How in the world can a restaurant that serves only breakfast and lunch — the least expensive two-thirds of the business — stay in business? I always shake my head over that one. Well, T's has done so, and so successfully that the original Cranston place cloned off an East Greenwich location last April.
| T’s | 401.398.7877 | 5600 Post Rd, East Greenwich | 401.946.5900 | 1059 Park Ave, Cranston | Daily, 11 am-3 pm | Major credit cards | Full bar | Sidewalk-level accessible |
And quite successfully, it appears. Arriving about 9:45, we had a 10-minute wait. The place seats 130, but when I looked up half an hour later, more than two-dozen brunch-deprived customers filled the large waiting area and spilled into the dining room as well as into the cold outside.A positive impression had preceded this visit: my dining partner brought home a corned beef Reuben. Seeded rye wasn't offered, but the marbled rye was fresh, the sauerkraut well-drained, and the lean meat thickly piled.
The accompanying French fries were greaseless and good too. And the chicken soup was definitive, full of those tiny pasta beads and chunks of white meat. Checking out the lunch menu now, I saw that sandwiches top out at $8.29 and include oven-roasted turkey and marinated grilled chicken.
Lunch isn't served on Sundays, when we arrived, just brunch till 3. That was just as well, because the breakfast menu I pored over had much more interesting choices. Signature items featured from the grill include something they call "Ooey Gooey French Toast" ($7.99), made from glazed cinnamon coffee buns.
There is also the "T's Rose Window Waffle" ($7.99), from a 1905 recipe, the waffle topped with an odd fruit alliance of strawberries, blueberries, and peaches, with yogurt and crunchy granola on that. (Crunchy granola a century ago? Who knew?) The serving of fruit and yogurt at the next table displayed large pieces of fresh cantaloupe, honeydew, and pineapple, with a strawberry like a cherry on top.
There was a separate printed list of specials, which change every few months. In addition to the pumpkin pancakes and caramel apple-stuffed French toast, there was a jam-packed breakfast sandwich ($7.99) that caught my eye.
It boasted of containing plenty of Canadian bacon, and that was no lie, although the pile of it was grilled top and bottom, rather than the individual slices. Sweet onions, tomatoes, and lots of mushroom slices pumped up the scrambled eggs so well that I didn't even mind forgetting to substitute the American cheese. The kitchen-baked focaccia was tasty and not too dense. The accompanying home fries were brown little marvels, lightly seasoned and deep-fryer crisp.
Johnnie perused the omelet choices, which included a Philly cheese-steak version and one protein-packed with pork sausage and hickory-smoked bacon, as well as diced ham. She settled upon Florentine eggs Benedict ($8.79), on whole wheat English muffin. I never order that or its meatier cousin, because too often the white is runny. Yuk. Her poached eggs were perfectly cooked, the spinach sautûed and seasoned, but the Hollandaise sauce was on the timid side, lemon-wise. Instead of home fries, she chose cinnamon baked apples, which were tasty.
The coffee here is terrific, by the way. Dark-roasted Seattle's Best, rather than the too-common caffeinated dishwater.
