Ode to “Eggs Foreign to Me” on Top Chef Las Vegas

Dear Mike Isabella:

You really didn’t know what eggs florentine were?   I was so excited when you drew the eggs florentine knife. After all, that is one of the main inspirations for my blog. I know you can’t look up recipes, but that made me a bit sad.

In the spirit of Mike’s “eggs foreign to me,” I’m listing a few of my favorite eggs florentine brunch spots below in NYC. And, a quick recipe for traditional (not deconstructed eggs florentine) for all you aspiring chefs out there. I actually haven’t made it myself, I’ve only gotten to enjoy, so I can’t be too hard on Mike. After all, his dishes all look pretty excellent and he is from New Jersey, so he is close enough to any of these (even though he currently resides in D.C). So Mike, if you’re ever in Manhattan and want to go for some great eggs florentine, the pleasure would be all mine.

Check out:

– Bubby’s – 120 Hudson (at North Moore). Amazing eggs florentine. The hollandaise sauce just melts in your mouth; also opt for the side of crusty cheese grits. Even JFK loved this place so you really can’t go wrong with any of the dishes here. I also recommend the Bubby’s burger (locally raised too!) with maytag blue cheese and the grilled chicken club (fantastic tomato mayo). I’ve always been way too full to try the pie, but I’ve heard it’s excellent. www.bubbys.com

– Luke’s Bar & Grill – 1394 Third Avenue (at 79th Street). If you haven’t had too much to drink the night before, this is a great “brunk” spot (one of my friend’s terms for drinking on Sunday with brunch). The eggs florentine are served up here very traditional. Just good, classic eggs florentine. The side of potatoes are also good and my friends who have ordered other items on the menu say the omelettes and burgers are nice choices. www.lukesbarandgrill.com

– Bondi Road – 153 Rivington Street (at Suffolk). A sister restaurant to the very hyped Sunburnt Cow. I’ve been waiting for a chance to include this spot in my blog!  Enjoy “endless brunch” for $18 (that really means all you can drink or as they say, “at least until Heathe decides you’ve had enough”) of mimosas, bloody mary’s, Foster’s, screwdrivers or greyhounds and your choise of a variety of things including eggs served up in a variety of styles. For an extra 5 bucks, you can get the “barrier reef benedict” which is my favorite version of eggs florentine here – poached eggs smothered in hollandaise and served up over crabcakes. I’m already hungry (and thirsty) thinking about this place. Word from one of my sources is they’re also opening one soon on the Upper West Side. http://www.thesunburntcow.com/brunch.html

– Hudson Cafeteria at the Hudson Hotel – 356 W. 58th Street (near 9th Avenue). For those who missed my first blog post, I discussed the eggs florentine here. The hotel is a bit disguised (you can’t see any signage from the street), so you’ll walk in and take the escalator up to the Hudson Cafeteria.  Solid eggs florentine (while a bit pricey) and order with a side of the garlic steak fries. www.hudsonhotel.com

The recipe from http://bit.ly/1BZ0Mi: And please chefs, use english muffins instead of toast!

8 lg. eggs
1 c. spinach, chopped or leaf, cooked
Salt & pepper to taste
Hollandaise Sauce

 Soft boil or poach the eggs, place on buttered toast, heat the spinach and place equally on the eggs. Pour spinach juice over the eggs. Spoon Hollandaise Sauce over the eggs. Serve as warm as possible. Salt to taste. Yield: 4 servings.

Tags: barrier reef benedict, bloody mary, Bondi Road, Bubby's, cheese grits, crabcakes, eggs, eggs florentine, Foster's, greyhound, grilled chicken club, hollandaise, Hudson Hotel, Luke's Bar & Grill, maytag blue cheese, Mike Isabella, mimosa, omelette, pepper, pie, poached eggs, salt, screwdriver, spinach, steak fries, Sunburnt Cow, tomato mayo, Top Chef, Top Chef Las Vegas