The world is divided into two groups of people: Those who don't particularly care for eggs Benedict and those who are obsessed with the dish.
This edition of Battle of the Dishes is for the latter. Count us among the obsessed, which is why we were thrilled with our latest assignment: pit new Denver transplant Snooze against funky local favorite Vovomeena and see who does a Latin twist on an old standby best.
See also: 10 Best Restaurants for Brunch in Metro Phoenix
In This Corner: Vovomeena
The Setup: Located on the side of a strip mall near Seventh Avenue and McDowell Road, Vovomeena fuses Mexican and Portuguese foods for breakfast and lunch. Omelets, waffles and pork chop, Portuguese doughnuts, and other breakfast classics fill its menu. The restaurant has been open for almost a year and half and has made a name for itself because of the cold coffee it brews in its space.
The Good: Vovomeena's Mexican Benedict sits on two sopes (small, thick tortillas) with chorizo and peppers, two poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. The spice of the chorizo mixed with the eggs and Hollandaise sauce make it tolerable for those who can't take too much spice. The sopes were soft, making them easy to cut and chew (sometimes they can be tough, depending on how long they've been sitting around). Vovomeena lathers on the right amount of Hollandaise without drowning the dish to the point where it's all you taste.
The Bad: More chorizo would've made this meal perfect. There was more egg and more sope than anything else.
In the Other Corner: Snooze
The Setup: Snooze opened its first Arizona location in November 2013, and the line out the door has not gotten any shorter since. The retro-style breakfast and lunch spot breaks all walls when creating original dishes; the menu changes seasonally. Sure, you can order your pancakes plain, but there's no reason to when caramel apple pancakes are available. Bonus: If you can't choose between two pancake flavors, get both. If you can't decide which Benedict concoction sounds best, try two at a time.
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The Good: Snooze's chilaquiles Benedict comes with barbacoa beef on top of tortillas with ranchero sauce, melted cheese, poached eggs, roasted poblano Hollandaise, with a side of pico de gallo and cotija cheese. The beef was so juicy and tender. The Hollandaise was a new experience, in a totally good way, as it is so different than what breakfast eaters are used to. Spice was present though the whole meal, but it was not overbearing.
The Bad: Because all the barbacoa was piled on top of tortillas, it was hard to find them through all the excitement. The ranchero sauce was drowned out by flavors on top. We love carbs and we want to taste them.
The Winner: Snooze takes the win in this battle. Their pile of spicy, juicy barbacoa does everything right for our cravings. Vovomeena followed close behind with the use of sopes and the spice in their Benedict, but the amount of chorizo was not enough to fully satisfy us.
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