Perch

Greetings and salutations to you all!  It's summer in Vancouver, which means that I have a lot of time off of work.  This, of course, means that I have more time to pick and choose with places that I go for breakfast!  Today, Kimmy and I hit up a joint in the DTES, just off of Gore Street, along East Hastings.  Some of you probably know it, but I'm going to tell you about Perch (337 East Hastings Street).

I'm not exactly sure how long Perch has been operating, but it seems fairly new to me.  It's hip, it's funky, and most of its' menu is gluten-free.  It's not necessarily a breakfast joint, as it opens at 11:30am and only has two breakfast items on the menu.  It's more known for the gluten-free pizza and burgers, from what I've been told.  Anywho, it was a Wednesday and it was "early", so Kimmy and I were able to seat ourselves.  We were immediately brought a couple of menus, which were shortly followed by coffees ($2.25ea) and waters.  As I said, there were only two breakfast options on the menu, so both of us went with the bacon (tofu for Kimmy) & eggs ($7 each).  I was tempted to get a burger, but I had just gotten back from Alberta where I had pretty much nothing but burgers, so yeah, breakfast!  During our short wait, I noticed how reasonable the drink prices were, as they were posted on the menu board across the restaurant.  $4.75 for domestic bottles, which included Blue Buck and Seed Spitter, and only $5.25 for imports, including Mirror Pond and Newcastle.  Not bad in this city, that's for sure.

Within 10 minutes, our food arrived....

As you can see, they weren't messing around with portion sizes!  I had the multigrain toast, while Kimmy had marble rye.  I started with the bacon, which was done just the way I like it, soft and not crispy.  The potatoes were also quite good, not too seasoned but not bland either.  The salad tasted pretty good, though I did get a couple of blackened leaves.  The toast was, well, toast.  The eggs were the part that threw me off a bit, though.  They were kind of over-done and rubbery, which is about the opposite that anyone wants their eggs done.  I also had a bit of Kimmy's tofu, which they had seasoned with what tasted like Montreal Steak Spice.  Not going to lie, it was actually a winning combination!  With all of that said, price-wise and food-wise, I'd have to give Perch 4 Bacons overall.  The service ruled, the coffee was good, the prices were decent and the food was mostly good.  I definitely want to give their burgers and pizza a try, though!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Truck Stop Cafe

Happy 2013 to you, world!  Isn't it going to be great when we look back and tell the kids about how many apocalypses we've survived?  It almost sounds like a new t-shirt to me.

The end of the world aside, I figured that I'd start this year off by going for breakfast at a place that I've been meaning to go to since I started this blog (aka, for a few years!).  Located on the corner of Clark Drive and Napier Street (1046 Clark Drive), the Truck Stop Cafe has been in business for quite a number of years.  It's been the same family operating it, I believe.  I used to always walk past it and say, "Boy, that looks like quite the greasy spoon.  I should go in there."  Alas, I was always in a hurry, not hungry or just plain not in the mood for diner food.  Today, though, this was the day.  My coworkers and I started hitting up the Truck Stop for lunch some days, since they have some decent burgers and clubhouse sandwiches for a good price.  Plus, the people running it have always been really nice to us.  The three of us decided on two things differently today, though:

1) We were going to dine-in.
2) We were having breakfast.

So, we flipped our menus over and perused the breakfast menu.  There's an all-day breakfast special for $4.50 (2 eggs, 2 bacon or sausage, potatoes and toast).  Me, I went straight to the point and ordered the Trucker Special (3 pancakes, 3 eggs, 3 bacon, 3 sausage) and a coffee.  We all ordered and went to idle conversation about work and other mundane things.  We were also brought our waters and my coffee, which tasted as I expected from a diner, a bit watery but not offensive.  Anywho, I guess I can take a moment to describe the interior of this place for you.  It's quite plain and homey.  A few obligatory pictures of big rigs and the like to justify the name "Truck Stop Cafe", a few paper signs describing specials, etc.  A few booths, a few tables and 4 stools at a little counter, with the kitchen open and visible to the rest of the place.  Overall, just a good, little place.

So, somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes passed and we were brought our food...

Trucker Special

As you can see, they didn't skimp on the portions!  The bacon was actually pretty good, as were the eggs.  The pancakes were quite tasty, not gonna lie... probably some of the best diner pancakes that I've experienced in a long time.  Meanwhile, the sausages were big, but a bit on the bland side.  A bit of syrup definitely went a long way in helping them.  The other two seemed to enjoy their food, judging by how quickly they cleared their plates.  With my final bill coming to $9.07 (including taxes), I couldn't complain in the slightest with the meal.  I mean, not the greatest quality, but hell, for under $10 you're lucky to get a coffee and some toast at a lot of places these days.  Plus, once again, the service is great!  Overall, I have to give 3 Bacons to the Truck Stop Cafe.  Affordable, friendly and not greasy enough to kill you in one sitting.  In addition, I will say that their burgers and clubs are tasty, so don't be afraid to grab one of those either!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Tangent Cafe

Greetings to you all, and welcome back to another day of breakfast in Vancouver.  It's my only day off this week, so I decided to go out and get some things done.  Along the way, I figured that I'd stop for some breakfast while I was on The Drive.  Because it was before 10am on a Saturday, not many places were open for me to eat at, so I opted for a newly-opened place called the Tangent Cafe.  Now, I use the term "newly-opened" fairly loosely, since Tangent Cafe is actually in the exact same spot that Sorry Babushka used to be.  Basically, S.B. closed for a couple of weeks, renovated a bit, then reopened with a new name.  Anywho, I decided to go for it.

