If ever there was a place where the name said it all, Manny’s Dream in New Haven is it.

Owner Manuel Sanchez was the longtime cook at Rich’s Café just down the street from his relatively new eatery at 717 Broadway St. And, like most chefs, it was always his dream to have his own place.

His dream did not include trading the omelets, pancakes or sandwiches and the like he made at Rich’s for exotic or upscale offerings. Manny’s Dream is a lot like Rich’s but with some new spins joining the usual suspects on the menu as well as dinner hours Monday through Saturday.

And it might seem like asking for trouble setting up just a couple of blocks down and becoming competition for your former bosses, but the location seemed like asking for a whole lot of trouble to me for another reason. It has been a revolving door in recent years with an ice cream parlor, barbecue spot and a food truck-inspired eatery having short lives there.

The look of the restaurant is the same as it was under its previous owners with a clean, simple design and more function than form tables and chairs, but the smattering of New Haven-area historical photos on the walls – many featuring International Scouts – are a nice touch. An even better touch is the counter seating in the main dining area. This communal type of seating disappeared from most places during the pandemic, and I am glad to find a place that still has it.

The crowd here was lively, especially in the morning, and I guess that makes sense because New Haven has needed another breakfast go-to since Don Hall’s Commissary scrapped morning hours a couple of years ago.

One thing that will be a breakfast go-to for me is Manny’s Mix, a garbage plate of sorts from the “Manny’s House Specials” menu section. Pro tip – when there is a section touted by the owner/chef’s, it’s probably a good place to start.

The Mix was described as “A special blend of eggs, potatoes, onions, green peppers, tomato, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, ham and cheddar cheese mixed together with white or wheat toast.”

But what made this house special so special was how perfectly it was made. All of those ingredients were plentiful but not overdone. They were scattered throughout the dish, and it was all perfectly seasoned. I didn’t need salt, pepper or any kind of condiment. It also was not nearly as greasy as most garbage plates, so it ate much lighter. It was perfection.

There was another highlighted breakfast that I just had to try because how could I not try a Breakfast Manhattan? This unique offering was basically a sandwich – the description even starts with “It’s a sandwich.” – with eggs, cheese, fried potatoes (whereas a regular Manhattan would have mashed) and choice of bacon, sausage or ham between white toast, all of it covered with white sausage gravy. It, too, was made with care, and I loved it. My favorite part of the dish was the bacon crumbles sprinkled on top that gilded the lily of this heaping plate of food.

It is a good thing breakfast is offered during all hours because the things I tried from outside the breakfast realm were not nearly as impressive.

The Reuben Sandwich with Bowl of Soup special sounded like a good lunch for just $8.99, and the soup started it off on the right foot.

I chose the Beef and Barley, and it had the requisite vegetables and a nicely seasoned broth, but I was taken aback a little by the fact that the beef was ground beef and not from a roast. But even with the hamburger, it was better than the sandwich. The biggest issue there was that it was very salty. I do not think the corned beef was all to blame, but the BLT at Manny’s was a better choice, and it was actually less salty.

The Chicken Noodle Soup I had with the BLT was also riding the line between perfectly seasoned and salty, but it was a winner thanks to its big, fat noodles that were almost like dumplings. I would order it again for sure.

I would not have the Big Burrito again. I didn’t really want it in the first place during my evening visit, but there were service issues that forced my hand.

When I spotted meatloaf on the specials board, I was sold because Manny’s just seemed like the kind of place that would do it right. But I never got the chance because my server returned and asked me for another option because they had just sold the last meatloaf.

She suggested the Strip Steak and Baked Potato special, which threw me because I had not seen that special on the board. When I said I was surprised, she looked surprised, turned around to look at that specials board and then said she was confused about which day it was and that there probably wasn’t a steak special that night. So, I chose steak with my burrito and chose that burrito because there were many south-of-the-border offerings at Manny’s, and given Sanchez hails from El Salvador, that made sense. I figured it was a safe bet.

It wasn’t.

This burrito had thinly shaved steak, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. There was no sour cream, no salsa and no guacamole, which made it dry and unpleasant. But what was really dry was that steak, which was closer to jerky than juicy.

To help it, I borrowed some salsa from my order of tortilla chips and salsa, which cost $3.99, and it did help a lot because it was very good salsa. It was blended smooth and looked nondescript but was quite vibrant and had just the right heat level. The chips were fresh, light and crispy, too, so it was well worth the added charge.

The Mango Margarita I had with those chips was also decent, and it was a nice surprise to find out Manny’s had a full bar. I wanted to try more from it, but that same server got in my way again.

I asked about a Bloody Mary listed on the featured drink card on the table, thinking a breakfast-heavy place might have a good one. Well, she had no idea what kind of alcohol it was made with, what other ingredients it had and if different spice levels were offered.

That was a glitch during my visits to Manny’s, however, as every other server was pleasant, spot on with taking care of me and none of them made any excuses. And Manny also makes the rounds to check on everyone when he is not busy cooking.

It is clear he is proud of this place, proud of his food and happy to have your business.

And I will be happy to return, at least for breakfast, and help him continue to chase his dream.

Restaurant: Manny’s Dream

Address: 717 Broadway St., New Haven

Phone: 409-7474

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday

Cuisine: American

Handicapped accessible: Yes

Alcohol: Full bar

Smoking status: Non-smoking

Kid-friendly: Yes

Menu: Manny’s Mix ($11.99), Breakfast Manhattan ($9.99), BLT ($8.99), soup ($2.99 cup, $3.99 bowl), Big Burrito ($10.99 with fries)

Rating breakdown: Food: 1 1/2 (3-star maximum); atmosphere: 1/2 (1 max.), service: 1/2 (1 max.)

Ryan DuVall is a restaurant critic for The Journal Gazette. This review is based on two unannounced visits. The Journal Gazette pays for all meals. Email DuVall at [email protected] or call 461-8130.