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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'm not usually a fan of eating breakfast (for some reason I've never liked eating in the morning) but since my husband is, I figured that I should start making it a bit more (I never make it now) as surprises for him. Usually, I'll just either fry or poach eggs and then roast potatoes, but I'm looking for some new (exciting?) ideas... anybody have some great things that they make for breakfast?

i miss all the options for brunch in the city!! are there any good brunch places (besides brix)??

Received a DCist query today on whether there are any all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets in the city--that is, within walking distance of a metro. I know of plenty in the burbs, but none actually in D.C. Does anyone know of any--either of the cheap and greasy or ridiculously expensive (or in between) variety? K

looking for suggestions for brunch in montclair on sundays, friends visting from out of town-

Does anyone know a good place, not too expensive, for brunch on sunday's in the montclair area?

help! I need to find a place that has a nice brunch, and is special enough for a 30th birthday. I was thinking of somehwere that perhaps had a set menu for around $25, or basically anywhere that the entrees plus coffee could be in that price range. I looked at the menu for 11 Madison Park, but the set menu is very limited (i've got a few picky eaters and would need at least one basic omelette option). I was also thinking of Landmarc or Balthazar. Location can be anywhere, I would like it to be obviously good food, and somehwere that is a step up from your average NY brunch place. hope this makes sense. we'll be a party of around 10 people. I appreciate the help!

Hello, Does anyone know how they make the waffles at Patisserie LeBeau or Chambar? They are unlike other waffles that I've tried. Firm, kind of chewy and bready. I've asked the staff at places and neither will tell me what's in them or they don't know. My best guess is that they're yeasted, or they're just a really thick batter with an ingredient that's not normally in waffles (sour cream?). I really want to try making them at home, already got the waffle iron but I'm stumped on the batter. Help!

Alrightie. Back in Amsterdam after a weekend with the in-laws in Germany. I've had it up to here *gestures* with foreign-ity right now. When I get in these moods (rare, but powerful when they occur), only Comfort Foods can help. I'm typing this up after a long, tedious car ride, and will be falling into bed shortly. I hope to wake up to find an answer or two to this question. Which is: Any suggestions for hash brown preparation? The potato-and-onion sort. Minimal frills. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, but I think I've only made them myself once, a long time ago, and I don't recall what I did. For example, perhaps a question better suited to the 'stupid question' thread, but does one cook the potatoes first? ie, am I frying raw potato (okay, it already sounds wrong, somehow), or boiling/roasting beforehand? Any other suggestions regarding nice, fried, breakfast-style potatoes are welcome, also. I'm picturing some nice over-easy eggs, toast, and hash browns on the menu tomorrow for lunch. (no, not breakfast. I might like the 'American breakfast', but it's a bit ...much... for actual breakfast. Unless I'm on vacation. Which I'm not. /sidetrack) Thanks!

This weekend I have some friends of mine visiting from the UK (and, as a little background, I'm a UK expat... been living in the US for a bit over 7 years). They're staying in NYC, but are going to come out to visit us on Saturday. They'll be coming with their 2 year old son. Aside from giving them a tour of the neighborhood, we'd like to take them out for Saturday brunch. Can anyone recommend a nice child-friendly place for brunch, somewhere in the drivable vicinity of West Orange? To be a little more specific - standard American brunch fare is fine. I'm looking for something a notch up from the local diner, but not overtly formal. And child-friendly is a must. As always, any suggestions are most appreciated! Jason

Hello everyone, I'm taking a tour of American diners - discussed in the Adventures in Eating forum, but I'm also going to be taking a tour of New York's breakfast emporia... New York breakfasts are sort of mythical over here in England, and I want to spend a couple of weeks in the city - basically just for the sake of breakfasts. So - if I'm spending a fortnight in New York at the end of this month, where should I go? And what kind of food do they serve? I'd be extremely grateful for any guidance from a local...

I have a meeting right at the Silver Spring Metro and thought I would try to have breakfast before hand. I will not go back to Mayorga. Ever... Beyond that, I'm remarkably flexible--just need to be done by 10! Thanks1 Jennifer

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 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.

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!

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!

I am craving a cheap & delicious brunch, and I'm a huge fan of eggs benedict. However, I usually end up shelling out $20-25 at places like Kramerbooks, Grand Carlyle, etc. Any cheaper ideas?

i like pancakes. recently i got into the whole wheat & buckwheat ones. what does everyone else like? and if you don't eat typical breakfast food for breakfast, please share what you do eat.

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?

My sister goes to Boston University and I frequently come into the city for a visit on the weekends... But we've yet to find a place in the neighborhood (or even not so in the neighborhood) that serves a good brunch... Any suggestions?

