Puyallup Is a Breakfast town!

Maybe its because I'm gettin older...Maybe cuz I'm gettin cheaper.. I don't know. , what I do know is I get a coupon for a breakfast at Charlies in Puyallup, cuz its my birthday! Yeh Yeh I'm a member of the birthday club, so every year they send me a two fer, yep pretty nice to be in such an elite club.        So as you've probably guessed , we went to Charlies this morning, Same old song and dance , same old Hot T and Smoj, Msue and Myself, on SEahawk Sunday no less, not to worry they have a bar in which to watch the game....we did not sit in the bar.... Why?      Well Im a bit Superstitious about watching a game in a bar. last two or three times Ive seen the Hawks play on a bar tv.... the've lost           Your Welcome Fans.... The Hawks won today.                                                                                      So breakfast?....We arrived later than usual for our am nosh, around 10:45,.... Hot T , Orange juice, Ice Tea and Coffee for starters....guess who got what?, yes My readers are a  smart bunch                     Msue had the"  Meat Square " which is a scramble menage of all breakfast meats , potatoes,eggs , peppers and onions...served on a Square plate, covered in gravy.... pretty big pile of food  it was ..Msue had quite a bit to take home..... Smoj had the undecided Breakfast, so named because of the contents of said Bfast... 1 pancake, 1french toast, 1 egg, bacon and  sausage . actually it was a pretty big plate of food, and it went down for the count with Smojs usual gusto . Ol Hot T went a little off the charts today, you see the Hot Man doesnt usually go to sweet side of Breakfast  he's almost always on the  Savory side, well sir He went all the way sweet today ... "The French Toast Tower"  which entails four slices of french toast, stuffed with creamcheese, strawberries, stacked up high, dusted with powdered sugar, and of course butter and syrup.. two kinds of syrup , maple and boysenberry, yep The Hot Man went through it like Msue through an outlet mall.                                 As far as My choice Today? I had Charlies famous "Chicken in a Biscuit"     all made up of a piece of fried chicken (boneless breast) on a home made biscuit , fried egg, bacon, cheese, the top of the biscuit,more cheese, and of course all covered in Sausage gravy....isn't everything tasty covered or dipped in gravy?     Yep the diet plate....... it came with little home fried taters, crispy puffs of taterliciousness.... couldnt eat em all, but my fellow noshettes helped me power through.                      We've been to Charlies  quire a few times, never had a bad meal yet, we have only had the morning meal there, but the lunch and dinner looks to be equally as tempting.        Lots a good joints down in Puyallup,  Crocketts is right around the corner, more of an upscale eatery,but good (featured on Diners, Drive ins, and Dives).. Auntie Bees is a couple blocks   away, been there, and the Rose Cafe is good as well.                                                                                                                                            We got back to the Seattle area last weds eve after 5 days in the beautiful wine country of northern Cali.........Sadly we ate breakfast each day at the hotel.... you know the drill , make yer own waffles, steam table eggs and meats, beverages of choice..not the best but adequate , we need strength to wine taste, we covered all the valleys , your Napa , Your Sonoma, Alexander, Bennett, yep we covered em all , about 40, yikes!  quite a few really but considering that Napa has 450 on its own, a mere drop in the bucket .         Yeh no special breakfast from California, but we did eat at some pretty cool joints for dinner.    First night s dinner was at the Russian River Pub in Forestville,( not far from Santa Rosa)... it was featured  on DDD (Diners Drive ins and Dives)   a little tavern in the boonies, with awesome grub, we all had Sandwiches, but Holy Crap what sandwiches! Msue had the tri tip , Ol Hot T had the Prime Rib sand, , Smoj had pulled pork......and I had what was probably the best Patty Melt Ive ever had, plus homemade sides, and o rings and fries .      We took a day and went into San Francisco......First stop....The Buena Vista.....IRISH COFFEES!! I had three,  whoops had to walk off those for a couple of hours.......... Dinner in San Fran? ...... Tommys Joynt!, again a sandwich night, they have other menu items but the sandwiches are cheap and huge, Also a DDD destination... guess the theme here?    And one night in Santa Rosa we went to a DDD destination for Mexican food La Texanita, good grub as well............and of course MSue and I cant go to Cali without a burger stop.........Good ol In N Out, on the way to the Airport........ So we did a lot of wineing  while there , very little beering , we did stop at the Rusian River Brewery before In N out and i got to have a Pliny the Elder Ipa...regretably only one, if I ever went to Santa Rosa for beer drinking I may not get out of that bar.......so many beers.. so little driving.... good combo.        Ok for now my Many followers                                                                               Heres to good food, and good friends!  Merry Mastication evryone!

