Malarkeys Village Cafe - 6

Date: 6/19/10

Restaurant: Malarkeys Village Cafe
Address: 54 Main Street
City: Antrim

Breakfast Hours: 7-11 M-Sa, until 7-2 on Sun

Our opinions on this place differ a bit. Sven liked it better than I. Sven also says that I have become almost too critical since this project started. I agree that I am critical, but my feeling is, with the amount of breakfasts we are going to eat over this next year, I want to be WOWed. I would actually give the dish I had a WOW, but the rest, in my opinion, left quite a bit to be desired.

This week we got to enjoy the company of Sven's daughter, Sashenka. She was, somewhat reluctantly, willing to help us with our research; and so she ordered one of the specials which was not her first choice. It is unfortunate her breakfast was quite a disappointment...To all of us. Hopefully she will be willing to join us again.

STANDARD - 2 eggs OE, potatoes, bacon, toast

Eggs **
One was over cooked and the other slightly undercooked. How does that happen?


Potatoes ***
Kind: Home fries made with red potatoes. These potatoes had good flavor, almost like they may have been parboiled in salty water, but there was no crispness, added spice or onions. 


Toast ***
Kind: Wheat
Homemade? No.


Bacon ****
Bacon, just by it's nature, gets and automatic 4, and this was no exception.
 


SERVER RECOMMENDATION
French toast. This is what Sashenka really wanted to order. Sorry Sash!


SPECIAL/OMELET
Sashenka: Mocha Chip Pancakes **
Very heavy, chewy, way too much chocolate (didn't think that could be possible!). Sashenka could only take a few bites, then Sven and I had to try them for the sake of research. Well, they were terrible, but they were chocolate, and once that substance passes my lips, it's all over. I ate way too much and felt light headed and a bit nauseous all the way back to Lempster.

Sven/Olga: Crab Cake Benedict *****
The crab cakes were delicious. Not too bready with large chunks of crab. The eggs were poached perfectly. These were nestled on mounds of fresh baby spinach and covered with homemade hollandaise. Would definitely eat these again!

MISCELLANEOUS
Coffee ** A 2 is being generous. Suggestion, if you are going to serve really bad, weak coffee, that looks more like the color of tea, don't serve it in a clear mug. Or charge $1.75.

SERVICE ***
It is hard to rate the service, as they were understaffed that morning and we were the only party sitting on the outside deck. The cook was the one who actually delivered our food. They tried hard and it seemed obvious that they were giving us as much attention as they could. When we first arrived it was not that busy, so having to ask for water twice, and when the server asked if we wanted to see a dinner menu (in case we wanted to have another meal there sometime) and we said yes, we expected to see one, but didn't. It was quite busy by the time we left so the lack of a coffee warmup, was probably due to being understaffed. Not that I would have wanted anymore of that coffee anyway. 


DECOR ****
Slightly upscale with a little "breakfast joint" feel with 6 seats at a counter. Vaulted ceiling with ceiling fans, front wall was floor to ceiling windows. Bright and airy. A nice deck with 3 tables.


NOTES
It was a lovely place to sit and have breakfast on a beautiful day. People walking by, either into the restaurant, or along the sidewalk, were very friendly, saying "hi" and "good morning". Small town, next to the local hardware store. Doesn't seem like the place the locals would eat at regularly. Maybe for a "special" breakfast.

SVEN'S TAKE
I just finished watching the US Mens National Team take on Algeria in the World Cup (on TV, alas); and was pretty underwhelmed. Sure they worked hard for a result, but they missed a number of easy chances, and seemed unable to put a good finish on otherwise promising runs. In the end they pulled out a victory that owed a little more to luck than most fans would care to admit. It kind of reminded me of eating at Malarkeys.

Our visit to Malarkeys had all of the ingredients of a great breakfast experience -- outdoor deck on a sunny morning, friendly people walking down the street (every one of them said "Hi!"), a great menu, a helpful waitress willing to offer suggestions, and daily specials that made us all lick our chops.

Unfortunately, a good team on paper doesn't always translate into a winner on the field. The standard breakfast was just that -- standard; and the pancake special was sickeningly sweet. The one exception was the Crab Cake Benedict. The bite Olga share with me was a shining moment in an otherwise ho-hum breakfast.

Truth is I liked this place in spite of the average food; and I know I'll go back again to give it another try. Like the US men's soccer team, there is a tantalizing promise in Malarkeys . . . a promise that if they can just get all the ingredients working together in unison, the results will be stupendous.