Tag Archives: i LOVE breakfast

May24

Portland Bites

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Portland is renowned for great eating so this list isn’t even a sliver of some of the fantastic restaurants waiting for you in PDX. However, try these and then try more.

Breakfast:

Tin Shed Cafe

Tin Shed Garden Cafe is probably nowhere near wherever you might be but that matters not. Get a car or a cab and go over there because the biscuits are so good they’ll make you wanna slap yo mama. They make a stellar bloody mary, they have covered patio seating, they’re dog friendly and you serve yourself coffee while you wait. This place rocks. Go check it out.

Lunch:

Byways Cafe

Byways is the cutest little truck stop cafe that’s nowhere near a truck stop. The interior is all travel related with suitcases and license plates, collectible plates and red vinyl booths. The coffee comes in mismatched mugs from all over the US, the sandwich bread is thick cut and perfectly grilled and it’s the kind of place that makes you think you might pack a bag and head out on an epic American road trip. But you won’t do that today because there’s more eating to do. So instead, have another cup of coffee and plan your next vacation over a great sandwich.

Mid afternoon munchies:

Clyde Commons

Clyde Commons is a European style tavern with shi shi food and big common tables. They serve food most hours of the day but I love their happy hour specials with a seat at the window so I can people watch. $3 small plates and $5 cocktails. Win and Win.

Dinner:

Veritable Quandry

That’s pate, ya’ll. And it’s delicious. Veritable Quandary is a lovely space with fantastic food and attentive bartenders. We spent a week in Portland and I think I spent 4 evenings here after work. Don’t miss the spicy fried cashews. They’re spectacular.

Departure Lounge

Maybe you need one more drink or maybe you just need a view? Then go to Departure Lounge for the best view of downtown Portland. There are several bar and restaurant spaces in this one building and the outside patio has reclined seating and heat lamps for chilly nights.

I imagine it’s always busy but the view is worth it.

May6

Eating in Southern California

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Start with breakfast in Huntington Beach at The Sugar Shack

The Sugar Shack

Sun, scrambled eggs and perfect crispy hash browns. Is there a more perfect breakfast? Take your time. Hang out. Have another cup of coffee and then wander down to the pier and watch the surfers catching waves. This is Southern California breakfast at its finest.

There are a couple choices for lunch starting with Sankai in Costa Mesa

San Kai

Yes it’s in a strip mall. I know. Go anyway because the fish is fresh and you can sit outside. Plus sushi is the prettiest food you’ll ever put in your mouth.

But maybe tacos are more your thing? Then head south to Carlsbad and go to Cessy’s Taco Shop

Cessy's Taco Shop

The thing I love most about the Southwest and Southern Cali is that you can get better Mexican food off a red plastic tray in a glorified taco truck than you get in most sit down restaurants up north. Cessy’s has great tacos. Get lots of salsa and go to town on the fresh hot chips. Lunch. Bam!

How about dinner by the water on Harbor Island?

Island Prime - C Level

That’s macadamia nut encrusted baked brie from Island Prime – C Level. Yum. We had a table overlooking the water where we could see the boats sailing in the bay and at night you can see the San Diego city skyline. Island Prime serves classy food in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s classic California.

Stop at the Hotel del Coronado for drinks before you head home.

Hotel del Coronado

A historic landmark with 125 years of rich California beach history, Hotel del Coronado has beautifully landscaped grounds and a gorgeous bar so it’s worth a visit.

End your evening by watching the sun set over to the ocean. Because that’s why you came to California, right?

Pacific ocean

Apr26

Denver Eats

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Breakfast:

Snooze

Snooze

There might be a lot of places to get eggs and pancakes in Denver but for most Denverians (Denverites?), Snooze has the best breakfast in town. With french toast specials, bright yellow tables and an atmosphere of comfortable chaos, I have to agree. It’s a wait to get in but it’s worth it and once you’re seated the service is cheerful and prompt and the food comes fast. Pictured above is the Spuds Deluxe (hash browns covered with cheese, scallions, veggies and meat topped with an egg), the french toast special covered with crushed ginger snap cookies and some whipped cream and several kids meals. The Uno cards come separate.

