Home FOOD & DINING TASTING NOTES Half a Dozen Great Places For Eggs

Half a Dozen Great Places For Eggs

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Atchafalya Restaurantegg
901 Louisiana Ave., 891-9626
This charming Garden District café, which is under new ownership, serves up generous portions of approachable New Orleans–style food. For lunch, enjoy the succulent crab omelet, with Louisiana lump crabmeat with cream cheese and fresh spinach, or the tasty classic croque madame, with ham and Swiss on wheat toast, topped with Dijon mustard and a fried egg. Weekend brunch brings more egg options (and live music) with signature dishes such as Eggs Atchafalya, fried green tomatoes topped with poached eggs and Hollandaise on an English muffin, and Eggs Louisianne, a savory lump crab cake topped with poached eggs and hollandaise. They also make a mean brandy milk punch and Ramos gin fizz!

Blue Plate
1330 Prytania St., 309-9500
This ultra-casual diner is colorful and playful (even the dishes have whimsical names), but it serves up some seriously tasty food often with an unexpected, creative twist. Blue Plate offers an extensive selection of egg dishes, including signature omelets like the Twice Baked, an indulgent combination of potato, bacon, onions and cheddar topped with sour cream, or the Mexican-inspired Southshore, beef chili, corn, cilantro, onions and cheese. Or try one of the “eggceptional” choices that include Eggs and Cakes (two crawfish cakes topped with fried egg and crawfish sauce); Breakchetta, a creamy blend of scrambled eggs and goat cheese topped with tomato-basil relish on toast; or the Breakfast Bello, a grilled portobello cap filled with scrambled eggs, scallions, corn, cheddar and bacon atop a zesty roasted red pepper sauce.

Brennan’s
417 Royal St., 525-9711
The king of sophisticated breakfast in New Orleans, Brennan’s offers more than a dozen excellent egg dishes, including the classic Eggs Sardu, poached eggs on artichoke bottoms with creamed spinach and hollandaise sauce; Eggs Nouvelle Orleans, poached eggs atop a bed of lump crabmeat and topped with a rich brandy-cream sauce; Oysters Benedict, eggs Benedict accented with crispy fried oysters; and Brennan’s original, Eggs Hussarde, poached eggs atop Holland rusks, Canadian bacon and Marchand de Vin sauce, topped with hollandaise. Be sure to save room for one of the decadent signature desserts, Bananas Foster or Crepes Fitzgerald, crepes filled with cream cheese and sour cream and topped with strawberries flamed in Maraschino.

Panola Street Café
7801 Panola St., 314-1810
Owned by the Riccobono family of Riccobono’s Peppermill Restaurant in Metairie (another solid choice for traditional breakfast fare), this casual, neighborhood eatery offers friendly service and well-done, affordable food. On weekends, Panola is often packed for breakfast and brunch with locals and college students in search of generous portions of tasty delights. Eggs (and other breakfast dishes like the mouthwatering banana-nut waffles) are served just about anytime and are always expertly cooked! Generously filled, fluffy omelets are a winner, but the delicious Crab Cakes Benedict, packed with fresh crabmeat and topped with Hollandaise sauce, is hard to resist.

Ruby Slipper
139 S. Cortez St., 309-5531
Tucked away in Mid-City, this lively, quaint café offers scrumptious egg dishes all day long (Tuesday–Friday 7 a.m. till 2 p.m.) and brunch on the weekends (8 a.m. till 3 p.m.). Although the menu is rather small, egg dishes are always fresh and cooked to perfection! Signature three-egg omelets include the Louisianan, delicate boiled shrimp with cheddar cheese and a hint of fresh thyme, and the European, juicy grilled portobello mushrooms melded with creamy brie. A favorite is the Eggs Blackstone, a pair of poached eggs atop tomato and crispy bacon strips on flaky biscuits, covered with hollandaise sauce. Or check out the migas, a tangy Tex-Mex scramble that tastefully combines onions, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, fresh cilantro, spicy chorizo and tortilla chips.

Stanley
547 St. Ann St., 587-0093
The latest creation by chef-owner Scott Boswell, who also owns Stella!, is a casual diner serving tasty breakfast dishes, yummy sandwiches and old-fashioned malts, milkshakes, sundaes and ice cream floats. Egg dishes rule here, with mouthwatering selections like the heavenly eggs Benedict po’boy, poached eggs, smoked Canadian bacon and Creole hollandaise on toasted bread; the flavorful Breaux Bridge Benedict, boudin, smoked ham, American cheese, poached eggs and Creole hollandaise; and the namesake eggs Stanley, cornmeal-crusted Louisiana oysters nestled atop poached eggs, Canadian bacon and Creole hollandaise on an English muffin.