Maggies aaannnd Maggies

Two weeks in a row?   Yeh , I know a tad out of character for me but it seemed like the right thing to do, considering the circumstances...      You all know how myself and the FF ( famished four)roll on these matters, we try to to go to new places but sometimes we just cant help our selves and we revert to some of our old haunts.......... Take "Maggies on Meeker" for instance,  its not the classiest of cafes, its not an intimate little bistro tucked away in some quaint part of Kent...(Hah ! Quaint and Kent?) thats like saying a quaint part of Lynnwood.      What Maggies is is good!  , good food, good service!......... What else they are is a neighborly place where friends meet for lunch or breakfast, its loud when crowded, mismatched tables and coffee mugs...... and if you happen to be at the Pied Piper Tavern next door?... you can get breakfast or lunch delivered from Maggies, What else Maggies has is the best ( yes I said best) homemade Cornbeef hash I've ever had, not to be confused with the standard fare canned  Hash available on the week days, this concoction of chunks o meat plus taters and veggies is available only on the weekends,  along with eggs perfecto and choice of toast.  I dont recall any of the food there disappointing  me or any of us ever.      We've had lunch at Maggies as well, equally as good,  Blts, burgers , clubhouse, yep standard lunch food but its always on point............My Spousal unit Msue, more times than not for breakfast, gets the Homemade Quiche , and they usually have 6 or 7 different varieties, She says . Its the best ever, its about 3 inches thick and delicious, I actually had it   today, it was the" Milwaukee" Quiche, bratwurst , cheese, onions and peppers.... Quite Tasty!.........The reason the names on the title twice is we went there today( Sunday) with Ol Hot T and Smoj, and Msue and I went there yesterday, I worked Saturday till (9:45) and met Msue after that............ she of course had the Quiche.. she wanted the Porker (full of meat) but alas the popular variety was sold out, she settled for the "Tuscan" in its stead,  ( Prosciutto, artichoke hearts, Parmesan)... I tasted it , and decided that maybe I'd order quiche someday, it was pretty darned good, and it didnt have to be covered in gravy for me to like it, although if it was? I'd so order it..... ok so she had the Quiche and I had a Waffle along with an egg and choice of meat(bacon) , also very good,But one egg?please!  You all know how I LOves me some eggs.... so I get two!...       The standard Breakfast menu reads as you'd suspect ,but on the weekends they have specials... usually always the same ones, along with the variety of Quiches and CB Hash I'm so crazy about, they have Meatloaf and eggs, the piece of meat loaf is as big as a brick, and a Chorizo Omelette, both MM! ....The griddle items are basic, but well executed, They have a fruit waffle that has a couple inches thick of assorted fruit, plus piled with whip cream, haven' t had that yet....they also have a Bacon Waffle.. Bacon right inside the darn thing.              So today it was Val and Kens (OLHot T and Smoj) choice, they had plans early afternoon so they opted for local and Maggies it was, and bein the easy goin types as Msue and I are? it was all ok with us.           we walked in this am rounda bout 10 , sat ourselves, which is protocol, OL Hot T and Smoj  joined us quickly after.           After a little deliberation  Val ordered Quiche Lorraine..(cheese and spinach) MSue opted for the Porker (Quiche) , Ham ,bacon... very oinky, I had the above mentioned Milwaukee Quiche, it came with a fruit bowl (they all do) and a side of dijon aioli, never have been a quiche guy, I can almost always find something  more breakfasty, and most obviously more macho , and of course all of this was washed down with our usual drink of choice.           Yep we went to Maggies two days in a row ,just cuz we like it! ...For some reason if you dont get enough to eat there they also have a wide variety of homemade desserts....cookies with entire peanut butter cups on them, soft squishy cinnamony snickerdoodles, cinnamon rolls.. or my personal favorite, Bran Muffins that taste like mini carrot cakes, Msue and her work crew sometimes lunch at Maggies and she always brings me one home.                               So my many followers if you do find your way to the "Quaint" side of Kent Washington , look up Maggies on Meeker   and dont be afraid of the Quiche     (Although once I think I overheard someone pronounce it kwi shay)..... Kent go figure.

I'm Baaack......

