Last Midwestern Postcard (For Now)

I don't usually stretch our trips into a zillion posts, but we just ate too many damn photogenic dishes to squeeze them all in.  And I have to tell you about one of the best breakfasts I have had in a very long time.

When I eat somewhere that is seemingly in the middle of nowhere (sorry, places I'm talking about) and it is amazing and I want to hitch it to my rental car and bring it wherever I go next, I'm always surprised.  Whether it's a cafe outside Zion National Park, or, in this case, a place called Cafe Berlin in Columbia, Missouri.  Columbia, home of Mizzou, is basically smack in between St. Louis and Kansas City.  Also known as: the PERFECT place to have breakfast before getting back to STL for our flight.

It doesn't look like too much from the outside--little strip mall, parking lot, interesting color choice, and...er...the font.

Inside it's all earthy and crunchy, complete with all kinds of characters (including us). It has charm (local art, and it's a venue for local entertainment), wit (after the beer list is a listing for a "suicide," aka a lil' of each, which you can order), but most importantly, the food is delicious.  DELICIOUS.

Once again, for the third time in the state of Missouri, I read the words "Breakfast All Day."  Those sweet (yet savory) words. 

I managed to claw myself away from over easy eggs on this day.  I pretty much wanted everything on this menu, but I decided on the Carey Burrito--scrambled eggs, feta, roasted potatoes, cilantro, and apples served with tzatziki.  Sweet, salty, crunchy, hot, cold, omg I can't deal. 

Look at the browning on those potatoes! 

  J also went burrito--he had the straight up Breakfast Burrito with eggs, cheddar, sausage, potatoes, and guac for an extra buck because he's wild like that. 

I'm not sure when you'll be in the middle of Missouri next.  But if you're 17 and applying to schools, this may be a good enough reason to apply to Mizzou. (The admissions office hasn't paid me.)

Jake Moon Cafe

I've mentioned Jake Moon before--and Sean was all, What's Up With That?  TJP suggested it back in my Miss Albany post, and J and I realized it's really not that far, and is on the way to Thacher Park. 

On a beautiful morning we first gave out water halfway through the Delmar Dash, then we ran our own little Albany Dash before washing up for brunch with D.  When people from DC or NJ ask me what living in Albany is like, after I tell them how my rent payments were slashed (HAPPY FACE) and how little traffic there is (GIGANTIC SMILE), I always tell them how it gets rural fast.  I leave Albany on Delaware Ave, I'm in Delmar in bebeh suburbia, then bam.  Hills, views of mountains, open fields, horses, a goat staring at me on the side of the road, you name it.

Jake Moon serves breakfast all day.  You know how I feel about that. They also have lunch, dinner, catering, and by the by, if you yak on to the waitress about how much you love the apply butter, she'll happily jar some up for you for less than $5.

First up is local cider.  I didn't ask whether it would be hot or cold, because I didn't care. I wanted it either way!  It was hot, served with a cinnamon stick.  Delicious.

I had the Red Flannel Hash - sirloin beef, roasted beets, corn, onions, potato, poached eggs, and sourdough toast.  My dining companions commented that it almost looked like chunky-style chili!  It was very good, but I think next time I'll try the corned beef hash.  The sourdough bread rocks, but I sort of wanted half sourdough toast and half cinnamon raisin.

J had sausage gravy and biscuits with over easy eggs and potatoes--the SOS.  He was feeling happy and somewhat southern.

D had the Bennet Hill scramble, with smoked Gouda, wild mushrooms, and herbs.  She's such a sweet friend that she let me have a bite--let me tell you, this kitchen knows how to make an egg.  How many meh omelets have I had recently? (Hint: too many.)  The gouda was awesome; when a dish has real flavor, you know it's composed of quality ingredients. 
 The place is full of charm, friendly service, delicious food, and apple butter that you want to bathe in.  Or maybe just I want to bathe in the apple butter; I really shouldn't put stuff like that on you.

This is the orange marmalade, which, while more pleasing to the eye, is outdone in nom-ability by the apple butter.


We didn't have any 'zerts, but maybe next time we will, just to round out the experience. 

