Vernon Hills' new Fried Egg Cafe puts flavorful spin on traditional brunch favorites

For those familiar with the Vernon Hills Town Center on the northwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Route 45, from the outside, Fried Egg Café looks a lot like the previous occupant. Fried Egg's transformation from the former Tom & Eddie's burger bar isn't exactly spectacular, with the "eggception" being the new sign above the bright orange awning in front.

No, the look hasn't changed much at all … until you open the menu.

If you're visiting in the morning, you'll find a wide array of breakfast favorites up and down Fried Egg Café's colorful menu. Omelettes, skillets, Benedicts, pancakes, waffles and yes, fried eggs, are all available. However, it's the unique spin on traditional dishes where Fried Egg Cafe is looking to carve its own neighborhood flavor niche.

For example, it was hard for me to resist the specialty pancake menu item highlighted in the bright green box on the bottom of the page. That's where I stumbled across the blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes. They did not disappoint. This stack of fluffy goodness features fresh blueberries-in-the-batter pancakes with a generous spread of lemon ricotta cheese on top, garnished with blueberry lemon coulis and blueberry compote on the side. The look matched the taste and definitely had the "wow" factor - or about as "wow" as pancakes can get.

If the lemon-blueberry combo isn't your thing, but you're still looking for pancake adventure, you might want to try the Chunky Monkey stack that features banana, chocolate chips and walnuts. There are also classic buttermilk pancakes and waffles if you want to stick with traditional breakfast fare. Or kick it up a notch with Fried Egg's classic Belgium waffle. There's also the fried chicken and waffle entree for breakfast fans with a hearty appetite.

My wingman on this breakfast mission was my teenage son, who probably wanted to order everything on the menu after playing for his high school intramural flag football team before brunch. He wanted eggs and got lots of them in the Farmers Market omelette.

When the omelette arrived at our table, it looked like a pillow of fresh, folded-over scrambled eggs brimming with arugula, fresh herbs, green onions and goat cheese. Salsa rojas and sour cream are added on top. All together, this is a heaping dish that could probably carry most people through to dinner.

If you are in a brunch/lunch mood, Fried Egg has plenty to pick from on its lunch menu. There is a wide selection of sandwiches, salads and burgers, including the promising strawberry spinach salad with goat cheese, walnuts and pomegranate cranberry dressing. And from the comfort food category, there's the gourmet grilled cheese featuring several mixed cheeses combined with avocado.

One thing to note if you're ordering any of the sandwiches or burgers: Fries don't automatically come with the dish. Adding a side of fries, a small soup or salad costs an extra two dollars. So if you "want fries with that," make sure you'll be able to clean your plate for the extra cost.

Although competition for your breakfast/brunch business is growing, it seems like you can never have enough places that serve fabulous breakfast dishes. In only a few months since opening its doors, Fried Egg Café is quickly trying to make a name for itself as a place where you'll find a unique twist on traditional favorites.

If there's anything else that you can safely spread blueberry and lemon-ricotta cheese on top of, Fried Egg Café will probably serve it … and I'll probably order it!

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Fried Egg Cafe

1260 Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, (847) 383-6643, facebook.com/FEvernonhills/

Setting: Bright cafe

Cuisine: American breakfast and lunch

Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.