Santa Cruz Diner

Our Second stop is the Santa Cruz Diner, located on Ocean Street (909 Ocean Street) in... yes.... Santa Cruz, just as you come into the city from the 17-N highway.  I was a bit early coming into Santa Cruz to meet up with my friend, Liz, so I decided to stop into this place, since it was the first place that I saw and I needed food/coffee. 

(I think that I should mention now that (prior to my knowledge) that show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives did a visit/segment on this diner.  I've personally never seen the segment, let alone the show at all.  After reading a number of reviews on Yelp, etc, I found that most people choose to eat at Santa Cruz Diner just because of that, and are generally disappointed.  Too bad for them.  Also, this is a two-part review, as I came back to the diner a second time at the end of my trip, thus the multiple-bacon rating.)

Anywho, so I found a parking spot and headed into the diner.  I wasn't too surprised to be faced with a large line-up, since it was the Fourth of July.  What did surprise me was that there was a spot open at the counter, so I was seated immediately!  Score!  The place was a madhouse, for sure.  Every person and their dog had come out for breakfast this day, apparently.  Regardless, I began to look over the menu and decide upon what I wanted to stuff into my face this morning.  As I was reading, one of the servers, a girl in her mid-20's, cruised by and quickly said, "I'll be right with you!"  Understandably, she was doing a million and one things, much like the rest of the staff.  It was only a couple of minutes before she came back to take my order.  I ordered a coffee and a water and with went a 2-egg breakfast combo (2 eggs, hash, bacon and pancakes @ $7.99) for food.  She jotted it all down, took the menu, thanked me and cruised off again.  She grabbed me my drinks, then went off to put in the food order and help every other person, it seemed.  As I sipped on my coffee (which was tasty!) I took a look around and people watched a bit.  The walls were lined with countless signs and trinkets, as it should be in an American diner I think!  There were a few regulars flanking me, so I got to listen in on the local gossip about work and the like.  Every few minutes, Jessica (the server) would stop by to refill my coffee, assure me that my food was coming and/or just say hey.  I marveled at the sheer volume of food that was coming out of the kitchen and the speed at which it was coming.  It was only about 20 minutes before my first plate (everything but the pancakes) arrived.  Jessica assured me that the pancakes would be along shortly, to which I replied, "You see what a huge hurry I'm in!"  It was literally only 2 or 3 minutes before the pancakes arrived...

I'm so used to having huge pancakes when I go to diners, so the smaller-sized ones that came along were refreshing for me.  Nothing worse than being given too much food that ends up just being wasted.  I dug in, starting with the bacon.  My.God.  I can't quite put my finger on the flavour, but it was fantastic.  I seriously think that it's the best bacon that I've ever had.  I'm not a big fan of shredded potatoes, but hey, these ones were about as good as I could ask for at a diner.  The pancakes were also delicious!  Not mushy/undercooked/etc, so that was lovely.  My only food gripe was with the eggs, which seemed to be a bit watery... though, they still tasted fine, so I can't really complain.  Overall, the meal was well-worth the $7.99!  I ended up sitting for another hour or so, simply because my coffee kept being refilled and I hate turning down coffee.  Okay, I admit it, I was also enjoying sitting, relaxing and interacting, as well.  Finally, after about 5 coffees, I paid my bill and wished Jessica a good day.  This was our parting conversation:

"Keep on fighting the good fight!"

"You're leaving already?"

"Already?  I've only been here for an hour and a half!" (laugh)

"I know!  I'm just stressed and you made me happy, so I hate to see you go."

"Well, you'll be off soon!  Then you can hopefully relax."

"Let's hope so!"

So yeah, I have to say that my overall experience at the Santa Cruz Diner was awesome.  The food was great, minus the little egg thing, the price was great (just over $10 after tax?  Yep!) and the service was awesome, especially considering that it was July 4th in America.  4.5 Bacons from this guy!  So yes, go go go here if you have the chance!

