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Matt's Big Breakfast 801 N. 1st Street ( 1st & McKinley) Phoenix, Az. 602-254-1074 When I see a line of people spilling out into the street waiting to eat at a restaurant in Phoenix, I know the food must be good. At Matt's Big Breakfast whether it is breakfast or lunch, the food does not disapoint. Matt and his wife Erenia serve simple food but use top-notch ingredients ( Chino Valley Ranch Eggs, Harris Ranch Beef, Terra Verde Farm Preserves, McClendon Select Produce, Wildflower Bread, The Pork Shop ). Upon entering Matt's, one can not help but think "this place is cool". The diner setting is something that harkens back to the diners of yesteryear. I have made my way around the menu a few times and everything comes out like that dream breakfast should. The option of hash browns or home fries is something that I appreciate because the art of the hash brown seems lost these days in most breakfast haunts. cheese omelette with HASH BROWNS French Toast with maple syrup waffles with pepper bacon from The Pork Shop Daily Special - ham, roasted jalapenos & cheddar cheese egg scramble The Chop & Chick - two eggs and a skillet seared Iowa pork rib chop The lunch offerings at Matt's are equally satisfying, highlights include: Big Butter Burger (need I say more) Chili Bowl I do not ever remember ordering or for that matter eating an egg salad sandwich but I saw one at Matt's pass me by and could not resist. Egg Salad Sandwich ( I added a couple strips of that Pork Shop bacon) Matt and the back of his wife Erenia Matt's Big Breakfast is a great spot for lunch or dinner and now with the opening of their bar Roosevelt Tavern, you can hang with the Pool's all day! Phoenix Best Bets: Vu at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Sea Saw Binkley's Restaurant Zinc Bistro Cyclo Lo-Lo's Fried Chicken and Waffles Kohnies-Coffee, Breakfast and Best Scones Pizzeria Bianco Pane Bianco - Chris Bianco's sandwich shop Matt's Big Breakfast Arlecchino Gelateria The Pork Shop Grazie Pizzeria

Like most of us, when I was a blithe young thing my breakfast consisted of caffeine, sugar and carbs -- a chocolate digestive, a beaver tail, toast and jam. Lunch was a restaurant affair -- I was poor, but I never brown-bagged it --and Montreal provided a vast assortment of temptations, from Hungarian at The Coffee Mill, smoked meat at Schwartzes, all those bistos, Anglo comfort food at Murray's or the Tartan Tray at Ogilvie's. I dug in. Dinner was a perfectly cooked epicurean feast courtesy of my mother or a swell restaurant meal with a date. I ate this way for many decades: sugary breakfast, store-bought lunch, careful and bounteous dinner. I cared a lot about dinner when our daughter was growing up becuase the only rules we had as parents were: 1) Library card. 2)Music lessons. 3) Dinner en famille. (And it worked.) It's topsy turvey now. The idea of getting through the morning at work courtesy of Krispy Kreme or a yoghurt is impossible: I know I'll get the sugar crash from the doughtnut or the bag of Cheetos at ten because a yog makes my tummy call an audible by 9:30. My co-workers are in awe of the meatloaf sandwiches and leftover fried chicken with which I break my fast. Dinner: It's still a big deal in our foodie empty- nester household but we eat late and I'm too tired to eat much. It's my Lite Meal now. Lunch: Delicious dinner leftovers, an omelette, a nuked potato, grilled cheese -- I work close to home so that I never ever buy lunch. Have any of you noticed a shift in your eating patterns? It could be geography, age , circumstance, metabolism, medication ...

A few weeks ago I read an essay in the NYT dining section which started out with an observation that -- apparently -- lots of adults all over the U.S. eat cold cereal as a night time snack. The essay then went on to suggest that polenta (aka "hot cereal") would be a better choice. The essay was pretty lame, in my opinion, but the author's contention about cold cereal surprised me. As someone who hasn't eaten cold cereal at any time of the day for more than 15 years, I can't imagine cold cereal being something anyone would eat at night (well, any time, actually, but I can understand the appeal at breakfast -- it's fast, easy and filling). So, have I been missing something all these years? Is cold cereal a perfect snack for late night?

