worth the WAIT?: Honey's Sit 'n Eat

JAR 1.12.13

Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat was another quest to follow Guy Fieri on his Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives adventures, and try out some of the places he has visited. We get so excited while watching the show, but in real life, we are not always impressed or blown away (check out my review of the Liberty Elm Diner here ). Honey’s Sit 'n Eat in Philadelphia, did not prove to be much different. 

RER 1.12.13

There was a huge line at this place, but I guess it was a Saturday morning, during brunch time. So considering all of that, we did not wait that long. Once inside we were transported from the sunny unseasonably warm outdoors, to a darker, heavy, kitschy dinning space, equipped with a lunch counter, giant juicer, and many cramped tables.

There was a crazy long list of specials, ranging from pumpkin pancakes, to sandwiches, to soups, to Reuben chimichangas, to country fried bacon cinnamon rolls. It was hard to choose because there were so many different things, from classics to kooky. And our server was not very helpful when we asked the reoccurring question of what to eat. 

JAR 1.12.13

We finally decided and were beyond ready to chow down our choices (our bellies were rumbling).

The special sweet potato carrot soup flew out of the kitchen, which was exciting because we were hungry. But then there was a turn for the worst. The rest of our food took forever to come out. We saw people waiting, be seated, order, eat and pay their bill, all in the time it took for our meal to arrive to our table. There was high turn over there, but somehow we were forgotten. The wait was nice, because we could chat and reminisce, but somewhat unsettling, since everyone else was blowing in and out. After a good while, seeing those sitting next to us get their food within 5 or 7 minutes, we asked our server what the deal was. He didn’t know, but moments later, our food was finally in front of our faces, finally.

RER 1.12.13

Overall, the food was decent. I had the huevos rancheros, a brunchy classic. It came on top of two crunchy crisp tortillas and was piled high with the beans, jack cheese, tasty fried eggs, and the likely suspects of sour cream and a pico de gallo. I also opted for half an avocado instead of a breakfast meat, which was a wise and wonderful choice. The textures were expected, but also exciting enough for me to finish everything on the plate. It was pretty heavy on the beans (both refried and whole black beans), but it was filling and delicious.

The pumpkin pancakes, however left something to be desired. Normal maple syrup did not do the hotcakes justice. They required something more original, catered specifically to their unique flavors. The cakes were a little dry and sometimes not flavorful enough. It was a weird dynamic between the hint of pumpkin, fall spices and chunky, undercooked apples embedded in the batter. We were severely disappointed because we read such good things on our usual review outlets. Bummer! 

RER 1.12.13

We also ventured to taste the country fried bacon cinnamon bun. This was a bit over the top, but oddly enough not memorable or crazy good. It had all the elements for greatness; bacon, cinnamon roll, caramel sauce, fried goodness…bacon. But it fell short and like the pancakes, pretty dry.

Our server was nice enough and everyone working there seemed to pitch in. We got ample refills of coffee and customer service. But the wait for our food was discouraging. Also the kind of lackluster characteristic of the truly innovative dishes left an imprint on us, a stamp of sadness and lack of satisfaction. Something got lost in the execution of the flavor profiles. I would go again if I was in the area again, but perhaps I would stick to the classics.

RER

1.12.13 

RER 1.12.13