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

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

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

Choppers

I swear that 2010 is going to be over before we even notice it. Yes, it's already May, and thus, the first entry of Eat My Brains for the 5th month of the year! There were actually a couple of choices for breakfast joints this morning, one of which I wanted to save for a full Team day, and the other was closed, so I did some quick-thinking and set my sights on a little place that's located literally half a block away from Bon's, on the other side of Broadway, known as Choppers (2559 Nanaimo Street). This week pretty much everyone was busy and/or unavailable, so I was joined only by Vienna.

I've been told me a number of people over the past several months that I have to visit Choppers and that it's an amazing place. On those suggestions alone, I can generally be assured that I'm in for a good breakfast. On the other hand, having a place hyped-up also has the potential for severe disappointment. As we walked in, we were greeted by a server and offered a table immediately. Vienna had to step out around the corner to get some money out of the bank, since we realized that Choppers is cash-only, so I sat down at the table alone, ordered a coffee ($2, with refills) and started looking at the menu. I also took some time to look around and take in my surroundings. The interior of Choppers was simple and straightforward. Plain tables with a few mismatched chairs, a a few random pictures hanging on wood-paneled walls and the like. Overall, very welcoming and quaint, like a grandparents house or something.

Anywho, Vienna came back, sat down and started looking at the menu. It was a small, and fairly limited menu, so it didn't take long to make our decisions. Another server came by and asked if we were ready to order. Vienna ordered a hot chocolate and a traditional Eggs Benny. Meanwhile, I went with the French Toast (served with fresh fruit and hash browns), since I wasn't really in the mood for a standard eggs/toast type breakfast. Only about 30 seconds after the server left with our orders, she was back with some bad news. They were all out of whipped cream to top the hot chocolate and French Toast with! For shame! Ah well, it wasn't the end of the world for us. Vienna was quite giddy over the fact that her hot chocolate was frothy (since they apparently make their hot chocolates like lattes), so she wasn't bothered by the lack of whipped cream.

It was literally only 2 or 3 minutes before our plates came out. In terms of speed, Choppers is up there with cheetahs and how quickly my paycheques disappear. The food also looked quite scrumptious, so we took no time to start digging in. They gave me butter-flavoured syrup!! Anyone that knows me knows that butter-flavoured syrup is one of my favourite condiments of all time. The first thing that Vienna brought up was how tasty the hash browns were, so of course I started eating them first. I must say, they were damn tasty and reminded me of the kind of hash browns that I would make, in terms of seasoning and the like. The French toast was also delicious and done just right for me. The fresh fruit was actually fresh and very flavourful, as well, and for $6.25, I can't complain at all. Vienna, even though she began to get full about 3/4 of the way through, still managed to finish her benny, so I take that as a sign that it was tasty!

So, coming back to the hype that I mentioned originally, I'd have to say that Choppers did fairly well in keeping up with its reputation. The food quality and service gets 3 Bacons, while the portion size gets 2.5 Bacons and affordability gets 3.5 Bacons (While my French toast was quite cheap, Viennas Benny cost about $11, which is a bit of a stretch for a plain benny to me)! Well-done, Choppers.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Hell's Kitchen

So, just to prove that I'm an open-minded guy, The Team took a hint from one of our followers (thanks Jenny!) when choosing the venue for this week. Found just past Joe's Grill and Sophie's Cosmic Cafe on West 4th Ave (2041 West 4th Avenue), Hell's Kitchen is one of the better-known eateries in Vancouver. Mostly known for their pizza (from what I've gathered), they began doing brunch on weekends recently. This week, you can welcome back Hilbot, Tomas, Bobby and Alicia.

It's finally becoming summer in Vancouver, so Hell's Kitchen was a good choice, seeming that it has lots of outdoor seating. While it wasn't sunny, per se, it was warm and beautiful out, so Hilbot and I managed to land enough seating for everyone on the patio. As soon as we took our seats, we were brought water and a couple of menus. I had taken a brief look at the menu on the website before we left for breakfast in the morning, so I was already pretty sure of my choice. The server came back and took our drink orders, which turned out to be the same: a coffee ($2.25 with refills) and a mimosa ($4.95, a brunch special). When he came back with the drinks, I found the coffee to be quite acceptable and the mimosa to be tasty & boozy. Shortly after the drinks were on the table, Cam arrived, sat beside me and ordered himself a coffee. As he looked at the menu, it was apparent that he was more torn over his decision as compared to both Hilbot and I. A Hell's Hash or a Hell's Benny? Which would he choose? You'll find out in the next paragraph!