So, the serving staff seemed to be quite unchanged from before.  The decor has at least been updated this time around, so I couldn't complain about that.  Otherwise, it seemed much the same as when it was Sorry Babushka.  I sat down and was brought a menu and a coffee ($2.50).  Compared to before, the menu has been greatly condensed and the prices went up by a few bucks.  I decided to go with the special, which was a smoked salmon benny.  The server took my menu and I began the wait for my food...

It actually didn't take long at all for my food to arrive...

Smoked Salmon Benny

So, what can I say?  The salmon looked a lot like ham.  I know that it wasn't ham, but it certainly looked like the salmon-in-a-box that you buy at those tourist stores in Gastown.  It didn't taste bad, but it wasn't all that visually appealing.  The sauce was quite good, but there was nothing really notable otherwise.  Meanwhile, the potatoes were the standard from-frozen ones with no seasoning and the fruit was from a can.  I also only managed to get one refill of coffee, which was a bit disappointing considering that there were 5 servers working and the place wasn't full.  So, all in all, I can't say that I was dazzled or really overly-impressed with the Tangent Cafe.  Was it worth $15.50 plus tax?  Nope.  You would think if a place jacked its prices up by a few bucks, the food quality would increase as well.  Alas, the food quality was about the same (if not a bit less) as it was when the place was Sorry Babushka.  The service was decent, but once again, could have been better.  I have to say that Tangent Cafe gets 2 Bacons from me.  You can definitely find better/cheaper food in the area.

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

Greenroom Diner

To cap off our trip to Tofino, Eliza and I picked a little diner that had recently opened up.  We had seen the menu and an ad for it at the camp site that we stayed at for the last two days, so we figured that it could be a fun time!  Let me introduce you to the Greenroom Diner.  Located on the right-hand side of the road as you're entering town, tucked away a bit along the water (approximately 634 Campbell Street), it doesn't just jump out of you.  But, maybe that was part of the draw for us.

The view was quite nice, and the interior was plain and clean.  One of the two very pleasant servers seated us at a booth and gave us menus, while getting us each a coffee ($2.25 w/ refills).  Apparently it was the first day of their new menu, so score for us!  It was a collection of the usual breakfast suspects, along with a couple of specialties.

After mulling over our options, we came to our decisions.  Eliza decided upon a "Benny Gone Green", since she's one for the ol' veggie options.  Meanwhile, I had a serious desire for some pancakes, probably due to low blood-sugar or something.  The server asked whether I wanted my bacon crispy, to which I replied, "No please, I like mine a bit soft."  She laughed because she had just had a conversation with the cook about how everyone orders their bacon crispy.  I'm just going against the grain, apparently.  Anyway, we placed out orders and conversed about whatever happened to be on our minds that day.  We were brought regular coffee refills and the server stopped a couple of times for a bit of conversation.  It's always a nice touch when servers are genuinely interested in talking, as opposed to just rehashing the same crap about the weather, etc.  Regardless, it wasn't long until our food arrived...

Pancakes, topped with fruit and lemon cream-cheese, with bacon ($12)

Benny Gone Green (can't remember exact toppings), with fruit ($13)

The bacon was soft, just like I asked!  The pancakes were also and awesome mash of flavours, and were done just right.  On the other side of the table, Eliza voiced her pleasure with her benny.  (She gets the sauce on the side, thus the lack of it in the picture.)  The eggs were cooked well and looked quite fluffy to me.  The plates did lack a bit in the presentation department, what with the amount of empty space on them.  At the same time, the quality of the food outweighed the quantity, so it'd be silly to complain too much.  Overall, the Greenroom gets a whole 4 Bacons from me!  It's got good vegetarian options, and the food in general is good.  The service is also awesome, as is the coffee!

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

Caffe Vincente

 Greetings once again!  I'm going on quite the spree of updates these days, aren't I?   For the next two entries, I'm going to tell you a bit about breakfast in Tofino, BC.  Eliza and I decided to take a short holiday on Vancouver Island, soak in some hot springs and just plain relax.  Now, you have to remember that Tofino is a tiny town on the coast of The Island.  By tiny, I mean that it's literally one main strip with a couple of four-way stops.  There are a tonne of tourists though, so there is a fair bit around, in terms of business.  You know what this means.... yep, there's breakfast joints!  The first of two is Caffe Vincente.  Located along the main drag, on the left-hand side as you enter the town (441 Campbell St), this place came off more as a coffee shop than a restaurant.  But, it looked like it had some good eats, so Eliza and I went for it.

