack of a breakfast menu when you walk in this place in the a.m. they actually have a (small) variety of choices for breakfast samiches -- just ask when you order. we opted to go the simple route: egg and cheese. all of us chose the bulky roll option, as a fresh new twist on the otherwise tired out egg sandwich. in retrospect this was a terrible idea. lurking somewhere in the flavah zone, was a strange aftertaste that was hard to put a finger on. was it the roll? the cheese? or just a "vaughan street secret ingredient"? still not sure. our initial bites were promising, but our appreciation waned as we forged ahead into the smushy mess of bread, egg and cheese. and we should add that there was entirely too much egg on this sandwich. perhaps the whole thing would have been fine had we chosen the old standby -- english muffins. hard to say. the service here was decent and friendly and perhaps next time we'll go for lunch and try the falafel. as we learned the hard way, this place is cash only.

uffa!

(no longer open)
dining date: 03.25.07
eatery: uffa! on state street at longfellow square
pricing category: a little pricey, but worth every penny
guest critic: bird
overall grade: A/A+

the lowdown:
- great table, in the front window. heat was blasting under our seats when we got there, but they turned it down for us immediately.
- nice open, sunny atmosphere.
- service was excellent. when the food runner brought out our breakfast he'd been told who got what, always a sign of great service when they don't have to ask customers which meal is theirs.
- great location right in longfellow square.
- there is a "donut bar"...!

the food
the benny girl
- eggs florentine w/bacon added, homies and tea. plus donuts.
- grade: A+
"quite possibly the best benedict in portland- hands down. when ordering, i was torn between the eggs benedict and the florentine (i'd like to note that uffa! describes their traditional benedict as coming with ham NOT canadian bacon. FINALLY a place that calls it what it is...or at least what it tastes like. this definitely earned uffa! mega brownie points). anyway, the reason i was torn was because i really wanted the tomatoes and spinach of the florentine, but it comes with cheddar and i wanted hollandaise. well....i told our server that i was torn and he saved the day. first, he told me that the florentine comes with cheddar AND hollandaise, whoa! and second, he suggested adding bacon to it so i can have my 'daily dose of pork'- brilliant. let's just say that the whole thing was effin' delicious. it came with a side of homies that were more like dinner potatoes, buttery and well-seasoned. the breakfast also came with a side of greens and a little bunch of grapes. a lovely and nutritiously tasty treat. the tea was a good experience too. as a dessert we ordered from 'the donut bar.' we ordered a plain donut, a maple cream, and a chocolate coconut. holy cow! we were wondering why they took a little while to arrive but understood immediately when they came out piping hot. the donuts are made to order! wow. overall, this is an incredible breakfast. my only complaint is that i was too full to eat another uffa! meal right after."

the usual
- 2 eggs, homefries, toast, bacon for my compadres, coffee
- grade: A
"let me just say that i have always disliked the name uffa!. so much so that i've been known to say 'heck if i'll ever go there.' i'm not a huge fan of names that are sounds or contain exclamation points. that said, uffa!'s brunch is certainly one of the best in portland. we were greeted sincerely and given the best seat in the house- by the window looking out at longfellow square. coffee and tea arrived fairly quickly as we perused the compact yet extensive menu. i went with the usual- i figured what the hey- why not? after ordering, my gaze wandered to the stuff on the table. what was that tucked in between the salt shaker and the sugar packets? could it be? yes! it is! a pepper GRINDER! my eyes lit up as i shared my discovery- lack of fresh pepper is something i complain about constantly- as i find it nowhere during our brunch excursions. what a perk! anyhow, our meals came, not super quickly but in good time, allowing us ample time to chat. my plate was packed with food- my eggs were fried perfectly over-hard- already slightly seasoned. the toast- homemade wheat with butter- was quite possibly the best part of the meal: thickly sliced and balanced perfectly between crumbly and crusty. my bacon was distributed to the meat eaters and appeared to have been enjoyed. the homefries, though tasty, were probably the weakest aspect of my meal. a small spoonful (though enough to adequately fill the plate)- they were soft, mushy and buttery. they had good flavor but lacked the crisp necessary to be acknowledged as true homefries. this i'm willing to forgive because my meal was basically stellar all around. the service was impeccable, the food was delicious, really, uffa! impressed the pants right off me."

wild toast
- scrambled eggs with tomatoes, scallions and brie on a croissant, homefries, mixed greens and coffee
-grade: A+
"i had avoided this particular location as it seemed a little pretentious and as you all know, i really can be pleased with the fine dinings of marcy's. to my pleasant surprise i had misjudged this portland destination. uffa's nose is not raised to you and instead, the employees are warm and friendly. to our delight we were seated at the window table which is really a fantastic location. filled with inspiration we gazed at longfellow perched above us as a beacon of good fortune and high prospects of what was to come. what arrived was maybe the tastiest breakfast i've had in this vivacious town we so dearly love. now if someone would just get a handle on The State, all will be fine. i digress. my meal, the scrambled huevos and friends, was to die for. each bite surpassing the last, it was a wicked good- guy. the coffee was plentiful as was the translucent wine with cubes. (H2O in wine glass). my homefries were not really amazing, a little mushy but honestly i didn't care as all my attention was on the egg delight that so quenched my breakfast necessities. having a few bites of mesclun and grapes was a nice addition, especially before moving on to what most would consider overkill, freshly made donuts. oh, shizamm! ordering 3 to split 4 ways seemed appropriate and we enjoyed them all especially the thankfully understated special of the day which was a maple-cream nugget. very tasty. the one odd thing was the flavor of the plain donut which was the one i specifically wanted to try. it kinda tasted like chicken fingers...ah, who cares, i was still flying high on all of the other wonderful things. one more thing to add was that after months of searching we finally found an establishment that offered a pepper grinder on the table. ya'll hear dat? freshly ground pepper, booyah! awesome meal, i will definitely be going back for more!"

bird
-eggs florentine, coffee, donuts
-grade: A
"ugh, the pressure's on: first time reviewing, first time at uffa's, first time eating eggs florentine. overall, this was a great meal with excellent service. although i don't really eat meat and would get the florentine again, it seemed like it was missing something... something salty. like maybe bacon. anyways, it was still very yummy. also, i definitely would have wanted more home fries instead of salad and grapes. the donuts = fried deliciousness. wow.

brea lu cafe

dining date: 03.19.07
eatery: brea lu cafe (pronounced "bray loo") on forest avenue
pricing category: a little bit expensive for the diner-like quality of food
guest critic: none. just the dream team. the core TBC.
overall grade: B+

the lowdown:
- for those of you who think the brea lu cafe is a french bistro, guess again. "brea lu" is actually short for "breakfast lunch"...so a fancy way to say "brunch."
- the decor is eclectic without being too distracting: complete with old encyclopedias and cool signs...like the one that says "unaccompanied children will be given an espresso and a free puppy." brilliant.
- the head server (who's been there forever) sells an array of jewelry that she makes on the side. nice to see that the brea lu management encourages extracurricular hobbies.
- there are two different seating areas, and on sundays that's a huge plus. while our area was not as exciting as the front part of the restaurant, we had the whole section to ourselves, which was nice.
- the restaurant is right on the busy part of forest avenue, which makes parking a little squirrely...but it's a nice change from the strip malls that surround it.

