The Gypsy Kit is a small restaurant housed on the first floor of the historic Hamilton building downtown. They serve anything from shrimp tacos to burgers and fries—but it probably won’t be a burger grandma would recognize. The Gypsy Kit specializes in oddball dishes that may sound strange on paper, but the flavors make perfect sense after the first bite.
When we walked in, the line was to the door with customers waiting to place their orders. I looked at the menu while waiting in line, which is a bit of a rule here: Don’t order until you know what you want. The line can get long and the restaurant is only open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so don’t waste more time by being indecisive upon ordering.
Me and two friends all ended up ordering the special because it looked too good to pass up. The special was the Texas Benny, a Texan’s take on the classic eggs Benedict. Our third friend ordered the kimchi burger made with the restaurant’s signature kimchi-bacon sauce.
After you order, you pay at the counter before the food is brought out. I looked around the restaurant at the architecture that went into the building, consisting of amazing wood crown molding and an atmosphere that gives you the feel of being in a historical building.
The server brought out our specials and they looked amazing. Served on an aluminum baking tray, the Texas Benny was layered from the bottom up with a thick slice of jalapeño toast, french fries, Dr Pepper pulled pork and topped with a poached egg smothered in a chipotle hollandaise. Before eating it, I broke open the poached egg and let the yolk run all over the layers. This is a must! Every bite of this meal was pure pleasure. The pulled pork was tender, juicy and full of the combined rich flavors of the slow-cooked pork and the indulgent chipotle hollandaise. The french fries remained crisp even with the sauce and yolk on them. Fries covered in runny, golden egg yolk is a magical thing, folks.
This was easily one of the best meals I have had at a restaurant in a while. The true effort and care that was put into making the meal comes through in every bite.
Serving the Texas Benny on the aluminum baking trays was a smart move as it helped keep the food together and none of that delicious runny egg yolk or hollandaise could escape my hungry grasp.
The kimichi-bacon burger was giant. The combination of the kimichi-bacon sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, bacon and cooked-to-order patty made it a great burger. But the patty itself was no better tasting than one I’d make on a grill. The burger was good because each ingredient came together like a puzzle, with out one of the ingredients, it wouldn’t be complete.
While one of the owners told us the Texas Benny is on the Saturday brunch menu, it should really be on Gypsy Kits’ regular menu because it’s just that good.
I highly recommend this restaurant to adventurous eaters or anyone who enjoys trying new places and new foods.
Spending a total of $13 including a drink and tip, the price was well worth the quality. It was the perfect amount of food to just put you on the edge of being full but not stuffed, and, of course, the flavor was out of this world.
4.5 stars
900 8th St.
(940) 642-5797
