Chattanooga has more than a few top-of-mind restaurants one can consider when dining out. I’d hesitate to even attempt to list the city’s most popular eateries because the list of candidates would exceed my word quota.
But what about the bistros, cafes and diners that don’t jump to mind? The smaller, lesser-known foodie haunts tucked into the city’s nooks and crannies that serve fare that rivals that of the heavy hitters?
I’m not sure how long that list would be but I stumbled upon one candidate the other day and am kicking myself for not discovering it sooner.
Maybe you’ve heard of Syrup and Eggs, a brunch spot squirreled away inside Dwell Hotel on East 10th Street. The restaurant has a website and a presence on social media and has actually been a concern for five years since first opening in St. Elmo, but people don’t mention it when discussing Scenic City breakfast spots like Aretha Frankensteins, First Watch or Maple Street Biscuit Company.
Owner and chef Ocia Hartley tells me she moved her love child of breakfast and lunch into the back of Dwell Hotel three years ago and has been making patrons happy ever since, although I’d never heard of it.
Whatever. What matters is I found Syrup and Eggs while huffing along a back street that runs behind the hotel last week.
I happened to be hungry – which is hardly a coincidence – when I spotted its small patio and unassuming entrance. I could have easily walked by it without noticing it, which makes me think Hartley wants people to discover her place rather than see a splashy ad.
Hartley was standing close to the entrance as I stepped inside and greeted me with a smile. The vintage diner vibe she’s curated also met me at the door. Between the cushy seats, retro tabletops and the late Dean Martin crooning on the speakers, I felt like I’d entered a classy version of the distant past.
It was my turn to smile when I sat down at a small table and a server placed two menus in front of me. One contained a list of the establishment’s “eggs-traordinary” (Hartley’s word, not mine) cocktails, which I will leave to you to sample.
Since Syrup and Eggs is a brunch spot, you might not be surprised to find bloody marys and mimosas on the menu; however, the Bee-Witched (mezcal, lemon and honey lavender syrup), Golden Hour (whiskey, carrot-tumeric syrup, nutmeg and frothed coconut milk), Brewed Awakening (coconut bourbon, Baileys Irish Cream, cold brew, demerara and cardamom bitters) and other concoctions might be new to you.
Syrup and Eggs doesn’t disappoint when it comes to new experiences in food, either. If you’re like me, your eyes tend to skip wearily around ordinary breakfast menus. However, I quickly found myself wrapped up in reading about the various dishes and ingredients Hartley uses.
Take the selections under the heading, “Mostly Eggs,” for example. Although the menu at Syrup and Eggs is heavy on brunch cuisine, patrons can fashion a hearty breakfast out of its offerings.
I imagine few people would argue that Syrup and Eggs’ biscuits and gravy or Kiss My Cheese Grits Bowl left them hungry for more. Or that the Egg Pie or Loaded Baked Potato Hash failed to satisfy.
One of the first things I noticed as I scanned the menu was the abundance of local or nearby sources for meats, breads, eggs and other fixings. The Serious B.S., for example, is a biscuit stacked with Main Street Meats pork sausage, while the grits I mentioned come from Riverview Farm in Gordon County, Georgia.
Meanwhile, the restaurant’s organic, pasture farm eggs are produced in Sequatchie County.
To some people, an egg is an egg, but to Hartley, the Serious B.S. is a work of art, so she uses only ingredients she believes can produce a classic.
“We even feed our own sourdough starter, Fidough, like a family pet,” she writes with a wink on the welcome page of her menu.
I’m tempted to reveal all of Hartley’s other creations, but since no one would read all of that – no matter how scrumptious everything seems to be – I’ll focus on what I ordered.
After a bit of deliberation, I settled on a savory and sweet meal. (I said I was hungry, so no judging.) For my savory selection, I picked one blue cornmeal taco pancake, which consisted of a blue cornmeal pancake, a sunny side up egg, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, maple pico and cilantro. This dish came with a side of locally made chicken sausage.
For my sweet selection, I ordered a vanilla pancake with pecans, salted butter and real maple syrup.
What a meal! As I speared bits of sausage with a fork already loaded with pancake, egg and sour cream, I listened to a Syrup and Eggs worker use his trumpet lips to sputter the James Bond theme.
And as I soaked the vanilla pancake – which was packed with pecans – in syrup, I listened to a young couple at an adjacent table make awkward small talk on what surely was a first date.
Despite the distractions, the meal held my attention. Unlike food, love doesn’t have a flavor and pride can’t be seasoned, but I believe I could taste both of them in every bite.
To say Syrup and Eggs lays off the beaten path would be a stretch, but if you’re not looking, you could easily miss this Chattanooga gem. All I can say is I envy the guests of Dwell Hotel who have been enjoying Hartley’s creations as part of their stay.
And I’m glad I stumbled upon her lesser-known foodie haunt as I huffed along the side street behind the hotel.
Syrup and Eggs is open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Dine-in and takeout are available but the restaurant does not deliver.
Call 423-541-6500 to learn more or to request the trumpet lips version of the James Bond theme.