Salmon Benedict, Calamity Jane's

Yes! This was the special at Calamity Jane's (tagline: "where all the girls can kick your ass") over the weekend. I always get the Seafood Benedict here--it's more flavorful than the ham version in my opinion, and the veggie one always seems like it wants more. But if this salmon benedict remains on the menu, it's definitely going to be my new go-to pick.

The good: It tasted amazing. The salmon cakes were perfectly crispy but not burnt, and acted as the perfect complement for all that rich, oozing golden yolk.

The bad: I actually have no complaints.

Calamity Jane's, 5701 Airport Way South, Seattle.

The "Californian", Glo's Coffee Shop, Seattle

Having heard from several trusted sources that Glo's is the place for benedict in Seattle, I finally decided to give them a try.

Glo's feels like a 3/4 size cafe, and is definitely not a place to go if you're in a rush--in fact, dare I suggest that you not even bother going on the weekend unless you are exceedingly patient. I'm not exceedingly patient, and so I will only go there on weekdays, when it is less crowded.

The good: Glo's knows how to poach an egg. It's oozy on the inside, soft yet solid on the outside (no snotty whites!), and topped with a sunny, citrusy hollandaise. I love lemon, so this hollandaise suited me just fine, but some might find it too lemon-y. I love the grilled tomato that goes on all of their benedicts, from the veggie to the meaty and seafoody versions. The avocado on the Californian Benedict was perfectly ripe without being mushy, and I liked the strange cabbage that garnished the plate. Strange, but nice to cleanse the palate.

The bad: The potatoes. I always feel like the big ol' scoop of potato hash is kind of a breakfast potato cop-out. Booo.

Verdict: Overall, an A-. Go there when you're not in a rush.

Mushroom Benedict, Hell's Kitchen, Minneapolis

Mushroom Benedict: A grilled Portabello mushroom cap filled with warm, shaved pit ham, topped with a poached egg, and served with wild mushroom hollandaise sauce plus a side of toast. $12.50. You can get it without ham, but why would you?

The good: Points for creativity--the mushroom works well flavor-wise, and the egg was nicely poached. Toppings for toast (homemade jam and peanut butter) were great.

The bad: hollandaise was a bit bland and not bright enough to counter the salty ham (and there really was too much ham. And I like ham). The potatoes were good-not-great. Toast itself was fairly weak (too dependent on the good toppings?).

Verdict: Go here if it's convenient, but don't go out of your way for it.

Southwest Benedict, Portage Bay Cafe, Seattle

Behold, the Southwest Benedict at Portage Bay Cafe.

What is it? Slices of fluffy cheddar-jalepeno-black bean cornbread, sauteed spinach, poached eggs, house-smoked tomato and roasted red pepper coulis. $12, with an extra buck if you want to substitute fresh fruit or tomatoes for the usual potatoes (I did).

It was mostly good: everything was very fresh (even the tomatoes! Not a trace of mealiness!) and the cornbread had a nice texture which absorbed the oozy yolk perfectly.

The problem? I guess I just kind of assumed the coulis was in addition to hollandaise, but I was wrong: it was instead of hollandaise. What can I say--I kind of missed it.

Next time, I'll stick with a more traditional (fattier!) benedict, but if a lighter version is your thing, you might like this one.

Avocado and Roma Tomato Benedict at Peso's, Queen Anne, Seattle

Perfect may not be the most appropriate word, but it does come to mind. Perfectly poached eggs with oozing but not watery yolk atop a bed of fresh avocado and tomato on freshly baked english muffins (love it when they're homemade!) with a generous dousing of chipotle hollandaise. Oh, and the potatoes, served with a little salsa on the side, are stellar as well.

Peso's, 605 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, www.pesoskitchen.com.

Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict

Cadbury Creme Eggs Benedict. Could it possibly get any better than this? As seen on Serious Eats.

The Rules of Eggs Benedict: Poach the Eggs Properly

Benedictation: The Rules of Eggs Benedict

Dear Restaurants: If you are going to have Eggs Benedict on your menu, please, know how to poach an egg. Because there is no bigger bummer than digging into a mountain of egg, hollandaise, ham and english muffin and finding that rather than a perfect, oozy yolk, you've got yourself a little boiled rock of egg. It just doesn't taste the same--it throws off the sacred balance of the Benedict.

Need some tips? Here's a how-to, complete with photo illustrations.