After about 10 minutes, just after 11am, the rest of our breakfast team had arrived. Our coffees had been brought (and refilled, in a few of our cases) and the menus had been looked over. I went with the Breakfast from Hell, which was the standard eggs/bacon/toast/hash combo, not just because I like plain breakfast, but because it was the cheapest option ($5.95, compared to the other options that were between $9.95 and $13.95). Cam, Hilbot and Tomas all chose various eggs benny options, while Bobby and Alicia went with the Hell's Steak and Eggs. Now it was time for our favourite time of the breakfast experience... the wait for the food.

Realistically, with the number of people that were beginning to show up for their morning/post-hangover meals, the food didn't take all that long. Probably about 15 minutes or less, by my estimates, which isn't bad compared to some places that I've been. Anyway, yes, after that wait our food began to arrive. The first thing that I noticed was that the steaks, which had been ordered medium-rare, both appeared to be done right. I find it such a rarity for steaks (and haircuts, for that matter) to be done the way that you want them, so this place gets points in my book right off the bat. On that note, both Bobby and Alicia agreed that they were quite pleased with their breakfasts. Meanwhile, Cam had been mislead by the menu. It stated "avocado - jalapeno hollandaise sauce" on the Hell's Benny, but when it came, it was plain hollandaise sauce with a sliver of avocado and jalapeno on top of it. Beyond that, though, he seemed to enjoy what he had ordered. Hilbot and Tomas both dug right into their meals, so I took that as a sign of their approval. As for me, I was also content with my choice. The serving size was acceptable and it tasted great, overall. My only guff was with the lack of jam for my toast, which I'm sure I could have asked for if I had felt the need to do so. Oh, and the hash browns were a bit of a let down. No, they weren't shredded, but it was very apparent that they were frozen, McCain-style cube ones, though they tasted fine so I can't complain too much.

The total bill amongst 6 of us came out to around $95, not including tip. If Hilbot and I had forgone our mimosas, it would have been 10 bucks less, so that's about $13 per-person, which isn't too bad, especially considering the location and quality of the restaurant. All-in-all, I'd give 3.5 Bacons for service, 4 Bacons for food and 4 Bacons for the surroundings!

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

Seb's

Welcome back to yet another breakfast adventure with the Eat My Brains team. Today, Cam and I were joined by Bobby, Alicia and Vienna, all of whom you've been previously introduced to. The target for the day was Seb's Market and Cafe, located on the corner of East Broadway and Carolina Street (592 East Broadway).

I had heard a fair amount of raving about this place, so it seemed like a good choice. We made the mistake of holding off breakfast until 11am, so when we arrived, there was a long wait-time for a table. We were told 20 minutes, but that changed into about 45 minutes. As we stood outside, tonnes of people went in, but almost no one came out. At least we knew that there were enough people that loved Seb's that we probably weren't going to be disappointed with our breakfasts. We were finally seated after the previously-mentioned 45 minutes and the place was packed. Four of us ordered coffees ($2.65 each with refills), while Vienna went with a big glass of their freshly-squeezed orange juice. With those on the way, we all began looking at the menu, which was full of delicious sounding (and exotic) breakfast options, including Elk Medallion Eggs Benny and Roast Duck & Dried Cranberry omelettes. The server returned at lightning speed and took our orders. As always, Cam went with Eggs Benny (with the Havarti cream sauce, as opposed to the curry pineapple or chipotle-wild berry ones), as did Bobby and Vienna. I went with a turkey sausage/cheddar omelette and Alicia went with a scrambled egg plate. With that, we took to (what we thought would be) another long wait.

A mere five minutes later, all of our food came out! This was one of those rare experiences where the wait-time to sit down was exceptionally longer than the wait time for the food to be served. As the plates were placed in front of us, we became aware of just how great this breakfast was going to taste. It reminded me somewhat of The Well, in terms of the fresh fruit and pan fries, along with freshly-baked toast. The first bite of my omelette melted in my mouth like an explosion of deliciousness. The pan fries were cooked to perfection, the fruit was juicy and the toast was amazing. All of us sucked back our food like brand new Hoovers in a bad 70's commercial. It was agreed that, yes, this was one of the tastiest breakfasts that any of us had had in the last while.

