Cracked Egg (Las Vegas)

Among all the lights of Vegas, there are many celebrity chefs. As much as hubs and I wanted to check out these restaurants, breakfast didn’t seem to be a big item on the strip of these restaurants. We had one great breakfast in Henderson, and we were ready for another. After asking a few people on the property and reading a few reviews, we ended up at The Cracked Egg which was only a block from our hotel.

The place was packed on the Saturday morning, so I assumed this was a good thing. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before being escorted to a booth in the back corner of the restaurant. It was the perfect view of the restaurant and kitchen – my favorite seat in the house. The restaurant is pretty bare, nothing too exciting in decor. It is pretty big too, but all the tables were full with more people waiting. Despite the busy atmosphere, the service was still quick and we were greeted quickly.

After looking over the menu and having hot coffee brought quickly to us, we placed our order. Hubs settled on the special of the day: chili verde breakfast burrito. He loves breakfast burritos, so it didn’t take him long to decide. A flour tortilla had seasoned pork, scrambled egg and chili verde wrapped up tight. Over the top was melted jack cheese and sour cream. I had a quick bite and it was everything I thought it would be. A slight spice from the pork cut by the creamy cheese, it was a good solid breakfast. Hubs liked it ‘very much’ as he ate it all, not leaving a drip of queso unturned.

I debated a bit, but landed on the sweet potato skillet. I was a little worried about the sweetness factor, but ordered it anyway. Just like a thought, it was subtly sweet, but not in an overwhelming way. The potatoes had been slightly fried and cooked with bacon pieces, grilled onions and the best part, green apples. They had a perfect tart flavor to the sweetness of the caramelized onions. The bacon was slightly smokey and salty, best thing ever for the apples and melted muenster cheese on top. Two perfectly poached eggs adorned the top (these are cooked to order – I’m a sucker for poached eggs) so when you cut into them, the rich and creamy yolk spilled over the hash skillet. It was definitely more food than I needed, but every bit was delicious. It was easy to have all the components in every bite too; no ingredient overpowered any of the others. I would highly recommend this to any sweet potato lover who is looking to mix a bit of savory into their morning meal.

Another great thing was the coffee cake. With the skillet, I had the option of coffee cake or toast. I was surprised as coffee cake is a small cry from an average breakfast side. The flavor of the coffee cake does change daily, so the server wasn’t quite sure what kind it was. He had thought pumpkin. With me being the pumpkin fan, I’m always game. However, it was cherry. I slightly sighed as I’m not a huge cherry fan (and I was so sad it wasn’t pumpkin), but I quickly revoked the disappointed sigh for one of pure happiness. This coffee cake was phenomenal. It was tender and soft with a subtle crunch on top. The cherries were plump and swirled in on the bottom of the cake. If you don’t have time to stop for a full breakfast, the least you can do is order a piece of coffee cake and cup of coffee.

The Cracked Egg may not look like much in the strip mall, or even when you walk in with the slightly bare walls. Service was friendly and timely, always filling up the coffee without any prompting. Price was reasonable, not cheap but not expensive; without tip it was approximately $25. The food was good, solid and delicious. We were happy to have stumbled on this place.

The Cracked Egg * 1000 N. Green Valley Parkway #480 * Henderson, NV * 702.868.5505

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Hash House a Go Go (Las Vegas)

Normally, when I travel, I like to research where to eat. On a recent trip to Vegas, the restaurants are overwhelming on the strip. But I was looking for something different, something not on the strip since hubs and I weren’t staying on the strip. I was really focused on breakfast too, and everywhere I looked, Hash House a Go Go was recommended. Though there is a location on the strip, there are several off. Hubs and I ended up driving to M hotel for breakfast around 10am.

Walking through the casino, I was anticipating a wait from everything I read, but what I assume is due to a location, we didn’t have any wait. We ended up walking right in and grabbing a spacious booth for the two of us. I’m wondering what the decor would be if outside of a casino, but I’m not complaining by any means. It was clean and modern, but with a farm twist. Framed photos on the wall were images of tractors, corn fields, etc. Hash House has a mantra of twisted farm food, and by the decor, it was already where I imagined it to be.