Jake Moon Cafe
2082 Delaware Turnpike
Clarksville, NY

Miss Albany Diner

This little diner is TFC.  The food is good, the service is friendly, and there are interesting things on the walls.

Exhibit A:

Downstaters/DCers, please take the above as a lesson in NY geography.  I live nowhere near Buffalo.  It's 5 hours away according to this very official signage.  Hawaii seems too close...

And the food.  So here at the MAD they toast your cinnamon bun.  Even though I usually wouldn't order one of these delectable definitely-not-breakfast (DESSERT) items, I was intrigued by the toasting.

Let's get close.

That's the stuff.  This is basically criminal.  For real. I'm pretty sure slathering it with butter will get you LWOP.  A little crunch goes a long way, particular because it's caused by a crispy bread outer layer AND the crackling of the thin, sugary film. 

Corned beef hash, over easy eggs.  Classic us.  Delicious.

Cool huevos with chutney, some mint and mango.  I liked it more than J did, so we ended up switching about halfway.  His plate was definitely cooler.

I need to remember to ask for my toast dry.  I really don't need the butter--the rest of my choices do enough damage, and I prefer jam or preserves to butter anyway.  SO FORGETFUL.

PS, this joint closes at like 2:15pm or some crazy time like that.  You can get there for late breakfast, but not J&A-style 4pm winter weekend breakfast...we lazy.

Here's to continuing our tour of the Capital Region's best diner breakfasts.  Happy Monday everyone!


Miss Albany Diner
893 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207 

Cafe Madison

We found a delicious and inexpensive brunch that we now crave all the time.  Let me be clear that by "found" I mean everyone else who has lived here for the past 40 years (according to the bartender) already knew--we read a lot of advice telling us to go there, and today we finally did.  And by "finally" I mean it took us 2 months.  I'm too hard on us.

FIRST VISIT:

Anyway, we've been to a few diners, so there's no shortage of breakfast.  Our Sunday Times in tow, we headed to Cafe Madison post-spin class but pre-Williamstown adventure.  It was pretty packed; I spotted two seats at the bar, asked if we could eat there (sort of knowing the answer), and nabbed 'em.  A girl had just come outside to the doorway to tell her boyfriend that the wait was a half hour, that doubt in her voice about whether he'd want to wait.  Girl, whatcha waitin' for?  We LOVE to eat at the bar.  No wait (or short wait), it's just the two of us, and did I mention not having to wait???  Y'all know I love this tactic.  There wasn't quite enough room to spread out with the paper while we waited for our food (which actually took a while--longer than for the people next to us who arrived later and ordered shortly after us), but we huddled over the crossword puzzle together and made some moderate progress.

 [Strawberry Basil Mimosa?  Can you say T?!?!]

The breakfast specials looked great, but I went for the two + two--two eggs and two pancakes, a variety of choices.  I had apple walnut.  Y'all know I'm not huge on pancakes (usually).  If anything, after a long run I want something eggy + something bready, usually French toast.   But these pancakes were thick and fluffy, and you could taste the buttermilk.  My over easy eggs were a little less done than usual, but not in a bad way.  In all, it was so much food and I could not believe it was only $6.  I felt like a thief.  And I don't want extra toast and potatoes to come with my food--this was more than enough!  I couldn't even finish the last few bites of pancake.  Again, very unlike me, but I was stuffed.

J had the corned beef hash (obviously, one of us had to have it).  I had a few bites and what I noticed was that the hash itself was well done on the edges--it had a crisp.  YUM.  Just the way I like it.  J had a bunch of options for bread, all made in house.  He got cinnamon swirl, and it was so thick and delicious it almost tasted like French toast. It made other toasts feel embarrassed.

After this visit I was crushing on Cafe Madison.  I had visions of going almost every weekend with the same situation repeating itself, delicious and easy.

