They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’m not sure who “they” are, but they sure say a lot of things, don’t they?
In any case, here at LRF Headquarters, breakfast is usually two cups of coffee.
Lately, I have been favoring Blonde Espresso or Guatemala Huehuetanango from Redbud Coffee.
Now this liquid breakfast may be enough to jump start a workday, or get me through third service at church, but at some point, some actual food needs to enter the equation. For this reason, I am a big fan of Sunday brunch.
So when exactly does breakfast end and brunch begin? I don’t know that it matters, really. I’ve seen brunch start as early as 10AM and breakfast served all day. I’m not as concerned with when it’s served as much as who’s serving it.
A favorite here in Springfield, IL is D’Arcy’s Pint. They are known far and wide for their specialty horseshoes, and their long lines if you don’t time your arrival just right. For the longest time, they weren’t open on Sunday either, but then they started serving brunch.
Combine brunch with specialty horseshoes, and you get the Irish Breakfast Shoe.
This non-menu item was most noteworthy to me for having two kinds of bacon—American and Irish Rashers (which taste a lot like Canadian bacon, if you’ve never had them).
Canadian bacon is an ingredient in one of my favorite breakfast/brunch items, Eggs Benedict. A traditional Benedict is two poached eggs and Canadian bacon served on an English muffin topped with Hollandaise Sauce. This is tasty enough, but why stop at traditional?
The Yankee Clipper Diner in Beacon, New York, serves up five different kinds of Benedicts. My favorite there is the Copenhagen Benedict.
My daughter’s favorite at the Yankee Clipper is the Nutella Banana French Toast.
I would say, though, that my favorite variation of Eggs Benedict is the Crab Cake Benedict. Crab cakes are awesome on their own, but get that poached egg yolk running through them with the lemony tang of a good hollandaise, and that’s some next-level breakfast right there. The first time I ever had this was at Ann Sather’s in Chicago. A Crab Cake Benedict plus a cinnamon roll the size of your face makes for great fuel before a day game at Wrigley Field.
Another great variation of Crab Cake Benedict is served up at Kitty’s Kafe in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
There are so many awesome places to eat in Gulf Shores, that’s going to have to be its own post.
As it turns out though, I don’t have to go to the beach or Wrigleyville for my Crab Cake Benedict fix. They have them right up the road at the Chatham Cafe, which is getting to be one of my favorite places to go for breakfast. Since it’s easy walking distance from where I drop my car off to get it worked on, I have had occasion to try several of their offerings while I wait. I’ve already mentioned the breakfast horseshoes. My new go-to is the Breakfast Burrito, pictured at the top of this post. Two eggs, chorizo (not too salty or greasy), onions, peppers and cheddar cheese wrapped up and served with hash browns for $8.29.
While we’re on the subject of local diners, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Sunrise Cafe on South 2nd Street in Springfield.
One of my happiest days was when the indoor smoking ban was enacted in Illinois. Before that, you couldn’t walk three steps into the Sunrise without dying from smoke inhalation. I am so grateful that this is no longer the case.
The Sunrise is known for arguably the best cheeseburgers in Springfield, but their breakfast is no slouch either. My favorite is the Sunrise Country Breakfast, which is two eggs, a 6-ounce smoked pork chop, potatoes and biscuit & gravy for $7.25.
Eating out for breakfast is a family tradition for long road trips. We’ll leave stupid early, get down the road a ways, and then find a place to eat. Our one rule is that we never eat anywhere that we have at home. And my personal, unofficial rule is to avoid nasty hotel food whenever possible.
One year ago this week, we moved my middle son down to Florida. We had a great breakfast going down, and another coming back.
A fantastic diner with tasty food, friendly service and great prices as well is the Cozy Table in Benton, Illinois, just off I-57. This is the Country Omelet.
It is FOUR eggs and sausage with hash browns and a half order of B&G for only $6.19!
For an off the charts brunch experience, though, I recommend Oy! In Atlanta, Georgia.
Walk through the front doors and be overcome by a tangible wave of bacon aroma (apparently, despite the Yiddish-sounding name, it’s not a kosher restaurant).
“OY” stands for “Overindulgent Yumminess,” but it’s also what you’ll say as you waddle out after stuffing yourself with their decadent Challah French Toast Casserole, smothered with syrup and caramel sauce. Or the Challah Egg and Cheese Soufflé.
Their Monster Pancakes are 14 inches across (the size of a large pizza, if you’re keeping track). They come in six different flavors, plus the Pancake of the Day. For $10.99, you can even get one of these stuffed with bacon.
Going out for breakfast is great, but sometimes, I just want to sit at my own dining room table with my family and have breakfast for dinner.
Hungry now? I hope so. So go GETCHA SOME!
