Great food and service, friendly and immaculately clean.
My wife and I stopped in for breakfast twice in the last week. Last Wednesday was our first visit. We were looking for a good place for an early breakfast.
We arrived a few minutes after 6am and were greeted like regulars by "the guy in the kitchen" who we later learned was David Newell, owner. I told him "this is our first visit and I want to be dazzled" and asked if he had any specific recommendations. (As an aside, I often do this when trying a new place. It gives the establishment a chance to show me their best stuff and I end up trying things I wouldn't have ordered on my own.) He motioned to the nearby waitress's and said "Emily will take good care of you."
Emily seated us and we had piping hot coffee in seconds, very important. As far as recommendations Emily was not very helpful or so I thought. She said everything was good (I often hear that), but as first timers she would recommend the hash with cheese, the eggs Benedict, the crab cakes and the French toast. She also recommended the baked apples and home fries as sides. That was obviously too much food for two people and when pressed she said we would have to make our own choices.
My wife chose the French toast with baked apples as the side, I the eggs Benedict with home fries. Then I decided to try an outsmart Emily and put in a special request to see just how committed they are to customer service and providing value for money. I asked for one crab cake, not the whole crab cake breakfast, and a small portion of the hash with cheese just to try, again not the whole breakfast. Emily's response, "That will be no problem at all."
After a reasonable wait our "four breakfasts" arrived. The eggs Benedict were classically delicious, the crab cake perfectly cooked with a nice crisp crust with a nice remoulade sauce, the hash with cheese was probably the best corned beef hash I've ever had and my wife's French toast was made with substantial bread made on the premises everyday we were told. Bottom line, great food.
We were the only customers for a while and after finishing our meal David, the owner and cook that day came out to ask how we liked everything. We chatted and asked how long he had been open, 19 months, since April 2012. We chatted a bit more and learned Dave is a very well travelled, interesting fellow and the story of how he ended up owning his own place and cooking our hash that morning was fascinating to us. It was obvious he is hands on, and passionate about providing as good a dining experience and value as he can. As other Yelpers have also said the place is immaculately clean. The bill was a pleasant surprise, $25 for two complete breakfasts, two "taster" breakfasts and two coffees.
Warning!! Do not look at the pastry case as you enter or worse ever try anything from it. Everything is made in house by a very talented baker and is addictive. You have been warned.
Our second experience, on Monday, was different but the same. Again we arrived early, this time a few minutes before opening time at 6am. No problem, door was open but no David or Emily. Some "other guy cooking" and a different waitress.
Again we were seated and instantly coffee appeared. Told waitress what we had last time and asked what would she recommend? Sausage gravy and one biscuit or an omelet. Since the sausage gravy and one biscuit was only $3.79 and I'm hungry I order both expecting I'll be able to finish most of them. I ask the waitress to "dazzle me" with what ever omelet she and the cook think is best. My wife is not taking any chances and orders two eggs sunny side up with the corned beef hash. Smart lady.
Again after an appropriate time everything arrives. There are two biscuits and sausage gravy on the plate not one. Enough for a hungry person. I point out the "mistake" and am politely told that the mistake is mine and that what I am counting as two biscuits is really just one sliced horizontally in half. How am I supposed to know that? The halves were almost an inch thick and covered in so much sausage gravy I couldn't tell anything about them. Upon tasting them my verdict was delicious. The omelet turns out to be a very well done "meat lovers omelet". My wife's eggs and hash was delicious as expected.
Just as we were finishing our meal David and his wife come in. They go into the kitchen area and chat to the staff and a couple of customers siting at the small counter. After a few minutes his wife, Deb, comes over to us and asks how everything was. Nice lady. The "other guy cooking" was Peter and the different waitress was Samantha. Both ensured we had the same great experience we had the first time. We got some pastries to go for family and friends. We kinda feel like drug pushers but in a sweet sort of way.
The only thing I can see to improve would be to heat the plates before plating the food. Food tends to cool down a bit too quickly. read more