Wednesday, July 10, 2013

My Top 10 Breakfast Spots in America (Mostly Boston)

Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor to join the blog. Although I'll be making like the other contributors here and writing mostly about sports. I figured I'd start off by writing about something we can all get behind, food. I've compiled the top ten breakfast establishments I've been lucky enough to enjoy.

I hope you have the opportunity to check out some of these places and please add your favorites in the comment section. I'm always on the lookout for a good first meal of the day!

My Top 10 American Breakfast Spots 
  1. Founding Farmers, Washington, DC - http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/ -- Definitely worth making a reservation during your next visit to the nation’s capital. Founding Farmers uses fresh, organic ingredients which produce delicious dishes. I recommend the Chicken ‘n Waffles along with a piping hot cup of Intelligentsia coffee. Having Intelligentsia coffee on the menu (brought in from the Chicago Café) gives Founding Farmers the nod over Centre Street Café. 
  2. Centre Street Café, Boston, MA: Jamaica Plain neighborhood – www.centrestreetcafejp.com – After moving to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, I couldn’t help but notice the lines every weekend outside Centre Street Café. I wondered why people would wait for up to an hour. Obviously there are other options in the city/neighborhood. Then, on a Friday off from work, I finally made my way in for breakfast. What a treat! The all-organic ingredients made for a top notch breakfast. The menu changes throughout the year, which sometimes made me long for a past dish. However, there is no shortage of delicious options. Top it all off with coffee on the house!
  3. Mike’s City Diner, Boston, MA: South End - http://www.mikescitydiner.com/ -- Feeling hungry? Want to save a buck by combining breakfast and lunch (and maybe dinner)? Then come to Mike’s City Diner in Boston’s South End neighborhood for heaping portions at a reasonable price. If you’re feeling really hungry, try the ‘Emergency Room’: 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 3 pieces of bacon or sausage, home fries or grits, and toast. 
  4. Sunny Point Café, Asheville, NC - http://sunnypointcafe.com/ -- If you’re into eating and drinking, then Asheville’s not a bad little spot. Sit on the patio or in the indoor dining room and enjoy a delicious breakfast menu that includes diner favorites, healthy options and some surprises. Sunny Point uses organic ingredients and the results are worth the drive out to the other side of Asheville!
  5. Taste of Belgium, Cincinnati, OH: OTR or Findlay Market - http://authenticwaffle.com/ -- What started as a stand in Cincinnati’s Findlay Market, now includes a brick and mortar restaurant and bar. If you go with a friend, order a waffle and a crepe for the two of you. I recommend the waffle with whipped cream and strawberries. Since you’re in Cincinnati, you have to try the ‘Nati crepe: sweet batter, peppers, onions, goetta, provolone and egg. Outstanding!
  6. Cora’s Coffee Shoppe, Santa Monica, CA - http://www.corascoffee.com/ -- This little spot on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean, makes the list partly for its food and partly for its location. If you can, sit outside. The garden is beautiful and you can smell the ocean. As for food, you could go as simple as a bagel and cream cheese or go all out with the Kobe style steak and eggs. 
  7. The Paramount, Boston, MA: Beacon Hill or Southie - http://www.paramountboston.com/ -- This is not your average diner. I can’t speak for the Southie location since it’s new. However, the Beacon Hill spot has been there since 1937. First, don’t dare walk in and grab a table. This is the deal, you stand in line to get to the grill, you give your order, and, by the time you make it to the counter to pay, you’re food’s done and there’s a table waiting. Don’t ask. It just works. By the way, the food’s delicious! I recommend the waffle with fruit.
  8. Lucky’s Lounge, Boston, MA: Southie/Seaport - http://luckyslounge.com/?page_id=142 – See if you can guess where I’ve lived most of my professional, adult life? That’s right, Beantown. If you’re looking for something fun and different for Sunday brunch, then you must try Lucky’s. The food is solid (complimentary coffee cake appetizer at breakfast!). However, the main attraction is the music. Sunday brunch at Lucky’s is Sinatra Sunday. Enjoy your breakfast while local crooners serenade you with Ol’ Blue Eyes’ hits. Life is grand…
  9. Elmo’s Diner, Carrboro or Durham, NC - http://elmosdiner.com/ -- They have a big menu, but they do it all well. It helps when you use fresh ingredients. From the waffles to the omelets to the quiche, it’s all delicious. In the college heavy Triangle of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, Elmo’s manages to pull a nice mix of young and old, singles and families, and hipsters and straight edge folk. I recommend the quiche, if you’re into that sort of thing!
  10. Hathaway’s, Cincinnati, OH: Downtown Carew Tower -http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/32/361460/restaurant/Downtown/Hathaways-Cincinnati -- I’m a sucker for a classic diner. Notice I didn’t link to the restaurant website? It’s because they don’t have one. These folks stick to making short stacks, bacon and eggs and all the other diner favorites you’d expect. No frills, what you see is what you get! 
Honorable Mentions: Martin's Coffee Shop (Brookline, MA), Price Hill Chili (Cincinnati, OH - West Side), Popover Cafe (Upper West Side, Manhattan), Victoria's Diner (Dorchester, MA), Bongo Room (Chicago, IL - Wicker Park), Trident Bookstore (Boston, MA - Newbury St.), Sorella's (Boston, MA - Jamaica Plain)

Bon apetit! 

2 comments:

  1. I am glad to see Martins at least got an honorable mention. Great reporting from the front line of America's grills!-- Nadia

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you happen to find yourself in the heart of Buckeye Nation aka Columbus, Ohio, here are your options.

    For alums, hipsters, organic food lovers, or anyone that's not a big fan of having brunch with loud undergrads: Northstar Café (Short North). I wasn’t lucky enough to try brunch here, but if their amazing Northstar Burger is any indication of the rest of their menu (best veggie burger I’ve had EVER), this is the place. Their outdoor patio is perfect for a relaxed brunch on a sunny day.

    For campus visitors and small groups that don’t mind waiting in line: Hang Over Easy (right off campus). Big menu with tons of delicious options. Pumpkin spice pancakes in the fall are a nice treat!

    For campus visitors who love the Buckeyes, have a little sibling who has food blocks to spend at OSU, and/or you don’t mind eating around hung over underclassmen: Sloopy’s Diner. As an alum and former employee, I must suggest the BuckeyeThon. Not only is it named after the university’s life-changing dance marathon, it’s your classic diner breakfast: toast, meat, eggs, and hashbrowns. If you’re brave enough, have the triple Sloopy pancake covered with heaps of peanut butter and chocolate chips. I dare you to try finishing it in one sitting.

    ReplyDelete