Visit select EHC locations on Sunday, June 27, 10 am – 1 pm, to meet some friendly animals on the front walk who are available for adoption

Contact your local Egg Harbor Cafe for more information about Egg Harbor’s Adoption Day on June 27.

Imagine Easter without the egg. Not just the pastel-colored, hunt-for-it-in-the grass variety of egg; or even the chocolate Easter egg. Imagine Easter brunch or Easter dinner without any eggs at all.

“Certainly there are people who don’t eat eggs because of dietary restrictions,” said chef and caterer Lauren Absler of Ooh La La Kitchen and Bake Shop in Highland Park. “But it would make a huge difference in the way I cook and bake.”

We can certainly thank eggs for omelets and scramblers, but also for many cream sauces, souffles, crepes and even meatloaf. And let’s not forget the desserts-cakes, cookies, sweet breads, pies, meringues — the egg is a crucial building block of Western cooking. There’s a reason Julia Child devoted an entire chapter in Mastering the Art of French Cooking to the humble egg.

“Legend has it that the French toque worn by chefs have 100 pleats,” Absler said. “That is to represent the versatility of eggs and the role of eggs in cooking.”

If anyone knows eggs, it’s Jon Steinberg, who manages the Egg Harbor cafe in the Glen. Those at the Egg Harbor restaurants serve up eggs all day long, in just about every fashion imaginable, from Eggs Benedict with crab cakes to French toast casserole.

“Every kid grows up eating scrambled eggs,” said Steinberg, who also teaches children’s cooking classes, “but I show them different ways to prepare an egg, like basted eggs, poached eggs and then we show them frittatas and omelets.”

Eggs also hold special meaning for Christians at Easter, who see them as a symbol of how Jesus broke out of the hard walls of the tomb and was resurrected to new life. Orthodox Christians traditionally paint their eggs red to remind themselves of the blood Jesus shed on the cross before he was raised to new life at Easter.

And when it comes to the celebratory Easter meal, Absler recommends her Strata with Brie and Fresh Herbs, which has long been a favorite for brunches. Similar to a bread souffle, Absler’s strata is a savory concoction of bread, cheese, herbs and ham. One of the most important ingredients, of course, are the eggs, which give it body and height.

“In terms of it being a centerpiece for an Easter brunch, it’s very springy,” Absler said. “It’s got chives, tarragon and other flavors so you have the earthy flavors of spring to contrast with the very rich flavors of the eggs and the brie.”

But if you want to keep it simple this holiday, why not consider an easy omelet topped with grated cheese and grilled vegetables?

“It doesn’t have to be over easy with bacon,” Steinberg said. “Think outside the shell.”

About a month ago, the Lake County Journal received a suggestion that the Mystery Diner visit Egg Harbor Cafe in Libertyville or Lincolnshire.

As this week’s Mystery Diner, I was open to suggestions. So, off to the Libertyville eatery I went.

It was a beautiful Monday, and my dining companion and I were hungry. When we arrived at the Egg Harbor Cafe in downtown Libertyville – located on Lake Street just off of Route 21 – the place was bustling.

We were seated in a long booth next to a window. A pitcher of ice water with lemon was already on the table, and our waitress took our orders for coffee right away.

After looking at the menu, I opted to order the Egg Salad Melt – homemade egg salad on grilled sourdough bread with tomato, avocado and melted jack and cheddar cheeses – for $7.95. The melt also came with Harbor potatoes and a small side salad with poppy-seed dressing.

My dining companion ordered the Skinny Rösti, a meal comprised of fresh spinach, mushrooms, red and green peppers, onions and grated potatoes that were baked in egg whites and topped with salsa and low-fat Mozzarella cheese. That cost $8.45 and came with an English muffin and side of fresh fruit.

Our dishes came out quickly and were delicious.

“[My meal] had a good mix of flavors,” my dining companion said of the Skinny Rösti. “The salsa was a really good addition to the eggs and vegetables.”

“And there were some big pieces of vegetable, which was good to find,” my companion continued.

I loved the poppy-seed dressing on my side salad. And although I was full, I couldn’t help but eat the second half of my melt. There was just enough egg salad on the sandwich, and the slices of tomato and avocado were perfect.

Other items I would like to have tried off of the Egg Harbor menu included Cinnamon Roll French Toast, Quiche Lorraine and Chicken Pecan Dijon Salad.

The restaurant does offer catering and – to my delight – will give you a cup of coffee to go once you’re heading out the door. That’s a service I have not seen anywhere else and will definitely tell my friends about.

