Last year, in response to guest requests, San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels directed its 66 restaurant properties to offer more healthful menu options. Kyle Rourke, chef at Red Star Tavern at Kimpton’s Hotel Monaco in Portland, Ore., began with breakfast. “We get a lot of business travelers, and when guests are on the road, they don’t want to start the day with a heavy meal,” he says. So Rourke slimmed down several egg dishes, including that crowd-pleaser, eggs Benedict. “I’ve never been a fan of hollandaise, “ he says. “It’s too rich, and when you top eggs with a buttery, eggy sauce, it’s overkill.” Instead, Rourke created a zero-fat salsa verde for the poached eggs. Turns out, the sauce doesn’t break down with heat—unlike temperamental Hollandaise, he says. “The Healthy Benedict is selling better than regular eggs Benedict on weekdays, and the two are even on weekends,” he adds.
Healthy Benedict
For the salsa verde, Chef Rourke roasts tomatillos, onions and jalapeños until soft and slightly charred, then blends them with cilantro into a smooth puree. He also torches cherry tomatoes until they blister—a technique that turns them extra sweet—and plates them along with roasted red potatoes, avocado slices and a tortilla over the salsa verde. The poached eggs go on last.
Smart Swaps
| Instead of ... | Try this ... |
| Hollandaise sauce | Salsa verde |
| Ham or Canadian bacon | Avocado slices |
| English muffin | Corn torillas |
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