A quick note before the review:
Back to your regularly scheduled Review:
57 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, NY, 10601 (Map)
Attendees: Sylvia, Shelley, Reid, Andrew
Sylvia
As a worker bee in White Plains, I have known the Iron Tomato as a pretty decent lunch spot for gourmet sandwiches and Italian groceries (I recently found they sell Marscapone cheese by the 1 pound tubful at a very reasonable price). Passing by a little while ago, I noticed some sign advertising that they have started selling breakfast, but alas, no breakfast menu was available. So I figured this would be worthy of a WBC investigation.
In a deli setting, my instinct is to order a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich, but I did notice that they listed pancakes on the handwritten board shown through their side window (and just a side note to the Iron Tomato, if you want people to come in for breakfast, you might want to put that sign in the windows facing Mamaroneck. No one walks down that side street to notice it). In the name of research, I went with the pancakes along with two scrambled eggs. According to that same board, they said they had blueberry pancakes. However, when I ordered blueberry pancakes, I was told they have no blueberries, regular pancakes only. Second week in a row I’ve been thwarted of my fresh blueberries!
After my order was filled, I carried the super hot plate of three very large pancakes and scrambled eggs over to the coffee counter to pay. I also got a Spiced Chai Tea by Stash. My order came out to under $10, with the plate of pancakes and eggs coming out to a whopping $4.99.
Those pancakes were huge! And a stack of three was more than enough. They weren’t bad at all. Especially at $4.99. They could have spent just a touch more time on the griddle, but at least the middle was cooked. They were cooked just enough where it was still moist and not dry. The edges were just starting to crisp up, and even though it was just a touch on the gummy side, I really enjoyed them. The syrup was served on the side, and I don’t think it was real maple syrup, but was no Log Cabin colored sugar water either.
The eggs were not necessary given the size of the pancakes. They were also on the over-cooked and over-scrambled end, but still edible.
For a self serve deli, this was actually a rather nice place to grab some breakfast in White Plains. The price point is a bit higher than other delis around, but the atmosphere and quality of food make up for it.
The czar says: Given our history of breakfasting in White Plains, this was a breath of fresh air. For a work day breakfast sandwich, I will still be loyal to Anthonys Deli on Martine, but for a quick (or slow) non- fussy breakfast I don’t have to eat at my desk, the Iron Tomato is a good choice. Just know what you want beforehand.
Shelley
One Sunday morning four fabulous friends gathered over breakfast and gabbed about dating, men, and krav maga. An episode of Sex and the City? Nope, just another episode of the WBC. (And in case you’re wondering, no, the WBC talking about dating is nothing like the Sex and the City gals talking about dating. Unless you’ve seen an episode of Sex and the City in which Reid bawks like a chicken.)
On to the food.
I’ve gotten lunch from Iron Tomato several times, and have never been disappointed. The quality of the food has always been fresh and quite flavorful. I’ve also enjoyed their delectable selection of gelato from time to time. Iron Tomato is also a gourmet shop, and from their shop you can purchase a variety of Italian groceries, including (wait for it) a gallon of Nutella.
But, how would they do for breakfast?
When we walked in this drizzly Sunday morning, we looked around near the deli counter for some sort of breakfast menu. There was none. I got the attention of the two women behind the counter and said we wanted to order breakfast, one of them came over and asked what we’d like. I said I’d like scrambled eggs and asked what it would come with. The woman told me that it doesn’t come with anything, there are no breakfast dishes, every item is sold individually. So, I would have to combine whatever items I wanted to make a cohesive breakfast. Midway through my ordering I changed my mind and instead got an egg and sausage sandwich on a roll (instead of getting my original egg/sausage/toast platter).
The food was very fresh, cooked to order in full view. My sandwich was served to me fresh from the griddle, piping hot. There was plenty of seating available this morning and we settled into a table next to the window. (There is also seating available outdoors when the weather is nice.) My sandwich was delicious. The quality was high, with fresh ingredients. The eggs were well-cooked, the sausage patty was pleasantly spiced, and the roll was fresh and flaky. And the price couldn’t be beat; my sandwich and my bottle of apple juice came in at $4 and change.
Well, Iron Tomato succeeds again. I was very pleased with my sandwich, both in terms of the food and the price. For those living in White Plains, or for those who work in White Plains and want to grab some breakfast before heading to the office, I would highly recommend the Iron Tomato. The sign on the window says breakfast is served all day. (And you can pick up that gallon of Nutella while you’re there, too.)
Reid
The Case: The Iron Tomato v. The Westchester Breakfast Club
The Venue: Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains
The Facts: I’m very glad that I was able to make it to the Iron Tomato this week. It’s always good to catch the latest episode of my favorite sitcom, “Shelley’s Adventures in Internet Dating.” Also, I think I learned some valuable lessons for when I inevitably quit my job at Skadden and buy a food truck.
Lesson 1. Don’t force people standing at the counter at 10 am to guess what they can order and how much it will cost. And no, putting a sign with this information on the outside wall of your establishment that is NOT the same wall that has the entrance to your establishment does not fix this problem, though your customers futilely attempting to read the sign off a friend’s digital camera will occupy them for a few minutes.
Lesson 2. If you hold yourself out as a purveyor of gourmet food, that should be at least a little bit reflected in your food offerings. At least throw in the word “organic” somewhere.
Lesson 3. Don’t make people stand at the counter waiting to be attended to when they’re the only ones in the entire restaurant. (Myong Cafe, you should pay attention to this one too). You can leave them for three minutes, at most, and that’s only if you’ve ignored Lesson 1 and they’re busy trying to read the breakfast “menu” off a digital camera.
Lesson 4. When cooking breakfast for four people, you don’t need to wait until one breakfast is fully cooked and served before starting the next breakfast. Unless your griddle top is less than six square inches, it can handle two eggs at once. This will also allow you to cook the eggs all the way through if that is the customer’s request.
The Verdict: For a breakfast place, the Iron Tomato makes a passable grocery store.
Andrew
From the outside, the Iron Tomato looks like a regular ‘ole gourmet deli. No one would have known there was breakfast to be had if it were not for this hand written poster in the windows that Sylvia pointed out. Once inside, the first thing you see is a counter with pastries, coffee machines, and a register. To the left of that, deeper into the store, you see the refrigerated displays with various meats and pasta salads. It is here that you order breakfast. It appears that breakfast is a new thing for them as it is not advertised anywhere except on that hand written sign in the window. There’s no menu board or anything. You pretty much just tell the people behind the counter all the ingredients you want in your breakfast and they’ll make it.
Even with the a-la-carte pricing, it comes out pretty reasonable. I had French toast with scrambled eggs and a sausage patty, all for $5.99. The scrambled eggs were a little messy, they were scrambled on the griddle, leaving lots of little yellow and white egg chunks without much seasoning. I would prefer they were scrambled in a bowl to obtain a consistently yellow color, and then poured on the griddle to produce a single mass of scrambled eggs. The French toast was prepared well, slices of fresh white bread covered in a good French toast batter and cooked perfectly.
The Iron Tomato would do well with a fixed breakfast menu, it would speed the process up a lot more if you could order by the number. The ample seating in the front of the store makes it a perfect place to enjoy a breakfast and a conversation. The reasonable pricing and good food would make this place a good regular morning stop.