My partner and I took a trip to Great Barrington in Massachusetts for a bit of food and a few books, and I would love to talk about the breakfast we shared.

Now while so far this blog has seen posts on Dungeons and Dragons, Pro Wrestling, and Cocktails, the true reason it was created was as an excuse for me to visit small(ish) towns and talk about the breakfast places I find there. Nothing provides comfort to me the way a cute and cozy breakfast spot does when I’m able to have a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee. While when it comes to cooking for myself I honestly skip breakfast most days, I will never miss the chance to enjoy a breakfast out with someone I care about. So visiting an idyllic New England town to pick up a few books and enjoy a breakfast spot? Maybe the best way to start 2024. Probably.

GB Eats? I sure hope it does.

The bookstore was The Bookloft, where Emily was able to finish the punch card they provide to customers, ensuring that next time she’ll get thirty percent off of the next book she looks to buy. All that completion cost was the purchase of ten books over the course of your visits. Honestly, I think it took her three trips to complete it? I’m not sure she buys anything the way she buys books. It’s incredible to see. However, that isn’t why I’m writing this; I’m writing this to pay homage, give thanks, and scream from the rooftop that I thought breakfast at GB Eats was lovely.

To be fair, I’m not sure that’s news to the people of Great Barrington. All twelve tables were totally taken, which meant Emily and I spent some time talking and taking in the sights while we waited for our chance to eat. We took in the sights and passed the time by slipping in to the record store next door, which honestly had a lovely collection of music. Plenty of Rush, Gordon Lightfoot, The Beatles, and other super totally cool music that I definitely listen to. But, back to the main event. When our name was called, we laid claim to our booth and began our journey. Browsing our breakfast options, split in to Egg Dishes, Benedicts, and On The Sweeter Side, there was so much possibility. Honestly, every time I’m browsing a breakfast menu I find myself wanting a piece of everything. The add-ons like toast and sausage patties from this option, the house-made potato cake from that option, it always all seems so wonderful. But sometimes, the best thing to do is find the simple and familiar.

Eggs Benedict

I once read someone describe Eggs Benedict as the best breakfast you can get, once you’re old enough to enjoy it. That sounds so simple, yet so profound. It implies that at some point in everyone’s life, they will enter their Eggs Benedict era. As a child, I watched my friend Peter order this alien dish at the now defunct Plaza Diner in my hometown. We must have been thirteen, maybe or maybe not. I watched the poached egg, a preparation of egg I had simply never seen, ooze out the yolk it once held and mix with the Hollandaise sauce, a sauce I had yet to hear about, atop the Canadian bacon until like a waterfall of cholesterol, they filled in the cracks of an English muffin. Slowly, even the home fries sat in an ocean of yellow. Each part of the dish touched by the inner egg and the sauce atop it. It would be maybe eight or nine years before I myself would try the dish, that breakfast with my childhood friend not even in my mind. Only my partner’s words of “Really? You’re going to try it?” to guide me through my decision. Then, at an age in which I could legally buy beer at a bar, I experienced my first edible encounter with Eggs Benedict. In the two years since, I find myself often enjoying this as my breakfast of choice at diners and dedicated breakfast joints alike.

So naturally, that is what I settled on here. Simple, plain, familiar, and comfortable Eggs Benedict. Emily chose a pile of scrambled eggs, sausage links, a few divine pieces of bacon we will revisit in a bit, and rye bread toast.

Why don’t we dig in?

Pay no attention to the sweets off to the side, those beignets will get their moment to shine because they absolutely did.

Golden and Delicious

Feast your eyes on this gorgeous breakfast spread. Large chunks of fried potato, Hollandaise sauce as bright and vibrant as the sun in a child’s drawing, all sitting beside a latte with added chocolate. Awe Inspiring. Divine. Beatific. All while being incredibly down to Earth. This is not a platter that demands you look by being overstuffed or ask for attention with add-on after add-on. It reminds you that beauty can be plain. Now at the end of the day, this is a plate of eggs, potatoes, ham, and an English muffin. Close to home ingredients, things that are likely in your fridge as you read this, provided you aren’t vegan or vegetarian. Nothing exotic or rare, scarce or hard to find. What made this so enjoyable and special was how good it was while being so familiar and approachable. This is Eggs Benedict stripped bare after all. No added Lox or extra mixed greens, just a poached egg and the required accompaniments.

It was perfect.

Simple and clean.

Cozy.

Comfortable.

I loved each bite. Full of the natural flavor of each ingredient. It wasn’t over spiced to hide an odd taste. In that small wooden booth, sharing breakfast with my partner, the outside world was a million miles away. That is the nicest thing I can ever say about a meal.

I forgot about the world for a little while.

This emotional state was added to by the piece of bacon Emily passed my way. Cut at a perfect thickness with a smoky flavor that had the words ‘gently sweet’ whispered to it. Thanks for sharing honey.

But I can see that you see those sweets, sitting patiently off to the side, awaiting their turn in the sun. We do need to shine some light on those Churro Beignets.

Emily’s words to me are often poetic, I love the way she sees the world, and the way she describes it. This is important because it will be her words that will sum our dessert up.

“There are very few things in my life I would describe using a cliché, but I would lick this plate clean.”

She also described them as “Life Changing.”

What else can I say? Should I use another hundred words to over explain what she captured so simply? They were the perfect treat to finish our meal. If I had this breakfast again, I think their addition is a must as a way to put a bow atop it all.

Check Please!

Thank you, for letting me use way too many words to say “I liked my breakfast the other day,” I enjoyed sharing this beautiful meal with whoever chooses to read it.

And to Emily, thanks for paying.

Now go buy some eggs!

-KJ