Description
Like Dee Nguyen’s Break of Dawn, Early Bird reclaims what Norms, Denny’s and IHOP have subjugated in recent decades. Breakfast shouldn’t be held to the confines of sunny-side-ups, bacon, pancakes and waffles, though you can certainly order all of that here. The waffle, for instance, can be had with berries and thick whipped cream, crisped to buttery golden brown yet flatter than the usual Eggo disc. But at Early Bird, it’s destined for a higher calling: Chef Joseph Mahon offers it as the platform for breaded boulders of fried chicken, drizzles of gravy, a salad of green beans, arugula and beets in a not-so-obvious homage to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. If it’s breakfast you want, get the omelettes. It’s almost beside the point what Mahon fills them with. Whether it’s chorizo and avocado for the El Guapo, all of the omelettes are served with a roasted tomato and potatoes, each egg envelope done as the the legendary French chef Daniel Boulud (Mahon’s ex-boss) would demand. Above all there’s something comforting about this restaurant. Perhaps it’s from seeing everyone around you nursing big white mugs of coffee. Or how the place always smells of bacon. Or maybe it’s because you never realized that the perfect omelette can put you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
