Best Eggs Benedict 2002 | 730 South | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Eggs Benedict

730 South

The yolk's on all the other breakfast joints in town too chicken to get real: By making hollandaise to order, 730 South forever won our hearts (even as it clogs our arteries). Every weekend morning, this charming and casual bistro turns out the best eggs Benedict in town: a buttery croissant (rather than the traditional English muffin) split and topped with thin slices of honey-cured ham and poached eggs, then blanketed with lemony, housemade hollandaise. Sided by fresh fruit and washed down with a respectable bloody Mary, it's a great way to start the day.

Best Eggs Benedict for Dinner

Jax Fish House

Jax Fish House
Sunday through Thursday nights, Jax Fish House features "blue-plate specials" that fit the mood of the day. On Mondays, that means fish 'n' chips; Tuesday is Wash Day, cleaning the kitchen out of shrimp and beans and rice. But Sunday dinner is our favorite meal at Jax, because that day's offering is steak 'n' eggs Benny, a serious version of the breakfast classic that takes tender-on-the-inside, blackened-on-the-outside sirloin steak and blue crabcakes and piles them onto cornbread slices, then tops them with poached eggs and a Creole-style (read: spicy) hollandaise. Now, that's what you call your Sunday best.

Best Cheap Breakfast

The Chalet

Rise and shine at the Chalet, which manages to be too cute and a total dive at the same time. Although the building is shaped like a Swiss cottage, behind its scalloped-edge windows and lacy curtains lurks a quintessential diner, where waitresses who have been there forever know all the regulars' names. The honey-fried chicken is delish -- all crackly sweet crust and greasy meat beneath (don't worry, it's fried in heart-healthy canola) -- and the soups sometimes taste homemade. But the real reason the Chalet is packed from the second it opens at 6 a.m. is the $2.49 breakfast: two eggs your way, a heap of potatoes and three choices of meat, including several strips of well-crisped bacon. Do you want coffee with that, Hon?

Best Place to Shlep Around on a Saturday

Cherry Creek Farmers' Market

There's no better way to waste a Saturday morning than wandering around the Cherry Creek Farmers' Market. Every weekend from May through October, the Bed, Bath & Beyond parking lot becomes a great place to stock up on fresh legumes and fruits harvested by local growers. If you haven't had breakfast, you can fill up on breads and pastries sold at the many food stands and perk up with a power shake or coffee. Don't leave without a bouquet of wildflowers, the perfect reminder of how you've lazed away half the day.

Best Sunday Brunch Buffet

Cucina Rustica

Every Sunday, the elegantly rustic Cucina Rustica, located in the Lodge at Vail, unveils the brunch buffet blowout of all blowouts. You'll find the usual suspects -- made-to-order waffles and omelettes, eggs Benedict, housemade breads and pastries, a carving station that alternates between spit-roasted whole salmon, lamb, turkey and sirloin -- but since this restaurant specializes in Tuscan-style fare, it also serves up Italian specialties you'll never spy at any other brunch spreads, including gnocchi, homemade ravioli and gourmet pizzas. Cucina Rustica also puts out over twenty salads, including a superb Caesar, and several kinds of seafood; the desserts are drop-dead delicious, too. Champagne is included in the price of the buffet, which varies from $27 to $32, depending on the season. And if you're dining during one of the warmer seasons, you can enjoy your meal out on the deck, feasting your eyes on the gorgeous view at the same time you stuff your stomach. If you aren't staying here, you can digest on the long -- but worth it -- drive home.

Best à la Carte Brunch

Piscos
1120 E. 6th Ave.
303-777-8222

When it comes to innovation, most Sunday sit-down brunches lay an egg. But at Piscos, you won't find the same old, same old. The cuisine here is South American, which on Sundays translates into a half-dozen interesting dishes you won't find anywhere else in town. Check out the Chilean scramble, which stirs things up by mixing eggs with spinach, onions, garlic and a spicy salsa; the puffy, mushroom-topped chorizo soufflé; or the salmone y capers, smoked salmon with well-poached eggs, a chipotle-fired cream cheese, capers and grilled tomatoes on toast points. Each entree includes a visit to the "intercontinental table," a buffet set with cheeses, yogurt, pastries and fresh fruit. The atmosphere at Piscos is so low-key that you can sit and read the Sunday paper, while Latin music playing in the background will perk you up for the rest of the day.

Best Power Breakfast

Decisions

Decisions is the best-kept secret on East Colfax, which could be why serious decision-makers decide to hold their power breakfasts here, away from prying eyes. The restaurant is close enough to the Capitol to appeal to lawmakers and right on the way to work for downtown types; stop by any morning and you'll see power brokers wolfing down eggs Benedict and breakfast bagels while they quietly divide the world among themselves. But the space is right for a peaceful early a.m. repast, too, with soothing, squash-colored walls, just enough light streaming in from the high windows, and strategically placed tables to give you privacy. Go for the Big Breakfast, which offers a choice of pancakes, waffle or French toast with eggs, hashbrowns and meat: If you clean your plate, all those movers and shakers will know that you're a big shot, too.

Best Powerful Breakfast

Sam's No. 3

At Sam's No. 3, a wonderfully kitschy diner, the Kitchen Sink Skillet will either kill you or keep you fueled for an entire day. Two eggs, done your way, are placed on top of a skilletful of grill-crisped home fries that have been mixed with melted cheddar, grilled onions, bell peppers, diced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms and pieces of ham, bacon, sausage and gyros meat; Sam's then smothers the whole damn pan with its "kickin' green chili," a medium-spicy, tomatoey, pork-packed green chile. With a side of toast to sponge up every crumb, this is a powerful way to start -- or end -- your day.

Best Power Lunch

Campo de Fiori

Power to the businesspeople who cram into this authoritatively noisy spot for lunch, eager to see who else is there and ciao down on innovative, new-wave Italian fare. The bright, bustling Campo de Fiori is so noisy that no one can eavesdrop on your conversation, and the menu alone will give you plenty to talk about -- from bold gnocchi al funghi for middle- management types who're strong enough to be seen eating dumplings to a buffalo mozzarella salad that says, "I haven't lost everything to the stock market yet." Liquid- lunchers who have lost a bundle sit at the bar downing limoncellos like Jolly Ranchers. Control your intake, though, because you can't risk a restroom stop: You might miss something.

Best Power-Lifting Lunch

Café Monaco at the Colorado Athletic Club

Those who frequent the Monaco outpost of the multi-site Colorado Athletic Club have an extra incentive to get a good workout: an in-house cafe that serves up better chicken wings and savvier Caesar salads than you'll find in most regular restaurants. Set up behind the check-in desk at this large workout facility, Café Monaco boasts a dozen wooden tables and a view of the indoor tennis courts (which can sometimes be inspirational in a different way). The kitchen specializes in healthy items, including a veggie sandwich, salads, homemade soups and a "Body for Life" salad, described as "the right mix of protein, vegetable and carbohydrates." Not everything here is good for you: For starters, there's that cheese-packed quesadilla and the deep-fried popcorn shrimp served over French fries. But you've earned it, right?

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