SECOND VISIT:
This past weekend did not play out the same way, so I'm updating this post to share with you.  J joked that Cafe Madison is great....if you have nothing else to do all day.  I joked that I could have finished the socks I just started knitting on size 1.5 needles while we waited.  [Haha knitting joke haha.]  At least five people sitting at the bar hung out there for 20-30 minutes waiting for a table before deciding they'd eat there.  They totally have the right to sit there without eating.  I was just dreaming of our first visit, and wished I could sit at the bar and order food instead of watching them sitting and not ordering food. 

Let me be clear: I'm ok with a wait when I know it's happening.   Remaining at a crowded restaurant is consent to wait patiently with a smile.  But the 15 minutes our hostess told us turned into 40, no space opened at the bar, and after we sat down we ordered within 2 minutes--no need to think.  Our food took another thirty minutes to arrive.  Pancakes, hash, toast, eggs.  And this isn't a place where you get a roll or a muffin.  We were late to pick up a friend at the airport, but beyond that, we were starving.  Starvation and lateness guilt meant we scarfed down our food in about 6 minutes, not exactly savoring.  We paid the bill while cleaning our plates and rushed out.  It's not that I believed the hostess that it would be 15 minutes, it's that I was hopeful that even if the wait was an hour we'd be sitting at the bar in less than 10 minutes. 

Our food was delicious, and for the quality it is dirt cheap.  J's pancakes were well-done the second time, and I liked them better with some crisp.  The cinnamon toast is really a cinnamon bun pretending it's toast, aka awesome.  Service is friendly and coffee is quickly refilled.  I just think that if there's a wait--any at all--and you are really hungry or have somewhere to be in less than two hours, then you need to sit at the bar within 10 minutes or go somewhere else.  Otherwise you will have what I call Delicious Yet Least Relaxing Brunch Ever. DYLRBE.  Which you may notice, starts with DY aka die aka I thought I was going to die because I was so freakin hungry.

P.S. Brunch is 7:30am til 3pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 


Cafe Madison
1108 Madison Ave
Albany, NY

Jersey Shore, Not The Snooki Kind

Let's escape the negative degrees here and jump over to summer.  Jersey shore, waves crashing, sun beating down on your reddish, freckled shoulders...

Now that I've got your attention, can we discuss those signs, above?  Over 200 Omelettes is definitely something I can support!

I have a lot of love to give.  Obviously to my mom, husband, siblings original & in-law...but also to the Jersey diner, and the egg products that inhabit them.  Poach 'em, scramble 'em, whatever.  Just bring them my way with another cup of coffee k thanks.

Check out the corned beef omelet I got from Breakfast at Mariner's Cove in Brielle, NJ:

And LC got a big veggie egg white shenanigans.  There were so many omelets to choose from, what could a girl do?  We had a lovely time at this joint, and despite crowds, we weren't rushed at all.

Jersey shore staple part II: pizza.  We heard from reputable sources that Pete & Elda's has some of the best pies in NJ.  We had to check it out. 

First of all, we waited a while for a seat.  It had been a long day--I drove straight from DC to Brielle for superomelette up top, then hung at the beach all day reading The Help.  Eventually we were seated.  Our pies took fooooorever, but eventually we got them--mushroom/broccoli, sausage, and pepperoni. 

These pies were tasty, but very different from NY style.  The crust wasn't thick and chewy--it was thin and crispy, almost like a cracker.  Look--it doesn't really have an end crust, or as my mom calls it, "the bones."  But it was piping hot, super fresh, and much needed on a breezy summer evening.

Summer, are you here yet?

Guest Post from Denver

Now WE were in Denver a little over a year ago.  Even though D-town was the last little piece of our trip, it was memorable for both it's adorableness and an epic brunch line (that yielded delicious results).  When EG (not to be confused with EM of Harry Potter fame) went to Denver on business, she came back like any good friend/relative of mine would--armed with photos, descriptions, and serious opinions about the chow and the experience.  Thanks for sharing EG!  Have a great holiday weekend, everybody (if you aren't gone already)!

Dining alone can be a great experience.  Some places did it well, others didn't.

Best Meal: Sam's No. 3.  Found it on Yelp, got a vegetarian skillet.  Was amazing: potatoes, cheese, peppers, onions, a little kick.  So delicious.  Have photos for you.  Got to sit at old school counter, the staff was fast, attentive, and gave me a full carafe of water for myself. 

