![\"Family](\"https:\/\/missiontimescourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/web-MAIN-Eggs-Benedict1.jpg\")
<\/a>Coleman also introduced eggs Benedict in traditional and California styles. We opted for the latter and ended up with a picture-perfect construct of two delicately poached eggs set atop bacon, avocado, tomatoes and English muffins. The dish\u2019s crowning element \u2013 Hollandaise sauce \u2013 was silkier than most, and draped judiciously over the eggs with just enough excess to drip down the sides, yet without engulfing the other ingredients.<\/p>\n My companion, a Midwestern transplant who gravitates to hearty breakfasts, gave rousing approval to the biscuits and gravy, which he ordered in combination with eggs, bacon, maple sausage and hash browns.<\/p>\n He was particularly wowed by the moistness of the biscuits and generous measure of black pepper in the sausage-based gravy, noting the only other place in San Diego that makes the dish to his liking is at Mystic Mocha in University Heights.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The recipe for Grandma Jennie\u2019s buttermilk pancakes is top secret.<\/p>\n It hails from the grandmother of Coleman\u2019s husband, Henry.<\/p>\n \u201cShe would make them for friends and family at her house every Saturday morning. People from all over the U.S. come here for them,\u201d says Coleman, revealing only that \u201cthey\u2019re made differently\u201d compared to other standard recipes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We ordered a short stack of two. I\u2019d guess based on their light, springy texture that extra egg whites are folded into the batter. Whatever the grandmotherly technique, they disappeared from our plate in a jiff.<\/p>\n From the lunch menu (starting at 11 a.m.), an array of homey, American classics emerge: country fried steak, meatloaf with real mashed potatoes, triple-decker clubs, and charbroiled burgers.<\/p>\n Always on the lookout for a Reuben sandwich that meets my back-East standards, this one excelled with plenty of tender corned beef tucked into buttery grilled rye bread, and oozing with melty Swiss cheese, mild sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing.<\/p>\n Served with crispy, medium-cut french fries, we paired it also to a side of potato salad and navy bean soup, both of which offered fresh, clean flavors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A dessert case stocked with pies and cakes made onsite daily winks devilishly from the front lunch counter of the spacious dining room.<\/p>\n I found it impossible to pass up the classic chocolate cake, which possessed the density and rich cocoa flavor I craved \u2013 a far cry from the extreme, sugary ilk sold at grocery store bakeries.<\/p>\n Brother\u2019s is a hidden gem to those seeking the true definition of \u201ccomfort food\u201d before other kitchens began resurrecting it as a faddish concept.<\/p>\n And in keeping with its reputation as a place where prime rib once ruled the dinner hour, prior to when Coleman began serving only breakfast and lunch, the beef is served from morning to afternoon on weekends.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2014Frank Sabatini Jr. is the author of \u201cSecret San Diego\u201d (ECW Press), and began his local writing career more than two decades ago as a staffer for the former San Diego Tribune. Reach him at fsabatini@san.rr.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
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