3 of a Kind: Stepped-Up Eggs Benedict
3 of a Kind checks out three places across the country to try something cool, new and delicious.
For such a simple dish, eggs Benedict has quite a complicated history. Instead of one definitive origin story, there have long been conflicting accounts of how the dish came to be created.
One version claims eggs Benedict started at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Another says it began at Delmonico’s in Manhattan. Then, there’s a guy named Commodore E. C. Benedict whose supposed recipe made its way to The New York Times well after his death.
The dispute of how it came into existence may continue on indeterminably, but there’s one point that can’t be argued: Eggs Benedict has become integral to American brunch menus. So popular is the dish that it has spawned an entire subgenre of decadent poached-egg creations with all kinds of newfangled flavors and ingredients. Here are three stepped-up versions of the classic eggs Benedict dish.
Seaspice, Miami
This chic waterfront restaurant serves a fabulous brunch with three high-end variations of Benedict, including short rib and oysters Rockefeller. The lobster Benedict, however, is the perennial crowd-pleaser. Succulent shellfish is served atop potato hash and poached eggs adorned with spring ramps, shaved asparagus and sherry hollandaise. Even the add-on is far from standard: White sturgeon caviar, anyone?
Root & Bone, New York City
Root & Bone Executive Chef Jeff McInnis is one of the Southern chefs responsible for the current resurgence of the fried chicken trend. His chicken and waffles put his former workplace, Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, on the map. Now, he and Janine Booth, his partner in business and in life, are bringing together two brunch classics at their East Village restaurant with a dish that’s a hybrid of eggs Benedict and chicken and waffles. The appropriately titled Waffle Benedict is finished with poached eggs, housemade pork belly bacon and lemon hollandaise.
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Manzanita, Truckee, Calif.
Chef Ryan Dawson hails from Texas, so it’s not surprising that his riff on the classic eggs Benedict is infused with the smoky and spicy flavors favored in his home state. Like the original, the base of Dawson’s Southwest Benedict is a traditional English muffin. It’s topped with slowly smoked pork, a poached egg, chipotle hollandaise and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.
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Lobster Benedict photo courtesy of Seaspice and Waffle Benedict photo courtesy of Root & Bone