[Ed. note: I want that.]

Worst Meal: El Chile Rojo.  Food wasn't terrible (wasn't great either), and took forever and they sat me AT THE SAME TABLE AS A COUPLE!!  So awkward for them.  I just read my book and drank my Corona. Later met up with friends and walked to this old school taco stand that looked like a MUCH better choice.  Our buddy had tongue tacos and they looked amazing.  I have photos of this place, because it was funky and memorable, although I sadly did not dine there.  Why did I not Yelp that night?!

Most Overpriced Omelet: Marlowe's.  Started at $6.50 and then they charged me for every veggie they added!  And I ordered a side of potato latkes (which tasted like the McDonald's breakfast potato things) and they charged me extra for the sour cream!  A reasonable breakfast for one person should never be $22.  The worst part was they didn't mix anything in the omelet!  All of the avocado was in the middle and I took one bite that was all onion.  Yuch.

Best Salad: Appaloosa Grill.  Felt like I was eating crap all week, so when the waiter mentioned their special that day was a shrimp salad with mushrooms, avocado, tomatoes and oh-so-much-more I got excited.  Except it was made with shrimp, and this girl doesn't do shrimp.  But I asked if the chef thought it would be good with chicken and he made it for me and mmmm there was nothing left on my plate (this is a rarity for salads in my life).

Best Ballpark Meal: Coors Field Helton burger and chocolate milkshake.  This isn't really a fair category because I only ate one ballpark meal and I asked the usher where the best food in the stadium was.  Not only was the Helton burger delish, but the line wasn't too long and it only cost me $7, which is totally a stadium bargain.  (The yummy milkshake was $5!  I bought a $40 ticket that included $10 toward food, which I first used for a $6.50 Blue Moon.  Cheapest stadium food I think I've ever had!)

Best Cheese: Osteria Marco.  Gorgeous place.  Not too expensive at all.  And ready for this, iEat? They make their own cheese!  I had to order it.  Amazing caprese salad that I gobbled up so fast, I had no room for the huge pizza in front of me.  (Luckily, the friend I brought with me, who I hadn't seen since 1995 happily took it home!)  The waitstaff was great - and thrilled that we were having a 15-year-friend-reunion - they knew the menu really well and made recommendations. This place is not crazy expensive, but you'll still feel like you had a fancy-schmancy meal.  (I have photos of this meal too!)

Best Vegetarian Meal: Leaf (Boulder).  Trying to find a place where your vegan friend, your Kosher friend and your meat-eating friend (me!) can all enjoy a meal is tricky, but Leaf hit the spot.  My portabello burger and sweet potato fries were yummy and the waiter knew everything about the menu, what he could make vegan, whether or not something has honey, what was in EVERYTHING.  I had to tell him "brother, I'll eat anything here, it's all good!"  I was actually FULL after the meal for our "hike" (read: shpatzir) around Chautauqua and it sustained me until I ate crap at the airport.

 (Chautauqua in Boulder)

Postcard from New Jersey

I really can't say enough good things about the Garden State. If you have insults for the birthplace of college football, baseball, and Frank Sinatra, then you'll just have to bring them somewhere else.

On a recent trip I finally visited a place seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, a show with the Food Network's sometimes annoying but always orange Guy Fieri. Two lovely ladies joined me at Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory. The deal with Brownstone is that they have breakfast all day (obviously awesome), and are known for their huge variety of pancake options. And beyond pancakes they have pancake WRAPS, like a breakfast burrito but instead of boring burrito shell it's a pancake! With a pancake under it for good measure, of course.

Us healthy-eating ladies decided to start with an appetizer, naturally. Our appetizer was an order of chocolate and peanut butter chip pancakes, topped with whipped cream of course. You can also put syrup on it if you want to. And we did. Our server was friendly (and the host went beyond taking our picture by letting us review it and demand a second shot), the crowd was everything from families to teens to old-timers (I sensed this was part of their routine), and the food was ENORMOUS for very reasonable prices.