As I said, Caffe Vincente appears to be a small-ish coffee shop from the outside.  As you step inside, you'll find that, yes, it is a coffee shop of sorts, but that there's also a bustling kitchen immediately behind the counter.  You grab (or are given) a menu as you stand in line, then order from the counter before sitting down.  There's a small dining room to the right, or seating outside, the latter of which we chose.  Who wants to sit indoors when the sun is shining anyway?  Oh, did I mention that Eliza went with a light, salad-driven option with a couple of eggs, while I went all traditional (eggs, toast, ham)?  Now I did!  The price was right on both too, aka, under $10, along with some coffee.  

We were warned that there would be a bit of a wait for our food, since it was quite busy this morning.  This wasn't a concern to either of us really, being on holiday and all.  After about 10 minutes, Eliza's plate of food arrived...

We both figured that mine would be on its way shortly, since it had the ham and toast, so Eliza elected to wait for my food to arrive.  The clock ticked by... minute by minute.  We began to notice people that had arrived after us receiving their food (some being the same meal that I ordered) already.  After about another 10 minutes I decided to see what was going on with my food.  Eliza's food wasn't really getting cold per se, since the sun was blazing, but it was still just sitting there.  I went up to the counter and asked about my plate.

"What was the order?"

"Just a traditional breakfast."
"Oh, it's coming up next."

"No worries, I was just confused since my girlfriend's food has been at our table for 10 minutes, so I thought you might have forgotten me."

"Oh, did you two order separately?"

"We sure did."

"Oh, that's the problem then.  So sorry!"

"No worries.  Thanks."

So yeah, word of caution, be sure to order food with your party or face the prospect of being leapfrogged by other people.  I went back out to our table and told Eliza what the score was.  About a minute after, one of the ladies came out with a plate of ham.  She apologized for the mix up and said that the extra ham was on the house.  Only a few more minutes went by until the brought my plate, with an additional bowl of fruit as an extra apology.

The food was quite delicious.  The ham was just sliced from a roll, which was a little disappointing, but it was still good nonetheless.  My eggs were cooked just right and the toast was full of grains.  The fruit was also flavourful.  Eliza was also pleased with her food.  I don't remember her complaining, at least.  So, I'd have to give this place 3.5 Bacons overall.  The mix-up with my food missing was inconvenient, but at least there was some sort of excuse behind it.  Plus, the fact that they were willing to provide me with several dollars-worth of compensation for it helped out.  The service was lovely (we ended up getting into a conversation with the one cook, as her dog was tied up outside by us) and the price was right, so really, how could I complain much more?

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

Hugo's (West Hollywood)

After a couple of days on the road with Liz, we came to the city of Los Angeles.  I hadn't been down this way since February, and Liz had just never been to the city.   I knew exactly where we had to go, though.  Remember how I said that I deleted a backlog of old entries a little while back?  Well, it just so happens that one of those places was in West Hollywood, and it was good enough for me to want to return.  With that, I introduce you to Hugo's (West Hollywood).  Located at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Kings Rd, Hugo's has been around since the 80's.  Originally opened in an old butcher shop (which had been run by a guy named Hugo, thus the name), Hugo's now sports a few locations in the Greater LA Area.  The West Hollywood location has always been the one that I'm close to, so it's the one that gets the review.  As I said, I was here in February with my girlfriend, Eliza, so I already had a bit of an opinion on Hugo's.  I remember having an egg-white omelette and being fairly disappointed with the lack of flavour and whatnot.  That said, I wanted to give it another chance, since we all know my history with omelettes.  Plus, I remembered the service, coffee, atmosphere and other parts of my plate being great.

On this fine day, Liz and I rolled into town around 10am and were hungry campers.  We parked the car and headed into Hugo's.  We were immediately greeted and given a spot on the outdoor patio, since the sun was shining and we wanted some sunlight.  The overall atmosphere was as I remembered it; bustling and busy, with people of all walks eating and conversing.  There was only one other group of people on the patio, so we were treated to peace and quiet.  We were brought coffees and waters to drink while we looked over the menu.  Liz was stoked on being at a place that had a multitude of vegan options.  I hadn't seen her eat much of anything on the road, minus a veggie sub from a Subway in the middle of nowhere, so I can imagine how exciting this menu must have been.  I decided that I was going to go for a protein scramble (broccoli and asparagus in a scramble?  Sure!) while Liz made the decision of vegan Huevos Rancheros.  For the next 10 minutes or so, we drank coffee, figured out our day and awaited our food.  We weren't disappointed...

Protein Scramble!

Huevos Rancheros!

Look at that food!  Seriously!  These people are not messing around with portions, that's for sure.  I have to say, I was very pleased with the tastes that I experienced with my dish.  The vegetables were cooked just right, the chicken was flavourful and juicy, and the eggs were also great.  The fresh fruit was a bit bland, but nothing to really scoff at.  Liz dug right in and consumed more than enough food to keep her going for another few days.  She was also very pleased with her food.  The service was also great, and realistically, the price point wasn't all that bad either, especially for the amount/quality of food.  The only thing keeping me from giving 5 Bacons is my previous omelette experience.  That said, most places have their ups and downs in terms of dishes, and Hugo's is no exception.  That said, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone that happens to be in the area!

