Deviled Egg Co.: Eggstrordinary Eggstravagance in Denison

Just how far does the DFW area extend, really? If we start including Denton, McKinney and Waxahachie, where does it end? Temple? Oklahoma City? Little Rock? This needs to get tamped down, and quickly, but in the meantime … if you’re in McKinney, anyway, why not take a quick drive up to Denison? You can check out the birthplace of our 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, visit a haunted house, take advantage of free parking along the main drag to do some antiquing and eat some really exceptional deviled eggs while you’re at it. You deserve it after the long drive you just made.

The Deviled Egg Co. was founded in 2017 in Omaha, Nebraska (which is currently not considered part of DFW) by Raechel Van Buskirk. According to the website, which uses only one egg pun, Raechel has an extensive background in the food industry and was the first to specialize in gourmet deviled eggs.

She added the Denison location in late 2023, and a takeout-only spot in McKinney opened in July, but that location has no dining area or famous presidential birthplace. It will do in a pinch for those unwilling to greatly expand the acceptable North Texas map.

The Denison shop is on Main Street, a stretch of three or so blocks from another era, complete with angled parking, old movie marquees that have long since been repurposed, antique shops, cobblers and little random boutiques and restaurants. The corner location is described as “previously Chase Bank” on the Facebook page, which is a nice touch and reminds us of when you ask an old-timer directions and they’ll say something like “drive down the road a piece to where the old Grimsler barn used to be before it burned down in ’47 and turn right.” Thank goodness for Google Maps.

There are cocktails and “martinis” (strawberry shortcake, orange Julius, et al.) on the menu, as well as shared appetizers (goat cheese balls, truffle fries, etc.) and flatbreads. We were here for the eggs, but couldn’t resist a couple of cocktails, especially since the Boujee Bloody Mary (infused vodka, house mix and sriracha) was on special at $7. As a bonus, the bloody mary came with a traditional deviled egg atop, and the Black Cherry Limeade (black cherry vodka, black cherry juice, lime and Sprite) had a rock candy garnish. Fun.

The egg selections are called rolls on the menu and come three to an order, because of course it’s an odd number. They’re priced at $6.50-$7.50, with a deep-fried upgrade available for $3. We ordered four different varieties, finally settling upon the Backyard BBQ, Ballpark, chicken and waffle, and cheeseburger, which is the one we deep-fried.

The eggs were served on a large piece of slate stone and looked magnificent, each staged and dressed with care. But would they taste as good as they looked? Spoiler: Yes.

These were really good, better than they should have been, all working as perfect bites that perfectly captured the flavor profile and food type they were referencing.

The Backyard BBQ had a bit of pulled pork dressed with a surprisingly good barbecue sauce and a small slice of pickle. The chicken and waffle had a deep-fried chicken chunk, a small corner of crisp yet chewy waffle and just the right amount of maple syrup. The Ballpark was going for the all-American hot dog and it worked: relish, onion, hot dog, ketchup and mustard, all topped with little bits of potato chips. Sure, it wasn’t a Chicago-style hot dog deviled egg, but we’ll forgive the ketchup this one time.

Finally, the cheeseburger egg was composed of a piece of hamburger, American cheese, pickle, lettuce, tomato, onion and ketchup, all sitting on a deep-fried deviled egg, the yolk portion standing in for the hamburger mustard. Probably the best of the bunch, but they were all fantastic. We originally assumed we’d have to take leftovers home with us, but nope. All gone.

Other options include chicken Caesar salad, crab Rangoon, gyro, smoked salmon and chicken and a pickle, the latter with breaded chicken dressed with Chick-fil-A sauce, which can even be ordered on a Sunday here.

Oh, we’ll be back. Or at least we’ll hit up the McKinney location to try the other varieties. And who knows: Maybe they’ll eventually build a closer sit-down location, like in Kaufman or something. Maybe Mineral Wells?

Deviled Egg Co., 231 W. Main St., Denison. Sunday – Monday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Tuesday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.