Bitter: 🟡🟡○○○
Salty: 🟡🟡🟡🟡○
Sour/Tangy:🟡🟡🟡🟡○
Sweet: 🟡○○○○
Umami: 🟡🟡○○○
Heat: 🟡🟡○○○○○○○○
Quick Flavor Notes: Black pepper, fruity pepper, garlic, tangy
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Medium-thin with spice bits
Ingredients: Undisclosed but from my tasting and research I assume habanero, jalapeno, cayenne, distilled vinegar, lime or lemon juice, chopped garlic, onion powder, celery seed, and salt.
While I often review nationally available sauces (at least via online purchase) I thought this time I’d try something hyper-local. This sauce comes from House of Omelets a small local FL chain of breakfast restaurants (and somehow the other FL breakfast chain, First Watch, has been the one to blow up nationally even though House of Omelets is far superior when it comes to food). In operation since 2013 I’ve always been very impressed with their food, not in the least because of this wonderful house hot sauce that they have on every table and available for sale.
My interest in shop-special hot sauces began right after college when I moved to an apartment on the outer periphery of Amish country. There was an Amish-run sandwich shop that had a special called the “Bear Burger” which consisted of ground beef, pepperoni, Italian sausage, jalapenos, onions, cheese, and probably more all chopped together on a flat top and stuffed into a hoagie roll before being doused with their homemade hot sauce. It was fresh, green, vibrant, and surely came from peppers from some Amish garden. I was hooked. The House of Omelets hot sauce doesn’t actually list the ingredients on the label and as far as I can tell don’t post them on their website. The most I’ve been able to dig up is that it contains habaneros and jalapenos which seems to hold true based on the flavor, and I believe possibly some cayenne as well. There’s also a major black pepper kick, some onion, and plenty of garlic in this sauce. I believe the vinegar used is typical distilled as it has a strong vinegar tang, but I believe there’s also some citrus in this as there’s a sourness that’s not often found from vinegar alone. There’s also quite a lot of salt at 130mg per teaspoon. In consistency it’s medium-thin with a semi-rustic texture with lots of bit of spice but no real big pepper chunks. It comes with an orifice reducer by default which I remove as I always do.
From the first time I tasted this sauce at the House of Omelets restaurant it reminded me strongly of Gator Hammock Gator Sauce, but with a twist. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was co-packed by Gator Hammock as they’re a local Florida brand as well. The closest match of one of their sauces that I can find to this is their Lethal Gator which also uses habanero and jalapeno peppers plus lots of garlic, black pepper, onion, and key lime juice which would explain the tartness I get aside from the vinegar. The Gator Hammock sauces also all include celery seed which adds a certain umami savoriness to their sauces that I also pick up here. While the Gator Hammock sauces are all Louisiana Style hot sauce based I don’t get as much of that element in the House of Omelets hot sauce as I do from Gator Hammock so I believe this is a custom blend with less Louisiana base and more habanero and jalapeno. The fruity habanero flavor is present as is some vegetal background from the jalapenos and the celery seed. The black pepper gives this sauce a pungent punch with the garlic and onions filling in the base. With the habanero element this sauce has a nice little kick, though still on the milder side overall, but a step up from your basic Tabasco or Frank’s. It’s extremely tangy and high on the salt, but the flavors involved all seem perfectly designed to go with breakfast.
My first pairings with this sauce were at the House of Omelets restaurant and, now that I think about it, I’ve never actually ordered an omelet there. However this sauce is fantastic with their various Eggs Benedict options (I can’t not order Eggs Benedict if I’m ever at a restaurant that serves it). I’ve purchased bottles to take home several times and it’s a great companion with homemade breakfasts of bacon and eggs or breakfast burritos (I should learn to make hollandaise so that I can make Eggs Benedict myself). The black pepper, celery seed, and fruity habanero heat are always great breakfast companion flavors. Aside from breakfast this sauce is so tangy that it’s great for creamy soups and pastas with that black pepper and garlic being perfect with clam chowder or fettuccini alfredo. I also really enjoy this sauce with chicken salad sandwiches where it easily cuts through the mayo and again that celery seed flavor is a natural pairing with the celery in the salad.
If you’re ever in Florida and come upon an House of Omelets I can easily recommend it for a breakfast stop as well as recommend picking up a bottle of this sauce to go. If you’re not in Florida or don’t have plans to come by then Gator Hammock Lethal Gator or Swamp Gator are both very similar sauces and everything I’ve had from the brand has been delicious.
by MagnusAlbusPater