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

PART II

As I said, I came back at the end of my trip.  I had spent the night in Santa Cruz, after dropping off Liz, so I figured that I'd give the diner a second go.  It was 8am on a Sunday morning, so the diner was dead and I was seated in a booth immediately.  My server this time was a kind, late/middle-aged lady that I had not seen during my previous visit.  She quickly brought me a coffee and took my order.  This time, I went for a combo, but changed it to eggs/bacon/home-fries and toast to get a different experience.  It was literally 3 minutes between ordering and the food arriving.  To some, this is a good thing... to me, it's a bad sign...

The bacon was cool, the potatoes were half-and-half warm and the toast was soft.  The eggs were done just right, though!  Anyway, so I can guess from this that they run a buffer in the kitchen, keeping the bacon and the potatoes in a warmer or something.  I can understand this, especially at a 24-hour diner during dead periods.  At the same time, at least attempting to bring food back up to temperature would be awesome too.  So yeah, the bacon still tasted good, as did the potatoes and eggs.  Still, I was a bit put off by the temperature.  At least the coffee and the service was still awesome, much like last time.  Unfortunately, I have to give my second go at Santa Cruz Diner 2.5 Bacons.  It's sad, but hey, it's true.  That said, I guess just come here when it's really busy!  It's worth the wait, I'd say.

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

Frannie's Cafe

You know what bothers me? Messed up work schedules, namely my own. Having Tuesdays and Fridays off really messes up things for me. That being said, when the next time that an actual team breakfast will occur is unknown, even to me! Regardless, there's still plenty of places to go for breakfast in Vancouver, and I intend on trying them out! This week, Hilbot and I went for a little stroll in Gastown and came across a quaint, little place across from The Cambie called Frannie's Cafe (316 Cambie Street).

Much like Heidi's Cafe, Frannie's is set up more as a coffee bar as opposed to a diner. With only about 5 tables and a sliver of floor space, it's a cozy spot. We went up to the register and ordered our breakfasts. I went with, surprise, just a plain ol' breakfast and a coffee! Hilbot wasn't feeling too hungry, so she ordered an egg sandwich and a coffee. There's a "pay first" system in effect, so be sure to have cash handy, as we learned the hard way. When Hilbot went to pay with her bank card, the owner told us that he had been having problems with it all day. He was right, as the bank machine said something along the lines of "I'm tired, I'm taking a day off." Good thing there's a few ATMs in the area! So, with the bill paid, we sat down with our coffees and waited for our food. It wasn't too too long before the owners wife came out with our plates....


Now, of course, the first thing to catch my eye was the McDonald's-like hash brown patties. At the same time, I've never really had a big problem with them anyway, so I wasn't going to let it dampen my spirits. As I dug into my food, I was quite pleased by what I encountered. The bacon was the most, well, bacon-y tasting bacon that I had had in quite a while. You could tell that they had cooked it fresh when I had ordered it. The eggs were done well, no rubberiness to be found and the toast was delicious. To top it off, the hash brown patties weren't bad either. Hilbot was also quite content with her toasted tomato and egg sandwich. It was just enough to make her hippo happy, as she would say.


Seeming that it's being run by just a couple of fine, older people, Frannie's Cafe did a damn fine job at breakfast. Considering that the bill only came out to about $10 was also awesome. I'd give it a solid 2.5 Bacons across the board.


Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

St Louis

12th Street Diner

Cam and I were only in the beautiful city of St Louis for a few hours, so our dining experiences were limited, namely to this one place that we happened to come across, the 12th Street Diner. It was the first (and just about the only) decent-looking joint that we came across during our hike around the downtown core of the city. It looked flashy and retro, so we figured that it couldn't hurt to try it out.

As we walked in, it reminded us of The Sunshine Diner so it felt it little bit like home. We sat ourselves down at the bar, since we had our backpacks with us, which meant that it was more like there were 4 of us. The server gave us each a menu and we both ordered coffees. The menu was fairly standard, in terms of choices, and varied enough to hold my interest long enough to look it over. Cam ended up going with his standard, a Benny. Meanwhile, I decided to be a bit crazy and ordered the "Lone Ranger" omelette (full of veggies and topped with sour cream and salsa), since I had a craving for more than just breakfast. This is what came about....