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

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

Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen

Greetings one and all!  This week, I'm going to bring you a few American reviews, since work decided to give me some (well-deserved?) time off.  I ended up going down the West Coast a bit, and so that means a few "exotic" places were hit along the way!  Cam and I have the same job, and thus similar schedules, (time off!) so we decided to hit up Portland for a few days.  He kept going on about a deli that he and Hilary and gone to and loved on previous visits.  So, of course we went there on the last day that I was in the city.  Located on the corner of Stark St and SW 11th Ave (1038 Stark St), Kenny and Zuke's has been open for a couple of years, serving up pastrami in all sorts of way.  Yes, these guys take pastrami very seriously, apparently!

It was just before 11am when Cam and I arrived, so the place was already quite busy.  There were spots outside, but apparently they don't seat anyone outside until around noon, when another server gets on shift.  Regardless, we were given about a 15 minute wait time for a spot to sit ourselves down.  The interior of the place is very plain and open, not in a bad way mind you.  Finally, we were seated and given a couple of menus to peruse.  We had just missed the cutoff for the breakfast menu, but that didn't really matter, since there's a few all-day breakfast items to choose from.  I decided upon a pastrami & swiss omelette, while Cam went with the Big Shot Breakfast Sandwich, because he's a high-roller, y'know.  It was at this time that we noticed a lack of, well, a few things.  Coffee, water.... a server?  I swore that we had seen a server with coffee going from table to table earlier on.  Did we happen to sit at the "plague table" or something?  No wait, the people that were seated after us (and next to us) didn't have anything either.  That was a good(?) sign, I guess.  Finally, after about 15 minutes of sitting and waiting for service, the server came by.... and started taking the other table's order.  The man said to her, "Um, I think that you should help these guys that were here first."  So, she turned around and took our orders.  We were brought coffee and water after a few more minutes, then our food arrived a bit after that.

This be Cam's Food

This be my food

I have to admit, the food was quite tasty.  Even for a guy that just had his wisdom teeth pulled about a week earlier, it was good.  They did have some good pastrami, for sure.  The potatoes had a lovely group of spicing on them, and the omelette had a bunch of filling and flavour.  Cam kind of sucked his plate up like a vacuum cleaner, which I take as a good thing.  No, seriously, he actually sucked the entire plate up.  Kind of like a cartoon, but with less awkward sound effects.  Anywho, yes, we were both pleased with our food, especially in terms of portions vs price.  I have to say though, the coffee wasn't all that good, and the lack of service put me off.  I think that the conversation that the couple next to us had with the server sums up my feelings on the service:

"Is it possible to still order from the breakfast menu?"
"No, we stopped serving it at 11."
"Well, we were seated before then, and had to wait 15 minutes for you to take our order."

"That's too bad, I can't help it."

Maybe it was an off-day for the server?  Maybe it was busy and she was running behind?  Maybe she's just not a good server?   Either way, it leads me to give 4 Bacons for food and affordability, but only 2 Bacons for service.  I mean, c'mon, it's not that hard to at least take people's drink orders within 15 minutes of them sitting down.  I might go back to Kenny & Zuke's again, when it's less-busy... or when I have a tonne of time to burn.

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

The Wallflower

It's always good to have a long weekend that you didn't expect.  It gives a person time to do a few things that they're normally too busy/tired to do.  In my case, that means time to have breakfast at a new place!  This week, I chose The Wallflower. I was accompanied by Tomas and our Swedish friend, Carolin.

Located on Main Street, just off of Broadway (2420 Main Street), The Wallflower was opened up in 2009 with the idea of having an eatery that was appealing to omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike.  I've been meaning to try it out for quite a while, but today was the day that it finally happened.  We arrived around 9:30am, meaning that the place was pretty barren, thus we had our pick of spots to sit.  We chose a cozy, little booth by the door that fit all three of us without having to use a plain ol' chair.  We were brought waters and menus by a cheerful, young lady and each ordered a coffee ($2.50 each).  The menu was straight-to-the-point, yet varied enough to appeal to everyone.  It only took a few moments for each of us to make up our minds and place our orders.  I went with the Crystal Benny, since I was craving a benny and bacon at the same time, along with a Gin Blossom (yes, booze in the morning).  Meanwhile, Tomas chose the Super Breakfast and Carolin opted for a (non-breakfast) Tofu Peanut Wrap.  While waiting for the food, we took in the surroundings of the joint.  The walls were spotted with various art pieces from local artists and were otherwise plain but inviting.

Soon enough, the food arrived...

