A surprising breakfast dish and comforting menu shine at a teensy Traverse City restaurant, Frenchies Famous.
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Brunch out can sometimes be a gird-your-loins experience—long waits, loud tables, huge menus, the clink of drinks (adding to the loud factor) and plates piled high with enough food to feed a human for the whole day.
But breakfast at Frenchies Famous is the anti-brunch: Slow food made from scratch, served slowly in a doll’s house–sized storefront that can barely hold five tables, a few more if the weather’s fine and diners spill onto the back patio.
Chef/owner French Clements and wife, Alisa, have helmed this tiny storefront with a cult following for more than 15 years, nurturing its sleepy, unpretentious vibe. The lunch crowd has long revered the pastrami Reuben, but the couple also serves a scratch-made breakfast menu that’s deliciously streamlined.
Start with a coffee—the espresso drinks are especially good, with not-too-sweet mocha and caramel lattes (made with sauces, not syrups) as standout treats. A dirty chai is another good pick, with some warming spice, but a plain “mug o’ mud” will also set you right.
A pastrami Monte Cristo, biscuits and jam, crêpes with Greek yogurt and a host of tempting omelettes like chorizo with caramelized onion are an option until 11 a.m., when the menu pivots to lunch offerings, but one staple remains on both: the Egyptian breakfast beans.
On a recent visit, my friend Emily and I meant to sample and share, but neither of us could pass up the breakfast beans and each ordered our own. This ancient breakfast is a light stew that makes for a delicious departure from eggs and pork-forward options. Fava and garbanzos swim in a delicate sauce bright with olive oil, garlic, lemon and cumin, topped with diced tomatoes and feta, hugged by a side of fresh-baked focaccia. Opt to add a fried egg and it’s just enough oomph for a brunch dish without leaving you stuffed—a plan well-played, because that leaves room for a housemade chocolate chip cookie with flaky sea salt, perfect for sharing just a few more buttery bites.
