'ino beats egg

truffledeggtoast
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

I’m excited about the anonymous comment we received on the entry about Egg. It means that more than my three friends comment because no one I know would call me fat. Pleasantly plump, yes. But fat, no. That said, what’s wrong with having a spare tire or a little junk in the trunk? They’re the reason movie theater seats are big and comfy. Some of my favorite people are fat right now: Janet Jackson, Santa Claus, Liza Minnelli. If I go to the gym and I see a fellow pepper pot sweating it out, she inspires me. If she can do it, I can do it. Hell, I wish there were more fat folks in NYC, then I wouldn’t look so pudgy.
Anyway, I’ve decided that the commenter might be Pamela Anderson because she referred to eating at KFC. KFC may be a death camp for chickens, but at least it’s inexpensive. That’s all I have to say about that because I love fried chicken, but not Kentucky Fried.
If the reader comprehended correctly, she’d note that I never said anything bad about Egg. She’d notice that all I said was that I wished they served the biscuit sandwich with a side of eggs. Hells bells, the restaurant is called Egg! I left the place unsatisfied, not just physically, but emotionally. That little sandwich cost me $6.50 and the coffee was $1.50, but I didn’t finish it because it got bitter in the French press. That’s ten bucks gone, and I probably had to eat lunch because brunch wasn’t filling.
If I had gone to Enid’s, I could have gotten the hungry bear biscuit sandwich with eggs, sausage and gravy and my choice of potatoes, grits, collard greens, spiced apples, or blackbeans and rice for 8 bucks. I can’t remember if coffee comes with, but you get free refills. The wait staff is generally very nice and very attractive. Plus the jukebox is terrific. As long as you go early, it’s simply a better choice than Egg.
Well, whatever. No need to get defensive. Let’s move on to a dish that makes Egg seem positively sterile. If you want greatness, go to ‘ino (21 Bedford St. bw Houston & Downing). Their signature dish, truffled egg toast is probably the most sensual breakfast food. I have no idea if the ingredients are organic. They are simple elements on their own, but they add up to a very sexy textural (sextural?) experience. The meal itself is small, but it’s perfect. It’s a piece of thick toast with a soft egg prepared over easy, a melted slice of good Italian cheese, some fresh asparagus rounds and decadent truffle oil drizzled on the fancy toad in the hole. The warm smell of the truffle oil adds that unique earthiness and the when the egg is punctured, you have to eat slowly to savor the texture of the liquid gold on the firm bread. It’s difficult because you want to continue to fill your mouth with more of those flavors. You don’t want the deliciousness to end. It’s also hard to take a picture after you’ve pierced the egg. I didn’t want my yolk to get cold, so I only took one shot.
The restaurant space is very limited, so you do have to be skinny to get into those little tables, but if you’re big boned, just go to the larger sister restaurant, ‘inoteca (98 rivington at Ludlow) I don’t think they serve a brunch, but they have the TET for 7 bucks at breakfast from 8am-noon.