Nothing Crack'D Here.

The email here is filled with press releases on openings, pitches by publicists of book authors, listener comments, and invites to the openings of new places. The last of these has become a dilemma for me. At press events now, I am reminded of our status as dinosaurs. I went to a few of these with Tom, then without Tom, and wound up staying about ten minutes.

But one arrived recently that intrigued me enough to get back in there. Crack’D Brunch was a place I remembered seeing on a building in the LGD recently, but I couldn’t remember where. The building on the outside showed great promise. I am not a fan of brunch in general, and especially of brunch-only places, but there was something very appealing about what was happening to this old building on Sophie Wright Pl.

When the invite came I answered yes, and resolved to drag Tom to this, with the plan to leave after the “bites” and move on to Commander’s Palace for lunch. This plan was fraught with peril for obvious reasons, but also because getting into Commander’s Palace is a project these days. They have been kind enough to squeeze us in as we called right before arrival, only for me to cancel when we arrived because of parking or Tom issues, or both. It’s a wonder they still take our call. Any plan for Commander's became moot as soon as we walked into Crack'D.

We arrived at Crack’D to see it buzzing. It was 10 AM and I couldn’t decide if it was a party or a soft opening. Tables were filled with neighborhood people, and at the bar was a party. Waiters walked the floor offering “bites” to everyone. I decided we would sit and eat breakfast and taste any “bites” that came our way.

A tray of mimosas greeted us, and I happily accepted. Dragging Tom into a situation like this calls for a drink. Tom said yes to a coffee in a beautiful oversized coffee cup. I eventually asked for a to-go cup to avoid disaster. Little munches came to the table right away. Morsels of duck bacon frittata were followed by sliders, and pieces of monkey bread dipped in syrup.

The frittata was terrific. As someone not inclined to eat sweetened bread, I saved the monkey bread for Tom, who loved it. His jacket was covered in powdered sugar no less than if he had consumed a plate of beignets. The sliders were clearly hand-formed on little Parker House rolls, with a bit of American cheese and pickles. What made it more interesting and very trendy was a schmear of pepper jelly, which I am seeing around town as a condiment of choice. The first time I tried it I didn’t care for it, but this little slider was very good, The pepper jelly was a definite enhancement.

The menu before us was large, and very appealing. There were lots of different sections, with interesting things in all of them. It was hard to choose.

A basket of baked goods is always in any order if it is offered. This was a bit expensive on the menu at $18, but when it arrived at the table it was a very large basket and it was full. There were two biscuits, a croissant, a blueberry muffin, and a chocolate muffin. A small ramekin of butter and another of jam rounded out the offering.

We were so busy with these baked goods and “bites” that it took us a while to order. It would have been delayed anyway because it was all so desirable.

Tom settled quickly on Eggs Sardou, surprising me with little interest in his usual path - French toast or other sweet choices. There were several such appealing choices in this section I almost veered into it. Lemon ricotta pancakes called to me, but I resisted. A mac’n’cheese with brisket topping sounded great too.

But I settled on a shareable from the top section. It was a shrimp dip with crostini. And when I asked about the hash browns, I was told they were my favorite kind, the real ones that are shre4dded. But these were not frozen. Even better. I had to get these, so I ordered them with an egg over easy.

Tom’s Benedict came first, followed quickly by my dip. It was a gorgeous presentation of Eggs Sardou, with two flaky Vol au Vents subbing for Holland rusks. The poached eggs seemed a little underdone, but Tom likes eggs this way. The pastry was perfect with its flaky texture, warm to the touch. The spinach beneath it was delicious, the Hollandaise just right, and all together this was a great choice.

I was disappointed by the sight of my dip, but not its taste. Several boiled shrimp rather than grilled shrimp studded the top of the dip, interspersed with little edible flowers. This seemed odd to me. The crostini were bare, which is okay but not preferable. But there was nothing to complain about in the taste. It was a puree which contributed to the disappointment in appearance, but this was a tasty dip. A little tweaking would improve what is already a good dish.

They beefed up my egg order to three, and it came as a lovely collection of fried eggs in a skillet, served with a pile of great hashbrowns.

This was much too much considering what we had already eaten, but I pressed on. The hashbrowns were perfect. Some soft but some crispy, renewing my faith in regular hashbrowns in restaurants.

Our dessert was more of the breakfast baked goods. I loved the croissant, which was flaky and toasted perhaps more than most people would like, but I loved it.

The blueberry muffin was great. It was soft in the middle and filled with blueberries, crumbly when touched. The chocolate muffin was equally appealing. I wasn’t crazy about the biscuits, but they were plenty good enough. They were a hybrid of cut and dropped.

The place is absolutely stunning. Bright and glamorous, it is a clash of colors and patterns that is downright thrilling. Service is friendly and competent. Crack’D  seems like a place that could multiply. I hope it does.