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After bemoaning the plethora of mediocre restaurants in Charlotte, I decided it was time for me to highlight one of our city's greatest: The Coffee Cup. I have lived in Charlotte for 12 years and have tried many breakfast establishments. To me, a good breakfast is a place where you can get good bisuits, good grits (I like mine on the firm side -- not runny), excellent bacon/country ham/sausage and hash browns or homefries. We have tried John's Country Kitchen on Central, Andersons, Athens, The Landmark, Eddie's Place and countless others. We mourned the demise of the Cupboard on South, which had really good biscuits and country ham, not to mention a deadly coconut pie. My husband almost cried when Rogers Barbecue closed - meaning the end of their deadly breafast "casserole" of scarmbled eggs topped with onions, bell peppers, potatoes, cheese and sausage gravy. We have missed the country ham and red eye gravy at Nashville's Loveless Motel since we left that city in 1991. We have been to the Coffee Cup before. After yesterday's breakfast, my family decided it was the ONLY place worth going to in Charlotte for a traditional country breakfast. They make real biscuits that don't have flecks of the yellow butter-flavored Crisco used by so many restaurants. You can order chicken and waffles, salmon patties, steak - even fried chicken with the fixin's for breakfast. I devoured my bacon - which was really more like fried side meat - fatty, crispy, melt-in-your mouth bits of salty bacon. Their smoked sausage and potatoes with bits of onion are excellent. Their sweet tea willl throw you into a diabetic coma if you're not careful. And the service - while a tad slow - is friendly and efficient. To all who visit - go here for breakfast. To all who live here - keep this place alive!

I grew up, in San Antonio, on a steady diet of great breakfast tacos after swim practice every morning...Abundio's, Las Palapas, etc. Even at TCU in Fort Worth, I managed to find some great breakfast tacos after practice...or with a Big Red to cure a hangover. Since I've graduated and moved to Houston (for work, not by choice....but it's growing on me quickly), I can't find any place that compares to the breakfast tacos of my youth. They just ain't the same. Any tips on where to go?

I need a place for Sunday brunch. The diner works well but we're hoping for something a little more special. We're in Bergen County (Teaneck) with family and friends in Hoboken. Any local suggestions are welcome.

I'm meeting my parents for breakfast tomorrow morning and the plan is to meet half way between my home (Seattle) and their home (Stanwood). They have suggested the IHOP in Lynnwood but have indicated they are open to other suggestions. The only place that I can think of so far is Patty's Eggnest. Please, please, please help me think of someplace else.......... I should add that my father is a very picky eater. Strictly meat and potatoes for him. Nothing ethnic, fancy or complicated will suit him. Aren't I lucky? I would say anything between Shoreline and North Everett would work.

Having enjoyed reading about what people's dinner creations at Dinner! Topic, I thought we could do the same for breakfast !! So, feel free to post what you made for this important meal of the day !! Cheers Percy

how a nation continued to perpetuate its existence by contributing to the gene pool after consuming a breakfast with fried eggs, fried bacon, blood pudding, smoked kippers(does anyone else remember the smoked kipper episode in fawlty towers?) AND devilled kidneys is beyond me. apparently, its great after a particularly indulgent evening at the bar. this was demonstrated by a very puzzled french chef at school. the full english breakfast, that is.. i mention this to a friend of mine whom i assumed was english(apparently not. "i am SCOTTISH", he objected)...and i found out that there is such a thing as a 'full scottish' which includes haggis. *cough* then i get thumped on the back and he casually mentions..or just a "bowl of porridge with salt". pause. "splash of scotch, optional" what do the english *really* have for breakfast?

We want to treat our kids and grandchildren to lunch in the Baltimore city/county area. We do not want brunch. We do not care about the decor, but want an affordable, good meal of any ethnicity for 10 people. If possible we would like a restaurant where the 3-8 year olds can get up from the table & run around from time to time.

