The Elusive Eggs Benedict

F Street Station does is right

Review
By Britteny Ketterman

From my perch at the counter, I watch as people try to squeeze their way into F Street Station. It is 11:30 in the morning and I am astounded to see how many people are awake and trying to get in to a restaurant that is famous for its block of self-serve cheese at the bar, late night deep-fried food and more often than not, is the watering hole for the Anchorage Aces Hockey Team.

I have been on the search for the perfect Eggs Benedict, something that I thought would be easy to find in Anchorage, but instead has turned out to be like the quest for the holy grail. Local rumor has it that if you want a good Benedict, this is the place to be.

Two chefs stand behind the bar in front of me, working in perfect unison. “Only 12 more left,” one of them yells over his shoulder. I watch as they line up ten plates along their prep counter, stacking them anywhere there is space. A woman comes through the door, peers in between my counter mate and I, and mutters to herself, “I hope that I made it here in time for a plate.”

Ten English muffins, ten pieces of ham, ten poached eggs and ten scoops of hollandaise sauce later and I am dubiously eyeing one of those plates now in front of me. I wonder how disappointed I am going to be – seeing how the establishment I am dining in looks like it should stick to beer and wings.

With my knife, I make the first cut and the poached egg oozes out the perfect amount of yolk to combine with the sauce on my plate. When the fork reaches my mouth, I am pleasantly surprised at the burst of flavor that I encounter. Just the right amount of lemon in the sauce to make it interesting to the palate, yet not so much as to overwhelm the dish. I admit that for a moment, I have to close my eyes because I am enamored with the bite that I have just taken.

I hear the chef tell the server that there are no more Benedicts left, watch from my creaking stool as the server erases the words “Eggs Benedict” from the board, and breathe a thankful sigh that I made it in time, as groans go up throughout the crowded room. Content, I lean back over my plate and finish off the rest.