 Crystal Benny ($12)

 Super Breakfast ($12)

 Tofu Peanut Wrap ($10)

As always, I started with the potatoes.  The seasoning on them was perfect, though I did come across a couple of under-cooked ones.  That's something that I can generally overlook.  The dressing that was used on the salad was awesome and the benny was delicious on all counts.  The hollandaise sauce was tasty, and the bacon was cooked to perfection.  Both Tomas and Carolin were very impressed with their choices, as well.  The presentation and overall quality of all three dishes was excellent, and totally matched the flavours of them.  I don't see why I've never come to this place before!

So, with all of that in mind, I have to give The Wallflower 4.5 Bacons overall.  The underdone potatoes were a bit off-putting, and a bit more potatoes/salad would have brought it up to the $12 that the dish cost.  At the same time, I can't stress how it was definitely quality over quantity.  Try this place out!

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

Sorry Babushka

Well, hello there!  It's been entirely too long, hasn't it?  To be honest, I had a backlog of about 4 entries from the past half a year, but I never did get around to them.  Instead of thinking back and writing sub-par reviews of those places, I decided to flush them all and start with a clean slate.  On that note, Cam and I went to Sorry Babushka today for their breakfast.  I've had it a few times, so I think that I can give a fairly solid review of the place!

Located at the corner of Commercial and 5th Avenue (2095 Commercial Drive), Sorry Babushka opened up about a year ago.  While a prime location on The Drive for a business, this is the third restaurant that I've seen in the location over the past 6 years.  I've generally found it a pretty good place to stop in for a drink ($3.25 beer specials and whatnot), and my Ukrainian friends said that the borscht was actually quite close to authentic.  Otherwise, I've found the dinner to be pretty standard.  Nothing too crazy, nothing too terrible.  Anywho, I'm here to tell you about breakfast, not drinking and dinner!

Cam and I arrived at about 9:30am, which is nice and early for a weekday in Vancouver.  We were given our choice of a spot to sit at, and so we chose a booth along the pony wall.  The server brought us a couple of menus, which are printed on newsprint and are made to look like newspapers.  We each ordered a coffee (about $2, free refills) and perused the menu.  I decided on a Western scramble ($8.95?), with a side of sour cream ($.75), while Cam went with a Farmer's Omelette, since it comes with "loads of fresh fruit".

It only took about 10 minutes max for our food to arrive...

As you can see, Cam did get a bunch of fresh fruit!  My food was the expected mash-up of cheese, peppers, eggs, onions and ham.  It was actually quite flavourful, considering my usual complaint of bland omelettes and scrambles in restaurants.  The potatoes were quite nice, as well.  Crispy, but not overdone.  Same goes for the toast.

I'd have to say that both of us were pleased with our food, especially for under $10.  At the same time, it wasn't anything special.  I do also know that from previous visits that the food can be hit and miss.  With that, I think that we'll have to give a total of 3 Bacons out of 5!  Portions and price, along with average food quality makes me give it just above average for the total score.  If you want something cheap-ish, but filling, I'd suggest Sorry Babushka.  I have yet to try the $2.99 breakfast ($4.99 on weekends/holidays), but I just might one of these days.

Stay sharp, kids

Jesse

Cafe Crepe

(Update: This location closed down, due to popular non-demand.)

Happy summertime, Vancouver! I know, most people have complained about how cold and wet it's been this year, but frankly, it's made everything green all the way into August, so I'm okay with it. After another long hiatus from the blog, I have returned to tell you about food and how great (or not) it is. This week, I happened to head to a franchise restaurant instead of a smaller, local place. Why? Well, because I felt like it! This week, you can welcome (and say good-bye) to my friend, Anna!

Cafe Crepe is one of those places that I normally go to for a cheap-ish pitcher of beer and maybe a burger when I'm downtown. Just recently, they opened up a new location right on Commercial Drive, right between 2nd and 3rd Avenue (1818 Commercial Drive). As you can gather from the name, Cafe Crepe is geared towards a European-type cafe and specializes in crepes. From my experience, their crepes are fairly okay, but nothing that I've committed to memory, while their burgers and fries are quite good, especially for the price. So, I figured, why not try out their breakfast? Plus, Anna had never tried eggs Benedict and wanted to before she caught a flight home to Germany, and Cafe Crepe has it on the menu.

The restaurant itself is an open-concept kind of place. The kitchen, crepe grills and cash register are all behind the same bar along the right side of the restaurant, while booths and tables take up the rest of the space. This location is also one of the "express" cafes, so you place your order and pay first, then choose to either take your food to go or to sit down and stay. After a brief look over the menu, I settled on the "Petite Déjeuner Spécial" (basically an eggs & bacon special that's only available Mon - Fri until 10:30am and costs $5.45), while Anna went with the traditional eggs benny ($10.75). Coffee was included in my special, and Anna just wanted water, so no drinks beyond that were ordered. We took a booth and continued our conversation from before. Only about a minute after sitting down, the manager came over and broke some bad news to us. They were waiting for their food supplier to arrive, so they didn't have any hollandaise sauce! Great. Come to get one thing and the place can't actually make it! So instead of that, Anna reluctantly went with a Denver omelette. After a brief wait, we were both brought our plates of food...


