A Bellaire restaurant came up a little short in its quest to serve America’s best breakfast. Although Good Morning America did not select Dandelion Cafe’s chicken and waffle as the winner of its United States of Breakfast competition, the restaurant stood tall on the national stage.
A panel of celebrity judges — consisting of lifestyle expert Carson Kressley, Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran, chef Leah Cohen, and TV food personality Adam Richman — awarded the title, and a check for $10,000, to the pastrami, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich prepared by Philadelphia restaurant Middle Child.
Represented by its owners, husband-and-wife chef JC Ricks and founder Sarah Lieberman, Dandelion earned a vote from Corcoran. Richman waffled (sorry) between Dandelion and Middle Child before siding with Kressley and voting for the pastrami sandwich.
“I’m a Brooklyn guy. I practice the Jew-craft. I’m telling you, the pastrami — for me to give Philly love on pastrami, it’s remarkable,” Richman said during the segment.
Boston’s North Street Grill earned Cohen’s vote for its Banana Bourbon French Toast. Cleveland’s Grumpy’s Cafe served a breakfast hash.
As a reminder, Dandelion advanced to the competition’s finals by besting Midtown favorite The Breakfast Klub in a chicken and waffle battle. Chef Ricks tells CultureMap that he created his recipe — a cornbread-buttermilk waffle that’s topped with a spicy maple butter and paired with a 24-hour marinated chicken that’s breaded in a mix of rice and all-purpose flour — specifically for the show. Dandelion has been serving (and selling out of) its chicken and waffle all week.
"We may not have taken home the grand prize, but we still consider this journey and surreal experience to be a huge win for us," Ricks said in a statement "We are extremely proud to represent our city in front of the country and hold the title of best breakfast in Houston, and it's absolutely a win in our book to be in the top four breakfast spots in America. We can't wait to get back to Houston to serve you all."
Dandelion is poised to build on the momentum of this week's media attention. The restaurant has identified a location in the Heights that will allow it to expand to a second location. Details on the address and timing will be released in the coming weeks.
Photo by Pop Studios PR
Owners JC Ricks and Sarah Lieberman represented Dandelion Cafe.
Watch the whole segment in the clip below:
