Tulip Noir is a small, locally owned breakfast and lunch place near 86th and Ditch Rd.
Their big thing is their French press coffee as well as their enormous tea list. While several teas sounded intriguing (and they gave us a sample of a fragrant herbal tea that was on special), we both opted for the French press. I got the House Blend which was supposed to have a lower acidity, and Tim got the French roast, which was more bold. Each was a two cup press pot, and they were $3 each. Fun, and a pretty good pot of coffee! Really, we probably could have split a pot, but it's still cheaper than Starbucks.
Tim opted for Scott's Smokin' Bagel for his breakfast ($10.50). It was four-grain honey bagel with smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, red onion marmalade, capers, and spinach. As you can see in the picture, it was 'deconstructed'--not what Tim had expected. While it's interesting that you can select how much of which items you want on the sandwich, sometimes I just want the chef to put it together into a tasty sandwich FOR me. Still, Tim really enjoyed the flavors once it was all put together. (Side note--the dish did include a whole bagel--I believe Tim was holding the top half in this picture, and that's why it's missing.)
I had Andy's Eggs Benedict ($10.75). They were outstanding. Eggs Benedict isn't usually something I order, but on the limited Tulip Noir menu it stood out as sounding the best to me that day. And hoo-boy, it was delicious. The hollandaise sauce was buttery and tangy, the ham smokey and salty (as ham is), and the eggs added their rich yolks to the party (well, one of them did--the other was a touch overcooked. It was the only negative). All that was sitting on top of a wheat English muffin and a bed of greens that were DRESSED. Yay! Thank you for dressing your greens, Tulip Noir, and not just putting them on there all boring and plain. They were lightly dressed in a slightly tangy dressing that worked with the hollandaise to cut through the richness of the eggs and ham. On top were a few little purple chive flowers that gave just enough mild onion flavor (and looked pretty!).Our breakfast was not particularly cheap, but it was no more expensive than a place like Patachou, and it had better service than that local chain usually does. Service was very friendly, and the meal was filled with nice touches like the cucumber water we were served when we sat down, the tea samples, etc. It might not be an every day place for us, but every once in awhile we'll have to get over there!
Website: Tulip Noir
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