“My tastes are simple: I am easily satisfied with the best.”
— Winston S. Churchill
Scoring
The brunch.org website predates Yelp, Google Maps and many other review sites. As a result, our reviews look a bit different.
We focus on two dishes, eggs Benedict and steak au poivre. Each component of a dish is scored on a 7-point scale. A score of 4 indicates both acceptably good flavor and an acceptable quantity — a perfect hollandaise isn’t perfect unless there’s enough of it, but not so much that the dish is drowning.
Two extra points may be added or deducted for notable garnishes or side dishes. The combined score is shown in red.
Despite this mathematical precision, scores are a work in progress. A single review score may be an average of multiple reviewers, or of multiple visits. A score of 7 should ideally be confirmed by at least two reviewers.
Download and print brunch.org score cards (PDF)
Eggs Benedict Scoring
| Hollandaise | |
| Poached Eggs | |
| Canadian Bacon | |
| English Muffin | |
| Frites | |
| Garnishes | |
| Sides |
Five components — hollandaise, poached eggs, meat, bread, and potatoes — plus garnishes and sides, for a maximum of 37 points.
Although the traditional eggs Benedict uses Canadian bacon and an English muffin, many restaurants have their own variations. Wherever possible those details are reflected on the score card.
Potatoes are considered essential. The score card may note the type (frites, thin fries, or roasted wedges). If none are served, that component is unmarked (a score of 0).
Steak au Poivre Scoring
| Steak quality | |
| Steak preparation | |
| Sauce | |
| Frites | |
| Garnishes | |
| Sides |
Four components — steak quality, steak preparation, sauce, and potatoes — plus garnishes and sides, combine for a maximum of 30 points.
Potatoes are considered essential. The score card may note the type (frites, thin fries, roasted wedges, or baked potato). If none are served, that component is unmarked (a score of 0).
Eggs Benedict Tasting Notes
For the chef, correct preparation of eggs Benedict requires balance and timing. The bruncher should interpret the results. Of course taste and flavor are subjective, but some initial pointers for brunchers are given below.
Hollandaise: Hollandaise is the most complex part of the preparation. It should be neither overly thick nor overly runny — if you press a fork into the emulsion it should pull away leaving small peaks that settle back slowly.
The flavor should be silky, not oily, with a slightly lemony tartness.
Poached Egg: Ideal poached eggs have a slightly runny yolk that blends with the hollandaise. The poaching water must be fresh and hot. Tradition has it that the fresher the egg, the better it will hold its shape when poaching. Placing the raw egg in a fine mesh strainer before cooking can also remove the runny liquid, which makes the cooked egg more of a clean shape and less watery.
English Muffin: The ideal muffin is toasted so that the top and raised edges are crisp, but the center is still warm and soft. The muffin should be neither dry nor flaky. Ideally, the muffin should be a single muffin split in half, not a mix-and-match set of two tops or two bottoms from different muffins.
Garnish: The traditional slice of black truffle is now largely lost, though in some cases it has been replaced in effigy with a slice of black olive. Parsley is no longer an acceptable garnish.
Potatoes: Eggs Benedict cannot stand alone; perfection requires that it should be accompanied by potatoes. Frites should be light, slightly crispy, and should work well with the Hollandaise. Roasted potatoes should be roasted with a touch of garlic or rosemary (or both), and should not be so oily that they begin to fight with the Hollandaise.
Temperature: Temperature must be balanced — muffin, meat and egg should be of comparable temperature, not hot but very warm. Hollandaise can be slightly cooler. Potatoes and plate should be warm.
The ideal temperature is just cool enough that you can take a bite immediately upon receiving the plate on your table. And warm enough that the food is not cold when you break the second egg.
Timing: When we were in our 20s, our brunching Greenwich Mean Time was 4:00 pm on any given Saturday. Anyone can brunch on a Sunday at 11:00 am, but it takes a real pro to push the Saturday late-afternoon envelope.