I know some of you are saying Blog? What Blog? tis true, its been since the beginning of the year since last I've taking fingers to keys to share my opinion (for whatever thats worth) on the Sunday ritual I have lovingly named "SundayBreakfast".          So much has happened this year, Cassidy (our youngest) was married on July 25th, after a year of planning by Msue and Cass, a few disagreements along the way, it all came together without a hitch (from my perspective) all I had to do was to put on a tuxedo and take a walk down the aisle with my little princess, I got through it pretty well all be it with a lump in my throat, but non the wiser, She was a beautiful Bride with a smile so big, it never came off her face the whole night!.... I did enjoy the evening, I muddled through my  " Father of the Bride" speech and actually kept my composure through most of it.     All in all, a very nice affair.  So to the Blog....     The Sunday after the Wedding ( on a Friday) We had a very special guest with us for our Sunday Breakfast, Chloe Engley  and her boyfriend Jake all the way from Australia attended the Wedding, Chloe was our Aussie Exchange student when Cass was in Highschool, it was so awesome to see her again, and to meet her boyfriend Jake...... Sooooo they went to bfast with Msue and myself. we took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island to "Nolas" a little bistro we've been to a few times with ol Hot T and Smoj, a beautiful morning in July a great ferry ride and a yumtastic  breakfast.    Chloe and Jake had the Eggs Benedict, Msue had the Chickenfried steak, and I cant go to Nolas and not have French toast, it's so yumbelievably good, thick Challa bread, with a bourbon orange butter and real maple syrup, thick sliced bacon...MM! , Msue and I had blood marys , Chloe, I think a Mimosa, plus we had coffee and ice tea and all the fixins of a Sunday feast, it was amazing !       The Ferry ride back had a little unexpected treat as well, My Friend and ex coworker Rob R. works for them, he's a
captain in waiting ( which I guess means he has to wait till enough retire to become one) I called him , and what luck, it was his boat we got on for the ride back , so we got  a tour of the pilot house, and a ride back to Seattle in style.... Thanks Rob!     Nolas is someplace everyone should try........some other noteworthy places we've dined?..... Well how about" The Tides"Tavern, on the water in Gig Harbor, Msue and I went there with her sister and brotherinlaw after a morning of crabbing in Commencement Bay, I think Herbie (Msues B i law) had the cornbeef hash, I again had French toast, I dont really recall what Msue and her sister Theresa had,but it was ok nothing really special about the food as I recall, but it was a beautiful day, and the Tides is an awesome venue, great place to people and boat watch, most of my Tides experience consists of Pizza and beer (both excellent),and which I highly recommend.           We have been to a few joints down  Ptown way, seeing that Cassidy and Brian live in Hillsboro now, one of these places is named "Seasons and Regions" we went there because Brian said they have oysters for breakfast.... frankly I dont know why more places dont offer Oysters and eggs, what a great combo! Yep sir we went there all right and instead of the oysters, I opted for the Razor Clams! Whaaat? holy smoke were they good!, tender and sweet, cooked perfect and along with eggs and browns mmmmm! Brian I believe had the oysters, Cass is so plain Jane at Bfast.... bacon and eggs, Msue had some sort of Scramble.. anyway it was all pretty tasty.... good coffee too, seems all the Cafes down in P town serve Stumptown coffee, take a lesson Seattle area joints land of Starbucks, start serving it in your cafes!.        Next on our Portlandian tour was the Reedville Cafe.... in? Yep! Reedville, not to far from Hillsboro, again I had Razor clams! are ya taking notes Seattle?    thats right seafood for breakfast ! what a concept also good coffee, (big surprise), Brian had the CB Hash, Cass had ......let me think.... oh yeh a Bloody Mary with Eggs and bacon, Msue followed it up with a Seafood Scramble with hollandaise  , Ice T aplenty, now I dont know if the food and beer options in Portland are enough to get me to move to the land  of Ducks but they do build a strong argument for it, along with the bookstores ,glass shops and transients its a lot like the Fremont area in Seattle only bigger... Yep Portlanders know how how to eat and drink, there's a Deli there we like named Kenny and Zukes, its in down town P...... one word....Eggsalad! recommended to me by a tatooed pierced waitress there as Amazing! it was and it keeps me coming back, along with mile high Pastrami sandwiches and of course Msues Favo...The After Thanksgiving Sandwich, which consists of as you might guess, Turkey , stuffing , cranberries and Gravy..... The Eidleweiss sausage house.... Im drooling just thinking about that place, every german style meat and sausage you can think of plus they make sandwiches and soup, the place is so busy, if your not ready when they call your number......NEXT!                   I brought home some fresh bologna and some Braunsweiger  ( liverwurst)  OMG ,much to Msues dismay.... oh so Tasty!        And all that is without our partners in crime Ken and Val, so that being said we have been to a few of the usuals lately , Charlies in Puyallup is always good.... talkin old school eatery here, kinda dark, big salad bar! really a salad bar? yep they got one, but not for breakfast, what they do have is good food, a great prime rib hash , a scramble they call a "square"  I guess because it comes on a square plate, great pancakes, and a Yumdiddly Monte Cristo Sandwich which our waitress recommended Hot boysenberry syrup as a dippin sauce... she got a nice tip that sunday it was so good I dont even remember what Hot T and Smoj had or Msue for that matter.. that was last sunday..... today we went to "Draft Choice", I guess  its in Auburn.... east Auburn headin towards Black Diamond any way we went there a few years back with Hot T and Smoj and today with Cass and Brian,     my new Son in Law wanted  something Chicken fried, so thats where we went.     Brian, Msue and myself  had the CFS    so amazingly tastelicious with eggs yer choice and browns today, we ordered the special potatoes, but alas they were out.... Cass had the breakfast Burrito , pretty good as well, along with two bloody marys , Msue had two bloody caesers(with clamato juice) with her bfast,Brian as well.... so with food and breakfast in a tavern,.. there goes....pull tabs!    no winners to speak of, a dollar here and there, bfast was close to 150 bucks.... but delicious and fun!  good thing I had only Coffee.......... So my many followers, we will meet again next Blog..... yes I will continue......dont hold your breath........ we will keep eating and I' ll keep giving my opinions Ad Nauseum. We are headin  down to Napa in a couple of weeks with Ol HotT and Smoj we'll see how Sunday Breakfast Napa Style works.... until then.....May all your breakfasts achieve Yumtasteliciousness!                      