Peasant Pancakes Serves 6 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish. This is based on an old recipe by Mai Leung from The Chinese People's Cookbook, 1979 1 c AP flour 1 c Chicken broth 2 Chinese sausages, chopped 1/2 c chopped green onions 1/2 c chopped water chestnuts 1/2 c chopped raw shrimp 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne oil for frying Whisk flour and stock to a smooth batter. Stir in all other ingredients. Lightly oil a pan and make small pancakes in the usual way. Keep warm on a rack in the oven at 200 F. til all the cakes are fried. Serve with a soy and vinegar dipping sauce, or any Oriental dipping sauce you like. Keywords: Shrimp, Chinese, Snack, Appetizer, Easy ( RG1948 )

Longganisa (Filipino breakfast sausage) 1 kg ground pork (make sure it is fatty ground pork) 1 medium onion finely chopped/minced 4 T vinegar (white vinegar or any strong vinegar) 2 T soy sauce 2 tsp salt 2 tsp pepper 4 T brown sugar 1 T paprika for coloring (most Filipinos add red food dye) 6 cloves garlic, finely minced In a large clean bowl, mix everything up really well. Stuff into casings or make patties or finger-sized rolls for skinless longganisa. Let the meat cure for 6 hours or overnight before frying (I usually don't since I am too excited to eat them). Best served with garlic fried rice on the side with sunny-side eggs. Keywords: Main Dish, Filipino, Easy, Pork, Breakfast ( RG1944 )

Hello, I'm looking for recommendations for white-tablecloth type breakfast place in the LA area. The bets I've had so far is Joe's brunch in Venice (which was great), looking for similar, if a bit fancier for a special occasion. Any ideas?

So my plan is to wake up early and drive up to Balthazar from Philly for breakfast. My girlfriend and I have the car for the day, so we were also going to take a ride up to Arthur Avenue (never been before, want to see how it compares to the Italian Market in Philly) later on. I'm thinking we walk to the Essex Street Market after breakfast, but from there I'm not sure. Ang (the gf) said that she always feels like we go to NYC without a plan and end up lost, frustrated and in general totally discombobulated (hey, I actually spelled that right on the 1st try!). I am reaching out to you, fellow eGulleters. Help me plan my day in NYC. We're both in the food industry and we're up for anything. So far its just Balthazar and Arthur Avenue, no plans for lunch or dinner (I'd like to show her the Shake Shack maybe, especially if the weather is still ungodly warm). Obvious tag: the gf also loves to shop - so even though this is generally a food-related question, feel free to mention where we can find the haute couture as well... Man, I can't believe I just asked about haute couture. I think I need to go eat some red meat. Thanks in advance!!!

O.K. three couples coming from Ireland looking for a good Sunday brunch.in Manhattan. Good food and cocktails a mus, anyone with recommendations? Arriving the 2nd dec and one of the party has birthday for tye second so something out of this world would not be amiss. G

Pancakes (yeast) Serves 2 as Main Dish. I used to always do chemically-risen pancakes, sometimes adding soda water for extra gas... but these are way better, and don't take very much longer. The texture is bouncy and moist (as opposed to fluffy), the way I like it. 1 large egg 1-1/2 c warm milk 1/4 c sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 T melted butter 2 c all-purpose flour 5 g instant dry yeast Whisk the egg and milk well. Add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and butter, and whisk well. Add the flour and yeast and vigorously whisk about 15 seconds, until the batter is completely smooth. Unlike chemically-risen pancakes, you aren't trying to avoid developing gluten here, so go crazy. Let the batter proof for about an hour, until it's very bubbly. Cook over medium heat in a buttered pan. Keywords: Easy, Vegetarian, Breakfast ( RG1866 )

Some good friends are taking us to brunch at Feenie's on Sunday. Has anyone been? If so, is it a buffet (so we can chow down on a bit of everything) or do we order? And if the latter, any suggestions?

ate the tenderest lightest waffle with the crispiest lightest fluffiest (or was that the waffle or should i never use the word fluffy in conjunction with eating rabbit), i don't know, this dish was so terrific that i just can't get it outta my mind! restaurant: Zazu in the Russian river countryside. owners dusty estes, and her husband, adorable whats-his-name with the tatoo of the pig or is it a lamb, on his arm.....and who cures meat brilliantly, especially his homemade coppa which should be spoken about in whispers its so good. better than what i eat in italy, where i try to hang out as much as i can...... also the BLT salad was divine, everything was divine even things that just sounded ordinary on the menu. the lamb sausage sandwich wasn't as thrilling as i would have hoped but i was not in the mood for a sandwich at all and we pretty much ate everything else on the menu! includig fabulous gelato.