What can I say? It was pretty generic. I mean, do I really expect a whole lot from a place like this for $5.45? I mean, it wasn't that any of the meal tasted bad, it was just that none of it was really noteworthy. The toast was a bit underdone, so more like warm bread and the eggs were a bit rubbery and bland. The bacon was soft and tasty, at least! Anna agreed that her omelette was "good", but nothing to commit to memory for any real amount of time. The shredded hash browns reminded her of a food in Europe, but that was about it. Overall, I'd have to give it 2 Bacons, and that's mostly for the service. In terms of the price and the food quality, I could easily walk up or down the street and get something better. Best just stick with beer and burgers at Cafe Crepe.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Rhizome

Greetings once again, everyone! Can you believe it? This is the second weekend in a row that I've updated this silly thing! This is good news for us all, I think. This week, you can welcome back Maria "Baby Snakes" and my roommate, Tomas!

Tomas, Cam and I just moved into a new house in the Fraser/Broadway area of Vancouver, so the target-area of nearby breakfast joints has changed. On this particular Saturday, none of us were feeling like going particularly far, so the options were limited. Most of the close places (Seb's, Lion's Den, Salt & Pepper) have already been subjects of this blog, but luckily, there was one option that we could all agree on. Say hello to Rhizome! Located on East Broadway, just off of Kingsway (317 East Broadway), Rhizome opened in June of 2006 and has become a mainstay of the area. Known as more than just a diet-inclusive cafe (I use that term to describe a venue that provides vegan/vegetarian food, while still serving meat), Rhizome is also a community meeting-spot and local art venue. They host everything from film screens and panel discussions to game nights and live music most Thursdays to Sundays, so there's never a dull moment at this place. On Saturdays and Sundays, they also have a brunch menu, as opposed to the regular daytime menu, so Saturday was the perfect day for The Team to hit Rhizome for the blog!

Stepping into Rhizome, the three of us were instantly taken in by the vibe of the place. We were greeted by pieces of art hung all over the walls and the chatter of people of all sorts. Almost immediately, one of the servers came up, took us to a table and got us our menus. Items varied from tofu scrambles and polenta to pancakes and their own take on eggs benny, Eggs Rhizomedict. While browsing our menus, we were brought water and coffee ($2.25, free refills only during brunch) and given a few more minutes to make our choices. It's always tough, when coming to a new breakfast venue, to decide on what to eat since you want to try it all! Eventually, we came to our decisions and put our orders in. The server took our menus and we took to enjoying our coffees (delicious, by the way!) and conversing. It wasn't long before our food began to arrive, along with a whole pitcher of water since we were drinking it at such an insane rate...

Tomas and Maria both chose the Chilaquiles, which is strips of corn tortillas scrambled with eggs in red salsa, topped with jack cheese and served with black beans.

In addition, Maria ordered a fruit cup, which was actually fresh fruit cut up, as opposed to that crap that comes out of a can. Also, Tomas took an order of veggie patties, on top of home-made biscuits, topped with miso gravy, just for the hell of it.
And, finally, I went with the Eggs Rhizomedict. Basically, take a classic benny, but instead of hollandaise sauce, it's topped with their own special-made squash sauce! It also came with pan-fried potatoes & yams and a side salad. I also ordered a side of chicken sausage, since I've never actually tried such a thing.

We all took a refill on our coffees and dug into our respective meals. My tongue was met by an explosion of flavours as I took the first bite of my benny. The squash sauce was sweet, but not too sweet, the eggs were done just right and the home-made biscuit was delicious. The salad was a standard mixed-green salad with a tasty dressing, while the potatoes/yams were cooked to perfection and didn't require any seasoning (a sure sign of well-done root veggies!) Meanwhile, Tomas inhaled his food, minus the veggie patties that he left for Maria and I to try, voicing his approval of his meal. Maria, being the Baby Snake that she is, fought to finish all of her food, but that doesn't mean that she didn't enjoy it! Each of us took turns tasting each others food as well, just to get a good range of opinions on the plates. The Chilaquiles were quite tasty, definitely a refined dish with the salsa and eggs striking an excellent balance in the recipe. By the time that I got to the veggie patties, I was full already, so I only had a half of one. All three of us agreed that the miso gravy was a bit strong and that the patties weren't quite what we expected. Still, they weren't bad by any means. I'm not a big miso gravy man, myself, so my opinion is a bit skewed. In the end, though, we all agreed upon an overall 4.5 Bacons, though I'd put it to a more realistic 4.9, since the only real complaint that we had was the patties. Otherwise, the service, ambiance, value and food quality was amazing! The overall bill was only about $30 or so, so you can't knock that, especially since we all left feeling pleasantly full. Plus, the ladies there were just plain amazing people. So yes, if you find yourself in need of a good brunch on a weekend, and you're in the area, I'd suggest Rhizome 100%!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Slickity Jim's

My god, is it really April 2011 already? Has it actually been just shy of 5 months since I've taken you folks out for breakfast? I'm so sorry! I've been busy and had to take somewhat of a hiatus from breakfast for the past while. Fear not, though! I'm back in action and there's plenty of places to eat in the morning in this city. Since it's my first blog in nearly half a year, I've decided to make it a special venue that I review this week. I'd like you all to say hello (and welcome back) to Slickity Jim's Chat & Chew . About two years ago, a massive fire engulfed a fair chunk of the block that the original Slickity Jim's was located on, and thus, a mainstay of the Main Street area was lost. There were always rumours of a new location opening up, but they never seemed to turn out to be true.... until now! Located between 18th and 19th Avenue (3475 Main Street), Slickity Jim's is alive and open for business! For the first entry of 2011, I'd also like you all to meet Maria, a new partner in crime!