the food
the benny girl
- spinach and bacon eggs benedict with a side of homefries and a tea
- grade: A-
"this was our first breakfast "off the penninsula" and i definitely think the brea lu cafe can hold its own with the downtown hot spots. although there were several items on the menu that looked very appetizing to me, i decided to order my old standby because i know that our many adoring fans wait with baited breath every week to read how the benedict was. however, not being a huge fan of canadian bacon (why don't people just call it ham?), i opted for the spinach and real bacon benedict. the hollandaise sauce was surprisingly really good (just the right amount of lemon hint), the eggs were perfectly poached, and based on the golden deliciousness of the english muffins, the toaster was clearly set to precisely the right setting. my only complaint was the spinach to bacon ratio: too much (slightly soggy) spinach and not enough bacon. an very good benedict overall though. the homies on the other hand...not my fave. not crispy enough, and the flavor wasn't all that great -- trying to be spicy or cajun or something -- but not quite cutting the mustard. palatable, for sure...but could definitely be better. my tea experience was good enough -- no pots unfortunately, so my tea was definitely too strong. but after the long weekend i had, i'd opt for a stronger cup of caffeine anyway. oh, and instead of just topping off with hot water, she offered a new tea bag...and we all know that i'm a fan of that. with the sunny and eclectic atmosphere, friendly and quick service, and a varied menu, brea lu is definitely worth the trip off the peninsula."

the usual
- vegetarian omelette, toast, homefries, and coffee
- grade: B
"i yet again decided to switch it up and get something off the 'the usual' beaten path. plus- their omelettes seemed pretty tempting and interesting. we were seated by the fireplace in the back room, which was nice because of the privacy, but in retrospect- the main room has a lot more character and light. (it also probably gets more frequent coffee refills). our food arrived fairly quickly and looked wonderful. the homefries were a lovely reddish color- paprika i'm assuming. they were tasty- different from those i've had everywhere else in portland. definitely not my faves, but interesting all the same. at the brea lu, they aren't afraid to season them up a little bit. my omelette on the other hand seemed completely lacking flavor. the tiny bit of dill havarti cheese was not enough, i tasted it in about 3 bites total. my omelette included spinach- which seemed like a good idea at the time- but in actuality it made up most of the omelette innards and seemed like that chopped frozen stuff. oh well. despite adding salt and pepper, i remained unimpressed. more cheese next time! the toast was fine, pretty good in fact. our server was great, although i felt a little abandoned in the back room in terms of coffee refills. our server added tons of character and charm to the place. for the next time, sit in the front room with all the signs and knick-knacks. the usual signing off. "

wild toast
- greek omelette, homies, toast and coffee
-grade: B+
"upon arrival we were greeted very warmly. with encyclopedias and witty signs surrounding the first room, we were invited to sit by the genuine gas, open flame, woodstove look-alike fire. what a treat...except that the back room missed all sense of funky coolness that the signage-clad first room boasted. so we were offered two types of coffee, oh goody! the menu offered a very interesting selection of omelettes and other b-fast norms. oddly, the thing i really wanted to get they didn't have. i was in the mood for what could have been frowned upon by my two fellow reviewers, fruit salad and yogurt. my omelette was decent though nothing special. the greek olives, spinach, tomatoes and feta were nice but rather muted. the homies were not really anything to write home about and no one will get a postcard boasting about them. the coffee was pretty good, but the initial refill was rather delayed, probably a result of being tucked away by the leaping flames of the fire. anyway. i wasn't all that impressed. it filled the void and i would consider going back, probably when i feel like eating a benedict or something and i would strongly urge all to eat in the booths in the front room. our server was very friendly and she pushed my grade up a little bit. oh yeah, think they brush fake butter on the toast, i'd rather have to spread my own butter than have that stuff..."

the front room

dining date: 03.12.07
eatery: the front room on congress street
web: the front room
pricing category: reasonably priced for the amount of food you get
guest critic: none. just the dream team. the core TBC.
overall grade: B/B+

the lowdown:
- about the atmosphere: we all really like that there's an open kitchen. we also agreed that the ambiance would even better without all of the kitchy trinkets around the periphery of the restaurant (what's with the framed photo of jerry garcia?!). benny girl appreciated the slow-turning ceiling fans and said they sort of made her feel like she was in aruba...whatever that means.
- there's a silent TV on at the bar, which is nice for the people who eat there alone...and the good thing is that it doesn't interfere with people eating in the dining room.
- the service was good and she brought an appropriate amount of condiments to the table -- something that the front room has struggled with in the past.
- fabulous location -- a nice neighborhood joint for the east end.

