Happy New Year... A new place and more1

Another Year over,another just begun,(thanks John Lennon).       Yep its true The Famished Four, is still on its journey, its quest ? Good Food, Good Company, and quite frankly we have found it in numerous places over these past two or so years.     We continue to converge on Sundays, the four of us and head out to some familiar places and some brand new as well. Some of the names change in our journeys.... but its basically the same Four ....Smoj (small o juice) or Val.... Ol Hot T (Ken)..... MSue, and myself.        I know at the beginning of all this , for those that might remember... the purpose, my quest , If I may, was to find a good breakfast and a great cup of coffee, we have found many great breakfasts, a few great cups of Jo, and quite frankly a ritual that none of us want to discontinue , so onward we'll go, Yes we will find some new joints...but I'm here to say some of the "Ol Stand bys" must be celebrated as well..     I was reading in the Seattle Magazine about some breakfast places that they quote as "The Best"  and some of them we have been to. The best is a tough label to put on anything, they claim Geraldines, in the Rainier Valley has the best French Toast.... ok it was good... the best? I guess thats why we keep going, I would think once I found the Best, my search would be over.... Yeh I know, the best that they tried out of how many? I get it, dont get me wrong Geraldines is a great little Cafe, and pretty good coffee to.... You should try it and form your own opinion.      Glos on Capital Hill was also listed.....The thing I remember about  Glo's is their Coffee was really good  and that Msue had ordered the Biscuits and Gravy... and didn't like it... no sausage in said gravy, mushrooms... it was a veggie version. And as is our Mode of Operation, if someone is not satisfied, its hard to go back.       The Places we continue to enjoy, because they continue to perform up to our standards.... although our standards are not that high....friendly service, good hot food and prompt beverage attentiveness  thats all we need!        At the top of our list are a few that keep up the standards                        At the top of my list? Well it's gotta be The Bay Cafe, for one and only reason...OYSTERS! pan fried, and delectable! along with 3 over perfect eggs and Hashbrowns Delishimundo ! its my Fav,  along with meeting the standards consistantly it is my choice for number one.          Now this opinion is not unanimous , my Darling Wife doesn't get all the excitement, to her its good, but there are places she prefers, Hot T and Smoj like it as well but they too have their own unique perspectives .          At the tippity top of Msue's is Voula's  Offshore Cafe, and I gotta say, Its darn good, Iv'e tried various menu items at Voulas and they have all been great, Msue on the other hand, has had but one.... She cant get past the 'Greek Hobo", which as some of you might know is a scramble of eggs, taters and assorted veggies, Feta cheese on top with some of their homemade hot sauce on the side.             Hot T's choice?  well I consider myself a good judge of character, and my buddy Ken is that! quite a character, and I think his choice would be , if I had to pick one.... I might have to go with "Pete's Egg Nest", a tiny cafe in Greenwood, holds about 50 people, its loud and tough to get into at times, but its family run, Mom, Dad,Brothers and Sisters who love what they do and it shows, foods hot and delicious and plentiful.         I'm going out on limb on this next one, Hot Ts lovely Wife Smoj's fav has got to be Charlies in Puyallup, for the same reason I like The Bay, Charlies has one menu item that Val just cant get past.... Chicken in a Biscuit.... consisting of said biscuit, topped with a piece of  a fried chicken breast, piggybackin a couple o eggs your way , the rest of said biscuit and...... wait for it..........Covered in Country Gravy!   Holy Smacalicious ! it is good! .       The Above Joints Du Jour, also pass, in flying colors, the Standards we live by, so we frequent these often, although its been a while for Petes or the Bay Hmmm.   Other places on our radar have been Maggies on Meeker ( Kent) they have Msues Bacon Waffle and on the weekend, probably the best Homemade Corned beef hash I've ever had, yeh I know I said  Best.... strictly my opinion,    The Chelan Cafe.... always good, Pancakes MM! and what I call a hangover cure, Country Benedict! Biscuits topped with Sausage patties, poached eggs, and smothered and covered with the choice of country or their Sausage gravy... I always opt for the latter, a respectable breakfast sirloin with the Steak and eggs as well .           Dixies in Sumner also fits the chart for the FF's Sunday Mastication ritual, also family run , huge portions .... and DADS POTATOES ! almost like french fries, but sliced Yumtastic!      I know there are many I have not mentioned, but these are our usual haunts, creatures of habit that we are!,  I know Iv'e gone on ad nosseum   about Standards, and quite frankly there is one place where the food was probably as good as food can get, but service by design was the worst Iv'e ever experienced , it's Darbys Cafe in Olympia, visited by Guy Fietti in Diner's Drive ins and Dives and rated quite well, I had an amazing dish called " Oysters Creole" absolutely wonderful, but it took 3 hours to get it..... forget it ..... not going back.               There is however a new place we just visited , What?  Yep a new joint in Lakewood of all places, actually it's new to us, it's not a new restaurant..... Its" Carrs" Msues Friend and Co worker Yvonne stumbled on to it and figured we'd like it.... and like it we did!       Its easy to find, right on Bridgeport Way, not far from the Airforce base.     Carr's decor is appropriately in the automobile and travel motif, much like Daves Diner in Sea Tac (also a FF Fav) you know,  license plates , street signs , etc., and the menu follows suit, its in a Car Motif, I had the "Garage Breakfast" consisting  of biscuits and gravy Yumadoo!two eggs over perfect and enough of the most crispy and delicious hashbrowns that I have ever had the pleasure to dip in ketchup! by enough I mean enough for the the whole table , on one plate!, Msue had the Philly Steak Omelette, (as a Scramble) and the ungodly same amount of Browns, along with her Ice Tea w/lemon it was mighty good, Ol Hot T was not in attendance this AM....too bad for Kenny, but his lovely spousal unit Smoj, was there flyin solo. Her choice along with a small cranberry juice, was the "Mediterranean  Metro omlette, as a Scramble of course, spinach, artichoke hearts,sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives with her choice of roasted potatoes instead the Brontobrowns, very satisfied was Val, she kept sayin  "boy Ken would like this place" , so I guess we gotta go back>>> darn!,    We had a couple of guest stars with us today Our Dear friends Tim and Kate (cute as a bug ) Guerrero, Kate (caab) had, I believe the "Volvo" Veggy omlette with the roasted spudllies, also up to her discerning taste!     Carrs is all about the upgrades, just like an Auto dealer I asked for a Blood Mary, was asked if would like to upgrade to pepper vodka? I declined,   the Amazing Hashbrowns also offered upgrades, such as onions or peppers or cheese, or gravy, I Opted for the onions.... Delish! even the coffee had choices.... light or dark roast, all us Jo sippers went with the Dark!                And last but not least Tims choice was the French Toast plate along with eggs and bacon, and he ate Kates Potatoes...... So Terrific , we found a new joint that we all loved, sans OlHot T,I'm sure we will be back and I'm sure he will adore it                                                                                                                                                                      Heres to Good Friends and Good Food!                                                                                                                  HAPPY NEW YEAR!