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the newly-reopened Slickity Jim's, to be honest. The original location was such a cozy and impressive little spot, covered with vintage artwork and toys that I almost expected disappointment from this new spot. Luckily, the moment that I stepped into the place, I was pleased (and relieved) to find that it gave off a very similar vibe to me. We put our names on the list, as there was a lineup like always. (One thing I should warn you of about Slickity Jim's is that it's so popular in the area that it's nearly always busy, and the wait can be upwards to 20 or 30 minutes. So yeah, if you're hangry (hunger-induced anger, the worst kind) I wouldn't suggest making it your breakfast destination.) Anywho, after getting our name on the list, we stood outside for literally a minute before getting our name called. Turns out that everyone ahead of us on the list had given up waiting and left! Perfect! So, we were sat down at the bar, given our menus and each ordered a drink (coffee for me, Caesar for Maria).

Much to my amazement, the menu hadn't changed much (or at all, from what I could remember) from the original one. I decided upon my old favourite, The McDecimation of Cultural Diversity (Two eggs scrambled with cheddar cheese, topped with black forest ham and sliced tomato on an English muffin with salad and roasted potatoes). Meanwhile, Maria went with a Cheesy Funny Guy Omelette (Three egg omelette with wild mushrooms & cheddar, with roasted potatoes and toast). And thus began our half-hour wait for food.

From our spot at the bar, Maria and I were able get a clear view of the kitchen and the staff in it. I knew that it would take a good while for our food to come up, judging by how busy the staff looked. Unlike the old venue, this new place has a full-service bar and is fully licensed, so that's a bonus. The big advantage of the new location is that due to the increased floor space, they're able to have more servers running around the floor, thus making service far superior, from what I remember. So, after about 20 or 30 minutes, our server brought us our plates of food....


The food was seriously just like I remembered it. You know that the potatoes are good when you don't need to put any kind of seasoning on them. The salad was a simple mixed green salad with the house dressing, which equals delicious! Meanwhile, the sandwich itself was big and tasty, albeit a bit messy. Maria was utterly entranced by her food, as well. The piece of toast that she gave to me was delicious, as well. With the bill coming out to just under $30, neither of us could complain. I know that we both left feeling completely full and satisfied. Slickity Jim's, thanks for not letting us down... for that, you get 5 Bacons! I know that I will be coming back for Round Two sometime soon!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Lucy's Eastside Diner

Boy, I've really been slacking off on this blog, haven't I? What can I say... when you've got weird days off and a lack of vim, it's tough to motivate yourself to seek out new breakfast joints! On that note, Kimmy got me to come to a new place on Main and 11th Ave (2708 Main St) called Lucy's Eastside Diner. She told me about how it was like the Sunshine Diner, only with much more reasonable prices. I believe that this place has only been open for a few months, but don't quote me on that.

So, we arrived at Lucy's around 11am, a late start for us since I was at the dentist all morning. I was greeted by a fairly retro feeling and bright interior, much like the Sunshine Diner and The Templeton. Appointed with mostly bar seating, this place could probably seat about 20 people at the maximum, and I'm sure that they have no difficulty filling it up during meal rushes. Kimmy and I were immediately seated in one of the small booths in the back of the diner. We were each brought a coffee ($2 each, free refills, good taste!) and a glass of water by our server, a pleasant guy around our age. As I looked over the menu, I saw what Kimmy meant about the prices. Tasty benny's for only $8.50? C'mon! So, after a short viewing of our menus, we placed our orders. I went with the "Triple Threat", which involved 3 eggs, 3 slices of bacon, 3 slices of ham, hash browns and toast ($9.50), while Kimmy opted for an avocado benny ($8.50). It only took a short amount of time (namely, enough for us to finish our first cups of coffee) for our food to arrive...

They didn't skimp on the serving-size, that's for sure! The taste of the food also matched it's look. My ham and bacon were done perfectly and had excellent flavour. The same can be said for the hash browns (which appeared to be pre-cut ones, but whatever, they were cooked and seasoned right!), eggs and toast, which was quite thick-cut, a welcome change from small/flimsy toast at many places. If it had to be a testament to how good the benny was, Kimmy actually finished her entire plate before I did. That NEVER happens! I'd have to give Lucy's a straight 3.5 Bacons. You definitely get the bang for your buck at this place and the service is awesome!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Glo's

It's funny, here I've been meaning to update the blog with some new breakfast spots, and what do I end up doing? I go back to America (Seattle, to be exact) and end up finding some tasty breakfast there instead! Every time that Cam and I have ended up in the city, we've walked past Glo's. We've never stopped to try it, though, since we're either in a hurry or we're with our friend, Alice who doesn't want to wait. This weekend though, Cam, myself, Sarah and Crystal were set on going to Glo's, and we dragged Alice along with us.

