Even though this adventure is focused on Monterey county restaurants, we had opportunity to spend some time with our kids in Ripon, CA and thereby exercise a little sampling of ETEB (extra-territorial eggs benedict). Cory and Lyndsay joined us in our gastronomical gallivant as we found ourselves seated window-side at My Garden Cafe. This former Burger King building has been a local favorite for about five years and was one of but a couple of breakfast choices for this little burg. It is a friendly place with a decor somewhere between Denny’s and Grandma’s house. We weren’t excited about the plastic flowers at the table or elsewhere around the ‘garden’. But the booth was comfy and the company was great.

Barb and I settled on the Eggs Florentine, a veggie benedict in disguise. Our meals arrived in good order and exhibited a straightforward approach to plating. We were pleased to finally get a meal that arrived reasonably hot. From muffin to sauce to side the temperature of the dish indicated that everything had come together in a timely fashion and been brought forth promptly. Eggs were nicely done and sat upon a nicely toasted and buttered muffin. Unfortunately, both were joined by some overcooked spinach and canned mushroom slices; not about to add favorably to the flavor. Further, the assembled creation was topped with what we’re assuming was a canned hollandaise that was a bit heavy and lacked the hint of lemon that sets the signature of a good EB. The fried potato side was ample enough, and rather than the more common cut-and-quartered home fries, these were sliced thin. We would have preferred them a bit crispier and with some measure of seasoning worked in. Despite our criticisms here the meal was not bad, evidenced by our clean plates and satisfied bellies. It was nice to find a cup of coffee for under $2, and the price of the dish was reasonable for what we got

Rating: 3 eggs

What set out to be a weekly field trip on Mondays a month ago has turned into a ‘catch it when you can’ trek for ‘ben’. Having missed last Monday with a hiccup in the schedule and knowing that this Monday would bring the same, we set out on a stellar Saturday morning to continue our task. With temperatures expected close to 80 (we’re talking steady 66 Monterey) we decided to chance an outdoor excursion. The natural choice seemed to be Village Corner in Carmel; a quaint, often crowded, spot just off Ocean Avenue. Admittedly, we were taking a risk at finding any table on a Saturday morning, let alone a spot in th sun on the patio. But a brief 10-minute wait scored a patio placement, sadly sans sun. At 9:15 it was still a bit cool, but tolerable. The staff is friendly, attentive, yet unobtusive. The service is efficient without making one feel rushed and our coffee cups never got below the halfway point. We ordered the Veggie Benedict to split. It comes with whole leaf spinach, avocado and mushrooms. The dish arrived at the table on two separate plates, the first time in a long time that we were not left the task of divying up the fare. Even on it’s standard size plate there appeared to be ample food. Once again, we received a plate of food that was less than expected in the temperature department. I don’t think we’re carrying overly high expectations in this regard. The potatoes, which looked lovely, would have scored much higher had they just been WARM. By comparison, the eggs were absolutely perfect, steaming when cut open and a yolk that cascaded down the side of the filling. But everythig else..cold. Even the muffin seemed to have been nicely prepared, then set aside to await the rest of the ingredients. And a very nice sauce suffered from suitable centigrade stats to help out the rest of the dish. In spite of this, the meal was enjoyable and favorably flavorable. How much better had it simply arrived at what we consider to be an acceptable serving temperature. Still, it was a nice start to a beautiful Saturday. We’d go back, but we’d ask for hot food.

Rating: 4 Eggs

Esthetically, it’s worth the trip. There is an old world charm that establishes itself at the entrance and carries throughout the cafe’s interior. Interior seating is not abundant, but was not pressed this particular Monday morning. But exterior seating doubles the cafe’s capacity, and had we arrived a half hour later we would have elected for a sunny patio spot. As it is, it was still a bit cool in the shade for our taste. Upon arrival, one places their order at a walk-up window, takes a table number and coffee mug, fills their own beverage and finds a table. It took a bit for someone to be able to take our order and I will confess to feeling more than a little awkward being left standing at the counter. For all the warmth of the interior, this function left me a bit cold.

As we waited for the meal we did enjoy the feel of the place, including the upbeat, yet unobtrusive music in the background. The coffee was good, but we found it annoying to have to march back and forth for our own refills.

In good order our Turkey Avocado Benedict arrived. We’ll attest to an acceptable presentation and adequate portion, but somewhat short of the Rosine’s standard of comparison. We like our food ‘hot’ and we were once again disappointed with the temperature of the delivered meal, in this case rating a 2 for overall temperature. The sauce was plentiful and flavorful, but seemed only to be warmed by the heat of the eggs (well cooked and the one ‘hot’ item on the plate.) There were two nice slices of avocado on each muffin and a modicum of (cold) turkey per portion. The side of breakfast potatoes (lukewarm) were tasty enough, although we’d prefer them to be sans onion skin next time.

The overall experience was pleasant enough and the meal was generally palatable. But the total bill was 25% higher than Rosine’s, and would have been more had they added the $2 charge for splitting the meal (as listed on the menu). Still, we’d go back, especially on a warm day, just being sure to ask for our meal to come at a more acceptable temperature. We’ll save the cold turkey and avocado sandwich for lunchtime.

Rating: 4 eggs

After an extended break in the search for the eggceptional Benedict, we set off this morning to renew our quest for the best benedicts in Monterey county. Our first stop was Rosine’s restaurant in downtown Monterey, winner of our 2005 quest. We thought we’d check up on their outstanding offering and see if it would serve up as fitting benchmark for what is to come.

The relaunch of our benedict adventure started on a stellar Monterey morning, with clear blue skies and warm spring weather allowing us to sit streetside with the floor to ceiling shutters flung open. At 10 am the crowd was thin so we were seated quickly and ordered up almost immediately. Barely ordered, our delectable dish arrived within minutes. Almost too quick, we thought. Nonetheless, we divided our prize (see ‘Rating’ page) and dug in. Today’s choice was a turkey, avocado and mushroom benedict; ample slices of real turkey breast, not some processed pretender. It was everything we remembered from earlier encounters; superb sauce, fresh filling and ample food (this is a 3-egg bennie) on the plate. One downside to our meal – the overall temperature of the dish was short of expectations. Was this because our so-quick-to-be-delivered order had been sitting ready to serve for a while? Not likely for such an exceptional eatery. However, the english muffin seemed a bit chewy or a bit short of proper toaster time. On the upside, nice tableside touches included a good peppermill at the table and real live, honest-to-goodness potted flowers.

Even with the muffed muffin and the tepid temperature, this still has all the makings of a first-rate EB. Definitely worth coming back for, but not for a while….there are many more out there to taste. All-in-all, this was a great launch to round two of the search for the uncommon EB.

Rating: 4.5 Eggs