Not everything’s a star at Breakfast on Broadway | Dining review
Breakfast on Broadway Cafe has a nice song and dance ring to it, but this Englewood restaurant doesn’t warrant a rave review.
The unassuming exterior belies an oxymoronic fashionable-diner vibe. The full bar, black and white photos of vintage Denver street scenes and some surprising menu items like stuffed French toast and carnitas Benedict don’t quite jive with the Fiesta ware coffee mugs and Formica tabletops. Nonetheless, simply put, it’s eclectic.
Many elements of each of our orders didn’t measure up to expectations, though there were a few bright spots such as our breakfast appetizer of doughnut holes ($6.). The serving included five two-bite orbs of fried dough dusted with powdered sugar. They came with strawberry sauce and marshmallow cream for dunking and were sweet enough without, but even better with.
The Broadway Breakfast ($13.50) was a typical meal of eggs, choice of meats, choice of toast, buttermilk biscuit or pancakes and, instead of hash browns, potato cakes. The eggs were cooked as ordered (scrambled); the two patty sausages were overcooked. However, most disappointing were the potato cakes and biscuits.
I appreciated that the eggs and sausage were well prepared because they were the focus of the meal, but I believe side dishes warrant equal attention no matter the cuisine or repast. After all, scrambled eggs aren’t that difficult to prepare well, but a good flakey biscuit shows attention to detail, along with culinary chops. Unfortunately, here the biscuits were dense and dry, making them hard to chew. There was nothing crumbly or buttery about them.
The potato cakes looked like boxties, but the shredded spuds formed into the silver-dollar shaped disks were gummy and bland despite the presence of chopped green onion bits. The partially crunchy exterior was the only good thing about them. This was true of each of the three entrees ordered.
Biscuits and gravy ($10.75) garnered our award for the messiest-looking plate of food. This included two eggs and potato cakes, all of which were smothered with creamy, house-made sausage gravy. We opted for half green chili (extra 65 cents), which barely covered one of the biscuits. Only the pineapple and orange garnish remained untouched by the sausage-based sauce.
The green chili had a nice kick, which was balanced by the savory gravy. This proved to be the best way to eat the biscuits. The quiche of the day was broccoli cheddar ($9.50), with two potato cakes and a piece of pineapple topped with an orange slice (this was the garnish on most plates). The crust was dry and fell apart in chunks, not flakes, and the filling was bland.
Service was excellent and when our server noticed the eggs with biscuits and gravy were not as ordered, she quickly removed the plate and returned shortly thereafter with the correct preparation.
The cafe is noisy and most tables were occupied throughout our meal. Although we were immediately seated, there were waits for subsequent diners. Maybe they knew the better items to order than we did. In true diner form, though, the servers were on a first-name basis with several customers and didn’t take flak from anyone.
Breakfast on Broadway
Creative and traditional diner fare
Location: 2901 S. Broadway, Englewood
Contact: 1-303-788-9998; breakfastonbroadway.com
Prices: $8.50 to $18 (Subject to change)
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily
Details: Credit cards accepted. Alcohol. Wi-Fi. Outdoor seating.
Favorite dishes: Donut holes and house-made green chili.
Other: Gluten-free and limited vegan options available.
