Dish On Market - Belly pleasing breakfast that won't break the bank

Ahhhh breakfast...the most important meal of my day...two days a week.

I'm not a big breakfast person on weekdays. Perhaps I'll grab an apple or grab a spoon full of cottage cheese straight out of the container, but that's about it. Weekends, however?? Now that's a whole other story.

When I plan our weekend activities they always start with breakfast. After a good breakfast the rest of the day falls effortlessly into place.

So where to eat, where to eat? In my opinion there are two types of breakfast joints...Greasy spoons where you order the fry up breakfast (2 eggs, grits or hash browns, meat of your choice and toast) and pay a low price for back to basics grub...Or the "brunch" joints where you order creative concoctions that bridge the gap between breakfast and, well, everything else, and pay the typically high price for their inventive eats.

This weekend Nick and I might have just found the missing link in the battle for breakfast. A brunch-type menu with a greasy-spoon price tag. Behold, Dish On Market.

Now, this place is a bit of an anomaly. It's open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and happy hour (which I don't think I've ever encountered before). The interior is inviting with lots of wood and tall ceilings, and it honestly makes you expect higher prices than you'll actually find.

We were the only folks in there last weekend when we arrived at 9:30 on a Saturday(it must be noted that 9:30 is early, early, early for us on weekends...this may or may not have been our oh-so-happy-and-want-to-play-right-now dog's fault). However, after 20 mins or so the place slowly began to fill up.

We perused the menu the day before and had pretty much picked out our favorites already. Nick ordered the Steak and Eggs. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Hash.

Nick's steak(pic at top of page) was actually a braised short rib over home fries, topped with an egg and served with a side of horseradish cream. The short ribs were fall off the bone tender and there was even a bit of rich and flavorful red wine reduction drizzled around the bottom of the plate. This is exactly the kind of breakfast fare I love...rich flavors...savory ingredients...yummy, yummy, yummy.

My Smoked Salmon Hash was a traditional potato hash with peppers, onions and tomatoes, topped with some lovely smoked salmon and two eggs (I ordered them over medium as always). I've been known to eat my weight in smoked salmon so I was happy to see this on the menu. It too was a savory and rich dish. The egg yolks broke over the hash and coated it in a creamy sauce...the smoked salmon added a salty, smokey element and the potatoes were there to hold it all together.

Our waiter (I think his name was AJ) was fantastic. I don't usually remember waiters names but every once in a while they're so polite and attentive that I do...case in point.

We did encounter a few little hiccups.

Both of us found small pockets of over salted potatoes every once in a while but it wasn't enough to really make any fuss over.

Also, it must be noted that the price for both of our dishes was listed at $5.75 online, however the menus we were given in the restaurant had them listed at around $2 more, making them around $7.25 instead. I'm not sure if this is a weekend price or if they just needed to raise the cost because of the ingredients, but I'm not a big fan of a surprise price change. It also must be noted, however, that $7.25 is still one hell of a deal for braised short ribs, potatoes, an egg and horseradish cream. I mean, truly a great deal, so it didn't really bother us all that much.

A few years ago Nick and I spent a small fortune on brunch at the famed Commander's Palace in New Orleans. It was the best brunch of my life and one of the top 10 meals of my life as well. I mention this because there is a time and a place to spend a boat load of money on breakfast.

Sometimes I feel as though restaurants(like Lynn's Paradise Cafe...I mean...there's a reason they don't list their prices on their web site) try to overcharge you for a meal that should be fun, enjoyable and affordable.

It seems to me that Dish On Market is giving Louisville bang for their breakfast buck, and that should be applauded.

When next weekend comes and you can't decide between that cheap breakfast fry-up or the pricey brunch, relax and remember there's a third option...Dish On Market will be happy they could help.