Well, the fact that I'm writing this review close to 1 AM will verify that I'm not really much of an early morning wakey person. To tell you the truth, breakfast is a meal that I most despise above all others, along with the daylight part of the AM in general. The one major exception to this rule I make though is an early morning trip to "Up For Breakfast" whenever I happen to find myself in Manchester, VT (which is often and is also where I find myself right now).
The name is a double entendre because not only are they open just for the first meal of the day when you wake "up", but you'll also have to trudge up a very steep set of stairs to sample the delicacies this second story eatery has to offer. The climb, not to mention the early rise is more than worth it though. This locally run restaurant will have even the most die-hard night owl, morning hating, breakfast despising curmudgeon of your group singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!" due to the food they serve here. They've certainly converted me!
My favorite is the "Wild Turkey Hash": A dark turkey meat hash with two poached eggs on top, doused in a lemon Hollandaise sauce served in a ramekin that was put under the broiler. Sorry guys, but I can't begin to describe how good this stuff is to get your blood flowing in the A.M. Comes with thickly sliced, perfectly toasted sour dough (P.S. - I also hate[!] sour dough! Love this stuff, though) bread.
Even after a very hard night of partying a few seasons back, just the thought of that stuff from UFB made me bound out of my bed at 7:30 the next morning to drive down there in the freezing cold for some of their delicious grub.
The coffee ain't all that strong by NYCer standards but it does the job. It's hot and the all too able servers keep it flowing generously. The juices are fresh squeezed and tasty for your sugar rush, and the exotic pancake concoctions they come up with here are all winners.
Needless to say, the honest-to-God *REAL* VT maple syrup adds to the experience. Also their Eggs Benedict and Salmon Benedict are about the best I've ever had in my life. I've not sampled their muffins, but due to the popular nature of them, they must be great. They sound great.
Some of the stuff on their specials menu sounds more suitable for lunch than brekkie (see the "Lamb Hash" on the "Specials" pic I posted: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/g6eBciaJ63sQCSCWTlzQGA?select=zCtGu4N2FxcHkATHYrPahQ. That's why I'm glad they're now open until around 2PM. I've never been there past 10AM, it seems the earlier you go, the less time you'll have to wait (especially in "leaf peeper" and "ski bum" seasons), but that Lamb Hash sounds great at about 1PM. Next time, definitely! Maybe even tomorrow morning/afternoon? ;-) read more