Egg Harbor. Breakfast nirvana throughout the suburbs?

I searched and to my surprise there hasn't been a topic about this breakfast staple of mine. I quickly tire of the same 'ole bacon and eggs and this place delivers every single time. Perhaps even better than their amazing breakfast selection is their limited, yet amazing, lunch menu.

I figured I'd start with, what is in my opinion, one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. The Door County Melt delivers everything I want in a lunch; delicious, hearty, somewhat-healthy, and fulfilling. The sandwich itself consists of: all white meat chicken salad with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and diced apples. On top of the chicken salad goes a slice of fresh tomato and then slices of cheddar cheese on both sides of the sandwich. It's subsequently toasted to perfection and served with either potato pancakes or harbor potatoes (my preference). You also get a side salad with a poppyseed dressing which is one of the best salad dressings I've ever had.

I should mention that neither the cranberries nor the apples are overpowering. It's a subtle taste that comes together with the chicken salad perfectly.

The breakfast choices are plentiful and I'm so unbelievably amazed by the Door County Melt that I very rarely stray away from it. Every breakfast item that I have had was simply fantastic. I will highlight two of my favorites:

Gregg's Chili & Eggs is a fantastic dish that, dare I say again, might be remotely healthy? It consists of: an egg white omelette filled with chicken, black bean chili. It's topped with cheddar and jack cheeses, diced tomatoes, and chives. It comes with harbor potatoes (small, diced pieces of potatoes that are cooked crisp. They are seasoned quite well though I always add a few sprinkles of the seasoning which is on the table) and an English Muffin (the muffin isn't anything spectacular, perhaps a bit dry).

Cinnamon Roll French Toast is most certainly not healthy but absolutely delicious. I would recommend getting this dish as desert to share with another person. It would work quite well as a main dish but even better as a desert in my opinion. The taste is VERY similar to a "cinn a bon". Moist french toast with cinnamon swirls is topped with a cream cheese (I'm guessing) frosting and then a bit of powdered sugar on top of that. It's simply delicious.

I usually don't stray away from these dishes simply because they're so good. They brew Intelligentsia coffee but I must say, it's not very good here. I would instead go for some fresh squeezed strawberry orange juice which they bring around when you first sit down.

Be warned that this place is absolutely packed on weekends. It's not uncommon to wait 30 minutes + for a table (I visit two separate locations regularly and it's the same case at both). It's much easier to get a table during the weekdays.

Note that this place is truly a breakfast/lunch restaurant and they close quite early (2:00 PM) so plan for it. Having visited this restaurant for about a year and having enjoyed every visit I have actually considered opening a location of my own. Much to my dismay they won't franchise it out! The only way to open an Egg Harbor is to work your way up to manager and then you may get the opportunity to open a new location down the line. Needless to say I was disappointed. But, at the same time, this could explain why seemingly everyone there is so friggin' friendly and the food and service never disappoints. It's run by a family who keeps everything close to hand.

I highly recommend Egg Harbor!

Here are the two locations that I visit regularly:

140 E. Wing St.
(Northwest corner of Northwest Hwy. and Arlington Heights Rd.)
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Phone: 847-253-4363

175 W. Jackson
Naperville, IL 60540
Phone: 630-548-1196

Here is a list of their other 12 locations.

http://www.eggharborcafe.com/

I dined at the Arlington Heights location on a weekday while on vacation last October. I was thoroughly impressed with the lobster salad crepes. The delicate crepes were stuffed full of big lobster chunks perfectly seasoned with just enough mayo. The crisp, fresh asapargus pieces added a very nice flavor to the dish. And the drizzling of hollandaise sauce was a nice decadent touch. I really, really want to go back just for those crepes, but the long wait on the weekend has deterred me from doing so.

dak125 wrote:...I always add a few sprinkles of the seasoning which is on the table) and an English Muffin (the muffin isn't anything spectacular, perhaps a bit dry).

Funny--I've eaten a few times with my mom at the Arlington Heights location. We've only explored the more breakfast-type items (so no sandwiches). I've found everything there to be pretty bland, but I actually like their version of English muffin--it's closer to the texture of white toast, no nooks and crannies from what I can remember, but it comes heavily buttered. I like it as its own type of thing. I always eat mine and usually my mom's, too.