After dining at James Beard Award-winning Chef John Currence’s original Big, Bad Breakfast in Oxford, MS, Steven Jackson was inspired to bring the same level of great breakfast food to Birmingham. One problem though. He had no restaurant experience, save that of being a server. His brother, on the other hand, was the owner of a successful pizza shop in nearby Mt Laurel. So he took Steven on to help him learn all the ins and outs of running a restaurant. A year later, Steven opened the doors to Over Easy, and it’s been sunny side up ever since!
From his previous career in real estate to his new status as restaurateur, Steven knows it’s all about location. His original vision was to renovate the old Coffee Shoppe, but instead, he ended up adjacent to it with a bright, beautiful space in the newly renovated The Hollywood shopping center.
Good food made from the best ingredients … sounds pretty basic. But it is this simple mission that has customers lining the walkway and spilling out into the parking lot just to get a table at Over Easy on the weekend.
Over Easy’s signature dish is the Italian Eggs Benedict ($10), a rather distant cousin to the traditional Benedict. Steven’s creation includes a blue corn polenta cake, instead of an English muffin; proscuitto, instead of Canadian bacon, and a basil pesto instead of hollandaise sauce.
Other notable breakfast options include steak and eggs, huevos rancheros, and biscuits and gravy, as well as myriad side options like toast, grits, hash browns and the like.
Beyond the traditional hearty bacon and eggs-type breakfast fare, Over Easy offers many heart-healthy and diet-conscious dishes, so there is something for everyone. Think Greek yogurt and granola parfait, egg white omelets and oatmeal.
Bonus points go out for Over Easy’s use of local products, like McEwen & Sons organic stone-ground grits, Conecah sausage and ecofriendly HC Valentine coffee, which is crafted and locally brewed specifically for the restaurant.
In addition to scrumptious breakfast fare, Over Easy’s menu expands to salads and sandwiches for lunch. The Caprese Chicken sandwich, stuffed with grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and a generous slathering of basil pesto, is a personal favorite. And the Bert’s Cheese, with house-made pimiento cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato on toasted sourdough is a close second. There’s even a cheeseburger, as well as a variety of standard kid-friendly options, sure to please even the most persnickety of palates.
Over Easy is located at 406 Hollywood Blvd. in the renovated The Hollywood center, which overlooks Highway 280 between Homewood and Mountain Brook. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Over Easy is closed on Mondays.
Photos by Meg McKinney