Or perhaps something vegetarian?

Savory Oatmeal at City O' City

Savory Oatmeal at City O’ City

City O’ City‘s got you covered. It’s the only place I’ve ever seen savory oatmeal, which was exactly what it sounds: oatmeal and grilled veggies topped with an egg, shredded cheese and toasted almonds. And pretty delicious. City O’ City is a bar/cafe/restaurant and while the service is a bit dismissive, the space is beautiful and the food is good.

Or perhaps you want breakfast at 2AM or 3PM?

Tom's Urban 24

Tom’s Urban 24

As the name suggests, Tom’s Urban 24 is open 24 hours a day and serves breakfast all 24 hours. The decor resembles the upbeat 50′s retro look of Snooze but slightly less cheerful. However, if you’re coming in at 2AM, chances are good you aren’t coming for the service… I wouldn’t cross town to get here but between Sam’s #3 Diner and this place, no one should ever want for breakfast at any hour of the day in downtown Denver.

Lunch:

Smash Burger

It’s quick and it’s fresh, it’s SmashBurger. Burgers several different ways with a choice of sides (veggie fries were delish) and beer pairings. That’s it. But that’s enough.

There are a lot of good dinner options but I’m going to recommend Euclid Hall.

Euclid Hall

A classy beer hall where they have house brews and really good food, Euclid Hall is great for lunch or dinner. Or maybe you come for lunch and then just have a few more beers and stay for dinner? It’s cozy with all that dark wood and windows. I wouldn’t judge you if you decided to spend an afternoon that way. I might even join you.

Still up and about and want to see a few more places? Ok then. How about Green Russell?

Green Russell

Yeah, that says Pie. But it’s not a pie shop, it’s a speakeasy. You’ll have to make reservations in advance to get in and then find the very un-obvious doorway and endure the hostess scrutiny but once in, you’ll love it. Green Russell has a beautiful bar with bartenders who will custom blend a drink just for you based on your tastes (um… whiskey… a little bit smoky… slightly sour… perhaps some citrus?) and loads of late night food. I’d highly recommend getting the absinthe service that comes in a big glass jar with silver decanting spigots because it enhances the 1920′s prohibition feel of the place. This bar is perfect for a small group of friends and it’s a great ending to any evening out.

But if you aren’t done quite yet, wander over to the Tarantula.

The Tarantula

The Tarantula

Sticky floors, dim lights, pool tables, cheesy fries and an industry discount for stagehands. If you love any of these things, you’ll love this place.

And as a final note:

Before I die

Get out and walk around Denver a little. The public art is as great the restaurants.

Nov5

Eat at Mike’s in Boston

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Sometimes I want an upscale place for bru-u-unch with sweet sticky fancy french toasts that come with sculpted strawberries served by a waiter in a long white apron that calls me ma’am. (though I always hate being called ma’am…)

Other times I want to eat breakfast at 2pm sitting at the bar on stools like these

Watching the kitchen drama and eating an omelette with mix and match ingredients

That’s bacon and cheddar – two things I always want in an omelette – and then broccoli thrown in to balance out the tasty greasiness. Shockingly good. I recommend it.

On a windy chilly day in Boston, (and let’s be honest, there aren’t any other days in Boston right now) when you want a lot of food served fast and none it has to be fancy , go eat at Mike’s City Diner.

and bring a trashy novel with you.

Jun19

Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque

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I wish this place were attached to a living history museum, something commemorating pioneers with a collection of dusty covered wagons while men in suspenders bale hay and sun-bonneted docents show you around.

Instead, this whole gigantic building is kind of a fast food restaurant.