Glo's, found on East Olive Way, just off of East Summit Avenue (1621 East Olive Way) is a centre-piece and hot-spot for the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. Glo first opened it in the mid-to-late eighties and has been going hard ever since. I can draw a lot of parallels between Glo's and Bon's, from the history to the current business itself. The two big differences, for me at least is the size of Glo's compared to Bon's (about 10 tables compared to the 20 or so at Bon's) and prices ($8.95 for a basic breakfast compared to $2.95). I never let such things deter me from trying out a place, though! So, on this fine Sunday morning, myself and The Team arrived at Glo's at about 10:45am and put our names on the list. We were then faced with about a 45 minute wait for a table, but that wasn't a problem since we were waiting for Alice to show up. There was ample seating outside for people to wait, and there was coffee available to be sipped on while you waited. The wait actually seemed shorter than 45 minutes, which was a plus due to my ever-lingering hangover from Cha-Cha the night before. We stepped into the diner and found it to be about the size of bachelor's pad, packed full of hungry guests. We were immediately brought water and menus and offered coffees ($2 each, free refills) as well. Considering the number of negative reviews that I've read about Glo's concerning the service, I was expecting a lot worse. But, once again, the reviews have been proven wrong, in my experience at least. The coffee was delicious, and the menu appeared to offer a lot more tastiness. I was torn between an eggs benny and one of the omelettes. C'mon, 4 egg omelettes?! Yes please! So yes, when the server (who was a pleasant guy, about our age) came to take our orders I decided upon the Spanish omelette, which reminded me of the one that I had in Chicago, in terms of ingredients. Meanwhile, Sarah went with a ham & cheese omelette, Cam chose the Classic Scramble, Alice a California Benny and Crystal a veggie frittata. With our orders in, we began the 20 minute or so wait for our food. We were brought several refills of both water and coffee during that time, and that made the wait all the better. After the wait, we were brought our food (sorry, Alice blocked the picture of her benny!):
Two words: Hell yes. As you can see, the portions were -very- ample, and looks were not deceiving. It was all extremely tasty, even the shredded hash browns. The guacamole and salsa was fresh-made, and was so flavourful! The toast, and the fresh preserves that were available were utterly amazing too. It was all very filling. Only Cam managed to finish his entire breakfast, along with Sarah's and Alice's leftovers. I got mostly through mine, though I had to leave some of the hash browns behind. All in all, I have to give Glo's a solid 3.5 Bacons. For the price, (about $12 for each of us) we got exactly what we expected. They weren't messing around, that's for sure. As for the whole wait/service thing, whatever! It was well worth the wait.


Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Roundel Cafe

Well, hello there folks! It's been a long time again, hasn't it? Apparently it's been a busy past month for me, so the breakfasts have been limited. Plus, the lack of extra cash, due to moving expenses, has put a dent in my ability to seek out new breakfasts. I'm hoping that that will change now that I'm all moved and settled in. On that note, I managed to make it to a new breakfast joint this past week. Say hello to The Roundel Cafe! Located on Hastings Street, just east of Nanaimo Street (2465 East Hastings Street), I've been meaning to hit this place for a fair while, and finally have!

Nestled amongst small clothing stores, pizza shops and coffee houses, the Roundel is one of the centre-points of East Vancouver for delicious food and decent prices. I've heard countless people mention it and how they swear by it. Also, an old friend of mine used to be a server at the Roundel, so I was constantly told to come in for a bite to eat. So, all of this coupled with Hilbot suggesting it because of a friend of hers working there that day, I finally broke down and went! It wasn't busy, which was a pleasant surprise since I was really hungry that morning and wasn't looking to wait. The server, an older lady, sat us down in the booth nearest to the door, handed us menus and grabbed the drinks (coffee: $2 with refills and tea: $2 with refills) for us. The breakfast options were simple, but diverse and extensive. I decided that I wanted something that I don't make at home, so I settled on a bacon eggs benny ($8.75), while Hilbot chose three pancakes topped with blueberries ($8). It wasn't long before a couple of plates were placed onto our table....
Holy.Crap. So much food! Considering the amount that we paid for it, I couldn't complain about the portions. My benny was delicious, and the pan fries were done just right. The salad, which I could tell was made from scratch as opposed to the usual bagged greens that we sell at my store, was also tasty. Hilbots pancakes were huge, and delicious, as she let me have a few bites. In fact, she couldn't even finish the other two pancakes. She ended up leaving one for her friend and taking one home for later. I'd have to give a solid 5 Bacons to The Roundel, service being great, food being absolutely delicious and the price being right. I'm sure that it helped that we went in when it wasn't busy, but still, I suggest it to anyone that feels the need for a good breakfast!

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse