Murphy's

WARNING! Saturday brunch at Murphy’s is absolute pandemonium.  I found this out this past weekend when I met some family members for lunch.  Thank God they offer valet parking and kudos to those guys who figured out how to fit a million cars in the adjacent itty bitty Wells Fargo parking lot.  Inside the restaurant, space was tight and I marveled how the wait staff seemed to effortlessly glide between densely packed tables.  

Ok, onto the food.  Like I always do, I studied the menu ahead of time, and had already decided on the Crab Cake Benedict with jalapeno hollandaise.  The hash brown potatoes were my side item.  After plying us with sweet orange corn muffins and fresh biscuits, the food arrived relatively quickly for such a crowd.  I was presented with 2 miniature crab cakes, a poached egg perched atop each and the entire thing drizzled with hollandaise sauce.  The hash browns were disappointingly shredded and topped with a mix of raw onions and peppers.  I say disappointingly because I was thinking more of crispy home fries with COOKED peppers and onions when I ordered the hash browns.  Caramelizing the vegetables would of definitely amped up the potatoes’ flavor.  Nonetheless anything drenched in ketchup is edible, so I poured it on.  The crab cakes were fresh but indistinct; the flavor was for the most part bland.  I do have to compliment the perfectly poached eggs, they were absolutely heavenly.  However, I was disappointed with the hollandaise, I was expecting great things and again I was presented with bland, indistinct flavors.  I was so sure that the jalapeno hollandaise would have some punch or bite to it, but it was almost unnoticeable.  Such a shame because this dish has such potential!  A little Old Bay and some diced jalapenos could begin to turn around what is sadly just an average dish.  The fresh pan fried trout that my dining companions had was tasty though and what I wished I had ordered along with a side of grits. 

Anyhow, Murphy’s is definitely worth a second visit.  The Chilaquiles and the Fried Green Tomato sandwich are next on my radar.