Art Chowder May | June 2018, Issue 15 | Page 58

L et’s start with the sweet — “Crème Brûléé French toast!” Think brioche toast, salted caramel and pure maple syrup. Decadent, creamy and de- licious are the first words that come to mind. So many restaurants in town try to overdo an already incredible dish. 1898 pushed it right to the limit while still keeping the traditional French toast flavors and simplicity. This is quite pos- sibly the best French toast we have tried in town.  Next, I had to get down to my southern roots and try the “Chicken and Waf- fles.” This was the heartiest dish from our brunch spread and it was the perfect combination of sweet and savory. Gold- en brown, perfectly crisp Belgian waf- fles were topped with pure vanilla syrup and two pieces of fried chicken topped with honey butter. Oui, oui!  58 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE Now for the savory — “Crab Artichoke and Spinach Benedicts,” because plain eggs Benedict is so 2010. These are made with Pacific Northwest crab, artichoke and spinach dips, farm fresh eggs and hollan- daise, served with fingerling potatoes and fresh fruit. We ate every bite of this and I would 100% order this again and again.  Another plate that was licked clean was the “Smoked Steelhead Omelet” — made with herbed cream cheese, asparagus, red onion, chives, fingerling potatoes, hollandaise, and capers. Give me salmon for breakfast, and I’m yours. And this isn’t just any salmon. It tastes incredibly fresh and retains all of its moisture through cooking.