Albuquerque, NM

The “kind of” part being the crowds, booths and ordering procedure

Albuquerque, NM

And the relative speed of service. However, the food is surprisingly good for a restaurant with foam cups. I got the breakfast burrito, which was full of green chilies and hashbrowns

Albuquerque, NM

This cinnamon roll might be the most decadent thing I’ve laid eyes on in weeks.

Albuquerque, NM

Yeah, that’s melted butter…

University of New Mexico students have been patronizing Frontier Restaurant for decades because it’s right on Central Avenue and it’s open until 1am. However, the Travel Channel has recently taken notice and guess who came to visit?

Frontier Restaurant, Albuquerque

Tune in next week to see if Adam Richman agrees that Frontier Restaurant serves the best green chili cheeseburger in town.

It’s hard to believe that Frontier Restaurant could get busier, but TV exposure tends to do that; so, if you actually want to taste that cheeseburger, you should go this week. Barring the cheeseburger, try the cinnamon roll. It’s de-li-cious.

Mar7

EAT New Orleans for Breakfast

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Let’s say you’re in New Orleans, you want a giant breakfast in a charming French Quarter setting and a chance of getting something healthy. Might I suggest EAT?

New Orleans, LA

Ryan and I came here on a Saturday morning for “breakfast” around noon-ish (don’t judge…) and stayed long enough to watch them close their doors at 2. The waitstaff was relaxed, the food spectacular; we got a table by the window; really, it was perfect.

It’s also that ever popular localorganicfarmtotable but I’ll let you go to the website to look for chicken headshots. I’m here for the food.

EAT New Orleans

Fried green tomatoes with grits and bacon. Spicy remoulade, perfect grits, delectable everywhere.

New Orleans, LA

Cornmeal pancakes with pecan maple butter and blackstrap molasses, eggs and  fruit. C’mon, it’s Ryan. He has to.

Go to EAT for a great breakfast. Besides being finger lickin’ good, it’s a command in CAPITAL LETTERS.

EAT.

So you should.

Feb16

Meli’s Cafe

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One of the things I love about the Chicago restaurant scene is the proliferation of all day breakfast places . When I lived there, I thought this was how every city was organized because doesn’t every neighborhood need a breakfast joint that serves eggs and pancakes all day? I would argue, yes. Of course they do. But apparently not everyone agrees with me and the closer you get to a downtown area in certain cities, the more scarce breakfast places become (Pittsburgh, I’m looking at you. Please open a decent diner downtown and don’t make me go back to Cherries Diner with the crabby waitresses and terrible coffee in styrofoam cups, although I do enjoy the window

*end parentheses*

That said, Meli’s is a nice breakfast place in the Greektown neighborhood of Chicago.

When I see that a place is a cafe, I usually think of great coffee and pastries and bad egg sandwiches cooked in a microwave. But Meli’s is a restaurant with a giant menu and a vast selection of options, like this scramble of bacon, kale and goat cheese.

Chicago IL

They also have a juice bar, so I got juice. How about that?

Chicago IL

Green, clearly: wheatgrass, pineapple, something something? Don’t clearly remember. And then I let it sit long enough to separate the grassy part from the juicy part. It was still pretty good…

And there you are, Meli’s Cafe: Breakfast near downtown Chicago. Don’t cross town to get here but if you’re here, stop in.

Feb13

Longman and Eagle

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Longman and Eagle. Isn’t that a strange name for a restaurant? I haven’t done any research on it but I suspect it has literary or poetic meaning.

Hold, please.

Ok, I was close. ish. It actually references this Eagle sculpture in Logan square and the artist who designed it.

As to other website oddities, the chef looks like Sweeney Todd’s brother.

Moving on…

This place advertises itself as the kind of localorganicfarmtotable type establishment that is the most popular restaurant concept of the early 21st century. Pretty soon we’re going to see a restaurant built around an actual garden with cows roaming between the tables and waitstaff bustling around, uprooting your carrots in front of you so you know your food was sourced within 5 feet of your table.

This has probably already happened and I’m already behind the times.

But until you get watch someone forage for your dinner, I’d recommend Longman and Eagle because we went for brunch and most of the food was great.

