(restaurant)Review: Little Chef Counter Sunday Brunch

Loco Moco

I had first heard of Little Chef Counter during my foie gras expedition back in mid-July. They're located in the new and happening San Pedro Square in San Jose, one of the city's best kept secrets (ssh!). This was one of the only restaurants that had foie that wouldn't involve a big to-do and an even bigger dinner bill, so Bear and I went to check it out one Saturday night. Sadly, their foie wasn't all that great (probably B grade instead of A, so it was flavorful but kind of veiny) and their poutine just wasn't gravy enough, but we decided to come back for brunch on a later day because it's our favorite -- and because they offered fried chicken and waffles.

Unfortunately, I did not take photos of the first brunch we had at LCC, but it wasn't too great for me. I got the chicken and waffles, which comes in a waffle cone rather than a traditional American waffle. I give them props for originality, but again it just wasn't gravy enough so the combination of cone and chicken ended up being really dry and a bit lacking in taste. The chicken was also a bit overcooked, so all in all their C&W was a failure in my book. Oh well, the search for 900 Grayson-quality C&W continues...

Spam Hash

Our second trip yielded much better results, seen above. I got the Loco Moco and Bear got the Spam Hash like he did last time, and we were both pretty happy with the results. The LCC version of the Loco Moco is made with a fried risotto patty, to up the salty fried grease factor (and then double it). The hamburger patty was surprisingly phenomenal with a rich, grilled, beefy taste and the combination of the egg yolk and rice and gravy made this dish a must have.

The Spam Hash seems to be made with fry-cut potatoes, spam, red peppers, with a fried egg on top. From what I tried the flavors were great, but Bear thinks it could do with a little more gravy and one more egg.

and probably some Tabasco. What, it's good!

We also had Treatbot for dessert our first night and B2 coffee for brunch. I highly recommend B2, they're great coffee with an unpretentious vibe -- not speaking for the clientele, though -- and they even do latte art for you without you even having to ask. 6 hoofs!

LCC: 9/10 improve a bit and get to stardom.

Little Chef Counter official website