Sunday, August 24, 2008

Bluephies-2701 Monroe St

Once again, breakfast is on the menu. This time we're on Monroe Street at a place that takes an extravagant view of breakfast.



Rating:***** (Over-Indulgent)

Food: (Brunch) The Bluephies breakfast menu is heavy on two of the top ways to gorge yourself before Noon: French Toast and Eggs Benedict. We tried both. The Eggs Benedict is only slightly satisfying. The hollandaise- which more or less makes the meal- was not as flavorful as I've had other places. The side of potatoes was nice, but a bit greasy. The Bananas Foster French Toast was all that you might expect. It's a sugar explosion of bananas cooked in oil served on thick sourdough slices and drizzled in a mixture of syrup and caramel. Needless to say, it's pretty much happiness on a plate. I will say though that not getting the syrup on the side is a big pain- if you go, see if they will give it to you separate so you can control your portions. Also, I wish they served with with a little fruit or yogurt, so you have something to temper the sugar bomb between bites.

The menu also includes a selection of traditional egg dishes, scramblers, breakfast burritos and beignets. No oatmeal or granola to be found.

Service: No complaints. Wait staff was friendly and mostly attentive, until we needed the check, but they let us talk for about a half an hour afterwards, with no hassle.

Atmosphere: Bright, open and airy, the modern layout of the building is pleasing on a sunny day. There are at least two big dinning rooms, with booths around the edges and some tables. The restaurant is not very old, so it is in great shape. For being as big and open as it is, I don't remember it being very noisy, though that may change with students back in town.

Cost: $ (All items under $10)


Web: http://www.foodfightinc.com/pdf/bluephiesbrunch.pdf

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Lazy Jane's Cafe- 1358 Williamson St

Second forray onto Willy is all about breakfast. While it may be the most important meal of the day, frankly, picking a great breakfast restaurant isn't all that important. Let's be honest;Most places serve about the same food. You're really looking for good combinations, excellent baked goods, and not paying an arm and a leg for what ammounts to a shot glass of orange juice. Lazy Jane's has all that, in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere.

Rating:***** (Satisfying)

Food: I hear their scones are awesome. Their waffles look phenominal. The eggs, potatoes, sausage, and toast I had... slightly above average. The potatoes were the star; greasy dollar size, soft red potatoes (or were they yellow?) with diced onions peppers and herbs. Really, very yummy. Eggs and sausage: eh.. can you really go wrong here? Toast was a very nice wheat berry that reminded me of the great bread from my sentimental favorite breakfast spot, the Otis Cafe.
The menu is pretty basic, with several egg/omlet, potato toast, meat combo options, waffles, oatmeal, granola and a small bakery counter with the afformentioned scones. Portions are medium sized.
My food sidekick commented that her vegi frittata was so-so. Personally, I try to keep broccoli as far away from breakfast as possible.

Service: At Lazy Jane's, you wait in line to place your order, then grab a seat. No table service. We were there late on a Sunday morning when it was moderately packed. I'd bet there are many days when school is in session that the wait could be 30-45 minutes long. Getting your order is a kind of game, where the cooks scream out the name of the person on the ticket, and you strain your ears to determine if the car crash of vowels and consinents coming out of their mouth sounds remotely like yours.

Atmosphere: The two story cafe plays well to its neighborhood, with a predictibly ecclectic array of 70's plates, mismatched silverware, and probably a thousand knick-nacks. Some bench seating is on the lower level, while upstairs boasts more tables and chairs. All in all, its a very pleasing place to enjoy good breakfast food, talk with friends, and wish Sunday morning could be about 12 hours longer.

Cost: $. Most items 8 bucks or less.