[UPDATE October 2022: this location of SuperChef’s has closed, but the Gahanna location is open!]
SuperChef’s Breakfast & More (Facebook / @SuperChefsOhio)
199 E. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 221-9663
Open 7a-2p
Accepts cash & credit/debit
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/N/N
Kid-friendly? Y
Visited: Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 12:30pm
We recently hit up the new-ish SuperChef’s for a Sunday brunch. I wrote about the busy little downtown eatery for the Daily Crave blog here; take a look for a little bit of their history, plus a highlight of their dishes. We arrived for lunch just after noon on Sunday, and the place was positively humming with activity. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a four-top to open up; at that time on a Sunday, you can expect a surge from the after-church crowd. Meanwhile, we watched servers dashing to and fro with big, beautiful plates of food.
SuperChef’s is one long room with a front facing East Broad Street. Three rows of tables extend back into the space, and outside are two tables with umbrellas. A couple big windows in the back let you watch the SuperChefs themselves in action.
It’s a real flurry of activity. The chefs and servers are decked out in bright hats and shirts with logos.
Let me just say this: SuperChef’s really goes for the “super” in their title, meaning that they go over-the-top with their meals, like a colorful and delightful comic book. The restaurant name, I learned, is a title given to the owner Darnell Ferguson. He was a chef at the 2008 Olympics, and so was dubbed “SuperChef.” So I think the food is best approached with a sense of humor and fun. After a pre-visit glance at their website, I knew we’d be ordering the red velvet pancakes. These are honestly just straight-up slices of red velvet cake. But if they want to layer it with cream cheese, put syrup on it, and call them pancakes, I’m okay with that. Our family devoured these pretty quickly: they’re sweet but not overwhelmingly so, and very soft.
We went savory, too, with the SuperChef’s eggs benedict. The title “benedict” can only be loosely applied. There’s nothing of the English muffin/poached egg/hollandaise sort. Instead, it’s a deep bowl of spicy red pepper grits, covered with rich house-made sausage, cheese, and two fried eggs. Because it’s served in such a steep bowl, the grease from the cheese, sausage, and grits gathers around the edges. But, well, fat is flavor, so it certainly tastes good. I love a good runny yolk, and the grits and sausage are both very well seasoned.
We delved a little into the lunch menu as well, with an eye toward the sweet and sour burger, a sizeable burger – cooked just right – with chunky pulled pork in sweet and sour sauce. I didn’t really taste the hot crab spread that the menu includes, I think mainly because the sweet and sour sauce dominates everything.
That note aside, it’s still a great burger. The beef and the pork are very tender and juicy. I love the toasted bun, and the side of fries are thick cut and seasoned just right.
We finished the meal with dessert… er, more breakfast. While we waited for our table, we watched order after order of waffles come out of the kitchen. So we tried the Elvis Waffle. Just listen to the ingredient list: waffles with candied bacon in the batter, sliced bananas, peanut butter, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.
This is the sort of treat you have just once in a while for breakfast, but oh, what a treat. The kitchen team cuts the waffles into quarters and stacks them on the plate; they come out like a little tower of sweet breakfasty delights. As over-the-top this dish might be, it’s still expertly constructed. The waffles are crispy, and the toppings are applied in the appropriate amounts.
We really enjoyed our experience at SuperChef’s. The dishes are delightfully crazy, but they were fun to eat and very well put together. The price point is a little higher (expect anywhere from $8-12 for a meal), but the portions are big and easy to split. There’s also a ton of other stuff on the menu: omelets, more crazy pancakes and French toast, and quesadillas. We are certainly excited to return, and I hope Chef Darnell and his crew stay as busy as they were that Sunday.
