Perched on a tall chair in the quiet bar at Sacks Cafe, I wished I liked eggs. The simple, single-page weekend brunch menu teams with tantalizing choices, all secure in a foundation of egg. Eggs Benedict with Black Forest ham, eggs poached on crab, and scallop cakes. Eggs Spanish-style, with ranchero sauces and black beans, or eggs folded over reindeer sausage or tiger prawns.
Sticking to the brunch basics, probably to highlight Sacks mainstay of elaborate Alaska-centric concoctions on the menu for lunch and dinner, Sacks offers fresh-squeezed orange juice in a glass or mixed with champagne. My mimosa arrived promptly in a funky flute, telltale sparkles from a light layer of bubbles - worth the $6.95.
I ordered the French toast, $10.25, and couldn't have been more surprised at the artful combination of flavors - sweet berries juxtaposed with a slight tang, whether from a generous twist of lemon or a slight hand out of the sugar jar, I can't be sure.
The portion served on a white square plate was massive, hunks of bread fanning out from a delicate white pitcher of warm maple syrup. Pooled on the plate was the coup de grace - a triple-berry coulis with the most perfect combination of sweet and tart. The menu promised fresh strawberries as well, but the order failed to deliver, save for a single berry more for show than for the fork.
Grateful to have placed my order minus the whipped cream, I found little need for the syrup. Admittedly, I don't care for sugary-sweet, and found the dusting of confectioner's sugar blended with the berry coulis the perfect dressing for the bread.
I enjoy Sacks, tucked among shops and offices in the middle of G Street near more or less anywhere downtown. Lunches are refined, filling and tasty -- a smorgasbord of salads, soup and sandwiches packed with ingredients one imagines count as healthful. My favorite is the calamari salad, tender, soft strips of squid set on a bed of spinach greens, dotted with capers and artichoke hearts, slim slices of red onion and sweet, halved grape tomatoes. The best, however, are the dark orange polenta croutons, a delectable sensation of crispy exteriors and smooth - but not mushy - interiors.
The atmosphere sold me. Sacks isn't pretentious, yet is upscale. Dark furniture offers class to a light, bright interior, a steady stream of jazz at just the right volume blending with the sounds of laughter from tables.
The food service is quite fast, although I've had mixed experiences with the wait staff - generally absent once the plates are on the table. Saturday brunch was no different; once served, the waiter didn't pass by for quite a while. Despite that, the staff has consistently proved friendly and warm.
My sole complaint at Saturday brunch? The plate must have been chipped on the base, and rocked unevenly with an unseemly clank. A simple matter, but one of those little things that didn't sit quite right with the otherwise outstanding experience.