Let’s get the less-great things out of the way first. Doesn’t this look luscious?

Yeah, it was about 50% less delicious than the picture. I really wanted this apricot scone to be amazing. And it wasn’t. It was dry and crumbly.

BUT, this was my breakfast.

PBR brunch

The creamy cheese grits were astonishingly thick, smooth and cheesy. I probably don’t even want to know how much butter and cream and cheese went into making them so delectable. But when grits are done right, you could take away everything else on that plate and I wouldn’t mind.

Scrumptious.

Yes, that’s enough bacon to feed my entire table. I have a very high tolerance for bacon but I don’t think I finished it. I opted for the grits instead.

And the piece de resistance?

PBR brunch

Yes, kids. This is the PBR brunch.

Coffee and a PBR. That’s what a weekend looks like.

Jul9

Pancakes

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 I wrote an Ode to Pajamas once. I feel like I could write an Ode to Pancakes today because I had the most perfectly perfect pancakes at Blue Willow for breakfast.

They had blueberries and were a little bit crispy on the top but tender and falling apart once you pour syrup on them. And seriously gigantic.  One isn’t enough but two is too many.

Perfect with bacon on the side with coffee and a good book. (I’m reading Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and I LOVE it. I’m slightly ashamed  (the name! so silly. The hype! It’s too much. Yes, I put parentheses inside parentheses. Don’t judge.) but I keep telling myself that a good book is a good book. I have some suspicions why it’s really speaking to me but I’ll save them for a later post. Because this is about breakfast. Again. I know! I have a problem…)

But here’s the thing that’s strange, I don’t love pancakes very often. How a breakfast fetish as severe as mine doesn’t extend to pancakes is a mystery. But it’s true. I’ll eat eggs every day. Even twice a day. And never get tired of them or run out of ways to fix them.

But pancakes? Meh. I think there are a lot of bad pancakes in the world. Lots of heavy, cakey, clunky, pasty, tough, tepid pancakes out there that have scarred me. Emotionally. Or that’s my excuse for my pancake reticence.

I think I’ve made pancakes 2-3 times in the last calendar year. I remember these beauties

Which I made using this incredible recipe, but I put the blueberries inside. Where they should be.

And there’s this recipe for oatmeal pancakes by Orangette that my sister made and I sometimes I dream about and my mouth waters. Delicious. 3 million calories apiece. But delicious.

But I can’t remember the last time I ordered pancakes in a restaurant. Until today. And I’m so glad I did.

Here’s another look.

I spent a long time with them and a lot of coffee and the crazy Ya-Yas and I have to say, I couldn’t have improved upon the morning.

Sometimes, it’s all about pancakes.

Jun30

Things that are Great: Breakfast and Tomatoes

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I woke up this morning and wanted breakfast with hashbrowns and bacon and someone else making it. The kind of breakfast I could order over the phone and have delivered to my apartment if I lived in NYC, but sadly I live in Tucson where the delivery service hasn’t evolved that far.

And more’s the pity…

There’s nothing more aggravating than trying to decide whether I’m ready to leave the house immediately after I’ve just woken up. I’m not the jump out of bed and greet the world type. I want the world to hold off while I sit around, drink coffee, check my email, figure out my day and gear up to face it.

But waking up hungry and not being able to shake the image of hashbrowns out of my head meant making some kind of decision and eventually breakfast won out. Who’s surprised?

Let’s eat, indeed!

I started with this:

And then piled on a bunch of fresh salsa so it looked like this:

I could eat fresh salsa on just about anything. I think tomatoes help cleanse fat from the body. Don’t you agree? If you eat salsa on your hashbrowns it makes them healthy. I’m sure of it.

Just to make sure, I went home and had a bowl full of tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado and green onions for lunch.

Tossed with a vinaigrette, it’s like summer in a bowl. Delicious.

We’ve got a lot of summer around here so at least some of it should be delicious.

Maybe the heat will break when we get rain…