Two Eggs Any Style ... Not!

[Shel_B]

During the past year or so, I've had breakfast out several times, and as is typical on the breakfast menu  you can order "two eggs any style."  I'm sure you've seen that many times.  Yet, when I order boiled eggs, whether hard, medium, or soft, I'm told that I can't have them, that boiled eggs are not offered.  This has happened five times, at five different restaurants and cafes.  One place offered old boiled eggs that were cold and overcooked, which the server said was going to be used in an egg salad.

 

So, why is it so difficult (for me at least) to get boiled eggs at my favorite breakfast places.  Have you encountered this situation?

[Darienne]

And most places won't do poached either.

 

We used to order fried over easy as we traveled across the USA.  Until over easy started to mean raw.  Now we order over medium (to get what I consider over easy).

[gfweb]

Boiled eggs take about 30 minutes to prepare and cool.

[Anna N]

Boiled eggs take about 30 minutes to prepare and cool.

Not unless you want them hard-boiled and cooled. Breakfast eggs 4-6 mins depending on preference. However they don't lend themselves to a busy breakfast environment where everything goes on the flat top. And they don't lend themselves to going on the same plate with bacon and sausage and/... I have never assumed that "any style" included boiled. And I would feel childish eating a boiled egg in public. But that's probably just me.

[Shel_B]

Not unless you want them hard-boiled and cooled. Breakfast eggs 4-6 mins depending on preference. However they don't lend themselves to a busy breakfast environment where everything goes on the flat top. And they don't lend themselves to going on the same plate with bacon and sausage and/... I have never assumed that "any style" included boiled. And I would feel childish eating a boiled egg in public. But that's probably just me.

 

Well, I assumed, apparently erroneously, that any style means just what it says.  It's only been in the last couple of years that I've wanted boiled eggs when eating out, so I never put the matter to a test until recently.  I don't feel "childish" eating a boiled egg. And why would you assume that any style doesn't include boiled eggs?

 

Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass why the restaurant won't make boiled eggs, but what bothers me is that the menu says ANY STYLE, and that's outright bullshit.  How about saying something like "two eggs, scrambled or fried," and leave it at that if they won't do boiled, shirred, coddled, baked, etc.

[Shel_B]

Boiled eggs take about 30 minutes to prepare and cool.

 

And what's that got to do with the menu saying "any style?"  Are boiled eggs not stylish enough <LOL>.

[weinoo]

Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass why the restaurant won't make boiled eggs, but what bothers me is that the menu says ANY STYLE, and that's outright bullshit.  How about saying something like "two eggs, scrambled or fried," and leave it at that if they won't do boiled, shirred, coddled, baked, etc.

Why don't you take this up with the restaurants?

[Arey]

It takes 6 minutes and a small pan of boiling water to cook a soft boiled egg.  They can be peeled almost immediately after boiling under cold water, and then plopped on a piece of whole wheat toast  to make one of my usual breakfasts.  Also I've found that almost any place that offers eggs benedict will serve a couple of poached eggs on toast or an English muffin, but I've never ordered a plain boiled egg when breakfasting out. After the only diner intown burned down. annother restaurant started offering what they called a "genuine  diner breakfast", and it was.  Fried eggs dripping grease, and pallid oil slicked hash browns, were among the offerings. Which is why I don't eat breakfast at diners,  While evacuated due to SuperStorm Sandy the motel I stayed at had a free breakfast buffet.  It was a thing of horror, and I had to drive ten miles inland to find a place that hadn't lost their power, and was open for breakfast.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Arey (log)

[annabelle]

Most restaurants will serve poached eggs at breakfast.  Close enough, if you ask me.

[MikeHartnett]

Well, I assumed, apparently erroneously, that any style means just what it says.  It's only been in the last couple of years that I've wanted boiled eggs when eating out, so I never put the matter to a test until recently.  I don't feel "childish" eating a boiled egg. And why would you assume that any style doesn't include boiled eggs?

 

Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass why the restaurant won't make boiled eggs, but what bothers me is that the menu says ANY STYLE, and that's outright bullshit.  How about saying something like "two eggs, scrambled or fried," and leave it at that if they won't do boiled, shirred, coddled, baked, etc.

