4 minute read
In the Kitchen with Augie's
Augie’s Omelette and Waffle House
Where breakfast classics and creativity meet
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TEN YEARS have passed since Augie’s established itself on 9th and Atlantic, a location that's proven to be perfect spot for the omelette and waffle house. With the Boardwalk a stone’s throw away and the center of town a few blocks down, it lies on the sweet cusp of both main strips of the city.
“To me it is the perfect spot,” said owner Anna Augsberger, the ‘Miss Augie’ of Augie’s. “If people are going to the Boardwalk, to me it
Blueberry French Toast
is one of the best locations in Ocean City. This spot popped open, and I came over and decided to lease this.”
Being on the cusp of the two districts of town, Augie’s seems to take aspects from both sectors. Their menu encompasses the breakfast classics you can find in Ocean City eateries with the wackiness of the fun foods you can find on the Boardwalk.
“My breakfast menu is extensive,” said Anna. “I want to be different than other breakfast places because there are so many in town. We
offer a lot of varieties of omelettes, and the mini combo. I don't think there's a place in town where you can get a combo with an omelette and a half waffle!”
Omelettes at Augie’s are a treat. You can argue all you want about how pineapple does or does not belong on a pizza, but I can assure you that it does belong in an omelette. The Hawaiian omelette in the mini combo I ordered is an assembly of sautéed onions, ham, provolone cheese, and most importantly, the pineapple, and comes incredibly fluffy on the plate. Between sweet fruit and a nice fluffy, full egg, the omelette had me leaning back in my chair feeling good about what I just ate.
The secret behind the fullness of the omelette is the salamander broiler oven they use. While the eggs are cooked on a standard stove top, cook Chris will throw the pan in the salamander overhead for a few seconds, the heat helping the ingredients rise.
“The salamander cuts the omelette time down,” said Anna.
“We take pride in our omelettes here,” said Chris, who keeps a close eye on the eggs.
A moment too long in the salamander, even in the mere seconds they are in there, and the
eggs are overcooked.
“We are consistent and our omelettes do not fall apart. We do not serve brown omelettes either.”
The other half of the mini combo – the waffle – is the part of breakfast where Anna's creativity really shines. Who else would think of putting a carrot cake into a waffle?
With a basic carrot cake recipe: carrots, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a homemade cream cheese frosting – cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar blended to a frosting-like consistency – this waffle, and all the rest – on menu and on special, is unique and will spoil your taste buds.
“We have so many different kinds of omelettes, so we wanted to do the same thing with our waffles,” said Anna. “We were doing waffles 15 years ago. We didn't want your standard waffle with fruit on top. We wanted to do something interesting. We just started doing it and people liked it, so we went from there.”
The icing on the cake, (or the final flourish on the waffle) is the hot syrup that accompanies it. I enjoy plenty of syrup on my waffles and pancakes, but to pour it on hot?
Game changer.
Eggs can sit for a bit and still stay hot, but if you let a waffle sit long enough it doesn't really translate well. The hot syrup changes all of that – not only did it keep my waffle warm and fresh throughout my conversation with Anna, but the dispenser was still warm to the touch at the end of my meal.
“There'd be times where waffles would come back,” said Anna. “I'd walk it out to serve it and by the time customers would get their fork and butter ready, the waffle was cool. Waffles, french toast – it's all bread. It cools down really fast. The hot syrup instantly refreshes it.”
If you're on the fence about pineapple in eggs, carrot cake in waffles... I'm here to say, don't knock it until you try it. Augie’s has won awards for their waffles. This is vacation food at its finest.
Customers come in with food on their mind, but as they settle in they find themselves fascinated with the rest of the restaurant as they are seated. Customers remark about the hotel building Augie’s is connected to, or sit in silence as they intently stare down their tablemates while they play a tabletop peg board game.
“I saw the games 25years ago when I was at Friendly’s,” said Anna. “Cracker Barrel has their own also. The first weekend I had them here everyone came in and it was like silence. Everyone was playing the game!”
The customer following at Augie’s is loyal – whether the games, the food, the smiling servers, Anna herself, or a mix of them is the secret ingredient, it seems everything at 9th and Ocean Avenue is the perfect crossroads for your next meal. - Text by Nick Matousch
Ed Note: This article was assigned and written prior to the state stay at home orders. Augie’s is open from 7am-2pm everyday and doing takeout curbside and delivery.
Grilled Cheese
Omelette Combo
Fresh salad