Since I'm always on the road for my job, I love to find new greasy spoons (that aren't greasy) to have breakfast. on Monday I went to the White Rose on E Elizabeth Ave in Linden Richie, the owner and grillman made me a wonderful plate of two eggs over light with taylor ham (he uses read taylor ham, which is ten times better than pork roll), with grits (he also offers home fries). The coffee was freshly ground, and GOOD! Also what I liked about this place was that the clients could have been from the United Nations. Hard working people from all parts of the world speaking Spanish and English, and other languageS that I didn't know. Also, there were people there, who must have been regulars, with strong opinions discussing what ever was on their mind or in the news that day. Ron Silver AFLAC AGENT aka AMBASSADOR OF GOOD EATING

A client is coming to town next week. He's on a very compressed schedule so we thought we'd start the day with breakfast. Only problem is I don't know where to go. Would like something near the Watergate OR Metro Center. Nothing too pricey (it's business, but expense accounts are a touchy subject). I'm looking for something a step up from coffee and a muffin. Something in the bacon & eggs/french toast family would be great. It can be casual, but not too greasy of a spoon. Thanks!

For a special occasion, I took She Who Must Be Obeyed to brunch this past Sunday at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel. What a treat, even if the tab did reach $117 before tip for the two of us (just one drink apiece). The fish table was superb. Among the delicacies: House-smoked salmon, trio of American caviars (paddlefish, salmon and American white sturgeon, I believe), gigantic shrimp (I normally avoid "cocktail" sauce, but Lacroix's version zings with fresh tomatoes), smoked trout, whitefish salad, and peppered and plain smoked mackeral. The hor d'oeurve table was even more impressive. A variety of salads (beet, potato, string bean with feta, etc.), Asian-inspired rolls, meatballs impaled on lemongrass spears, tiny savory fried vegetables cakes, savory frittata, mini ham and cheese in pastry, etc, etc., and so forth. Many of these treats were quite labor intensive, including the eggshell filled with scrambled egg, or a canape with incredibly thin layers of a creamy spinach spread between eight or nine sheets of even thiner wrapper. We ordered the hot buffet rather than individual entrees. This meant a trip to the kitchen! Amid the immaculate stainless steel work stations and white-clad staff we had our choice of, among other items: bacon, a delicate breakfast sausage served in sauerkraut as if it were a minimalist choucroute, pain perdu, boneless quail with couscous, beef wellington, a cassoulet made with a particularly meaty French broad bean whose name I do not recall, veal ragout, rack of lamb, creamed leaks, various potatoes, assorted veggies. My favorite among the kitchen offerings: porc salé (braised pork belly) with a fruited stuffing. And then there was the dessert table. Mocha opera cake. Coconut cream mousse. Lemon meringue, raspberry and ganache tartlets. Pistachio swirl cheesecake. Chocolate Irish coffee terrine. Chocolate and vanilla ice cream and mango sorbet, with whipped cream and raspberry sauces on the side, as well as fresh raspberries and blackberries. Oh, did I mention the croissants and pastries in the bread basket placed on the table soon after you are seated? Yes, there was lots of food. But its goodness did not rely on quantity (you can go to Old Country Buffet for that). The skill, subtlety and creativity of preparation is what sets Lacroix apart, and Sunday brunch is no exception. For example, the pastry chef found a way to infuse raspberry essence into the pâte brisée. The breakfast sausage was incredibly refined, but clearly still a breakfast sausage (is "delicate breakfast sausage" an oxymoron?). The combination of onion and grapefruit in the beet salad exceedingly well-executed. Everywhere, essential flavors were enhanced, not obliterated. I shall return! Not too frequently (my budget can stand only so much extravagance), but I shall return.

I thought this was interesting in this morning's Austin American Statesman. Who hasn't eaten breakfast tacos?!! Seems that more of us do it all the time, and though the history is hazy, all indications point to its conception here in Texas. Are we surprised?

I was staying at an LAX hotel and really did not want the very mediocre food that even though free, is just sustenance, not a pleasure to eat. So I got in my car and drove. Took about 15 minutes but my search paid off. I spied John O’ Groats. What caught my eye are two things: #1 it was packed, #2 it mentioned seafood on the sign and I’m a sucker for seafood in my breakfast. Being a lone diner I was happy to see a large 12-14 seat u-shaped counter area to sit at. Menu was promising with one item that uses biscuit dough for a base to put some yummy items on top of being listed in the menu as “one of the top 100 things to eat in LA” . That was going to be my choice when the waitress passed me the specials list. What immediately drew my attention: I’ll cut to the chase. One of the best breakfasts I’ve had, EASY! There were other items that caught my attention such as pumpkin spiced pancakes but I’m am SO GLAD I chose the above. I do hope to go back and try that “top 100 thing to eat in LA” item. Sorry I can’t remember more detail on the item. John O’ Groats 10516 Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 310.204.0692 Monday-Sat 7am-2pm Wed-Sat 6pm-8:30pm