If you go …

What: Egg Harbor Cafe
Where: 125 Lake St. in Libertyville (for details on more than a dozen other locations, visit www.eggharborcafe.com)
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily
Contact: 847-680-3610 or www.eggharborcafe.com
[img]http://eggharborcafe.com/UserFiles/Image/Egg%20Salad%20Melt.jpg[/img]

http://www.lakecountyjournals.com/articles/2010/03/31/49998623/index.xml

Here’s what readers said in response to Friday’s Food Question and other comments readers made in e-mails to the Register Star and comments at go.rrstar.com:

Ron Gottschalk of Rockford: “I think the friendliest wait staff in Rockford is at Egg Harbor. They make you feel like part of their family. They are always smiling, attentive to your needs, and accommodating to any reasonable request. With Cindy, Reese, Victor, Brynn, Renee, Sinuhe, Colleen, Shawna, Alex, Carol, Meghan and Amy, you don’t feel like you’re eating in a restaurant but instead a friend’s warm and welcoming kitchen. Four stars for the servers and hostesses at Egg Harbor Rockford.”

Cheri Eagleson of Rockford places another vote for Egg Harbor: “At the Rockford Egg Harbor Cafe, you are treated very good there. The servers are always very friendly. Because my mother, father and I are fairly regular customers, they know our names and will greet us with our names.

“They are always coming back asking if we need anything like extra napkins, more refills, how everything tastes, etc. I try to get to know all the servers’ names that have waited on us before as well, such as Renee, Victor, Reese, Elaine, Brynn, Chrissy, Cindy and many others that I am probably forgetting the names of at this moment. I also try to remember the managers’ names as well, such as Shelby, Amy, Renee, Carol.”

http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x182993493/Food-Comments-Readers-pick-friendliest-local-service

In October 2009, we implemented a new program at Egg Harbor Cafe called “Pay It Forward “.

It all began a few months earlier at our restaurant in Lincolnshire, IL. We noticed that a man who came in to eat was wearing a bracelet that said “Pay It Forward ” and became curious as to what it meant. We asked and he explained that in these turbulent times with the bad economy, high unemployment and stressed job security, practicing the “pay it forward” philosophy helps people feel good about themselves and their ability to control something in this crazy world. The hope is that when you do something for someone, rather than paying you back, they pay it forward by passing goodwill on to others. The ultimate goal is that they will do something good for three people, and then those individuals will do something for three people, and the world will become an exponentially better place.

Following this encounter, the Egg Harbor Café in Lincolnshire, IL set up a “Pay It Forward ” bowl at their front register to collect spare change from anyone moved to throw something in. These funds were then donated to a charity at the end of the month. It was such a simple idea, yet so powerful, and the response was tremendous.

In October 2009, the company-wide “Pay It Forward ” program was born. All 15 Egg Harbor Café locations are currently participating by placing a “Pay It Forward ” jar at their registers to collect any donations customers or employees are moved to put in. Whether it is a few pennies or a few dollars, every bit adds up to help make the world a little better place. And good news! The corporate office will match 10% of the total money donated each month!

Make sure to check out the “Pay It Forward ” section of our website regularly to see what is being accomplished through this program!

If you have an idea for a charity you would like to see Egg Harbor Café “Pay It Forward ” to at some point, please send a the name, contact information, and a brief description of the organization to us at payitforward@eggharborcafe.com.

Egg Harbor Cafe in Barrington recently started Pay It Forward, a program in which the restaurant supports a different charity or cause each month with a donation box at the host stand.

Egg Harbor’s program this month is benefiting Rosie Colucci, a 5-year-old Palatine girl with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that can cause tumors to grow throughout the body. Colucci is also participating in Chicago’s Dance Marathon for Children’s Memorial Hospital in March, and will share her story on stage.

To make a donation, go to kidsmiracles.org/rosiesrockers or learn more about Rosie at researchforrosie.com.

[img]http://eggharborcafe.com/UserFiles/Image/Rosie%20Colucci%20web.jpg[/img]
Rosie Colucci

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=362016

Sure, it might sound nutty, but walnuts can protect the heart of the one who makes your heart flutter, keeping him or her healthy and around for many more holidays to come.

Walnuts contain high amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 essential fatty acid that has been linked to heart health. They also are high in antioxidants and fiber, other nutritional components deemed heart-healthy.

According to various studies, a handful of walnuts a day can reduce bad cholesterol levels while raising good cholesterol, decrease blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

Not only are walnuts good for you, they taste good and can be used in a variety of sweet and savory ways.

At Egg Harbor Cafe in Glenview, chef Jon Steinberg tosses toasted walnuts on caramely French toast and at Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights, the husband-wife team of chefs Michael and Susan Maddox pairs walnuts with rich dark chocolate (another antioxidant-rich food) for a decadent tart.

On the savory side, walnuts add earthy crunch to salads and create a toasty coating for salmon, pork or chicken.

Steinberg suggests subbing walnuts for pine nuts in pesto, creating a chopped walnut crust for a goat cheese log, adding candied walnuts to a cheese tray or sprinkling chopped walnuts over a poached pear.

Try them in bread, from quick banana to whole wheat, stir them into hot or cold cereals or toast them – 350 degrees for about eight minutes – for a satisfying snack.

Your heart, and your sweetheart, will thank you.

To view the original article, visit http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=356561 .