the food
the benny girl
- eggs benedict with a side of homefries and a tea
- grade: B
"i feel like i should like the front room more than i actually do, because generally speaking it's the kind of restaurant that i usually enjoy. however, every time i give it another chance i leave slightly less than satisfied. this morning i ordered the traditional eggs benedict...and i'd like to note that it's the only benedict option. vegetarians beware: no spinach and tomato benedict on the menu.one thing that has always bothered me about the front room's benedict is that it doesn't come with homefries. what kind of restaurant serves an egg dish without homies?! cardinal sin, in my opinion. but i'm a sucker for homies, so i ordered a side of them for $1.50 (to accompany my $7 benedict, i might add). the benedict arrived sans homefries -- i think my two TBC compadres got the last of the batch and the chefs was making more. the hollandaise sauce -- despite being a strange bright orange color -- was really good. the amount of canadian bacon was definitely ample (if not borderline excessive) and quite tasty -- especially in combination with the hollandaise. my two complaints about the benedict were that the poached eggs were overcooked (the yolks barely runny) and the english muffins were burnt. about 7 - 10 minutes into my meal, the homefries finally arrived piping hot. at first they looked really delectable, but after eating a couple of them i realized that they were not up to par. they were soft and kind of mushy and barely grilled -- i like my homies to have some crisp to them. they were also really greasy and even though they were cooked with red peppers and onions, they lacked flavor. on a positive note, the tea proved to be the high point of my meal. it was served in a little pot (always a plus) and the honey and cream were in little pitchers. the server was on top of refilling the hot water. in fact, the service in general was really good. overall, eating at the front room was a decent experience. the food is definitely palatable and "good enough"...but not quite as good as you think it's going to be, based on the restaurant's apprearance and reputation. lastly, i'd like to note that i've tried several things on their menu, and i always feel the same about it -- never as good as you hope it will be."

the usual
- 2 eggs, homefries, toast, and coffee...plus 2 - 3 bites of bacon
- grade: B
"brunch on a monday is pretty much a different ballgame -- no lines, no bustle, etc. we were quickly seated by our friendly server and given menus and coffee. the coffee was delicious, i might add, and though initially slow on the refills, kept on coming. my meal arrived with french bread toast piled high atop my fried eggs. a small scoop of homefries sat alone on the other end of the plate. even though i'm a vegetarian, i ordered bacon with mine because that was the only option for the usual and i planned on giving it to my fellow breakfast-ateers. however, i was tempted and took a couple of bites -- a tasty treat -- but having not eaten bacon in 10 years, i didn't have much to compare it to. the toast was delicious, 4 slices with plenty of extra butter to smear on if needed. my eggs were pretty much not worth mentioning -- not quite as hard as i'd like and lacking even the most basic of flavors. i tasted a weird, abnormal flavor (pam nonstick spray perhaps?) but wasn't sure what it was. the homefries were served in a minimalist style, with maybe 13 chunks total. i prefer to be impressed by my potato portions, and these certainly weren't impressive. they tasted decent, but were a bit chewy and sat in 2 tablespoons of grease. they were also completely different than benny girl's homies -- how odd. overall, i think what the entire meal lacked was flavor -- a little salt and pepper won't kill anyone, and goes a long way when used appropriately. it wasn't bad, but certainly didn't live up to all the hype around portland about the place. our server was wonderful -- nearby when we needed her and quick with the spectacular coffee."

wild toast
- 3-egg omelette with bacon, red onion, and goat cheese, with brown bread toast, homies, and coffee
-grade: B+/A-
"as we went on a monday, we did not experience the normal wait or the bustling homey feel of this restaurant. seated immediately, we were offered good coffee. the meal was, on a whole, quite tasty. rather a lot of food for me to take down -- indeed, i could not finish it. the choice of goat cheese turned out to be overpowering, as i was hoping to enjoy the largish tidleys of bacon. the circular brown bread was fresh and sweet. my homies were a little chewy and overly greasy. the pile of grease pooling on my plate detracted from my meal a bit, but thankfully i had been gifted strips of bacon (from the usual) to distract me. while the first coffee refill was slow, the above standard coffee bouquet was a true delight. as i sit and write this, the ice cubes from my first fill of water still mingle in the top of my glass. now that is a cold ice cube. hurrah! overall, an enjoyable meal, as my coffee topped the charts."

