Make it Healthy
Though eggs are considered one of the healthier American breakfast choices, they easily can become unhealthy with other elements mixed in, drizzled, or melted on top.
Enter the land of egg whites. That’s what New York–based The Pump Energy Foods has done.
For the past 10 years, the five-unit restaurant chain has targeted fitness buffs, body builders, and other health hobbyists. Serving egg protein minus cholesterol from the yolks has lead the gym culture into the restaurants where egg white dishes abound, says Dan Fogarty, in charge of marketing, brand, and culture for the company.
One of the menu standouts is the Turbo Omelet made with six baked egg whites and a choice of grilled chicken breast or turkey burger and served with a toasted whole-wheat pita. The restaurant’s namesake, The Pump Omelet, is made with five baked egg whites and a choice of two toppings: spinach, onions, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, or nonfat mozzarella. It’s served with a choice of sliced, baked potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes, brown rice, or salad, and a toasted whole-wheat pita.
“We bake all our eggs. We’re not putting them in a skillet. When they are baked, they come out fluffy and light. We don’t even have grills in our restaurants. Everything is baked or steamed,” Fogarty says.
One of the most filling, protein-packed menu items is the Powerhouse Breakfast. Diners receive a Turbo Omelet (six egg whites) plus a protein like a steak, buffalo, turkey, or tofu burger and on top is a seven-grain pancake with powdered protein in the batter. “The pancake weighs a pound and comes with a 16-ounce protein shake. The breakfast is a protein on top of protein with protein,” Fogarty says.
Standout Combos
Aside from regional, ethnic, and health trends, there are other creative combinations that can help set a restaurant apart from others. The turkey meatloaf omelet stands out at Regi’s American Bistro in Baltimore. It’s a skillet breakfast made with eggs, diced homemade turkey meatloaf, baby spinach, and cream cheese. “It’s food as theater,” says executive chef/owner Alan Morstein.
His crab and spinach omelet is also a restaurant favorite, featuring jumbo lump crab, sautéed baby spinach, and hollandaise sauce ladled over the top.
After visiting Barcelona, Morstein returned with an idea for a Mediterranean omelet: scrambled eggs with fresh tuna, artichoke hearts, black olive slivers, a little feta cheese, and sundried tomatoes. “Sometimes we serve it frittata-style, open-faced basically,” he says.
Ina’s serves a vegetable hash with a poached egg placed on top. “It sells like crazy,” Pinkney says. The hash is made up of white potatoes, yams, corn, mushrooms, eggplant, onions, Brussels sprouts, and garlic, all cooked individually, cut and combined, steamed, and spiced with a little heavy cream.
On the drawing board for Huddle House is a chili cheese omelet. “It would be something different, and we have chili on hand,” Paolozzi says. “It would be easy. Put together chili and some shredded cheddar and top it with sour cream. We could offer it with or without onions. It looks good, and the color pops.”