Mine was fantastic. Seriously, after hiking around a city for a few hours, loaded with a backpack, it was perfect. The shredded hash browns were even done quite well. Cam, on the other hand, was not too pleased. To put it in his words, "This is the worst hollandaise sauce ever. It's butter and pepper, and I added the pepper!" So, as you can tell, it wasn't what Cam was looking for. The coffee and the service were both awesome, though, that we could agree upon. This is a split decision here, so I have to average the place out to 2.5 Bacons, since the food was lacking and, for the price, it wasn't that notable. Good try, though.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Salt and Pepper

I can never remember when holidays are, especially one's like Easter. It was because of this holiday that we had to make a last-second switch for the breakfast venue today. Originally, the idea was to hit a place up on Main Street, but it turns out that they chose to be closed on Easter Sunday. Bunch of jerks. Anyway, on that note, we made the quick decision to head for the Salt and Pepper grill, located on 10th Ave and Kingsway (205 Kingsway). Along with our original venue being closed due to the holiday, there were also only Cam, Hilbot and myself on this Team today.

Now, I've walked by this place a number of times and never really taken notice of it. It's fairly non-descript and is connected to a Best Western motel, so yeah, you can see why I'd walk by it without batting an eye. When we walked in, we were greeted by a fairly standard family-type restaurant interior. A nice carpet, simple and clean tables and a few pictures hanging on the walls. We chose a table by the window and took up some menus that were given to us by our server. Cam and I ordered coffees, while Hilbot opted for her usual tea. The menu was once again a fairly standard affair, benny's, pancakes, french toast, regular breakfasts and the like. Me being the pancake-loving guy that I am, I went with the pancake/eggs/bacon meal. Cam, on the other hand, is the benny man in the group, so he opted for eggs benny, with hashbrowns. Last, but not least, Hilbot opted for a standard eggs/bacon/toast/hash meal.

Now, all the while I had been noticing the coffee. It wasn't bad, per se, but it was definitely "diner coffee". Not only that, but it wasn't brought around all-too often, which is a drag when you're a coffee addict like Cam and I. After a short wait, we were all brought our plates of food. They all looked fairly appetizing and smelled good, so we inferred that the taste couldn't be far from good either. Cam met instant disappointment as he (attempted) to cut into his first egg. He compared it to cutting through a rubber tire with a butter knife, and I could see that he wasn't lying.

"At least the hash browns aren't shredded, " he commented.

My meal, on the other hand, was actually quite good. The pancakes we done just right, the bacon was done just the way that I like it and my eggs were of a standard consistency. Overall, a great meal for me! Hilbot's meal was in the same boat, minus the hash browns being a bit underdone. So, we can all pretty much agree that for about $10, this place is a pretty good little breakfast venue. That is, if they stop using hockey pucks in place of eggs when you order an eggs benny. I'd give it 2.5 Bacons for food (the fact that they could make bacon correctly pushed it up 0.5) and 3 Bacons for service!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Yummy (Sushi) Restaurant

Another Sunday is upon us and you know what that means... another breakfast! Today we decided to continue with last blog's thme of being cheap. As we were drinking at Cam's place last night, his roomie mentioned a cheap place just off of Burrard. He said the name "Yummy Sushi" and I was instantly revolted.

"No no, they have a Western Breakfast! Don't order the sushi," he said.

And so it was decided, in a drunken haze, that Yummy Sushi was our destination. Located just off of West 4th Avenue on Pine Street (1980 Pine Street), this place is literally a hole in the wall. You can welcome back Sarah, Vienna and Victoria while saying hello to Hilary (or Hilbot, if you like) for the first time.