I love fruit in breakfast bread, but have a difficult time finding recipes without nuts in the loaf as well. Is there a "bread science" reason for the nuts or can I just forge ahead with extra fruit in lieu thereof? Also... what is your favorite sweet/fruit/breakfast bread? Thank you!

Greetings I'm looking for a pancake recipe that inspires fluffiness, that is nice thick pancakes, but not heavy. Thin will simply not do. Flavor is not of quite as much importance. This recipe is for a contest that is graded on flavor, presentation, and fluffiness. Also, does anyone know of any exciting ways to present pancakes? Thanks a heap!

I'm a sugar cone girl myself, unless they make the waffle cones right there and serve them slightly warm and the whole place smells like waffley goodness. Then, I have to have one. My family, however, seems to favor the cake cones. What's your favorite?

Am looking for somewhere to have a relaxed breakfast/brunch, preferably with champagne (so, just to be difficult, I guess that means a late breakfast!), in t'smoke on Monday...we're staying Bloomsbury, but moving towards Tate Modern for late lunchtime, if that helps at all??

I was just eating a slightly bland (but still pretty damn good) veggie nest at Venus in Berkeley, and I was thinking I should find out where you guys eat breakfast. I'm talking about an American style breakfast, with eggs and sausage and stuff like that, but I like croissants or pain au chocolat for breakfast, or even jook. Right now, I would say my best American breakfasts of all time have been at Ella's or at Fatapples. Won't you please help me expand my horizons?

Hi, I've been a lurker for a while and this is my first post! I hail from sunny Malaysia and was just wondering....what do people eat for breakfast? Or is there a similar thread around somewhere already? I had a wholemeal steamed roll (called 'pau') filled with raisins and chinese wolfberries! Yummy!

My wife has found her new favorite place, the Breakfast Klub. She had the chicken and waffles, I had an omelette with grits and a side of biscuits and gravy. The Breakfast Klub is the best example of Southern cooking I have experienced in quite a while. (Atlanta eat your heart out.) Fried chicken wings wre crisp and clean. It was obvious they changed grease frequently. Grits were good. My observation is there is no such thing as great grits, just well prepared grits, which is rare, and badly prepared grits, which is typical. These were well prepared. The gravy and biscuits were outstanding. As good as my grandmother's. Real southern gravy with pepper, not liquid glue with no flavor or body. On Saturday's, the Breakfast Klub opens at 8:00 a.m. There was line at the door when we got there at 7:45. It moved fairly quickly. The line helped because it gave us time to decide what to order. Service was very helpful and friendly. Several people came by to see how the meal was. We never felt rushed. There is plenty of room and tables.

I spent Memorial day wekend at my girlfriend's parents house in Decatur, Alabama, my first trip to the state. Being from Manhattan, but loving Southern food, I have long been deprived. My girlfriend's mother did not disapoint. Each morning she made scrambeled eggs, bacon, sausage patties, homemade buttermilk biscuts and gravy. Everything was cooked in her beautifuly seasond cast iron skillets (I counted about eight in her collection). While I have had eggs, sausage patties and bacon many times before, there is a discernable difference when they are fresh out of a cast iron skillet, the bacon was crisp and the patties developed a nice crust without being overcooked. The homemade biscuts and gravy were a first and is something I will truly miss. The biscuts, made with White Lilly flour and buttermilk were rolled out and cut with a glass and topped with a large pat of butter while they were still hot . Soft, warm, buttery, with the tang from the buttermilk, they were ethereal. Particularly when topped with the fantastic gravy made from mixing milk, flour, salt and pepper into the bacon dripings that remained in one of the cast iron skillets. I also drank about a gallon of half and half, half ice tea and half lemonade, which I never had before and became addicted to. Perhaps it was the warm Southern air, the view of magnolia blossoms or the laid back Southern attitude, but the breakfasts I had this past weekend in Alabama were the best I have ever had.

