The Egg Carton (Part 2)

(Original Review -- June 2012)

On June 23, I returned to The Egg Carton, basically because Sarah and Tim are masters at luring me to eat a gluttonous breakfast. Granted, I'd do it anyway, but when you basically make a near-3-pound "dessert" for a breakfast item, I had to somehow turn it into an unofficial food challenge.

At this rate, I'll be amazed if the panda doesn't get diabetes in the next five years. I mean, serving Devil's Food chocolate pancakes is one thing, but then to offer a "Devil's Tower" of five pancakes just makes any sweet tooth succumb to the sheer food porn that awaits.

The "Devil's Tower" is actually not on the menu
But you can get a more normal-sized portion ($7) if you want!

Oh, and for your sugary pleasure, let's add macerated strawberries and tons of chocolate syrup between each pancake, top it with a cloud of whipped cream, more chocolate syrup, and chocolate chips. I figure if I wish hard enough, I can convince myself it's fat free and sugar free.

As a note, the "Devil's Tower" was not on the menu, but basically was $12. The more normal-sized portion of this weekly special (just two pancakes) was $7.

Hey, let's add a side of bacon! Only two strips, but still enough meat crack to make everything better.

Devil's Tower, plus two strips of bacon
(The Egg Carton)

Just under three pounds of food (2 lbs, 11+ oz.)

It weighed slightly less than three pounds, not really much of a quantity challenge. While I could have upped the stakes and asked for more food, I figured Oregon could use more speed challenges. I massacred everything -- pancakes and bacon -- in about four minutes. Think you can eat this meal faster? I'm sure there are a bunch who can, especially if they are professional eaters.

Of course, I videotaped my food destruction. Sorry ladies, this doesn't look pretty. Tim watched on the side, just out of the camera's view.

Even as I blitzed through the copious amounts of starch, fruit, chocolate, and whipped cream, I still enjoyed every bite. The pancakes were extremely light, going down the hatch very easily because it soaked up all that chocolate and the saucy strawberries. The dish was not as sweet as I thought it would be, leaving me pleasantly surprised. Perhaps that's another reason why I could motor so quickly through everything. Overly sweet = immediate panda coma. Not here.

OK, so I fought the food coma on the way home, but hey, it took a while to kick in.

Before I turned into a pancake savage, I also drank some coffee here. Sarah offers Cellar Door Coffee, probably a light to medium roast here. It works for people that need that invigorating caffeinated punch in the morning. Personally, I'd rather get jolted with a bold, dark-roasted, full-bodied cup o' Joe.

One of my friends enjoyed the FoPo Cristo, the very item I raved about on my first visit. I'm glad the cristo stayed on the menu.

This Devil's Tower won't be on the menu all the time, mainly because strawberries are a seasonal fruit. But I would love it if pancakes remained on the menu, rotating pancake flavors and seasonal fruit items. Another food challenge idea: simply increase the number of pancakes and strips of bacon. Seemingly endless possibilities!

I'd definitely like to try the Eggs Benedict and the French Toast, two main menu items that have eluded my mighty panda jaw so far.

If you're a breakfast fan like me, head to this food cart! 8.75/10