RESTAURANT REVIEW: Red Door 'Brinner' a winner

Diners craving Red Door’s breakfast or brunch fare, such as the Classic Eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon with a choice of breakfast potatoes or stoneground cheese grits and a side of fresh fruit can enjoy them on Tuesdays when the restaurant offers its special “Brinner” menu.
Diners craving Red Door’s breakfast or brunch fare, such as the Classic Eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon with a choice of breakfast potatoes or stoneground cheese grits and a side of fresh fruit can enjoy them on Tuesdays when the restaurant offers its special “Brinner” menu.

Breakfast by candlelight. It's what's for dinner Tuesday nights at Red Door.

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Red Door’s Steak & Eggs includes a hand-cut rib-eye served with two eggs, breakfast potatoes and a choice of toast, cat-head biscuit or an English muffin.

That's when chef and restaurant owner Mark Abernathy's popular Southern bistro on Cantrell Road in the Riverdale neighborhood offers an edited version of his breakfast/brunch selections during dinner hours.

Red Door

Address: 3701 Old Cantrell Road, Little Rock

Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday breakfast-lunch; 5-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday dinner; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday brunch; “Brinner” available Tuesday evenings

Cuisine: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Credit cards: AE, DMC, V

Alcoholic beverages: Full bar

Reservations: Yes, for parties seven or larger

Wheelchair accessible: Yes (call for more information)

Carryout: Yes (except during Saturday brunch hours)

(501) 666-8482

reddoorrestaurant.n…

"We still offer the full dinner menu so the 'Brinner' menu is some of the top selling and favorites from the brunch menu," explained our server, Joey.

Hey, if the more humble Sonic and McDonald's chains, not to mention Waffle House, IHOP and even Cracker Barrel can dish out breakfast at other times of the day, why can't more upscale dining establishments also hop into the frying pan and answer hungry customers' cravings for higher-end morning fare?

The menu includes standard brunch cocktails such as Bloody Marys ($7 for the Red Door; $10 for the Bacon or Jalapeno versions); frozen Moscow Mules, $8; as well as Mimosas, Irish coffees and even Sangria (frozen or on the rocks), all $7. A bottle of champagne ($25) also is an option.

I chose the Classic Eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon ($13.95), two poached eggs on thinly sliced bacon placed on a split Wolferman's Thick English Muffin and topped with lemony hollandaise. You have a choice of breakfast potatoes or War Eagle stone-ground cheese grits (which I selected) with a side of fresh fruit. I added a side of Petit Jean bacon strips for $2.95. There's also a Lobster Crab Cake version of the Eggs Benedict ($15.95).

My husband, leaning more toward a traditional evening meal, selected Steak & Eggs ($18.95). The hand-cut rib-eye, which he chose to be grilled (chicken-fried with cream gravy is another option), was accompanied by a small serving of the restaurant's house steak sauce. His meal, attractively presented, came with two eggs, breakfast potatoes and a choice of toast, cat-head biscuit or an English muffin. He declared his steak, a prime cut of meat with no trace of fat, to be outstanding.

Other Brinner choices include Belgian waffles (with syrup, honey butter and choice of toasted pecans, bananas, blueberries or strawberries) ($9.95), or paired with fried chicken ($14.95); eggs Florentine ($12.95); and a country breakfast of two eggs cooked any style, served with breakfast potatoes or stone ground cheese grits, and choice of bread ($10.95); add two more eggs for $2.95.

Several variations of Red Door's breakfast skillets ($14.95) of breakfast potatoes and eggs cooked to order also are offered. The selections include Ole South (biscuit, crumbled sausage and bacon), Laredo Express (with black beans, bacon, pico de gallo, melted pepper jack and cheddar cheeses and served with tortillas), and French Country (featuring asparagus, mushrooms, hollandaise, melted gourmet cheese and a buttered croissant).

There are French toast croissants ($9.95), dipped in beaten eggs and then grilled. Diners can add toasted pecans or caramelized bananas for $2.45.

And, yes, on Tuesday nights, the restaurant's trademark help-yourself condiment bar of fancy honeys, jams and nuts is up and running.

Red Door dubs it Brinner; we declare it good.

Weekend on 01/07/2016

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