Jen Simmons

Her qualifications: Jen was along for the very first Breakfast Bracket meal, so it’s only fitting that she would return for one of the final rounds.

Food: Jen didn’t tell me what she had picked out for me before the waitress came over to take our order. I was a little surprised by her pick – Huevos Rancheros isn’t exactly what I go to Blue Plate to eat. Blue Plate’s Huevos Rancheros was a big, open tortilla with two sunny-side up eggs that had been smothered in salsa and orange cheese. They came with a side of black beans. It was a lot of food, but the flavor was a bit half-hearted. It was a really bland interpretation of a pretty tasty meal.

Jen also ordered an apple cinnamon waffle for us to split. It came to the table deconstructed (the apples are just sort of sitting on the side of the waffle). Once we got the apples situated on the waffle, it was pretty delicious and way more Blue Plate’s speed than the Huevos Rancheros.  (5.5 points – counts double)

Atmosphere: We were seated in a booth at the back of the restaurant, like the bad kids that we aren’t. The restaurant was busy, but not crowded, and just as sunny and yellow as it was the last time I visited.  (7 points)

Service: The service was attentive, but not overly so. On a side note, I’m now convinced that a Tigers t-shirt is part of the Blue Plate waitress uniform.  (8 points)

Price: The Huevos Rancheros, waffle, Jen’s omelet and our drinks came out to about $30. That seems steep for breakfast, but it was a ton of food. (6.5 points)

Total score: 32.5

And the opponent:

Bryant’s

3965 Summer Avenue
Memphis, TN 38122

The Order: Breakfast sampler, orange juice.

Breakfast Sampler, Bryant's, Memphis, Tenn.

Order Chosen By: Zach Whitten, aka, The Grit.

Zach Whitten

His qualifications: Zach Whitten has been with me for a few Breakfast Bracket meals as The Grit, a character somewhat inspired by The Stig.

Food: Zach decided that we should split a Breakfast Sampler, which was three scrambled eggs, three biscuits, sausage, bacon, country ham, pork loin and a hash brown. For those playing along at home, that’s four different kinds of pig on one plate.

All of the food was delicious – the biscuits were perfectly dense and fluffy and the eggs were airy perfection. The hashbrown alone was almost enough to cure The Grit’s hangover.

My only issue with the meal is that it’s an insane amount of food. We split the sampler and had enough left over to make a to-go box. Do people eat these by themselves? It seems completely crazy to do that. Still, I’m impressed with the consistent quality of the items on such a large plate.  ( 8.5 points)

Atmosphere: We were at Bryant’s a bit earlier in the morning than I’ve been in the past. You can rest assured that the hype about the crowds and quick-moving line is true. Most of the patrons were middle-aged to elderly men, and the vibe was fairly sedate.   (7 points)

Service: I’m now convinced that Bryant’s was engineered by the Swiss. (9 points)

Price: The Breakfast Sampler (plus drinks) came out to $13 even. When you consider that we could have fed three people with one plate, that’s pretty amazing.   (8.5 points)

Total score: 41.5

So there you have it – Bryant’s will go against Brother Juniper’s in the championship round. Feel free to leave suggestions for the final meal in the comments.