Dining Out Boston

Despite being only a few blocks down from JP's premier breakfast spot, Centre Street Cafe, Sorella's still manages to command a good crowd on weekends. Their zany, exuberant breakfast dishes like pistachio, coconut pancakes ($6) and ever-evolving omelets are a nice change of pace from plain old scrambled eggs. For the purists, there are, of course, the standard egg, bacon, sausage, and waffle dishes, but this orthodox fare is at best average compared to that at many other restaurants.

On this soggy morning I ordered Gingerbread Pancakes with Strawberries ($7) and a side of sausage ($2), while Bunches had the French Toast Special (2 eggs, home fries, sausage, french toast; $7). On past visits, the gingerbread pancakes have been soft and dense; unfortunately, today the cook was asleep at the grill and the pancakes arrived stiff and overcooked. The flavor redeemed the deficient texture, as each warm mouthful resounded with fresh ginger and cinnamon. The generous helping of fresh strawberry slices complemented the relative richness of the pancakes and the fruit's juice contributed some much needed moisture.

Bunches' French Toast was far superior. The light, flaky toast had absorbed just enough batter and each side had been lightly grilled such that the bread remained soft and supple instead of turning tough. I also appreciated the paucity of sprinkled sugar, which allowed the egg flavor to dominate.

Service at Sorella's is utilitarian and emotionally non-committal; our waitress never brought over the check, so I had to eventually mosey over to the counter to pay. There's a also certain amount of laziness with presentation, as suggested by the weak-bodied coffee and lukewarm tea water.

I welcome Sorella's inventive breakfast food and will surely return to indulge in one of their crazy omelets (particularly the one with garlic, basil, sprouts, sun-dried tomato, & harvarti), but they need to pay more attention to the little things if they want to hold their own against the Mike's and Centre Street Cafe.

The Info
Sorella's
388 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
617-524-201