“We try not to say the b- word,” says Mike Tabb of Cleveland Park’s just-opened Cracked Eggery.
The b word in question is… breakfast.
“That’s because we’re not really breakfast, we’re egg sandwiches,” says Tabb, who owns the yolky venture with business partners Ross Brickelmaier, AJ Zarinsky, and Donald Patterson.
Roughly 1,600 square feet with 24 indoor seats and fun neon signage of eggs and bacon hanging from the ceiling, the fast-casual eatery offers a dozen epic scrambled and fried eggs sandwiches the quartet hopes are just as appealing at lunch and dinner as they are in the morning hours.
Served on toasted challah buns, more traditionally minded choices are the Mayor – a mountain of scrambled eggs, American and cheddar cheeses, tangy Cracked remoulade, and bacon boasting sweet heat – and the Abe Froman (a reference to the fictional Sausage King of Chicago name-checked in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) featuring sausage, scrambled eggs, American, cheddar, and Cracked sauce.
Less conventional options include the Bubby (smoked salmon, fried egg, caper tapenade, whipped cream cheese, everything spice), Willie’s Hash (corned beef hash, fried egg, cheeses, ketchup), the Paulie Cicero (prosciutto, fried egg, ricotta, hot honey), Southern Charm (fried green tomato, pimento cheese, fried egg, lemon aioli), and Mr. Brigg’s Stuff with a half-smoke, split and griddled crisp at the edges, paired with a fried egg (its name is a nod to Raymond Briggs, the likely creator of the half-smoke).
The idea for Cracked started coming out of its shell more than a decade ago. Growing up in Potomac, Tabb was always a breakfast fan, and Steak ‘n Egg in Tenleytown was one of his favorite haunts. After attending Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, he moved back to the area, ultimately getting a bartending job with Georgetown Events restaurant group – which owns Jettie’s, Millie’s, Surfside and Due South. There he met his future business partners.
Cracked Eggery began appearing weekly at the Cleveland Park farmers market in the spring of 2019 and they unveiled a food truck at the start of 2020. Their inaugural brick and mortar location was set to be in Shaw. But when the opportunity came up in on Connecticut Avenue, “It was too good to pass up,” says Tabb, who estimates the open 24-hours-a-day Shaw location will now debut in late October at 1921 8th Street NW. “This one was way less work, quicker, so we were able to knock it out.”
The Cleveland Park shop isn’t open 24/7, like the Shaw location will be. But that doesn’t mean it’s the b-word only on this menu. There’s a double decker cheeseburger forged with beef from celeb butcher Pat LaFrieda, and an egg salad sandwich. Half a dozen bowls speak more to the lunch and dinner crowd, such as the Seoul Mate built on rice with sous vide pork belly, fried egg, kimchi, and sriracha mayonnaise; and the Bittersweet Symphony with quinoa, roasted butternut squash, fried egg, and arugula.
Sides include fried pimento balls and tots shaped like thick coins, the latter arriving dressed up in variety of seasonings and sauces – from Old Bay and garlic parmesan truffle to cinnamon sugar and ranch. A dedicated kids menu features your little one’s choice of burger, cheeseburger, egg-and-cheese sandwich, or grilled cheese, served with a fruit cup and tots. For drinks, there’s regular and decaf Compass Coffee — and their nitro cold brew is on tap — as well as water, sodas, and Gatorade.
Much of the menu is made with ingredients from regional purveyors. Logan’s Sausage Company in Alexandria crafts the sausages, half-smokes, and chorizo. Eggs come from Martin’s Quality Eggs in Pennsylvania. Sandwiches are served on glossy golden challah buns via Lyon Bakery in Hyattsville. Smoked salmon is sourced from D.C.’s Ivy City Smokehouse. And True Made Foods in Alexandria provides ketchup, barbeque sauce, and mustard.
The restaurant only accepts contactless payments and does not accept cash. In the coming weeks, they will add outdoor seating, and, if all goes according to plan, will expand its hours to provide dinner service.
Cracked Eggery is located at 3420 Connecticut Ave. NW. Open Monday-Sunday 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