marcy's diner

dining date: 03.05.07
eatery: marcy's diner on oak and free
pricing category: diner cheap. NOTE: this eating establishment does NOT have a credit card machine -- cash only.
guest critic: none. just the dream team. the core TBC.
overall grade: A/A-

the lowdown:
- we received a VERY friendly welcome upon entering. almost a little too friendly for a diner. in fact, we thought for a second that they might have even recognized us as TBC and were just trying to butter us up. uh, no pun intended. but it turned out that they were just genuinely nice. what a concept.
- the WBLM playing on the radio was a very nice touch and fit the mood of the restaurant.
- marcy's somehow has figured out a way to pull off the "biker chic" ambiance successfully.
- marcy's clearly has the safety of their customers as a top priority. the front window had a very large crack in it, and they had taped up about 11 hand-written flourescent signs on the crack that said "please do not lean on the glass."

the food
the benny girl
- 2 over-easy eggs, homies, english muffin, bacon, one piece of cinnamon-sugar french toast, and tea
- grade: B+
"i've only been to marcy's once, a long time ago, so i was excited for breakfast this morning. the service was great! we got a very friendly welcome, and with the "tag-team waitressing" it was almost like being at a 4-star fine dining dinner...uh, almost. the eggs were good, but a little runny. the english muffin was great! it's definitely my very favorite yolk-dipping vehicle. the bacon was good, but about the size of a popsicle stick. the three strips together made the equivalent of one normal piece. but the homefries were actually the breakfast item that i had the biggest problem with. they were cut like chips, instead of cubes...and i don't really like potato chips unless they're crispy and have salt & vinegar on them. and they sort of reminded me of scalloped potatoes, which is definitely my least favorite form of the potato. their flavor was pretty good though. now the french toast was the highlight -- a nice way to top off the meal. it actually tasted like a maple sugar donut...a definite plus. the tea was good, and instead of just refilling my hot water they gave me an all new tea bag -- big points for the server there! i know i may sound a little overly critical in this review, but i don't mean to. overall, it was a really good breakfast experience -- probably one of the best diners i've been to in awhile. and honestly, the main reason that i gave it a B+ instead of an A is because they had nothing on the menu that remotely resembled a benedict. and we all know how much i love the hollandaise."

the usual
- 2 eggs, homefries, toast, and coffee...plus one slice of cinnamon-sugar french toast
- grade: A
"marcy's is the shit. i already kinda knew that because i've eaten there before (are we allowed to say that?) but marcy's is steady, cheap, and delectable. my eggs were perfect -- over-hard and greasy. the toast delicious and predictable -- cheap, squishy wheat bread with plenty of butter to smear on it. the homefries at marcy's are "different" -- sliced instead of chunked, and then tossed around on the grill with plenty of grease for a minute. there were crunchy little niblets mixed with larger slices of less cooked potato. they're pretty delicious, but not my favorite at all. almost forgot to mention my unusual addition to "the usual" -- french toast. it was a wonderful change of pace. our server recommended that we add the cinnamon-sugar, which was a winning combination. we had two servers who were both extremely attentive and lovely. the coffee was promptly refilled, and everything worked like a well-oiled machine...or should i say "greased machine?" overall, marcy's is the best diner in portland. it just is."

wild toast
- bacon, eggs, toast, homefries, and coffee
-grade: A
"overall, excellent meal. tag-team service with frequent coffee refills. new menus were noted, as were the slightly elevated prices -- not too bad though. my meal arrived very quickly. a pile of assorted potato slivers sided my meal. the marble rye, which is always appreciated, was crispy and the eggs were soft. this is good. offered two kinds of hot sauces, i accepted both choices. very friendly service and reliable food choices make this stop a cheap and delightful choice."