Dude.

[rotuts]

with respect, and I mean this :

 

""  what bothers me is that the menu says ANY STYLE, ""

 

not to go into psyco-babble  

 

this is nothing about nothing.

 

as weinoo suggests;

 

this is between you and the restaurant.

 

if this upsets you, not so good.

 

sit. wait. get centered.

 

i

[Darienne]

annabelle, perhaps most restaurants where you live will serve poached eggs...I can assure you that where I live in East Central Ontario, they will not.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Darienne (log)

[annabelle]

That's a shame, Darienne.  I can't recall the last time I ate out at  breakfast, but I ordered poached eggs.

[minas6907]

This thread has inspired me to order my eggs in the style of souffle the next time I go get breakfast.

[IowaDee]

Eggs can poached ahead of time.  Just slightly under cook them and slide them into cold water and refrigerate  until needed.  Reheat in hot water and you're good to go.  But I think I shall ask for a 1,000 year old egg next time.

[Anna N]

Let us consider for a moment where we can get breakfast. Per se I don't think so. 11 Madison Park. I don't think so. I know of three places when you're likely get breakfast-- diners, fast food outlets, and hotels. Of these, I would only expect hotels to be able to produce an egg in any style. And even they would have to be pretty high-class to be able to produce a soufflé egg. So I think after you have ordered and put your server in a very awkward, perhaps embarrassing position, you are unlikely to accomplish very much. Most of us weigh up "eggs any style" on the menu and understand it is a form of shorthand without any literal meaning.

[andiesenji]

The Denny's here does poached eggs on toast and will even add cheese sauce if you know to ask for it and with a side of Canadian bacon.

Essentially a cheesy Eggs Benedict - I just slide the bacon UNDER the toast. 

 

Other Denny's don't seem to have a clue, so it is up to the individual cook or manager.  The local place has a woman head cook and I think she is also a co-manager because she does some hiring and firing.

Edited June 12, 2014 by andiesenji (log)

[Arey]

I once went to a restaurant, more of a cafe, and ordered the special which was two eggs , toast, hash browns, and juice, but told the server to hold the juice since I didn't want any.  When I went to pay the bill I noticed that it wasn't the price of the special,but the regular.  When I questioned this the cashier, who was also the server, said that the special included juice, and I didn't have any juice, so I didn't qualify for the price of the special.  So, I asked her for a glass of prune juice, drank it, and she corrected the bill so it showed the price of the special.   "Are you happy now?" she asked sarcastically. "I will be in a couple of hours," I politely replied.  To get poached eggs in a place like that, you'd have to order eggs benedict, but hold the hollandaise, hold the ham, and hold the muffins, and it would probably be twice the price of the eggs benedict.

[Anna N]

I once went to a restaurant, more of a cafe, and ordered the special which was two eggs , toast, hash browns, and juice, but told the server to hold the juice since I didn't want any.  When I went to pay the bill I noticed that it wasn't the price of the special,but the regular.  When I questioned this the cashier, who was also the server, said that the special included juice, and I didn't have any juice, so I didn't qualify for the price of the special.  So, I asked her for a glass of prune juice, drank it, and she corrected the bill so it showed the price of the special.   "Are you happy now?" she asked sarcastically. "I will be in a couple of hours," I politely replied.  To get poached eggs in a place like that, you'd have to order eggs benedict, but hold the hollandaise, hold the ham, and hold the muffins, and it would probably be twice the price of the eggs benedict.

Yeah. McDonalds here is dreadful for that logic. Better to accept the item and leave it behind rather than try to mess with the system.

[huiray]

Let us consider for a moment where we can get breakfast. Per se I don't think so. 11 Madison Park. I don't think so. I know of three places when you're likely get breakfast-- diners, fast food outlets, and hotels. Of these, I would only expect hotels to be able to produce an egg in any style. And even they would have to be pretty high-class to be able to produce a soufflé egg. So I think after you have ordered and put your server in a very awkward, perhaps embarrassing position, you are unlikely to accomplish very much. Most of us weigh up "eggs any style" on the menu and understand it is a form of shorthand without any literal meaning.

