February 28, 2010 The Broken Egg

The Broken Egg 221 N. Main St. Ann Arbor, MI
When coming off the highway from the north the first restaurant the hungry traveler will encounter is the Broken Egg. The truly hungry can stop at the convenience store on the corner of Main and Summit where they have a deli case and a pizza warming light but the first true restaurant is the Broken Egg. Let’s hope these travelers are coming to town during the day because the Broken Egg is only open for breakfast and lunch.

We (Joyce, Penny, Zach, Henry and I) went on a Sunday Morning and there was no line, which is unusual for Sunday Ann Arbor Breakfasts. (It was UofM spring break so that might have been a reason although, probably, the Northside and Zola’s still had lines.) The place is pretty large, two main rooms probably sitting 35 to 40 people in each.

They decorate! We were in at the end of February and they still had the Valentine’s Day theme going so it was all in pinks and reds, a day later it would have been St. Patrick’s Day green for sure. Most of the patrons in our area were older (Henry was the only kid) and seemed to be just getting out of the early service at church or getting ready to go to the late service.

We got a table right away, our waitress (Charlene) was very attentive (some said too attentive) and perhaps a little clumsy, spilling a water glass (no one was damaged in the incident). We each ordered breakfast. The portions were large and nobody complained about their meal. We had a couple of scrambles including one called “Grandma’s Scramble” which comes with four eggs (even though you might order it with only two like Zach), Henry had pancakes with one sausage link and one bacon strip which was off the menu but offered by Charlene. I took something off the specials menu (a blackboard hanging across from the door where you enter) called “Devil’s Hash Bash” (named after our unique Ann Arbor holiday) which consisted of potatoes, onions, cheese and 3 or 4 different kinds of peppers with scrambled eggs on top. It was pretty tasty but very fiery, especially for 9:30 on a Sunday morning. It was large enough that I had to get a box to take home. Payment is made on your way out at the cash register posted next to the door.

This was not my first time to the Broken Egg and, although, not the gourmet breakfast destination in Ann Arbor, it serves up good sized portions in a relatively speedy manner. There are few pretentions and the coffee is pretty good. I’ll be back if only because the wait in line on the weekends is shorter than almost all the other good breakfast places.