With my total bill coming to $16.21, after tip, this wasn't the most expensive breakfast for me. At the same time, it was utterly amazing, so in terms of cost-to-quality, Seb's scores big on my scale.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

The Well

I'm seriously going to have to change the description of this blog soon. As it has worked out, Kimmy has opted out of Sundays because she hates waking up on her first day off each week. Meanwhile, Rozi always works at 9am on Sundays, so Sunday's are pretty much Cam + Jesse + whoever day. Meanwhile, I'm off Tuesday, while Kimmy and Rozi don't work until noon, so Tuesdays are Kimmy + Rozi + Jesse + whoever day. Got that? I think that I've got it now too. (haha)

Anyway, on that note, for the first Tuesday Breakfast, Kimmy made the choice of a little cafe on Main Street and 14th Avenue (3048 Main St), known as The Well. I've walked past it a number of times, but have never actually stopped to see what it is. I was the first to arrive, so I sat down at a table by the door and ordered a coffee ($2.75 with refills) from the very pleasant server. She also handed me a menu to look at, so I took a gander. It was a simple, one-sided menu, so the options were limited and pricey. There were a few omelettes, a "traditional" breakfast and a couple of scrambles. Otherwise, it was sandwiches and pasta to choose from this morning. On one hand, it was a warning that the taste of the food would be limited like the options on the menu. On the other hand, perhaps they limited the menu so that they could excel at the food that they made. I hoped for the latter of the two.

Just as I finished with the menu, Kimmy arrived and sat down with me. She ordered a coffee and took a look at the menu. Not long after she sat down, Rozi came in the door. She sat down beside me and ordered a peppermint tea. Rozi has been on a no eggs/meat kick for a little while, so she was immediately a bit disappointed in the menu. All of the breakfast options involved eggs, so she went straight for the sandwich section. This proved to be a far more suitable section for her dietary wants/needs. So, the server came back and took our orders. Kimmy went with a Well's Enchiladas, Rozi took a Primavera Sandwich and I chose a Western Omelette. The server took our menus, put our orders in and brought refills of coffee. She was soft-spoken, very pleasant and attentive.

It was mere minutes until our plates came to the table. I knew that we were in for some delicious eats the moment that I saw the food. My omelette was huge, like the Titanic of omelettes, filled with lots of veggies and ham. Kimmy's enchilada looked awesome, as well, all covered in veggies and sour cream. In fact, Rozi went so far as to say, "Your plates make me want to like eggs again!" Of course, her sandwich looked scrumptious at the same time. All of our meals came with a selection of fresh fruit (honeydew, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, etc) and pan fries (minus Rozi's). Not just little pieces of fruit, but all-out slices and bunches, and they all looked/tasted great. The actual meals were right up to snuff, as well; flavourful, filling and all of that jazz. All three of us cleaned our plates in no time, all the while getting a number of refills from our server.

After tips, all of our bills came out to roughly $20, so this was one of the more pricey places that The Team has visited. At the same time, it was very well-worth every penny. Awesome food, awesome service and a nice, calm atmosphere. Even the cook peeked out of the kitchen to ask us how our meals were. It's that kind of stuff that really makes me like any restaurant. It adds a face to the experience and the food. If you happen to be kicking around Main Street and need some good food, breakfast or otherwise, I whole-heartedly suggest The Well to you.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Bert's Restaurant

Happy New Year to you all from The Team! Hopefully you're all in good health and are ready to take on yet another year on this Earth. I know that myself and the rest of The Team are looking forward to things, namely breakfast! On that note, we started off 2010 with a little diner on Main Street and 14th Ave (2904 Main Street) called Bert's Restaurant. Established under its current name in 1948, Bert's has been a mainstay of the Main Street community for over 60 years. My roommate insisted on trying it out, as she maintains that they have the best pancakes ever, and I'm a big fan of pancakes!

So, like every Monday, The Team (minus Cam this week, as he just landed a new job) met up at Bert's around 10am. Rozi had already landed a table for us, though it wouldn't have been a concern considering the number of open tables that we had to choose from. As Kimmy and I sat down, we were immediately greeted by our server, an older lady, with menus and water along with an offering of coffee ($1.70 each with free refills), which we both happily accepted. With that, we got to scouring the menu for our Monday delights and were faced with an extensive selection to choose from. The coffee's arrived quickly and the server took our orders. Here's how breakfast shaped up for The Team:

Jesse - The "Classic" Breakfast. Two pancakes, two eggs (scrambled), three slices of bacon and toast. ($6.50 / Total bill: $8.20)

Kimmy - Eggs Benny. Tomatoes substituted for meat, with an order of pan fries. ($8.95 / Total bill: $10.65)

Rozi - Two eggs (over easy), rye toast and pan fries. ($5.75 / Total bill: $7.45)

With our orders placed, we took to drinking our coffees and having idle conversation with one another. It only took a few minutes for our food to arrive, and we took a moment to survey the situation. All of our plates looked and smelled delicious, though one of my pancakes looked a bit on the burnt side. Regardless, we all dug in and went silent for the next several minutes. I found the pancakes to be good, but a bit on the over-done side. Still, they were quite tasty, as was the rest of my meal. Rozi made short work of most of her plate and said that it was all tip-top. As for Kimmy, she commented, "It wasn't the best benny. It reminded me of an IHOP benny, and I don't mean that as a good thing."

