When faced with a menu this tempting, sometimes the best thing to do is ask the chef.
That was our dilemma when Big Bad Breakfast opened its second Memphis location in Cooper-Young on Sept. 29.
During a sneak peek soft opening a few days before, we found ourselves staring down quite a few options including creole omelets, crispy fried chicken biscuits, Belgian waffles
and far too many other options to make an easy decision.So we wondered: If Chef John Currence were sitting across the table, what would he tell us to order?
The celebrated James Beard-award winning Oxford resident behind Big Bad Breakfast was more than happy to weigh in.
“I love so much about our menu,” Currence said, before taking a moment to consider the question.
Then he began.
Start with the French Toast
First
up was a dish with some personal history.
“The French Toast that we do is a Leidenheimer French bread,” Currence explained. “That recipe was the very first recipe that I ever put on a menu anywhere as a young cook in Chapel Hill, North Carolina."
The bread is battered in a brandied French toast mixture and then — here's the twist — dropped into the deep fryer rather than cooked in a pan.
The result is finished simply with powdered sugar.
"It's super light and airy," Currence admitted. "And it tastes like a really incredible doughnut. It's actually one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.”
That's a pretty strong endorsement.
Don't skip the Huevos Rancheros
“I also love our Huevos Rancheros,” Currence said. “This one I highly recommend.”
Big Bad Breakfast puts a distinctly Southern spin on the Mexican classic. Creamy, locally sourced stone-ground grits are topped with chicken and pork sausage, saucy black beans and crispy tortilla strips. The come cilantro oil, pico de gallo and avocado slices, plus two eggs cooked to order — poached, sunny-side-up or however you like them.
In other words, it's the kind of breakfast that doesn't believe in doing things halfway.
The Shrimp and Grits have friends in high places
A customer favorite also gets Currence’s seal of approval: Shrimp and Grits.
“Yes, a lot of people love the Shrimp and Grits,” he explained, with a laugh and a bit of chef's honesty.
Currence joked that he sometimes feels like a "one trick pony" when it comes to the dish. Over the years, cooks in his kitchens have repeatedly come to him with their own ideas for this Southern staple.
Eventually, one version made its way onto the Big Bad Breakfast menu. “It has made a whole lot of friends," Currence said. And while the dish is rooted in the Southern tradition, he describes this particular version as "very breakfast centric.”
Current go-to: The Soul On A Roll
Currence also has his own favorite when he wants something quick, comforting and decidedly diner-inspired.
“We have this really amazing breakfast sandwich we call Soul On A Roll," he said.
The sandwich takes its inspiration from the New York-style breakfast rolls Currence remembers from growing up in New Orleans.
"It's a toasted burger bun with scrambled eggs, bacon, American cheese, that we then hit with mayo and sautéed onions and jalapeno peppers."
But if you really need the true vote of confidence. "This has been my go-to meal for, I don't know, about the last eight months,” Currence said.
If the chef is eating it that often, that's probably worth knowing... and possibly trying.
The people's choice: The Breakfast Plate
So what's Big Bad Breakfast's biggest seller?
“The Breakfast Plate. Everywhere that you go," Currence said.
Despite the restaurant's efforts to remind diners that Big Bad Breakfast also serves plenty of lunch-worthy options, breakfast remains king. According to Currence, the breakfast plate accounts for roughly 60% to 65% of total sales.
And there's plenty of room to make it your own.
Between the different gravies, proteins and ways to prepare the eggs, Currence estimates there are about 14,000 possible combinations.
And then there's the Breakfast Crumble
Currence saved one of his most personal favorites for last.
The Breakfast Crumble, he explained, began as a staff meal of sorts. When Big Bad Breakfast opened in Oxford, Currence would grab a Styrofoam cup in the morning and layer a crumbled biscuit with grits, tomato gravy, bacon bits, poached eggs, green onions and Tabasco sauce.
He'd eat it with a spoon while doing a quality check on the line.
Eventually, someone asked the obvious question: Why not put it on the menu?
Currence's immediate reaction was essentially: Absolutely. His general manager, Jill Miley, had a different reaction.
"She literally was standing next to me and shot me this look," Currence recalled.
The message was clear: Big Bad Breakfast was not going to serve its food in a Styrofoam cup. Miley did, however, agree to find a more presentable way to serve Currence's latest creation.
"And that's how the Breakfast Crumble became a menu item.”
The chef's final advice
After all those recommendations, we had one last question for Currence.
Any other words of wisdom before we order?
His answer was as refreshingly simple as the French Toast.
“Enjoy yourself.”
Brian Strickland is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at brian.strickland@commercialappeal.com.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Let Chef John Currence order for you at Big Bad Breakfast | Exclusive
