Over Easy
That, Cignarale says, is when he told himself, “You gotta make a move. If not, go sell real estate.” Emily’s comment kept him going during the two and a half years it took him to open the new Ravenswood breakfast-and-lunch joint Over Easy. It was a brassy move for someone whose longest previous restaurant gig had lasted less than a year. “I’ve been pretty much–how can I put this gingerly?–fired from every job I’ve ever had,” Cignarale says. “Cooking job, anyway. I’m a pretty creative guy, and every place I worked was kind of stifling. I never saw myself as a line cook who’s just going to follow directions. When somebody says to you, ‘You’re going to have to change your attitude or we’re gonna have to let you go,’ it’s like, ‘I’m not changing my attitude. I’ll take off my apron and leave.’”
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Nearly every dish on the menu pays homage to something or other: “Emily’s Dream Pancakes,” with blackberries, orange butter, and raspberry coulis, are named for his niece; the ham-and-swiss “retro omelet” stems from Cignarale’s fondness for a similar dish at the Diner Grill, where he and his wife used to go on dates. One of his favorite desserts, the banana cream pie at Lawry’s the Prime Rib, inspired his banana French toast with rum-caramel sauce and candied pecans. Even his blueberry muffins are modeled after those at the now shuttered Joanne and Sons.