Besides basically demolishing our appetizer, among us we picked at an egg sandwich, a pancake wrap filled with meat, eggs, and potatoes, and a Greek salad the size of a small country (maybe Luxembourg?).



Brownstone Diner also has regular food for the boring folks, or even for the anti-breakfasters (whoever you are...you strange, sick people). But I don't want to talk about it. The next time you're in Jersey (whether visiting or just passing through), stop at Brownstone Diner. It's not 24-hour, so a little planning is required. It's also close to a Path station, so it's a great place to meet a friend from the city without schlepping into the city (if you're low on time).

Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory
426 Jersey Avenue
Jersey City, NJ
Take Exit 14 A-B-C from the Turnpike, but don't go in the Holland Tunnel!

Euro Market

K said, "We love the coffee at Euro Market." Months went by before I decided to have breakfast at EM--a turkey and egg sandwich on whole wheat and fresh squeezed orange juice. As in, I watch the person cut 4 peeled oranges in half and put them into a machine, then BAM! Juice. It's amazing. When I take the first sip I feel transported to a warmer, more exotic place, the sort of locale where gleeful children dive into abundant mountains of fresh produce. The last sip can be a little tart, a heads up for those who want to crinkle your noses in advance.

But don't stop visiting after breakfast.

All wraps come with lettuce, tomato (cut up, not shoved in there), lettuce (shredded), sprouts (!), cucumbers, pesto, special sauce, and a swipe of cream cheese spread used to stick the wrap closed. J noticed that the starch was minimal in my meal, as opposed to the typical wrap these days where I accidentally fill up on the wrapper that's wound around 1/2 inch thick. More turkey for me, please! EM has tons of sandwiches, every which way different types and flavors of breads and wraps, interesting spreads, and overall happiness. They also sell wine and beer (singularly by the bottle, too) and funky imported European candies and chocolates. Looks are deceiving for this tiny gem!

Wow, how could I almost sign off without telling you that they have BREYER'S ICE CREAM! The saddest part of Euro Market is that it's at the base of an apartment building that is not mine.

FYI, Pesach/finals time will bring fewer posts temporarily, but maybe a recipe or two. My Euro Market experience is a pre- (and will be a post-) Passover indulgence.

Euro Market
2201 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

Brooklyn Bagel

You're young, hip, good-looking, and need a place to see and be seen on a weekend morning. Oh, you're also hungry.

Enter Brooklyn Bagel. This neighborhood fixture has the best bagels that we at iEat have had since being torn away from the New York metro area and the accompanying breadly perfection. We've been to that place on P Street, Georgetown Bagelry, Whatsa Bagel, Chesapeake Bagels, thisabagel thatabagel whatever etc, and they are all terrible.

Unlike the suburban bagel store I worked at growing up, Brooklyn Bagel almost exclusively sells bagel sandwiches (how many 25 yo need a dozen bagels?), of which they have a dozen variations. Yes, there's the standard egg/cheese/bacon combos but also whitefish/egg/tuna salads, deli meats (sandwiches are named things like Bayridge, Flatbush, Coney Island, etc), hummus and sprouts, and daily specials that include wraps and soups, too. On a recent morning it seemed like everyone in sight was having the tuna or chicken salad melt, maybe there was something in the air that day? UPDATE: J had the Bayridge with chicken salad and it was SO MUCH FOOD--if I liked it, we could definitely share one of those and a bag of chips for lunch. Also, the pizza bagel is pretty good, but I doubt I'll order it again soon.

The bagels are delicious (albeit not as awesome as the place in Secaucus where my family buys then freezes in bulk) and the yummy sandwiches are cheap and filling. They do not skimp you on your toppings, people! Do you want to drown in whitefish salad? So do I.

The space can be tricky. On most weekends there's a fight to sit outside, with some people resorting to the awkward ledge on the oversized median across the street. With recent extreme heat the indoor 10 or so tables have been packed. There are also a few stools right by the door which make for great people watching for solo diners.

BB is a perfect place to stop on the way to or back from the farmer's market or flea market. I only wish it were open later so I could also eat bagels for dinner.

Brooklyn Bagel
2055 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Court House, walkable from Clarendon, too.