First visit today, and I was not impressed by the food. Service was very good, though-- look for Shea, and at least for this morning, he was at the bar/counter. I came in and was surprised by the number of people waiting outside (it was very chilly!), and even more amazed to see the line of people waiting to be seated inside. And then it hit me, it's a Saturday-- I'm usually at work at this time. A Yelp friend even warned me last night about the long wait times on the weekends, but I was dining solo, so I figured I could wait for a spot to open at the bar. I ended up waiting for four minutes-- not too shabby!
Found out that the chocolate syrup in the cafe mocha is Hershey's (corn syrup), so I opted for a cappuccino. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eggstasy-scottsdale?start=100&select=LQ43uEfOvZzDUBGcY_q4hA#LQ43uEfOvZzDUBGcY_q4hA LavAzza is the coffee sold here, and I like LavAzza, so far, so good. Shea was nice enough to provide me with some receipt paper so that I may jot down a few of the entrees I had questions about, and he gave me his suggestions from the list of items I wanted to try, and I ended up ordering the Lemon-blueberry French toast http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eggstasy-scottsdale?start=100&select=CXV8FUkYF-yixQdKW1BIIA#CXV8FUkYF-yixQdKW1BIIA and Fried truffle egg toast. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eggstasy-scottsdale?start=100&select=J1on-3kAP9IHxQNws194sQ#J1on-3kAP9IHxQNws194sQ As I mentioned, I wasn't impressed with the food. First of all, the presentation of both items wasn't pleasing. There's a reason I posted so many of the Fried truffle egg toast, and that's because no matter how many times I spun that plate around, I couldn't get a decent shot! Also, the plates were not staged in the best way, but then again, perhaps there was no way to make them appear any better... The pancakes were sweet on their own, but I added the last bit of pure maple syrup that the kitchen could spare, and it tasted a bit too sweet after. They usually come with blueberry compote, so I'm assuming it was omitted due to my corn (starch) allergy. This dish needed a cream sauce to add another layer of texture. Otherwise, it felt like moistened and heavy pound cake to me. The Fried truffle egg toast needed more salt, but I was hesitant in adding any more, so I added Tabasco sauce, instead. The two eggs were sunny-side up and gave the brioche a nice color, as well as good mouth-feel, with the combo of fried bread, egg whites, and melted gruyere. This dish needed something else, though, besides seasoning. Some Canadian ham, perhaps? Or a few slices of extra-thick bacon, or two, or more cheeses? Yes, this dish, as well as the pancakes, had the makings of something great, and today's offerings do not make me want to order them again. Two lackluster entrees at the same sitting normally wouldn't make me want to visit again, so why am I eager to go back? Because of the cool service Shea gave me, of course! First, he never made me feel like I was an imposition, asking so many questions and sending him to the kitchen with a list of concerns (better than asking him to memorize the questionable ingredients and the four entrees I had my eyes on). Second, when I asked him what kind of chocolate enrobed the bacon I spotted on a neighbor's Bloody Mary http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/eggstasy-scottsdale?start=100&select=iiKKb5DG5ApDBjBUEq3-pQ#iiKKb5DG5ApDBjBUEq3-pQ, he guessed Hershey's syrup, as well (I guessed Valrhona, or something similar), but offered to double-check with the kitchen and came back with an apology that it wasn't Hershey's (I kinda knew), but a Belgian chocolate. But wait, here's the kicker... he excused himself while he grabbed a saucer and napkin and reached into the mini-fridge for a slice of chocolate-covered bacon for me to try (shh! don't tell anyone)!
What service! Now, I haven't had a chance to taste the said bacon slice, but I plan to ask for Shea's section- hopefully it will be at the bar, where the wait time is shorter- whenever I stop by! Oh, and third, Shea offered to give me a cup of coffee to-go, which is probably a standard service here, but still a nice touch!
p.s. The cappuccino was very good! read more