my first experience at deagan's. i went on a late sunday morning to have brunch with my mother. we went in thebackentrance and walked up the stairs where we saw a young girl in her sunday dress waving and smiling. she belonged to a family that was waiting for a table, and i noticed it was fairly packed for a sunday afternoon. at first, i was told there was going to be a twenty minute wait. however, an employee came over to inform us that we actually could be seated right away. she double checked that the tables were clean and we followed her to the table. instantly i felt welcomed. as i walked to the table, i noticed large groups of people, co-workers or friends at the bar, and families dressed up presumably coming from church. there was reclaimed hard wood floor and a mix-match of chairs at the tables which were all reused sturdy wooden chairs. i took my seat at a high top table, which i must admit felt slightly small. however, this is probably my only complaint. two entrees and an appetizer would have barely fit, and that does not leave room for a purse or any other belongings. keep in mind it was the only the high top tables that were like this; the bar and regular tables looked like they had a surplus amount of room. i took a glance at everybody else in the room which consisted of smiling families, a group of young adults around high school or college age, and friends at the bar. i did not notice any complaints or unhappy faces. i also watched the waitresses bring out food and noticed that all of the portions were huge. so far, great portions and great service to match.
anisa, the waitress, came over to the table. energetic and friendly, she informed us about the food, create your own bloody mary station, and mimosa's which were the special at the time. she offered to bring waters while we perused the menu. deagan's menu does change, but they are known for several dishes. their menu was only somewhat small, but for a menu that changes frequently and worries more about quality than quantity, a complaint should not be necessary there. some words were foreign on the menu, but fairly easy to figure out. one thing i greatly admired about the menu was that i could easily tell that the chef cared about the quality of the ingredients used in all of the dishes. the food did not contain pesticides or hormones, the chicken was amish, the maple syrup all from ohio, and the cheese from great lakes cheese company. using local ingredients does mean that seasonality would effect what courses can be served, but the restaurant seems to have no trouble keeping clientele with a changing menu. in fact, it is often exciting and new. what's also great was that the prices were incredibly reasonable. an entree ranged from $10-15. personally, i thought this was fabulous considering the giant portions you get and the excellent quality of the food.
after reviewing the menu in depth, i finally settled on the classic chicken and waffle, which i thought was appropriate for my brunch. this included a fluffy belgian waffle on which fried chicken sits, with a side of cayenne butter and ohio blackberry maple syrup. i also ordered their famous house made donuts with mixed berry preserves as well. my mother ordered a canadian bacon quiche with "insalata" (salad). we also ordered a tropical mimosa, which consisted of part champagne and part orange juice.
it did not take long before the house made donuts came. the small bite-sized donuts arrived in a small white bowl with newspaper to cradle them, which i thought was unique and cute. they were covered (but not smothered) with cinnamon and powdered sugar. the berry preserves that were served with it was a perfect companion, providing a fresh and slightly tart flavoring to the sweet, sugary donuts. right as we were on our last one, our entrees came! the timing was great, and i never thought that i was waiting too long for my food. the portions looked huge, and i could feel the steam coming off from the chicken, the aroma wafting in the air. upon the first bite, i was instantly amazed at how well the flavors blended together. my mouth watered immediately at the delicious taste. the waffle was perfectly cooked, the chicken was wonderfully soft with a sweet, crispy coating. the ohio blackberry maple syrup had a savory, rustic taste to it which i was very pleased by. i swiped one of my bites in the cayenne butter, which was served as a cold dollop on the side of the waffle. i was not prepared for the after taste of the cream, which was then spicy. it was a surprising kick, which still complimented all the other flavors. i would have never thought to have mixed together a waffle, chicken, blackberry syrup, and cayenne butter. thankfully, the flavors worked very well together. although i did not try any of my mother's canadian bacon quiche or the salad, the portion looked great. it also looked fresh, and the salad was very crisp and clean.
our waitress came several times through out the evening. it never seemed like too much, but i didn't feel ignored either. at one point, she talked with us for several minutes about her love for the food and how she liked where all the food came from. i could tell she believed in the passion that the chef had for the food. she was extremely fun, polite, and knowledgable. after paying for the check, we walked out the front door to get a feel of the neighborhood. upon leaving, i glanced around the restaurant. there were petite lights hanging over the tables with paintings on them, there were chalkboard signs on the wall with all the different quality beers they served, and beneath that was the create your own bloody mary station.
i can see myself coming here in the future for an event such as a late night meal with friends or a significant other, a small celebration, or to meet with co-workers. the music was at a good level and even with the conversation in the restaurant i could still keep up a conversation while talking at a normal level. what makes this restaurant so appealing was the excellent service, the price for the portion and quality of food, and the comfortable ambiance. when you go to deagan's you can't go wrong!