When it comes to food, I’m generally not a texture type of guy. I care about design and taste. As long as a burger looks appetizing and tastes like, well, a burger, I couldn’t care less if there happens to be ketchup and mustard dripping off soggy buns. No apologies for my prehistoric meal standards.

However, when I had brunch at Eggspectation in Silver Spring, Md., my texture buds came out of their 19-year hibernation and rocked the innards of my mouth. I am happy to say that the dish responsible for this pleasant surprise is the “Smoked Salmon Benny,” the franchise’s take on smoked salmon Eggs Benedict. 

Before I had the opportunity to taste what would become an instant classic, the vibrant, buzzing atmosphere of Eggspectation impressed me. I’d been there multiple times and enjoyed my breakfast each time, and I was relatively excited to come back to what might be the best breakfast place within 30 minutes of my home. The only downfall is you may have to wait for your food a little longer than most restaurants, but each meal has been worth the wait thus far.

Despite my 5th grade realization of my love for eggs, I had never eaten the main player in this particular meal before: poached egg. And I’m not sure if I can ever eat it anywhere else.

Regardless of how great the poached egg tasted, the meal went from good to fantastic because of the franchise’s famous hollandaise sauce. Painted atop the egg with the perfect brush, the sauce was creamy, thick, egg-y and juicy, and complemented the red onion and caper garnish sprinkled on top. The salmon was introduced in the following layer under the sauce. It was soft, but not so much that it was lost among the other ingredients. The dish still managed to maintain a certain crunch to balance out the texture. I’m not a big seafood fan, but perfectly smoked wild sockeye salmon can be delicious, and Eggspectation did not disappoint.

The Benny’s base was a multi-grain biscuit, which is an ingenious move to add one more form of texture to the dish without sacrificing taste. Taking a bite of the Benny that included each ingredient was a real treat because I was able to distinctly recognize each part of the dish. I think that it’s rare to experience all the pieces of a meal so specifically, and that’s why it was such a special brunch at Eggspectation.

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Location: 923 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Hours of operation: Mon-Sat: 7am-10pm, Sun: 7am-9:30pm