I began with a s’mores mocha while hubs enjoyed canned PBR for $1.75. He was pretty excited about it, and I was looking forward to drinking a s’more. What I got, though extremely messy, was a beautifully presented cup of chocolate. Though the mocha itself wasn’t anything special, the toppings is what made this a unique drink. I immediately ate the two graham cracker pieces by dipping them in the fluff topping that was covered in chocolate syrup. They had already begun getting soft from sitting in the liquid which is why I tackled all of them rather than enjoying throughout the cup. Rather than drinking the mocha, I continued to eat it with a spoon. Entirely too difficult to pick up and avoid having your hands covered in chocolate, this really was all about presentation. Don’t get me wrong, I would order it again in a heartbeat, but it would be for the toppings, not the mocha.

Though hash is in the name, neither hubs or myself ordered hash. We both settled on a Benedict. And as I type this, I ask you immediately disregard the basic idea of a Benedict. There is no hollandaise, no poached eggs, definitely no Canadian ham and you can kiss those English muffins goodbye. This was so much more – a perfectly twisted version of farm food and entirely fresh in all angles.

I settled on a Man vs. Food favorite – the sage fried chicken Benedict. Soon to be known as the best breakfast I have ever had. I have a hard time wrapping my head around the meal – there was so much to it and it all was perfect together. The plate was piled with mashed potatoes. Not just any mashed potatoes, as these were crunchy but creamy all at the same time. A subtle flavoring of butter and cream with a crisp edge on the potatoes. I began eating forkfuls of it, but stopped myself as there was so much more I had to get to. A warm biscuit was split and layered on top of the potatoes. It was warm, buttery and freshly made; a perfect flour taste that you would expect off the farm. On top of the biscuits was the chicken. Crispy, fried chicken, bursting with flavor of sage, rosemary and other seasonings. You could see the sage in the extremely crispy shell, the shell which locked in all the moisture of the chicken. I could have easily just had this chicken (they do offer chicken and waffles, which I debated between). This perfect piece of fried deliciousness was covered in melted mozzarella and strips of smoked bacon. Though salt could have been overwhelming, it wasn’t by any means. Covering all of this was a slightly spicy chipotle cream sauce. The only thing making me feel not entirely bad about consuming all this great food was the spinach and tomato that were also on top of the mountain of food. Oh, and there were eggs, though they weren’t the star of the dish by any means. At first, I even thought they forgot the eggs, but there was maybe one scrambled egg under the layer of cream and mozzarella. Though I thought they forgot it, I wouldn’t have missed it because there were so many other flavors. Everything was seasoned perfectly, and each flavor stood out and brought the whole dish together. Amazing.

Hubs ordered the pork tenderloin version, which was just as delicious. He never orders pork tenderloins, so I was happy to take a bite and compare to the others I have eaten. The tenderloin was hand breaded and fried, perfectly pounded to the best thickness I could imagine. Consistent in texture and thickness, the flavors too were spot on. Perfectly seasoned, it was on top of a bed of potatoes and biscuits, covered with a scrambled egg (once again, the only thing that was actually portioned), tomato and spinach. The cream sauce was present, but so was a tangy barbecue sauce, almost teriyaki like in flavor. His was more savory, mine a bit more spicy, but equally delicious. A good tribute to an Indiana favorite.

This is hands down the best breakfast I’ve ever had. Small portions are not understood at this restaurant by any means, but that is part of the Hash House appeal. Though I would encourage anyone to split an entree (even three people may be able to split), it would sadden me not to be able to keep on trying all the items on the menu. This is one amazing breakfast, and I’m sure lunch and dinner are no different. The service and atmosphere matched – absolutely no complaints about this meal. I can’t wait to get back.

Hash House a Go Go * 12300 Las Vegas Blvd. * Henderson, NV * 702.797.1500