Buttermilk Waffles Serves 2 as Main Dish. This is simply the best waffle recipe ever! 2 eggs 1 c buttermilk 1/2 c melted butter (cooled) 1-1/3 T sugar 1/3 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1-1/3 tsp baking powder 1 c flour 1/4 c milk (if needed) 1. Beat eggs in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. 2. Add buttermilk and mix well 3. Add melted butter and mix well. 4. Add sugar and salt and mix well. 5. Add baking soda and baking powder and mix until just blended in. 6. Add flour and mix until just smooth; do not over beat. 7. If batter seems rather thick, add a little milk to thin it. 8. Bake in hot waffle iron until crisp and golden. 9. Serve with warm maple syrup and strawberries, if desired. Keywords: Waffle Iron ( RG1816 )

Sourdough Waffles Serves 4 as Main Dish. My favorite waffle recipe is originally from King Arthur, and it's written for a fairly goopy starter (not a firm starter). I refresh mine with equal masses of water and flour, a little more than 4 oz. each per refreshment. This is one of my favorite things to do with the part of the starter that gets removed in the refreshing. I generally don't measure too carefully when I make these, which is atypical of me! Sometime, I'll try the method Cook's Illustrated recommends in an article from March 2004 or thereabouts: heating the buttermilk, mixing all the ingredients (including the eggs but completely omitting the baking soda from the batter) together from the start, and refrigerating the batter overnight to rise. I'm concerned that if I left this particular version in my fridge, my starter would be too sluggish to do much. But if you try it before I get to it, let me know how it works for you! 2 c flour (can use half WW; about 9 oz) 2 T sugar, more or less 2 c buttermilk (I generally don't have buttermilk on hand, so I about half-fill my 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup with plain yogurt and then fill the cup with regular milk, making sure I stir a bit to avoid an 1 c sourdough starter (usually works out to about 8 or 9 oz, but I use whatever I remove from my starter jar just before adding water and flour to refresh) 2 eggs 1/4 c oil or melted butter (melted butter tastes better, but always seizes when I try to mix it in) 1 tsp salt (I use kosher) 1 tsp baking soda Mix flour and sugar in whatever bowl you'll use for the batter. I like an 8-cup bowl with a spout and a handle, because it makes it easy to get the batter into the waffle iron. Mix together milk and starter. Break up the starter as well as you can. Stir into flour. Cover (I use a shower cap swiped from a hotel) and leave out overnight. In the morning, blend in eggs, oil, salt, and baking soda. My Black and Decker waffle iron (makes square waffles, which can easily be divided into four quarters) needs about 3/4 cup of batter per waffle. Any leftovers freeze well, and can be toasted straight from the freezer for future breakfasts. Keywords: Vegetarian, Waffle Iron, Easy, Breakfast, Brunch ( RG1806 )

Anyone have any brunch/breakfast favorites near Norristown or Phoenixville, other than the Black Lab (are they still doing brunch?)... this is for tomorrow (sunday)

Heading to Chicago this weekend and we'll be arriving at Midway around 8:00 am, heading right to the Ikea in Bolingbrook to do some college dorm shopping before move-in day at University of Chicago. Are there any breakfast institutions around that won't be too far out of our way? Not looking for chain restaurants or chi-chi places, just a good, honest breakfast place where everything doesn't taste like grease from the grill and the servers keep your coffee cup filled. Diners or counter-space-only places would be just fine.

My daughter will be baptized in about a month and we would like to have family and godparents back to our house after the baptism. The baptism will be at 9 am, so I am thinking breakfast foods, BUT everything needs to be done in advance, since we will all be coming home together. And there could be up to 20 people! Please help because I am stuck on pastries and fruit salad.

I will be near Junior's for breakfast tomorrow. Never been. I did a search and couldn't find any comments relating to what to eat at Juniors other than cheesecake. Any suggestions? When do they stop serving breakfast?

One day after the cease fire and a month long invasion of Lebanon, an old lady stood in front of the rubble of her family's home in the south of Lebanon and declared, " We will, be able to knead and bake our own bread". Here is to her and hers. My wife let this dough rise overnight. Early in the morning I heat the Saaj and my wife cleans it with water. Our neighbours from one side (my brother Sam and his wife Fadia) join in to help. Our neighbours from the other side (my brother Dani and his wife Claude) bring Arabic coffee. The AB looking guy is Sam. The pillow is called 'kara'. Used to stretch the dough to half the thickness of a Tortilla and delivery onto the Saaj.. Viviana and Fadia work feverishly. The bread cooks in about one minute. They get help. Brother Dani and his son Nader. Some Baabeel Manaeesh. Home made Labneh and cheese. Olives, oil, zaatar from Lebanon and homegrown veggies.

