Magpie Diner is a relatively recent addition to the Harrisonburg restaurant scene. It offers an upscale atmosphere with affordable options made from fresh ingredients. Due to COVID-19, I was not able to dine in, and thus only saw the inside of the restaurant briefly; however, I did notice the bright, chic interior.
With its elegant minimalism, it is a lovely brunch place. Again, I was not inside long, but even briefly picking up my order, I was struck by the smiles and genuine manner of the standard, “have a nice day!” from the staff.
To get as full a grasp of the menu as possible while staying within budget, my girlfriend and I decided to split three options: the Winter Panzanella salad, the Cinnamon Swirl French Toast, and the Chorizo Breakfast Bowl.
Winter Panzanella: A light refreshing salad, with the correct amount of balsamic vinaigrette and perfectly crunchy croutons. I was apprehensive about including butternut squash in a salad but found it quite enjoyable, although I think it could be slightly more caramelized. The pickled red onions were a good choice, adding a touch of acidic zing to the dish. The only critique is that for a salad, it is very busy. Every aspect is delicious, but I would want more greens to balance the numerous toppings out. This is not necessarily a negative thing, I simply want to stress that it is not your standard leafy greens-based salad.
Cinnamon Swirl French Toast: My girlfriend and I decided that we should include at least one classic, so we went with their French toast. The bites that included cinnamon swirl were exactly what one wants from French toast, and they took me back to the Saturday mornings of my childhood. However, the bites that had no cinnamon left me wanting more. They were bland in comparison, and with each slice only containing one swirl of cinnamon, I was a touch disappointed, especially with it being a $7.95 dish.
Chorizo Breakfast Bowl: This was the best thing that I tried in my experience with Magpie Diner. The breakfast potatoes suffered slightly from the troubles of takeout but were delicious even after being in a to-go box for 20 minutes. The egg on top was perfectly cooked, and the yolk offered itself as a sauce for the underlying sausage and potato. The chorizo was sublime, with the slightest of spicy afternotes expected in this style of sausage. It builds to a slow burn in the back of the throat over the course of the bowl. The perfect bite of egg, chorizo, and potato is easily attainable and plentiful, with all of the ingredients existing in a perfect ratio. The radishes and avocado crema were almost purely decorative, offering very little flavor to the dish as a whole. However, they certainly made it look gorgeous when I first opened the box. Overall the food was delicious, even if certain bites of the French toast were fine rather than divine. It is relatively inexpensive for the atmosphere and quality of ingredients. Magpie Diner prides itself on its community orientation and seasonal dishes. Due to this, I would highly recommend being adventurous and trying their seasonal dishes over their standard breakfast foods.
