The Commercial Appeal - Go Memphis
Review: What to expect at Big Bad Breakfast
Big Bad Breakfast. Oxford, Mississippi-based chef John Currence couldn’t have come up with a better name for his breakfast restaurant concept. A meal at Big Bad Breakfast is just as the name says — big and bad in the good sense of the word.
Southern-style biscuits, an assortment of gravies, over-the-top egg dishes and fresh-squeezed juices are just a handful of the menu items.
Currence approaches the kitchen at Big Bad Breakfast just like he does his other award-winning restaurants. Everything is made from scratch daily, even down to freshly squeezing juices every morning. He and his partners in the restaurant even have their own farm in Alabama that supplies smoked meats such as bacon and ham for the restaurant.
I have eaten at the original Big Bad Breakfast in Oxford several times over the past several years. When Currence opened a location in Memphis earlier this month, I was eager to give it a try.
The newest addition to the growing Big Bad Breakfast restaurant group is located in East Memphis at 6450 Poplar Ave., in the same shopping center as Pimento’s Kitchen + Market and Babalu. It’s the ninth Big Bad Breakfast for the group.
Don’t skip Big Bad Breakfast’s juice or coffee
The dining room of the Memphis Big Bad Breakfast is bright and cheery. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow light to stream into the space.
It’s more modern and new than the vintage-feeling original Mississippi location, but is still just as welcoming a space to start the day.
The menu is expansive. Whether you love biscuit sandwiches, Benedicts, scrambles, pancakes or waffles, there is a dish from which to choose.
Our server was cheerful, attentive and knowledgeable. We appreciated her helpfulness as we perused the menu.
My first piece of advice is don’t skip getting a glass of juice ($3.50 small / $5 large). The cup I had may have just been the best glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice I have ever had.
When I dined there, the restaurant was still waiting on its liquor license. Once booze can be served in the coming weeks, I am sure my weekend visits will include a mimosa or screwdriver.
My second piece of advice? Order a cup of coffee. You will need it to counteract the food coma you will feel coming on after enjoying this restaurant’s “big” breakfasts. Big Bad Breakfast has its own blend of “Joe” roasted by Royal Cup. A “Big Bad Cold Brew” made from a blend of New Orleans chicory coffee is also on the menu. You can order it black, with milk or Vietnamese-style (made with sweetened condensed milk). I tried the Vietnamese-style cold brew ($4.75), and it will be hard for me to try another coffee drink there, this one was so good. (Disclaimer: I prefer coffee drinks that taste like dessert.)
A taste of the Big Bad Breakfast menu
I invited three friends to join me so we could sample as much as possible.
I was curious about the biscuits and gravies, so I ordered from the a la carte menu what turned out to be a perfect “starter” to the meal. We each got a biscuit, and we had a platter filled with bowls of each of the three gravies. The sausage gravy was a solid version of this creamy Southern staple, and the redeye gravy was a little sweeter than I had eaten before and I think it would be best drizzled over a slice of their country ham. The tomato gravy was the surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting this, but it was my favorite of the three.
I ordered the Creole Omelet ($14). A thin French-style omelet stuffed with shrimp and andouille is topped with tomato gravy. It comes served with fries and a side salad. The omelet was a perfectly balanced blend of Creole ingredients, lighter and more mild than I expected. I’d say it’s more of a “Creole” style dish than the spicier “Cajun” style of cooking. The touch that made the dish was the tomato gravy. I was glad we had ordered an extra serving of this gravy so I could add more to the omelet.
The Fried Oyster Scramble “Hangtown Style” ($14.50) was the one dish we ordered from the Big Bad Specialties section of the menu. Crispy fried Gulf oysters are served atop a bed of eggs scrambled with potatoes, bacon, tomatoes and onion. This flavorful breakfast
is one of those dishes I warned you will need a cup of coffee alongside, unless you have time for a nap later.
We also tried the “Jack Benny” ($12.50). This eggs Benedict is served over a crispy fried hash brown cake in lieu of an English muffin. Atop the “hash cake” is sliced ham, wilted spinach, hollandaise and two perfectly poached eggs. If you are a hash brown fan, this is the Benedict to get.
A “Yard Work” egg skillet ($11) rounded out the entrees at the table. One of the three signature skillet dishes on the menu, this version was made with two eggs scrambled with avocado, spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and potatoes. It was a hearty vegetarian option.
I was tempted to order the “Elvis Shortstack” ($13) for dessert, but I restrained myself. The dish, which is described as “pancakes fit for The King,” is topped with sliced bananas, chopped bacon, peanut butter and chocolate sauce. Sounds sinful, right? I may not be able to have restraint next time.
Big Bad Breakfast, which stays open until 2:30 p.m., also has a selection of sandwiches and salads. Breakfast is available all day.
One note when planning a visit: Be prepared for a wait if going during peak hours. The host told me that to avoid the wait, it’s best to go early (before 9 a.m.) or later (after 11 a.m.) If you are a party of one or two, you may be able to snag a seat at the bar counter more quickly than a table.
Like almost every restaurant in Memphis, Big Bad Breakfast is short on staff. On the day of our visit, we had an almost 30-minute wait and they were not seating the whole dining room due to the staffing issue. While waits can be frustrating, their decision to limit seating resulted in a top-notch dining experience with attentive service and excellent food.