Steak- that's one of the things he said he wanted to have for his birthday this year.
And between the choices of CUT, Morton's, Ruth's Chris and Dan Ryan's, he chose the latter.
At brunch.
Several reasons, he explained- the selections were familiar, the time suited the weekend schedule, and best of all, he could have double portion of protein in the form of steak, plus eggs.
Now, I don't know about other brunch places, but Steak and Eggs is one of the cool offerings on Dan Ryan's brunch menu, and a great one it is too.
For a reasonable price, you get a medium sized portion of steak (200 grams?) done the way you like, you get two eggs done the way you like, there're seasonal vegetables and fries on the side, and to top all that, you've got a choice of toast that goes along with butter and jam.
It wasn't hard for him to make up his mind.
"Steak- medium rare. Eggs- sunny side up. Toast- rye, please. And can I change the fries to the sweet potato kind?"
Me, on the other hand, couldn't make up my mind.
I wanted the Eggs Benedict, the blueberry pancakes, the plain pancakes, and the French toast as well.
In the end- despite the very tempting American-sized pancakes made from buttermilk served with butter, maple syrup and jam, I went for the Eggs Benedict instead.
The Hollandaise sauce.
Blame the Hollandaise sauce. :)
No regrets, however, it was a most lovely meal in which I got two beautifully poached eggs, two cute little slices of ham, two nicely toasted English muffins, and a serving of roasted peppers with potatoes by the side.
It was great to tap lightly on the egg and watch the thick, creamy yolk flow down the sides to the sliced ham and muffin below.
It was great to cut the muffin up into smaller pieces, watch the yolk glistening in the tiny crevices and slather the whole thing with thick, creamy Hollandaise sauce.
And it was fun to try soaking up the streaks of leftover yolk on the plate with the peppers, the potatoes and even the little bits of ham.
Yes, very barbaric I know, but when it comes to finishing up delicious food when dining amongst close company?
Etiquette can say goodbye.
Of course, this being a birthday, there can be no birthday meal at Dan Ryan's without the presence of a cake (any cake) and so we ordered their signature Chocolate Lava cake that takes twenty minutes to prepare, but is totally worth the wait.
Crusty on the outside, lava-smooth liquid chocolate on the inside, the cake doesn't look much, as in, it's far from the bright, cheery looks we often see on IG, but simple, heartwarming, classic and cozy it is on the palate, and when paired with vanilla ice cream, a wonderful way it is to celebrate a birthday, and a perfect end to a great afternoon meal.
