Breakfast Sausage and Bacon Get a Wake-Up Call

Despite a brunch menu that’s full of unique dishes and made-from-scratch ingredients, Mike Eells, sous chef at The Country Cat in Portland, Ore., still gets requests for ho-hum breakfasts. “We get a lot of people asking, ‘Can I get a Denver omelet?’” he laughs. “I’m like, ‘Sorry, this is the omelet we have, with chorizo. It’s really good though, I promise!’”

Not that there isn’t a place for a...