What drinks are considered common for breakfast? Of course mimosa, bloody Mary and screwdriver, but how about the White Russian? It is milk-based, so why not?

So, we're* finally heading off to San Francisco in July for a 10-day visit, staying with my stepson in the Potrero district the first few nights (THANKS, guys, for the neighborhood eatery recommendations), then driving up to Napa & Sonoma with a 2-night stay in Calistoga. We've been to SF and wine country many times, though not for several years. However, our flight arrives from Honolulu at 6:15 a.m. on a weekday. We're not due at SIL's house till 6 p.m. Where should we go/eat in between, especially early breakfast spots? We'll be picking up a rental car at the airport and were thinking of driving into town to check out the new-to-us Ferry Marketplace, but I just read that most of the shops don't open till 10 a.m. We'll also probably need a shady place to park and catch a few winks. Ideas? * We = me, my husband, and our 9 year old daughter.

Yesterday we were fortunate enough to share Sunday brunch at Simpatica with Tejon, Duckduck, eJulia, Cat Lancaster, and a couple of their buds. It's an unusual place - a caterer by day, an email-list weekend dinner spot, and open every Sunday for brunch. Duckduck is a friend of the (really nice and clean) kitchen so they treated us really well. It's a very hard menu to choose from, as everything sounds great, and all the passing plates are appealing. These pictures aren't the best, and I missed a few dishes in the rush to make new friends, but here's some of what you can expect if you manage to go there. Eggs Benedict with house-cured ham and roasted potatoes. All of their meats are house-cured, which is a real treat. Andouille and smoked salmon hash The kitchen sent this out, since none of us had the good sense to order it - Crab and shrimp strata, even better than what I ordered. I hate it when that happens. their house-cured bacon (and I have to say, not quite as good as what we've been making over on the Charcuterie thread, but still very tasty) crepes stuffed with asparagus, ham, and er, something. I didn't take notes, so I'm just winging it here. fried chicken and waffles, with strawberry sauce. They had two desserts on the menu so we ordered one of each for the table - a chocolate decadence-type cake, and an olive oil and lemon cake with a rhubarb compote. The kitchen also sent us a great panna cotta with a compote of dried currants, raisins, and blueberries. They all disappeared before I could get my camera to focus, at least, that's my excuse. It was a true pleasure to meet such a lovely bunch of Portlanders, and to brunch together in the cozy and yummy Simpatica Dining Hall. Go, if you get a chance. Reservations for groups of 8 only.

Hello! I'm doing monthly brunches for a group of friends, and we all like a light cocktail with brunch to start the day out right. The next brunch will be more southern-themed, more breakfast-y, and kind of heavy with grits, biscuits and gravy, hamsteaks, etc. Do you have any suggestions for a couple of cocktails to serve with this meal? I might do a cajun-style Bloody Mary, but I wanted something lighter and maybe fruity or frothy for the guests who don't like tomato juice. Thanks!!

Looking for a really good breakfast tomorrow morning. Staying in the area of 31st and 6th. Nearby would be cool, but greatness comes first.

Would anyone have any suggestions about an early morning breakfast to conduct business? I'm looking for a non-hotel setting with an emphasis on delicious food. Many thanks in advance.

I'm not a kid. All my life my hash browns are garbage. Little cubes of potatoes, a little fat , salt and pepper, maybe some onion,right? Nope. Never mind the pan. Nonstick ,cast iron, or anything in between. I cannot flip the pan.I am not a chef. If I try the flip thingy, the contents first hit my chest, then the floor. Ok, I need a spatula. Now that we have established my ground rules. No matter what I do, I get this. I want little cubes of potato, soft inside, crispy outside. I try to turn potatoes, crispy sticks to pan, soft gets mushed into center. I end up with semi-crunchy mashed potatoes with all the good stuff stuck to the pan. All in one ball that cannot be separated. I an damned determined to do this right before I die. At least once. Help? If I don't get good answers within one week,after that date , I WILL consider sleeping with anyone who can answer this question? But the resultant taters would have to be REALLY good.