My friend Suzanne asked if I would go try Wild Eggs with her after she and her family tried unsuccessfully to go on a weekend (apparently the place is mobbed). So we went on a weekday at kind of a late breakfast/early lunchtime and had no problems getting in, although they were doing a steady business.
Apparently this is the first Indy location of a restaurant from Louisville (they are preparing to open one downtown apparently as well). I have never been to the Louisville branch, but apparently from what I read, it’s just as busy. The menu is one of those kind of ridiculously huge ones, with every variation of breakfast food known represented as well as several lunch sandwich-type options (and even a fried pork tenderloin and hot chicken and waffles on the day of our visit).
We had a really hard time choosing, but I went with Kalamity Katie’s Border Benedict ($10.69), Suzanne chose biscuits and gravy ($7.49), and we got a side of hashbrown casserole ($3.49). We both enjoyed everything. Suzanne commented about how the food tastes better than it looks and I think she’s totally right.
The Kalamity Benedict was a Southwest version of an eggs benedict with green chili corn cakes as the base that were topped with chorizo, poached eggs, queso fundido, pico de gallo, sour cream, green onions and avocado. The sides were skillet potatoes and an everything muffin. So yeah, basically a diet plate right? Anyhow, the benedict portion was very tasty. I really liked the variation of the corn cakes—they had a great flavor. The chorizo was also good, but they didn’t use so much that it overpowered everything. I loved the freshness of the pico, avocado and onions on top as well. My only gripe was that one of the eggs was cooked a little too far and wasn’t very runny inside. The everything muffin tasted good, but needed butter, which our server cheerfully brought. It had an interesting flavor almost more like a biscuit or a scone—very buttery. The potatoes were a disappointment. Not very crisp, and not much flavor. I think I ate 2. Next time I would ask if I could sub something else.
Like the hashbrown casserole for instance. You look at it and think it won’t taste good. It looks very boring. But it is very tasty. And homey. It is made with hashbrown potatoes cooked with sour cream, cheddar jack cheese, onions and spices. While it had a slightly crisp edge, it had a creamy, flavorful interior. It was very comforting and we both kept going in for more bites.
The biscuits and gravy also didn’t look super impressive, but the taste of the chorizo-based gravy was very nice. Just a nice amount of seasoning mixed with an appropriate amount of sausage. The biscuits themselves could use something to give them a little more interest. Maybe if they were flakier or a little crisper on the edges. They were fine as the base for the dish, but nothing about them individually stood out. Also, there just wasn’t quite enough gravy on the dish for the biscuits, but again, our very attentive server was happy to bring us a little dish of extra.
Overall, there are a lot of really good sounding items on this menu and I was fairly impressed with what I had. They also have a small wine-based drink list if you’re looking for a boozy brunch. I would definitely return, but will make sure to go during the week, as I did this time. Anyone else been yet or been to the one in Louisville?
Wild Eggs
1438 West Main Street
Carmel, IN 46032
317/993-3350
I ate at one in Denver back in February. I had the same entree you did, and also liked it a lot. I don't remember what my husband had, but it was one of the other egg based entrees. His was also good. I was excited when I came home from my trip and saw that a location was opening here.
ReplyDeleteI ordered the Yellow Submarine sandwich as carryout. It had heaps of perfect scrambled eggs, warm ham, chewy/crisp bacon and cheese, as well as tomato lettuce and mayo. Really one of the most delicious sandwiches I have had in a long time
ReplyDeleteI dined at one in Louisville a few years ago. I got the Jimmy the Greek Frittata because if it has olives, I will order it! I thought it was tasty and was excited to hear they are opening a few in the Indy area. But why the influx of brunch places from other cities opening here? (Yolk, Metro Diner, The Egg and I, Another Broken Egg Cafe) Not complaining, just find it interesting. Perhaps Indy has been slower than other cities to jump on the brunch train.
ReplyDeleteWe ate at the Lexington location while traveling and finally after finding it loved the whole experience. Crowded but got a table for 2 very fast. Kind of a college town vibe. Food was perfect. Talked about it the whole trip.
ReplyDeleteJust tried the Carmel location after finally finding it. Kind of sterile inside but loved the room between tables and the excellent servers. Ate every scrap but it was not as lovely as it tasted. Looking forward to trying the downtown location as it is within walking distance. Ana Indy