So, as I was saying, Yummy Sushi is literally a hole in the wall. The simple sign outside proclaimed "$2.99! 5 bacons (yes, plural), 2 eggs, hash browns, toast." How could we go wrong with this place? It seriously felt like we were walking into someone's kitchen. An extremely friendly and enthusiastic, older Asian lady greeted us and sat us down. (It should be noted that Sarah was still sleeping, and thus, hadn't joined us yet.) Cam, Hilbot and I ordered coffees ($1 each, sign said 30 cents per refill, but we got them for free), while Vienna ordered an orange juice and Vicky was lame and didn't order anything. (Yes, just like at Deacon's, Vicky simply sat with us for this breakfast.) So, the server fetched us our drinks as we looked at the menu. I was set on getting 5 bacons, as were Cam, Vienna and Hilbot. We held off an order of French toast (Also $2.99, four whole slices, no side) for Sarah, since we weren't sure how long she would take to arrive. Each of us put our orders in and took to waiting for our food. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be too long, and that was a good thing today, since I was starving. As we waited, I took stock of the interior of the place. Plain walls with a few old pictures and posters hanging about, a fridge and deep-freeze out in plain sight, about six run-down tables with chairs and a radio tuned into a "hit music station". I must admit, it was kind of relaxing, what with it being such a casual setting.

Within a couple of minutes our food began arriving. The first thing that I noticed was that the potatoes were shredded as opposed to chunked. That's a minus-5 for Cam and I right off the bat. The server did have the ingenious idea of just piling about 9 slices of toast on one plate for all of us. It reminded me of breakfast at my grandparent's place when I was young. Anywho, yes, our plates were all in front of us and it was what I expected. I'm not complaining though, since it's what I was expecting. 5 small-ish pieces of bacon, some eggs and the shredded potatoes. As I dug into the food, I found that the bacon and hash browns were a bit cold. The taste overall was pretty good, on the other hand. The opinion was pretty unanimous that the food was acceptable, especially for the price. It was also at this point that Sarah finally arrived, so they brought out her French toast. She thought that it was quite awesome, so she got the good plate this week, apparently.

In terms of affordability, I'd give Yummy Sushi FIVE BACONS. As for the quality, it was probably about 2 bacons. Yes, I'm rating things in "bacons" now. Deal with it.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Cambie Cafe

After having partaken in a few pricey-ish breakfasts, we felt the need to cheapen the expectations. You know what that means... GREASY SPOON. I just so happened to walk past a place that caught my eye the other day. I saw a sign that said, "$3.50 breakfast special all day", and that was enough to sell me. So, here we are at the Cambie Cafe, which can be found on the corner of Cambie Street and 7th Ave (2301 Cambie Street). Today's team consisted of Kimmy, Rozi, myself and our friend/coworker, Sophie! Say hi to Sophie.

I knew that we had hit greasy spoon-gold when we walked in the door. The interior was plain and white with a few run-down looking chairs and tables. The server, an older, Asian woman, walked up and brought us some menus and took our drink (aka coffee / $1.25 each) orders. It was then that Kimmy remembered that she had no cash, and this place was cash-only. So, she left in search of an ATM (Repeat of The Argo, anyone?) before the coffee was brought to us. The server arrived with our coffees and appeared quite confused by Kimmy's disappearance. We told her that she went to find money, so she did something that had never occurred to any of us. She flipped the saucer from under Kimmy's coffee onto the top of her mug to keep it warm. Of course, Kimmy came back right when she did this. So anyway, we got to ordering our meals. Kimmy and Sophie ordered the $3.50 special, while Rozi went with some French toast and I went with an order of pancakes. It was only going to be about a 10 minute wait, so we all started drinking copious amounts of coffee and partaking in our usual breakfast banter. Finally, the food arrived and it looked like, well, like a greasy spoon breakfast! Rozi managed to use just about all of the syrup on her French toast, leaving me with a little bit for my pancakes.

I must say, the whole meal was fairly enjoyable. The eggs being right on top of my pancakes wasn't my favourite, but that was easily remedied. As for the taste, I'd give it a 2.5/5. Then again, for the amount of money that we paid, it was well-worth it. The girls all agreed that it was a lovely meal on a Tuesday morning, especially for under $5. If you're looking for a quick and cheap breakfast in the area, I'd suggest the Cambie Cafe.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

The Reef

Sunday breakfast? What the crap? Yes, it's true, Sunday was the day for breakfast this week. The Team has yet to figure out a day that works for all of us. This week we had to go forth without Rozi, as she had to work at 9am. With that said, The Team was joined by a plethora of additional people this week. Kimmy's boyfriend, Rob, our friend, Bobby (from The Skylight and Deacon's) and his lady, Alicia and our friends, Aaron (from Sunshine Diner), Vienna and Tomas, all joined us.

