The "Hobbit Hole Breakfast" is one of 11 items on Denny's "Hobbit-themed" menu. (Kelli Shiroma / Neon Tommy)

“We started featuring this menu from November 5,” says waitress Tarsha West, who has worked at the Denny’s located in University Village by USC for 17 years. “It’s been doing really good; customers are ordering [from] it all day long. We will be featuring it [the ‘Hobbit-themed’ menu] until Jan. 5.” 

Upon first hearing about the restaurant’s new menu, one might wonder, “What exactly constitutes ‘Hobbit-themed’ dishes?” If you’re thinking of extremely small entrées consisting entirely of fruits, vegetables or other “earthy” ingredients, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Rather, the 11 items on Denny’s “Hobbit-themed” menu embody savory flavors characteristic of home-cooked comfort food.  

Every item on Denny’s “Hobbit-themed” menu features a creative approach that ties into the upcoming movie. Most notable is the “Build Your Own Hobbit Slam,” the “Hobbit” version of Denny’s original “Build Your Own Grand Slam.” 

“There’s three items that are most popular [in the ‘Hobbit Slam’]: the Shire Sausage, the Seed Cake French Toast and the Pumpkin Patch Pancakes,” West says.

These three items are only a part of the “Hobbit-themed” menu. Customers can choose up to four items to make their own “Hobbit Slam,” including buttermilk pancakes and bacon strips. 

Another customer favorite is the “Hobbit Hole Breakfast,” comprising two fried eggs in the center of grilled Cheddar bun halves and crispy hash browns with melted shredded Cheddar cheese and two strips of bacon. The hash browns, with extra flavor from the melted cheese and chunks of bacon dispersed throughout, provide the perfect savory accompaniment to the bun-and-egg main course. The eggs-and-bun combination provides a unique approach to the traditional egg-and-cheese sandwich, with the grilled Cheddar bun halves adding that extra cheesy flavor.   

Other items on the special menu include “Gandalf’s Gobble Melt” and “Radagast’s Red Velvet Pancake Puppies.” “Gandalf’s Gobble Melt” features tender turkey breast slices, savory stuffing and cranberry-honey mustard spread sandwiched between grilled potato bread. “Radagast’s Red Velvet Pancake Puppies” comprise six, bite-sized balls of red velvet pancakes made with white chocolate chips and covered in powdered sugar. 

If you’re a fan of “The Hobbit” or just looking for a different approach to comfort food, the items on Denny’s “Hobbit-themed” menu are sure to give you an experience that’s “out of this Middle Earth” …whether it’s for breakfast or second-breakfast. 

Reach Kelli Shiroma here.