Annamarie’s on Main: A Breakfast Extravaganza

St. Theresa’s Blue-Ribbon Blueberry Pancakes

“If It Ain’t Annamarie’s, It Ain’t Breakfast!” What an apt motto for a restaurant that serves breakfast on steroids. This Birdsboro locale gets jam-packed with foodies who love to wake up well; it’s common to see 20 folks lined up outside sometimes. If you adore breakfast and brunchy foods, get ready for a tasty, uber-satisfying challenge across the spectrum — and not just omelets (with names like Porker, Angry and Memphis) but pancakes and “pancake stackers,” French toast (stuffed and unstuffed), Benedicts, waffles (including Chicken and Waffles) — and so much more. Owner Annamarie has perfected the art of imaginative cuisine with stellar combinations of ingredients that are flavored, arranged and presented in smart, mouthwatering platters.

Clearly, she’s the queen of the combo, judging by the likes of Avocado Toast made with grilled challah bread, melted Swiss and arugula, plus two eggs any style (with a side of home fries) — but her many offerings also please people who bear more traditional, straightforward tastes.

The Messy Scrambler, Touch Down & The Slammer

Start, for example, with the Messy Scrambler. This one’s for that person who just can’t make up their mind — someone who’s chronically torn between getting SOS (i.e., creamed chipped beef on toast or potatoes) or maybe a Western omelet or just scrambled eggs with cheese and/or bacon (or maybe sausage instead?). No worries here! All the flavors you love come in one huge, beautiful mountain with this feature.

The plate loads deliciously scrambled eggs with bacon, sausage, fresh-chopped onions and green peppers on top of home fries, topped with cheddar cheese and — at last — SOS. Asked, “Does anybody ever finish this plate?” The server, Sonia, replies: “I have one customer who does!"

Indeed, the servings are generous for every dish here. What’s amazing about the Messy Scrambler is that diners can really taste all of the separate flavors as each element is expertly prepared with care, attention and proper temperature. The creamy smoothness of SOS white gravy joins with eggs and peppers, then mixes with the potato taste and texture, which gives way to cheesy satisfaction mingled with bacon, jumping back to sausage, and around to onion-y eggs, and on and on. It’s not exhausting, but rather very fun — like a rowdy square dance where you’re going do-si-do one minute, then swinging your partner, then circling left, then changing partners in a right and left grand, and round the circle you go as the fiddle plays on. At some point, you will (probably) give up. And there will be plenty left over for days after you get home!

The Touch Down competes well for an eating match. It’s three eggs done your favorite way plus Annamarie’s fabulously browned home fries, toast (many choices, from tangy sourdough to rye, kaiser roll to raisin), two meats (yes, really), silver dollar-sized pancakes and — just to push to the limit so you can claim every entertainment the mouth can stand — two pieces of luscious French toast.

Sandwiches include The Slammer made with ham, cheddar cheese and eggs between two slices of Texas Toast-style French toast. Eggwhite Sammy enlivens egg whites with spinach, savory sun-dried tomato and provolone on wheat toast for an uber-healthy breakfast or brunch.

Salmon Benedict

“Most Known for Her Pancakes”

But that’s just the beginning of this breakfast story. According to Sonia, hundreds of fans are attracted to Annamarie’s pancakes. That truth is evidenced by a truly exciting number of options. There is plain, of course! Purists will taste for themselves how fluffy (yet substantial) and exceptionally authentic these homemade pancakes are. Naturally, there are some outrageous toppings to select from: chocolate chips, banana, blueberry, brown-sugared walnuts and pecans. The Cinnabun with Cream Cheese Glaze pancake is quite popular and stunningly decadent, as is the pancake stacker dubbed Chunky Monkey, chocolate and peanut butter chip pancakes topped with bananas, peanut butter sauce and fudge Snickerdoodle.

The Cinnabun Pancake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Blueberry pancakes made anywhere else could never come near Annamarie’s specialty dish named St. Theresa’s Blue-Ribbon Blueberry. This elegant plate is saintly indeed, a concoction dreamed up in a fantasy foodie universe where blueberry crumb pie comes to breakfast disguised as light pancakes about the size of a baby’s head. The pancakes themselves are made with a batter heavily dotted with plump, sweet berries, lovingly blanketed with a just-tart blueberry compote. Next, crunchy crumblies like the sort you’d find on a pie embellish the top, sprinkled with powdered sugar like a quick snowsquall. Sip of coffee, a forkful of pancakes, and then — surprise! Cream cheese oozes gently out of the center for a twist, a brilliant bit of salty tang to counter the sweet syrup while boosting the blueberry flavor.

Scrapple or Taylor Pork Roll, Anyone?

Berks County is all about the old-time meats, and two of those are scrapple and pork roll. Here are some amazing specials you’ll not find anywhere else: Scrapple Hash, a Benedict called Scrapplicious (scrapple topped with SOS) and Pork Roll Omelet.