When local East Greenwichers fly the coop in the early morn, they often land at Ed's Roost, with all the other hungry chickens . . . er, customers. I might be forgiven the slip since the chicken — or more specifically, rooster theme — is so prevalent at Ed's.
It's an eclectic collection to be sure, many donated by loyal fans. The roosters take the form of ceramic cookie jars, small figurines, a colorfully painted Portuguese specimen, unusual brass ones, a large hand-carved one in the front window, and even a life-sized feathered model. A narrow shelf atop the wainscoting holds the smaller artifacts, including small groupings of other items, such as wooden loom shuttles, oil cans, and glass model cars.
A deeper shelf akin to a plate shelf runs along the top of three walls and displays other collections, such as old Coke bottles or porcelain whisky bottles. And then the roosters take over again, in a painting, a photo, on a clock, in a stained glass transom above the front door, and, naturally, on mugs and plates.
And what arrives on those plates lives up to the promise of the "eye candy" on every surface you see: overflowing, distinctive, with a down-home flavor. And yes, eggs and plenty of 'em.
The most expensive and expansive breakfast platter is John's Hearty Breakfast ($9.75), named after owner/cook John Rotondi. Its eater can stoke carbs, fats, and cholesterol all in one sitting: three eggs with bacon, sausage, ham, plus a good-sized pancake and a slice of Texas-style French toast.
But, as you might have guessed, the try-a-bit-of-everything Bill ordered it, modestly asking for only two eggs, easy over. The home fries were red bliss, nicely browned; there was regular toast on Bill's first plate as well, so the French toast and pancake came home for later samplings.
Ed's often offers eggs Benedict on Sundays, as they did this time. But I was drawn to the omelet options, with various cheeses (American, Swiss, provolone, cheddar, or feta); various veggies (onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, or asparagus); and various meats (bacon, ham, sausage, pepperoni, or chourico).
This was as tricky as choosing pizza toppings. Ed's Roost Veggie Medley included the first four veggies, along with cheese. But I decided to stick with just mushrooms and feta ($5.95). Good thing, since the omelet was so large, it draped all the way off the edges of the plate! It may have had three eggs, mixed with a bit of milk, for it was thinner than some, not as fluffy as others, but tasty through and through. I could only work through half of it (and gobble up all the potatoes).
Among the other egg dishes are: scrambled with bits of bacon or ham; an Ed McMuffin (Ed was a previous owner); John McBagel; an egg sandwich (on bread or toast); and a pepperoni, egg, and cheese on a hard roll. The sweet side has Belgian waffles (weekends only), with fruit and whipped cream and even with a meat on the side. Pancakes are offered as banana or blueberry (my personal favorites), three in a regular order, two in the short stack.