 

Since you are citing NYC places, you forgot various shops and bakeries in Chinatown in NYC - or in other Chinese communities elsewhere (in North America, which this conversation seems to be limited to, by default and/or assumption, without it actually being specified...).  You can indeed get breakfast in those places, commonly.  Plus eggs in some.  (What about dim sum? ;-) )

 

If the O.P. were to live in E/SE Asia instead, he would have little difficulty getting his boiled eggs (usually soft boiled, in this case) from any number of shops or kopitiams (SE Asia), together with kaya toast.  Standard breakfast items.  Consumed by folks of all ages from all walks of life.

 

To the O.P. - I wonder if you were to go to a diner and ask them for a big mug of boiling/hot water and a couple of eggs - would they oblige?  Just dunk the eggs into the hot water, cover with something, drink your coffee, and about 10 minutes later crack those eggs into a mug (or cereal bowl or other bowl) and have your soft-boiled eggs.  Eh, if the water isn't really hot enough you might get some slightly snotty eggs - but for myself they would go down the hatch just the same and just fine.

Edited June 12, 2014 by huiray (log)

[annabelle]

I've been thinking on the soft-cooked egg request and I can't recall getting them in a restaurant, ever.  Not even Howard Johnson's when they were the destination breakfast place when we were doing road trips when I was a kid.  Truly, they are a PITA to eat without an egg cup and good luck getting one of those in a diner in NA.  The kitchen can't shell them for you and they're too hot to hold to shell at the table.  Plus, you get bits of shell in the egg.

 

Maybe if you ordered a pot of hot water for tea and cooked them at the table would be the way to go, but I think they'd be under-cooked.

[huiray]

Truly, they are a PITA to eat without an egg cup...

 

Just break them into a bowl or mug and simply drink them.  I do.  Like these. :-)

Edited June 13, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Anna N]

Since you are citing NYC places, you forgot various shops and bakeries in Chinatown in NYC - or in other Chinese communities elsewhere (in North America, which this conversation seems to be limited to, by default and/or assumption, without it actually being specified...).  You can indeed get breakfast in those places, commonly.  Plus eggs in some.  (What about dim sum? ;-) )

 

If the O.P. were to live in E/SE Asia instead, he would have little difficulty getting his boiled eggs (usually soft boiled, in this case) from any number of shops or kopitiams (SE Asia), together with kaya toast.  Standard breakfast items.  Consumed by folks of all ages from all walks of life.

 

To the O.P. - I wonder if you were to go to a diner and ask them for a big mug of boiling/hot water and a couple of eggs - would they oblige?  Just dunk the eggs into the hot water, cover with something, drink your coffee, and about 10 minutes later crack those eggs into a mug (or cereal bowl or other bowl) and have your soft-boiled eggs.  Eh, if the water isn't really hot enough you might get some slightly snotty eggs - but for myself they would go down the hatch just the same and just fine.

huiray

I know we tend to be ethnocentric. I don't see anything too unusual about that although it can be annoying to those of a different ethnocentricity. Certainly the conversation seemed to imply a western notion of breakfast. It addressed the question of why on the menu there were eggs offered any style but which were not available as ordered. I chose two high-class restaurants without even thinking in what city they were located. I somehow doubt that a Chinese or any other non-western menu would offer eggs any style.

This whole conversation reminds me of the joke about the restaurant that offered to make any kind of sandwich. When a customer ordered an elephant sandwich, the server disappeared out back to confer with cook. He returned to say, "Cook says we are not cutting up a fresh elephant for one lousy sandwich!"

[Dave the Cook]

Just break them into a bowl or mug and simply drink them.  I do.

 

When I worked on a restaurant line -- a lifetime ago -- this was a significant part of the traditional hangover cure.

[Anna N]

I've been thinking on the soft-cooked egg request and I can't recall getting them in a restaurant, ever.  Not even Howard Johnson's when they were the destination breakfast place when we were doing road trips when I was a kid.  Truly, they are a PITA to eat without an egg cup and good luck getting one of those in a diner in NA.  The kitchen can't shell them for you and they're too hot to hold to shell at the table.  Plus, you get bits of shell in the egg.

 

Maybe if you ordered a pot of hot water for tea and cooked them at the table would be the way to go, but I think they'd be under-cooked.

And who would make the toast soldiers?