Brekkie Shack made its debut in Grandview Yard a few months ago. It’s tucked away down a corporate side road that connects Goodale and Third Avenues. The shiny new space uses hard surfaces and windowed garage-door walls, for a sleek, modern feel. That is, the “shack” does not feel like anything approaching a shack at all. It’s more of a cafe in the tradition of Northstar with extra-hip sensibilities (read: lots of Brussels sprout and avocado options).
Case in point: you can start your day out with a Plant-Based Hash ($12). It’s earthy and hearty, with a hash that’s topped with a couple of smashed eggs for sturdiness. The hash itself is an unexpectedly good mix with just enough sweet potatoes to tie together a nest of feathery green Brussels sprouts and razor-thin slices of something that looks like radishes. While the vegetables seem like an awkward combo, the potato binds it all together like a champ in a sturdy breakfast context.
Like any good diner/shack, you can score Pancakes ($10) morning, noon, and night. An up-charge ($2) adds chocolate chips to the mix, and probably qualifies the whole resulting concoction as dessert. The warm, golden stack is teamed with a generous supply of cold, dense butter and a ramekin of real, tree-tapped, maple.
For those interested in non-breakfast items, there are sandwiches and salads. In the Chicken Club ($12), a whole grain bun holds criss-crossed, substantial pieces of bacon and shards of chicken. There is a lot of chicken there, and it’s not the processed deli crud, it’s honest-to-goodness meat. The components merge together with the help of cheese and a super-smooth avocado paste. The whole thing stays intact better than it should, and turns out to be a good sandwich. You can get it with fries, or better yet, more Brussels sprouts. As a side, the vegetable is frizzled, like a well-done version of the crunchy onion topping that’s used on green bean casserole. That makes them surprisingly likable, but probably controversial: If you like briny crunchies, you’ll like the sprouts as a side. If you like your Brussels sprouts to taste like a vegetable, go with something else.
That “something else” is perhaps the Arugula Orzo Salad ($11). The tender green leaves of arugula mix it up with the nubby pasta and gorgonzola, sunflower seeds plus dried cranberries and a zingy vinaigrette.
You can check out some official dessert options in a case near the front. It’s well-populated with bar cookies and donuts too. Regarding the latter: Under a crown of candied cereal squares (a la Chex) sits an interestingly dense and soft, doughy base. It’s coated with with a thick slab of icing that could stand on its own. It’s not particularly lovable.
Brekkie Shack also hosts a full bar right in the center of the house. So you can team your sprouts and avocado enhanced dishes with a cocktail of your choice. Food acquisition is a little slow, even when the joint is not crowded, and prices seem a little above-market. Although, then again, the ingredients lean on the fancier side.
You can find it at 1060 Yard St.
For more information, visit thebrekkieshack.com.