HH_012419

homerhorizon.com dining out
the Homer Horizon | January 24, 2019 | 19
The Dish
Ever-evolving menu keeps EggCetera Cafe fresh
Mokena breakfast,
lunch spot thrives on
customer service
Thomas Czaja, Editor
EggCetera Cafe opened its
doors to the Mokena community
at its first location downtown
in 2003 before adding
its second spot in 2010.
Since then, the business
has become known for its
breakfast and lunch selections,
offering fresh ingredients
in comforting meals at
two cozy spots where friends
and family can gather. To reward
its loyal nucleus of patrons,
EggCetera introduced
a rewards program early last
summer.
“It’s fantastic,” owner
Dino Bastas, a Mokena resident
for nearly 22 years, said
of the program, which allows
diners to rack up points for
every dollar spent to get various
discounts, deals and freebies.
“We have some customers
coming in here every day.
Why not reward them?”
Those interested can search
EggCetera Cafe in the Apple
App Store or Google Play
Store to download an app to
sign-up for the program, or
do so at the restaurant and receive
a rewards card.
But a bigger part of what
makes EggCetera a continued
success may be the customer
service. Customers who frequent
the business might find
that their usual server or servers
come to know their order,
and a sense of familiarity established,
Bastas explained.
“These regular folks come
in; their order is already in
there,” Bastas said. “Sometimes,
the cooks will peek
through and start something
[for regulars].”
Those who have been to
EggCetera on numerous occasions
know it has a diverse
“You can get food anywhere.
There’s more eateries now than
ever before. What differentiates us
from all other eateries is the staff,
the customer service. Good food
tastes great with good service.”
Dino Bastas — EggCetera Cafe owner
menu that is occasionally
tweaked. A rotating specials
menu also is available.
For breakfast, one of the
more recent menu entries
is the triple berry stuffed
French toast ($9.49), which
Bastas said has strawberry
cream cheese in the middle,
with blueberries, raspberries
and strawberries piled on top.
Regardless of the breakfast
or lunch selection, the owner
looks to make sure to use
fresh ingredients, while still
making a quick product.
“It’s real vegetables, nothing
out of a can,” Bastas said.
“That’s the biggest thing. As
much fresh vegetables and
fresh ingredients as possible
that have been processed the
least.
“That’s the key: trying to
get people a healthier option.”
For those looking for
something filling, the biscuits
and sausage gravy ($8.69)
are a big hit for the breakfast
folks, with buttermilk biscuits
cut in half and smothered
in a thick, homemade
pork sausage gravy, topped
with two eggs.
In addition to the triple
egg skillets, egg-ceptional
omelettes, pancakes, crepes,
French toast, waffles and
scramblers, the business offers
a variety of melts, wraps,
a homemade soup of the day,
EggCetera Cafe
• 10120 191st St.
• 19709 Mokena Street
191st Street Hours
• 6 a.m.-3 p.m. daily
Mokena Street Hours
• 5:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Monday-Friday
• 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-
Sunday
For more information ...
Web: www.eggcet.com
Phone: (708) 478-0070
(191st Street), (708) 478-
6051 (Mokena Street)
100 percent certified Angus
beef burgers, salads and a
sandwich grill for the lunch
crowd.
Under lunch, the chicken
Philly ($9.49) — containing
a grilled chicken breast,
topped with sauteed onion,
pepper and mushroom,
smothered with mozzarella
cheese, on French bread — is
a big draw.
“A couple of my cooks
play around, and we talk,”
Bastas said of how they
tweak the menu. “I’ll look to
put something new on, and
we’ll work together.”
Of course, the specials always
include some seasonal
tweaks. The current specials
are slated to run through Valentine’s
Day, according to
Bastas. Those include the
hearty and heartfelt red velvet
The red velvet pancakes ($8.99 on their own) are a seasonal special available through
Valentine’s Day that are topped with a homemade cream cheese icing and can have
raspberries and chocolate chips added for $2. Photos by Thomas Czaja/22nd Century Media
Decorations near the kitchen at EggCetera Cafe’s 191st Street location add to the Mokena
spot’s charm.
pancake breakfast — $10.99
as part of a meal that has two
eggs, two strips of bacon or
sausage links, hash browns
and a short stack of Egg-
Cetera’s red velvet pancakes.
In the fall, pumpkin pancakes
continue as a special
through the holiday season.
After Thanksgiving and
through the holidays, gingerbread
pancakes also find
a place among the special.
After the red velvets complete
their run, carrot cake
pancakes grace the specials
through Easter.
“People just want something
different,” Bastas said.
Corporate catering also
helps the business, especially
during the winter months. And
Bastas said approximately 95
percent of their catering is to
businesses in town and other
surrounding communities.
And with a resurgent economy
and businesses steadily
popping up in the area, Bastas
expects that catering part of
EggCetera to grow.
“We are here to stay,” Bastas
said. “I tell people all the
time: You can get food anywhere.
There’s more eateries
now than ever before. What
differentiates us from all
other eateries is the staff, the
customer service.
“Good food tastes great
with good service. That’s
what we are working on.”