Overall, Bert's Restaurant gets props from myself and The Team. I know that the pancakes being a bit overdone is subject to day-to-day circumstances, so I can't base my decision on such a situation. As for Kimmys benny, I guess that you may want to skip the eggs benny at Bert's. But, the service was amazing, and the food was quite good, especially for the price. If you're looking for a quiet, low-key place to have some breakfast in the area, I suggest Bert's whole-heartedly.

Stay sharp, kids
Jesse

Docker's Diner

I'm sure that everyone's been waiting for the week that I go to a regular breakfast joint, as opposed to the "ethnic" places of the prior couple of weeks. Well, here it is! This week we hit Docker's Diner, located on the corner of Victoria Drive and Powell Street (1869 Powell Street). For the past few years I've walked/rode past this place, but have never had the time or desire to stop in and check it out. Today was the day that I finally made it my mission to find out just how great Docker's really was. This week, as per usual, I was joined by my teammates, Kimmy and Rozalyn.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a warm and cozy environment. There was about 5 tables of people already talking and eating, which left us with a number of places to sit. The seats were comfy and the table was clean, which boded well for this diner. The walls were lined with various pictures and posters from various places and eras. It kind of reminded me of Slickity Jim's (RIP), which put a smile on my face. Our server, a kindly middle-aged lady, came cruising over to our table like an eager cat that had just spotted a tasty mouse. She brought us a couple of menus, pointed out the specials of the day and proceeded to bring us each a coffee ($1.50 each, free refills). This coffee was probably some of the tastiest coffee that I've had in a restaurant for a long, long time. I'm not sure what blend/brand it was, but it was good and hot. That's what really counts for a man like me.

For a few minutes, we sat and weighed our options on the menu. All the while, people kept coming in, each greeted by name as they entered. It was almost like being in an episode of Cheers, only if it was based in a diner instead of a bar. Plus, the hot topic of conversation this day was the Als Grey Cup win the night before, which was the cause of many jeers and searing comments.

"What a terrible way to lose! That coach is going to have to live with it for the rest of his life."

"What were they thinking? Were they all brain-damaged?"

After a little while, the server came back and took our orders. I chose the French Toast Platter (3 slices of French toast/2 eggs/4 slices of bacon) which weighed in at $8.95. Kimmy decided upon a spinach and cheddar omelette (came with 2 slices of toast and hashbrowns), which totalled $7.95. Meanwhile, Rozi went with a vegetarian omelette (cheese, various colours of peppers, mushrooms, spinach and tomato/2 slices of toast/hashbrowns), setting her back a whole $8.95.

Now, between the time that we placed our orders and the time that the food arrived was only enough for one refill of coffee. Considering how quickly the three of us drink coffee, that's fast, especially when there's only one person cooking in the kitchen. Anyway, the food arrived at lightning speed, with Kimmy and Rozi's dishes arriving about a minute or two before mine. Frankly, I wasn't bothered by the lag, since when it arrived, I was greeted by a very generous helping of food. The same went for both of the girl's plates, which were packed full of tasty delights. Not only was there lots of food, but it all looked so good. As we dug in, we were blown away by the medley of tastes and flavour that filled our mouths. The French toast was some of the best that I've had in a good, long while and the eggs were done just right. The bacon wasn't burnt to a crisp nor limp like a dead fish, and very tasty. On the girl's end of things, the omelettes were big, stuffed with tasty looking veggies and the hashbrowns were done to perfection. The toast was, well, toast as one would expect. (haha)

As a testament to how good this breakfast really was, let me just say that I finished all of my food without hesitating for a moment. It's rare for me to finish any meal completely, let alone the first one of the day. So, with that in mind, I can say that my mind was blown by this breakfast. Both of my teammates agreed that, yes, this was our top breakfast so far. I would recommend Docker's Diner to my friends and enemies alike. I'm sure that I'll be stopping at this place a fair bit in the future.

Stay sharp, kids.
Jesse