The Reef is a Caribbean restaurant with two locations in Vancouver, one on Main Street (4172 Main Street) and one on Commercial Drive (1018 Commercial Drive). The Team opted for the Commercial Drive location, due to it being closer to a number of places to watch the Canada vs U.S. gold medal game. The Reef only recently started serving breakfast, so The Team hasn't made it a destination until now. Due to the size of our party this week, I already expected a slightly slower breakfast experience, so when I walked into the place to see several tables already filled, I wasn't too worried. It was only after we all sat down that it became more apparent as to how slow of a breakfast we were really in for.

"Sorry guys, I'm going to be just a few minutes. My other server didn't come in today, so I'm doing everything myself, " our visually flustered server explained.

We all assured her that there were no hard feelings and that we weren't in a huge hurry that morning. We all ordered coffees, along with a pint of beer and a Spanish coffee (spiked coffee, for those that don't know) for Tomas, a Spanish coffee for Vienna and a Screwdriver for me. Yes, I'm aware that it was 10am on a Sunday, but there was a big hockey game coming up and we had to start early. Anywho, we all began to take a good, long look at the menu, as we knew that we had plenty of time to decide. After a good 10 minutes, our drinks began to arrive, and thus, we were able to put in our breakfast orders. The coffee was actually quite enjoyable, as was my booze-juice. Tomas and Vienna also seemed very pleased with their boozy coffees, enough that I was kind of jealous.

(Due to the sheer volume of food ordered this week, I won't be listing it person-by-person, nor posting pictures of it.)

After about 20 minutes, our food began to arrive. I had ordered the Sam Lord's Breakfast, as I'm not a big fan of eggs benny nor seafood for breakfast. When it was set down in front of me, I was immediately let down by the lack of portions. Two eggs, a handful of hash browns, one jerk-chicken sausage cut in half and one slice of toast. Everyone began to dig into their plates when Aaron grabbed my attention.

"Umm... Jesse, can I have a bit of help?" she asked.

It was at this moment that I realized that she only had one working arm, (she had injured the other one the previous night, so it was in a sling and such) so I had to butter her toast for her. Yes, this was the breakfast that I got to be the bird-mom! (Yes, this may be a recurring topic in the blogs.)

Anywho, as I ate my breakfast, I was mixed with delight and despair. The toast, while thick and appetizing, turned out to be rock-hard. The hash browns were also lackluster, though the eggs and sausage were really tasty. Once again, I was left disappointed by the lack of food. For 8 bucks, I expect to get a plate of good food, not a half-full plate of pretty good food. In the end, after tips, the meal cost me a little over $20, but that included my Screwdriver (5 bucks), and a built-in gratuity due to the size of our party. The girl really did deserve all of the tips, though, considering how she was bartending and serving tables all at the same time. Kudos to her! Cam agreed that the portions were too small, as his scrambler turned out to be the smallest plate at the table. Maybe it's just the fact that we're big eaters, but I think that we may have been the only two that had a beef with the portion sizes. Regardless, I think that I'll stick to lunch/dinner/drinks at The Reef, as the breakfast really wasn't worth it to me.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Skylight Cafe

I hope that Cam's entries have kept you entertained this past week, as there was a lack of the regular breakfast update. Unfortunately, things got a bit hectic and three out of the four of us had to work last Monday. Tragedy, I know, but here we are again! This week, we went with Kimmy's advice and headed to the Skylight Restaurant, located near the corner of Commercial Drive and Parker Street (1012 Commercial). We were without Rozi this week, as she wasn't feeling well, so we brought Bobby, our friend from previous breakfasts (Deacon's, etc) along.