For those interested in notes on the wines mentioned in this write up, go here. Late last fall I was having my car serviced at the dealer. I spied a copy of Mpls/St. Paul magazine in the waiting room, and began thumbing through it. This particular issue (October, 2003, I believe) had a feature on the top ten Bed and Breakfast places in Minnesota. Many of them sounded like ideal getaways, but one in particular grabbed my attention to a point where I started planning our wedding anniversary six months in advance, which is unheard of for me. And that was the write up on the tenth one listed in the article. Gourmets' Garden Bed and Breakfast in Harmony, Minnesota. The unique appeal of GGB&B (as I’ll refer to it from here forward) was that dinner was also served on the premises. Not just any dinner, your option of a three course or five course dinner paired with wines. And if you’ve ever been to Harmony, you know your other options are the pizza parlor, the diner, or the sports bar – all of which, I’m sure, serve up fair fare, but this would be our anniversary, after all. So, six months in advance, I booked a room. There are only two rooms in this B&B. Since we usually spend our anniversary with another couple (and they theirs with us), I booked both rooms. I also asked if we could bring our own wine. That would not be a problem. As a matter of fact, they would create a menu to go with our wines if I let them know what we’d be bringing in advance. Way cool. Fast forward six months to our arrival. The property is situated on a gravel road about 1.5 miles southeast of town. Driving up to it, it looks like a typical farmhouse built long ago, and added on to since then (but still a while ago). There is a barn and a couple of outbuildings. There is a large garden in front. It’s on the south side of the gravel road, which is important since, during the summer at least, the wind is usually from the south. So when a car passes by, the dust created drifts north. Marcia and I were warmly welcomed by the husband and wife owner/operator couple of Stephen Larson and Lisa Flicker (more on them later). We walked through a porch that has been converted into a dining area (they also offer dinners to non-guests), and into the actual dining room across which we saw the demonstration kitchen (cooking classes are also offered here). More on the kitchen later. To our right was the living room, three comfy, cushy leather loveseats. A wrought iron spiral staircase led upstairs to the guest rooms. Since carrying luggage up that way would be a bitch, the outside stairs leading to a balcony and second story entrance were what we used. In warmer weather, guests can opt for breakfast (maybe dinner, I’m not sure) on the balcony. Our room had a wrought iron queen-sized bed, table and chairs, reading chair, and a bathroom with a very deep, very heavy, clawfoot tub. The tub uses hot forced air (not a motorized pump) to create a Jacuzzi effect. And two can fit, but that’s all I’ll say about that. We headed downstairs after unpacking, were offered a glass of wine, and asked Stephen and Lisa their stories. He was raised in rural Minnesota (I can’t recall where) and she is from the Rochester area. Stephen is classically trained as a shef and has worked at Alfredo’s (when it was in business), Primavera (ditto), and D’Amico Cucina. He met Lisa (for those who’ve noticed her last name, yes she is the sister of Auriga’s Doug Flicker) when she was working in one of the restaurants, and they’ve been together ever since. Together, they had dreamed of opening a B&B, preferably in a more rural setting. But finding any property, let alone a suitable – and affordable – one, proved to be a larger challenge then they though. On the path to attaining that, Stephen put in a stint at Mrs. B’s Inn in Lanesboro, one of the more well-known establishments in southern Minnesota. But it seemed like they simply had to wait for someone to die in order to get a chance at a property. By pure chance, they were in a bar and overheard someone saying how he wasn’t going to buy a property after all. They surreptitiously grabbed some bar napkins, eavesdropped some more, and scribbled down the necessary information. That’s how they came upon the property they are in today. Of course, there was the renovation, and all the hard equity and sweat equity that go into that. But they wanted to not only operate a B&B, but to do dinners and offer cooking classes on top of that. The kitchen is nicely done. There is an island with six ultra high-tech burners (26,000 BTUs each). The rest of the island space is one massive cutting board, although there are raised cutting boards on certain parts of it. Stephen stands facing the dining room, and there are stools on the other side for those who arrive for a cooking class. While we were chit-chatting, Stephen and Lisa was doing the prep work for dinner. She is the baker and pastry chef, and he does the rest (or most of it, I gather). They run a working farm. There is a cow. There are hobby horses. There are Pekin ducks, which provide the eggs. They used to have chickens when they first opened, but found that ducks were cleaner, less maintenance, and produced more flavorful eggs. They actually did a large amount of chicken v. duck egg testing in various preparations, and found the chicken eggs tasting more “chickeny” and the duck eggs just more “eggy.” The duck eggs have a higher yolk to white ratio, too, which yielded a “that’s just bonus” comment from Stephen. There are also eight cats (at present), which are always outside. For Friday night’s dinner, it was just Marcia and I. The other couple, as it ended up, were not able to come down until Saturday. I had emailed Stephen the list of wines ahead of time. When I surrendered them upon arrival, he removed them to the climate controlled cellar and cooling unit. Here’s Friday’s dinner… Amuse bouche – Crouton topped with caramelized onion, rhubarb compote and French brie cheese. I believe it also had a drizzling of red wine reduction. This was a one-bite, pop-in-your-mouth piece of ambrosia. With it and the next three courses, we paired a 1996 L. Aubry “Cuvée Aubry de Humbert” Brut Champagne. Hors d’oeuvre – Deviled duck egg with warm bacon and reserva Sherry vinegar dressing on a chiffonade of French sorrel. I’m not a huge fan of deviled eggs, but I watched him make these while we were visiting, and he kept the mustard quotient low. This was one of my favorite courses of the evening. Appetizer – Warm oven-poached black tiger shrimp mousse with avocado and lime cream. It was more custard-like than mousse-like, but still packed with flavor. Marcia particularly liked this one. First course – Garden asparagus risotto with shaved Grana Padano parmesan, black truffle oil, and Italian prosciutto ham. They had offered to pour us one of their wines with this (just a glass each, not the bottle), but we still had some Champagne left, and my wife isn’t a boozer. This course was very nice. The rice was al dente, and the texture of the risotto was as creamy as it should be. Entrée – Seared beef ribeye fillet on a crisp potato galette with brandy and dried plum sauce. The beef was cooked rare (which is bonus for me), and the sauce was plate-licking tasty. The course probably could’ve used some color, but there’s no arguing with the flavor. For this course and the salad, we enjoyed a 1987 Lafite Rothschild. Salad – Mixed spring greens tossed with raspberry vinegar, honey, and grain mustard dressing, topped with local Amish bleu cheese and candied walnuts. The sugar coating on the walnuts was onionskin thin. I love ending a meal with salad. They wanted to pour a separate salad wine for us, but we were fine with the Lafite. Dessert – Saffron-infused panna cotta with an oatmeal tuile. I brought a dessert wine for this, but we still had some Lafite left, so we finished off this velvety delight and went back to the wine. I love panna cotta (I actually prefer it to crème brulée and flan – it could be the use of gelatin over eggs, I don’t know), and I put this up there with the best I’ve ever had. Breakfast the following morning. Needless to say, lunch would not be needed during the day… Coffee and tea (in room) Fresh orange juice Fresh herb and aged white cheddar cheese duck egg omelet Garlic and extra virgin olive oil roasted tomato with toasted bread crumbs Thick-cut hickory smoked bacon Dried cranberry and candied ginger scones Ruby grapefruit segments in honey-mint syrup House-made low-fat organic oat granola with dates and almonds The omelet was more like a rolled frittata (not a complaint) than a folded omelet. The grapefruit in syrup was heavenly. Our friends arrived. We bought some of Friday dinner’s bleu cheese at the Amish factory across the Iowa border. We golfed nine holes. In the late afternoon, before dinner, we sat on the porch playing euchre and Stephen and Lisa opened a bottle of wine for us. Then came Saturday dinner and the continuation of the food orgy. On Friday, Marcia and I ate in the enclosed porch. On Saturday, the four of us ate at the dining room table because there were eight additional guests for dinner only, and they fit better on the porch… Amuse Bouche – Chilled roasted portabella mushroom, red bell pepper, and goat cheese torte. The serving portion was more than an amuse (oh, darn), and had to be eaten in several bites. With this and the next course, we had a 1998 Iron Horse Vineyards Brut Rosé. I think there was also a port syrup served over this torte, but my memory may be foggy. Hors d’oeuvre – Grilled prosciutto-wrapped black tiger prawns on mixed spring greens with extra virgin olive oil, thyme, and reserva Sherry vinegar. These prawns were huge – and tasty. Soup – Cream of garden asparagus, spinach, and potato soup with a chiffonade of French sorrel. The soup was served in a teacup, and was silky smooth. A highlight of the evening for me. With this we opened a 1995 Olivier Leflaive Meursault, Les Perriers Premier Cru. Appetizer – Carpaccio of beef New York strip steak topped with radicchio, oil cured black olives, and celery with tomato-basil vinaigrette. Dan (husband in the other couple), who doesn’t like his beef cooked rare, was all over this. His wife, Nita, and I rubbed in the fact that he has been missing out all these years. This was an interesting take on the typical topping of EVOO, lemon, parmesan, and black pepper. And it worked very well. For this course, Stephen and Lisa poured us a glass of Banfi Col di Sasso from their stock. First course – Fresh hand-rolled pappardelle pasta tossed with red wine braised rabbit ragu, and topped with shaved Grana Padano parmesan. The ragu was fantastic, and pappardelle is in the top three of my pasta preferences. I was digging this course. We had a 1995 Joseph Phelps Insignia with this one. Entrée – Lamb shank slow roasted with fresh morels, rosemary, and black-eyed peas. Just earlier that morning we were talking about morel hunting, and how it had probably been too cold for them to sprout yet. While we were out golfing, through pure serendipity, someone dropped off fresh morels at the house. Lucky us. The black-eyed peas were a bit out of place with this dish, going better with the mushrooms than with the lamb, but I wolfed it all down. With this course, we drank a 1992 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley. Cheese/Dessert – Tasting platter of: local Amish bleu, aged white cheddar, and French brie cheeses; whole milk ricotta cheesecake; and ginger poached pears filled with sweet mascarpone. Loved those pears. Two dessert wines – 1998 Niedermayr Aureus and 1998 Forteto della Luja Loazzolo. As if that wasn’t enough, Sunday’s breakfast on the porch… Coffee and tea (in room) Fresh orange juice Individual baked duck egg casserole Florentine with Grana Padano parmesan cream sauce American fried white potatoes with peppers and Vidalia onions Pan-grilled peppered ham steak Irish oatmeal pancakes with “Bananas Foster” sauce Honeydew melon drizzled with mesquite honey Organic yogurt sundae Then we headed home where we fasted for three days. GGB&B will likely see the Ballingers again. For those who like to be pampered with food, this is the retreat for you. For those parties that reserve both rooms, an option in place of dinner is to have your own private cooking class. That may be an option we invoke for one of the two nights next visit. Edited to correct the BTU info (quite an increase from my original post of 200 -- what was I thinking?)

I am going home to Memphis and bringing the fiance--any good breakfast joints anymore? Used to go to the old Buntyn's and also the Arcade...I really want something good, no junk!

Creme Brulee French Toast Serves 10 as Side. Creme Brulee French Toast ... the best brunch dish ever!!! (Cook Time: 40 minutes) 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1 (8 to 9) inch round loaf Challah bread 5 large eggs 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-2 teaspoons Amaretto (or your favorite liqueur...) 1/4 teaspoon salt In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat. Stirring mixture until smooth and pour into a 13 by 9 by 2 - inch baking dish. Note: You might want to use "Reynold's Release Foil" to ease your inverting, after finished baking... Cut 6 (1-inch) thick slices from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use, and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit. In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, Amaretto, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered,in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (I do this overnight) or even up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring bread to room temperature. Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. (Can invert on a large plate and let browned syrup form the topping if desired) Serve with fresh strawberries and/or whipped heavy cream! Lots of great tasting calories for brunch! Keywords: Kosher, Easy, Brunch ( RG1036 )

Creme Brulee French Toast Serves 10 as Side. Creme Brulee French Toast ... the best brunch dish ever!!! (Cook Time: 40 minutes) 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons corn syrup 1 (8 to 9) inch round loaf Challah bread 5 large eggs 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-2 teaspoons Amaretto (or your favorite liqueur...) 1/4 teaspoon salt In a small heavy saucepan, melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat. Stirring mixture until smooth and pour into a 13 by 9 by 2 - inch baking dish. Note: You might want to use "Reynold's Release Foil" to ease your inverting, after finished baking... Cut 6 (1-inch) thick slices from center portion of bread, reserving ends for another use, and trim crusts. Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit. In a bowl whisk together eggs, half and half, vanilla, Amaretto, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Chill bread mixture, covered,in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (I do this overnight) or even up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring bread to room temperature. Bake bread mixture, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are pale golden, 35 to 40 minutes. (Can invert on a large plate and let browned syrup form the topping if desired) Serve with fresh strawberries and/or whipped heavy cream! Lots of great tasting calories for brunch! Keywords: Kosher, Easy, Brunch ( RG1036 )

Breakfast Strata This course is from the Cooking with/for Disabilities course in the eCGI. 8 slices cooked, crumbled bacon or 3/4-1 cup chopped ham (again, chop as finely as needed, depending on oral motor skills) or 3/3-1 cup crumbled cooked breakfast sausage 1/2 c butter Additional softened butter 1/4 c finely chopped shallots 10 slices bread 2-1/2 c shredded cheese 9 eggs, lightly beaten 3 c milk 2 T dijon mustard 1 tsp dried thyme salt and pepper to taste Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish or shallow casserole. Cut bread into 1" cubes. Place in ziplock bag with shallots and butter; toss to combine. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Add bread cubes; cheese; and bacon, ham or sausage. Mix well and pour into baking dish. Cover with foil, greasing the side that will face the mixture. Refridgerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until set in the center Keywords: Main Dish, Breakfast, Healthy Choices, eGCI ( RG1005 )

Breakfast Strata This course is from the Cooking with/for Disabilities course in the eCGI. 8 slices cooked, crumbled bacon or 3/4-1 cup chopped ham (again, chop as finely as needed, depending on oral motor skills) or 3/3-1 cup crumbled cooked breakfast sausage 1/2 c butter Additional softened butter 1/4 c finely chopped shallots 10 slices bread 2-1/2 c shredded cheese 9 eggs, lightly beaten 3 c milk 2 T dijon mustard 1 tsp dried thyme salt and pepper to taste Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish or shallow casserole. Cut bread into 1" cubes. Place in ziplock bag with shallots and butter; toss to combine. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Add bread cubes; cheese; and bacon, ham or sausage. Mix well and pour into baking dish. Cover with foil, greasing the side that will face the mixture. Refridgerate overnight. In the morning, remove from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until set in the center Keywords: Main Dish, Breakfast, Healthy Choices, eGCI ( RG1005 )

Growing up in L.A., there's this fantastic breakfast (though all meals are served there) called the Pantry, at 9th & Figueroa downtown. The place's been open 24/7 since like the '20s. Your breakfast includes perfectly crunchy exterior semi-soft interior screaming hot homefries and thick grilled sourdough slab-like slices, not to mention the endless coffee.... The bisquits & gravy from scratch.... mmmmm.... I'm seeking such a place on the Eastside or Renton. Any suggestions?

Anyone have any suggestion? An early dinner might be a good alternative too. My mother-in-law will be here that weekend. We haven't seen her for Mother's Day in 6-7 years, so we're thinking about taking her out. We don't usually do this - am I wrong in assuming that most restaurants will know that children will most likely be dining out a lot that day? (Don't worry Mark, Citronelle is not currently on our list of options )

Imagine waking up and being offered homemade waffles, light and crispy, with butter and syrup. See? You will want waffles. . . Waffles. * * * * Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

Hello everyone ! This is my first time ! I am looking for a nice place to brunch this coming Sunday. Any suggestions ? Thank you very much.