Morning glory

I wouldn’t say I was a “regular” at the downtown Peg’s on Sierra Street, but I do end up eating there once every other month or so. I usually find it worth enduring the long waits, high prices, crappy paintings and lack of elbow room for the large servings, good food and friendly service. Since Peg’s is almost always totally packed, I wasn’t surprised to learn that they’ve added a second location in northwest Reno. My dad I went for brunch to check it out.

Meet the new Peg’s, same as the old Peg’s. The new location is a little bit more spacious than its downtown counterpart, but it’s essentially the same. You’ll still need to wait for at least 10 minutes for a table, unless, of course, you want to sit at the elevated table right by the front door and enjoy the constant rush of cold air and hungry brunchers. We refused it, as did at least three other waiting duos.

I really like the cross section of population that you see at the downtown Peg’s. Go in on, say, a Sunday morning, and you’ll see the after-church crowd and the haven’t-gone-to-sleep-and-still-drunk crowd mingling in perfect harmony. The suburban location of this new Peg’s makes for a more gentrified clientele, but the place was still packed.

After we were seated, my dad said, “I think I’m going to have the huevos rancheros. The menu says it’s ‘Peg’s number one breakfast.’ They don’t say what number two is.” He asked our waiter for the “number one breakfast,” and the guy knew what he meant. Peg’s glorified huevos rancheros ($8.50) is a lot of food. It’s served in a skillet with eggs and salsa, black beans, hash browns, tortillas and the impressive pico de gallo. Great stuff. Number one for a reason.

I had the Georges’ benedict ($10.50): chorizo patties with chipotle hollandaise. It’s a more unusual offering that’s definitely a stimulating set of flavor sensations. If you like your breakfast intense, this is a good choice.

They also have a lunch menu, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone order from it. Breakfast is the focus. We were there from about 11:15 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m., and my dad noted that it was actually slower after noon, when most places get a lunchtime boost.

Peg’s has its rabid devotees, who will no doubt be appalled at my gall and hubris for saying this, but Peg’s is overrated. It’s a good little breakfast nook with some impressive dishes, but the adulation it receives can be excessive. The fans get into such a fervor that you’d think Peg invented the omelette. It gets mentioned as the best breakfast in town so often that it’s becoming a cliche. There are at least four places in town that do breakfast as well or better.

Don’t get me wrong, I like this place, and perhaps I’m just reacting to the hype because I’m a natural born contrarian. But one definition of “glorify” in my Webster’s is “to treat as being more splendid, excellent, etc., than would normally be considered.” That makes the “Glorified” in the name seem especially apropos. As my dad said, “after all, it’s just pigs and hen fruit.” Overrated, but still good.