Now, from the outside, the Skylight is very non-descript. I've walked past it a million times over the years and this is the first time that I've really noticed it. The inside matched the outside, being simple and straightforward. We were seated immediately and given menus by the server, a pleasant, middle-aged woman. We each ordered a coffee ($1.25 each, free refills), minus Bobby, who ordered a large orange juice ($1.75 each). Kimmy also partook in the juice situation, being the girl that she is. We perused the menu for a little while, which was small, but very affordable and managed to encompass the basics, while we were brought our beverages. The coffee was, well, stereotypical diner coffee. It was fairly watery and weak, but still not disgusting like Deacon's. The server came back and took our orders, which were as follows.Jesse - French Toast. 3 slices, along with 3 slices of bacon. ($5.25 / Total $6.50)
Kimmy - Eggs Benny. Served with hash browns. ($5.75 / $8.75)
Cam - Daily special. 2 pancakes, 2 slices of bacon and hash browns. ($4.75 / $6)
Bobby - Daily special. 2 pancakes, 2 slices of bacon and hash browns. ($4.75 / $6.50)

It was a mere wink of an eye, in terms of time, between placing our orders and the food arriving. We were all famished, so we all dug in immediately. My French toast was quite fluffy and tasty, and while the bacon was a bit on the cold side, it was also tasty. The others were fairly pleased with their meals as well. Kimmy said, "Well, this benny is definitely better than IHOPs, so it's not -that- bad." Meanwhile, Cam was left feeling a bit hungry, much like at The Argo.

Overall, for the price, the Skylight was acceptable. At the same time, for the overall quality, you could probably get the same thing with better coffee at Bons. But hey, if you don't feel like waiting in a lineup, or waiting 40 minutes for some cheap, tasty breakfast, I'd suggest a quick stop at the Skylight.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Deacon's Corner

Holy crap, it's February! The Team is saying hello to the month with the little place in the DTES, known as Deacon's Corner. Located on the corner of Main and Alexander Street (101 Main Street), Deacon's is a relatively new diner in an area of the city that has begun to the "hip and artistic" demographic. Joining The Team this week are our friends Bobby and Vicky.

As I said, this area of the city has become progressively more and more "hip" over the years. A mere three blocks from Deacon's is the "poorest urban centre" in Canada, but, as you step into this place, you feel more like you're in some diner from a TV sitcom. Vicky was waiting for us already, so there was no wait for a table. Then again, there were only about 5 other people in the place, so there would have been no wait anyway. (haha) Anywho, we were still waiting for Cam and Bobby to arrive, so we looked over the menu and ordered a couple of coffees ($1.75 with free refills). Rozi was depressed because there was no soy milk for the coffee, while I was just plain depressed by the coffee. If you were to go to an empty field, pick up a handful of the dirt there and brew it in place of coffee grounds, you would probably have the coffee that we were served. Even with my warnings, Bobby and Cam ordered a couple of their own coffees once they arrived. With all of us present, the server took our orders as follows.
Jesse - French toast with bacon. ($9 / Total $11.29)


Kimmy - Veggie omelette. Filled with spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers and cheddar cheese, served with hash browns and toast. ($10.25 / $12.60)
Rozi - Fruit bowl. Yep, it's a bunch of fruit! ($4.50 / $6.57)


Cam - B.E.L.T.CH. Toasted sandwich with bacon, eggs, lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese, served with hash browns.($7.75 / $9.98)
Bobby - Southern Scramble. Sausage and onions on housemade biscuits with gravy, served with hash browns. ($10 / $12.34)

Meanwhile, Vicky was lame and stuck with nothing but her cup of dirt-water... er... I mean coffee.

It was only a short while until our meals showed up, along with refills on our coffees. My French toast was golden and perfectly done, though it did lack the kind of flavour that I've come to expect from French toast. Regardless, it was fluffy and filling and the bacon was a bit on the crisp side, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Everyone else seemed content with their meals, though Rozi was still hungry, so she stole leftover toast and hash browns from the others at the table.

In the end, Deacon's proved to be an acceptable breakfast venue, though it gets a huge minus for the crappy coffee. Unpleasant coffee at breakfast = an unfulfilling breakfast. At least the prices were fairly reasonable and the service wasn't the worst that we've encountered.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse