West Chester Dish

My date excused himself to use the restroom at a crowded French restaurant called Rue 57 in New York City. He squeezed through the foot-wide distance between our table and the one to our right where a couple (who I guessed to be Welsh) was paying their bill for omelets and coffee.

We had just placed our order for brunch and I was happy to be left alone to watch the swirling white ribbons of creamer slowly blend into my French roast. I was about to pour sugar onto my spoon and let the newly lightened coffee absorb each sugar crystal one granule at a time. I looked around to make sure no one noticed me amusing myself with my coffeeisms.

As I scanned the sea of self-absorbed New Yorkers, I noticed a gentleman sitting at the table to my left. He was dining alone and sat  facing me. He appeared content perusing the menu in solitude but I felt compelled to talk to him while my date was in the restroom. I locked eyes with him and whispered, “Excuse me. I just wanted you to know… sometimes, I prefer to eat breakfast alone too. I think it’s nice. I appreciate that you like it as well.” He smiled and then told me a few secrets of his own… including the recipe for the world’s most perfect brunch dish.

I had ordered a lobster hash with potatoes, corn, poached eggs and a hollandaise sauce. I was jonesin’ for a benedict with flare so I thought this sounded just right. The waiter recommended the farmer’s omelet that was “perfect” for my date. Â I was pumped up to taste these savory dishes and asked my new friend if he was going to order savory or sweet.

He told me that he was going to venture on the sweet side with a brioche French toast. He then went on to tell me, “You know, I love a good benedict as well and I’ve become accustomed to ordering what I think is the perfect brunch dish.”

“The perfect brunch?”

“Yes, I request eggs benedict on waffles.”

“Waffles? No way. That’s incredible so the batter for the waffles is slightly sweet so it has all the elements you need. Savory AND sweet.”

“That’s right. And I ask to have some maple syrup poured onto the waffles before the eggs are placed on them.”

My date arrived back at the table right around now. As I responded, “And it seeps into the little waffle pockets like little hidden spots of sweetness? And you have the ham on there so there is the salty element and the eggs are the savory and the hollandaise is the indulgent part. That’s incredible.”

“You’ll have to try it.”

“I can’t wait to have a chance to experience that. Thank you so much for the recommendation.”

The Final Dish: He was right, the French toast was better than my eggs. I know because he shared with me… and he’s not weird about sharing forks. Thanks Robert!Â