Wrong Turn
Recently, I diverted from my typical Sunday Brunch routine of dining at Tonica to try something new. Because I wanted to dine close to home, I chose a place that I haven't been to in a long time. It was so long ago that when I dined there, it was a French restaurant that served me duck à l'orange that was really good. Fast forward a decade or two, the restaurant that currently operates in the space where I had the fancy duck dinner is far different today. Evergreen Grill is the complete opposite of an upscale restaurant, for it is more of a bar that serves decent food that probably won't win any awards. Instead of competing with Tonica, Ecco, India Palace and other nearby restaurants that are on the upper echelon of quality, it seems that Evergreen Grill's goal is to be a step above the Taco Bell restaurant that is literally within shouting distance of the "grill." Judging from the omelet that I got, I would have been better off by making "a run to the border" for brunch.
When I ordered the 3 Egg Omelette with nearly everything, I expected something that looked remotely like an omelet. As you can see in the picture above, my "omelette" was nothing more than a pile of vegetables and ham bits on top of a frittata. Without any cheese to keep it all together, this “omelet” was the worst made omelet that I ever had. It seems that very little effort was put into making the omelet, which doesn’t require much skill. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to cook eggs and put cheese and other things on and into the eggs. I’ve had bad omelets in the past that I would never eat again, but at least some effort was put into making them. For what it’s worth, everything in (or rather on) the “omelette” was tasty but lacked the cheese and overall compactness of an omelet. Overall, the 3 Egg Omelette was decent but not what I expected. If Evergreen Grill is incapable of making an actual omelet, then it shouldn't put it on a menu to mislead its customers.
Going To Philly
With Evergreen Grill leaving a bad first impression, I went there two more times to see what it was like. Staying within a “Philly” theme, I got the Evergreen Grill’s version of the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. While I’m not too familiar with the sandwich, I will admit that the restaurant’s version meets the prerequisites for the hoagie. The Philly had a good amount of sliced ribeye steak and provolone cheese, along with sautéed onions and lots of sliced bell peppers. In a tasty hoagie roll, the Philly was flavorful and decent although it lacked the greasiness of cheesesteak sandwiches that I’ve had in the past. The fries were good and complemented the sandwich well, so much so that I decided to get a plate of fries as a "Philly."
Compared to the sandwich, I really enjoyed the Philly Fries. Like the sandwich, the fries are topped with various bell peppers (listed as "tricolor peppers" on the menu), sautéed onions and sliced ribeye steak. Instead of provolone, the appetizer uses a queso cheese dip that has a similar flavor but obviously easier to swirl the fries in. Although the restaurant considers the Philly Fries one of its "starters" rather than an entrée, I treated it as a full meal that didn't leave me wanting more. While it isn't comparable to duck à l'orange, the Philly Fries are something that one could settle into for either lunch or a no-frills dinner. To be honest, I liked the fries better than the Philly sandwich and will likely get the appetizer if I ever visit Evergreen Grill again.
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