My dining companion is constantly questing for perfection. Although occasionally willing to let slipups slide, breakfast is one area where she will not settle for second-best. This applies particularly to her favorite breakfast dish, Eggs Benedict. So, it is with trepidation and expectation of disappointment that she orders it at each new restaurant, hoping that the chefs will be able to meet her high standards.
Her main complaints center around poorly poached eggs and improperly prepared hollandaise sauce. Fortunately, at Ashland Bakery Café, known to the locals as ABC, the Eggs Benedict takes center stage, and the chefs masterfully poach eggs on demand. She was more than happy with her plate of Benedict swimming in hollandaise, and said the sauce had citrus overtones that made it stand out. For $10.95, it's a bit on the pricey side for the first meal of the day, but comes with crispy potatoes or fresh sliced tomatoes, and is worth it.
We both chose coffees off the refreshingly diverse drink menu, which includes healthy options like organic carrot juice, soymilk and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, and more decadent options like Italian sodas and root beer floats. Her mocha for $3.05 was a little on the weak side, but the waitress cheerily added coffee to it to bring it up to par. I found my coffee quite to my liking, even if the cream jar did look as if it had been sitting around for a while. I also ordered a strawberry lemonade, which in summer comes with fresh sliced strawberries. In November, the drink is still tasty with a lemon wedge and freshly squeezed pulpy lemon juice. This summery drink was a little too tart for my winter taste buds, but would hit the spot on a muggy August afternoon.
After waffling between a tried-and-true favorite of mine, the sweet potato vegetable hash with bell peppers and onions, topped with crème fraiche and served with two eggs for $9.75, I went with one of the house specials, the tofu scramble with feta, spinach, tomato, onions and red and green bell peppers for $9.25. This, too, comes with a generous portion of potatoes or tomatoes. I chose the potatoes, which were crispy, lightly fried and seasoned to perfection.
I was somewhat disappointed in my choice, since the tofu was a bit on the plain side. However, the scramble was a welcome departure from usual egg-heavy morning fare and it was dressed up with flavorful bits of feta cheese and barely-cooked fresh veggies. There was plenty left over to take home, so I ended up switching plates with my dining companion to sample her egg, Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce-topped English muffins. I don't usually like Canadian bacon, but in this setting, it seemed just right and I devoured nearly half the plate.
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The mousse ($3.50) was unbelievably decadent and impossible to resist, even with bellies still full from breakfast. Topped with a generous portion of whipped cream and a dollop of hard chocolate, it's definitely a dessert to split.
I didn't expect much of the bran muffin for $1.75 (after all, it was bran), but was pleasantly surprised when my first bite revealed a mouthful of cranberries and blueberries dressing up a usually plain pastry.
In winter, the café serves only breakfast and lunch, but patrons can look forward to dinner options during the summer. The ABC usually closes in January, the time of year when the trickle of tourists is slowest (which actually makes it more pleasant for local diners), but it's received a couple of offers from new owners, so whether it stays open this year is up in the air. If you plan to try their tasty, unique menu during that month, it's best to call ahead.
-- Sarah Brown