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!

Portland and Seattle.... and some points in between

Its been so long since I've done this I hope I remember where I left off.... So much has happened since last I blogged where do I begin?       Well, I spose I could start with the news of my youngest daughters engagement, her and Brian have decided it was time to make it legal,and her Mom and I quite frankly couldn't be more happier , Brians a great guy and I know he will treat her like the Princess she has grown accustomed to being..... Sorry Brian....    Lucky for us they were in town this weekend and joined us for breakfast today, on this My darling brides birthday eve, of course we went to Voulas, Msues nosh of choice,we were joined today not only by Brian and Cass, but Brians Dad Mike, and other friends Ron and Julie Printz and their son Hunter,so we had quite the the crowd with us today.      Not much to write about that you havent already heard, Voulas is amazing, Msue had the Greek Hobo, I had the "Vagabond Hobo", which consisted of eggs, potatoes, cheese, house made chorizo and assoreted peppers and onions, topped with Pico De Gallo...... pretty darned good ,and a lot of food, as I only ate a small  portion , lunch tomorrow!          Yes in my lack of Blogging, eat we still did, we were in Portland the first week of July,where we spent the week at the Hotel Monaco (courtesy of a great deal) procured from our little princess Cassidy , she works for the Kimpton hotel chain and is stationed at the Monaco.        Personally, I find Portland a little weird,that being said , weirdness aside, there is a ton of places to eat, and even more coffee houses, all the cafes seem to have really good coffee,as apposed to Seattle.        One of our stops was a little bar and grill named "Tasty and Alder"  ( a recomendation from Cass)  I had the Bim Bop,bacon and eggs, which was a bowl of rice, Kim Chi, and assorted veggies and of course bacon with a teryaki type sauce topped with a couple of fried eggs, and as the name sez...quite tasty.      The highlight of our dining experience wasn't for breakfast, we went to a place in Portland named the "Screen Door" for dinner, we were joined by Brian and Cass of course,and our friends Eric and Patty Baker (our Lake Oswegian friends)joined us as well.       The Screen Door is a little place in NE Portland specializing in southern home cookin.... we had Fried Chicken (Amazing) Hush Puppies, Catfish and Oysters,not to mention Collards and bacon....everything was fried and delish! along with that amazing experience, we were  going to have dinner at Cass and Brians one night , but after a long day of shopping with the kids, we ended up getting some Thai take out, it was a fun week all in all bumming around Portland, seeing the kids..... oh yeh! Kenny and Zukes Deli, got to mention that, no stop in PTown is complete without an Egg Salad san and some of their homemade Pastrami!        MSue had a great Idea, on the day we were going to leave, instead of eating in Portland, lets stop in Olympia at Darbys Cafe, another one of "Guy Fierris" Diner Drive ins and Dives  choices, we have been wanting to go for a long time, they serve Oysters.    I had the Oysters Benny... actually its been so long Im not sure of the name, but it was quite delicious. MSue had the Chicken fried  steak.. also delish...... one Caviat     Darbys, while the food was very good, the service was terrible, they didnt care and it showed, they even had a sign that read if you want your food fast? go to Burgerking, and with all of that, the place was still packed, although a few did get up and leave.   Darbys is also on the Diner Drive in and Dive list.. I had to get my own Coffee, and Msues Ice T, she finally got it with the food, but 2.5 hours later we were headin back home... will we  go back? Hell no! there is just not enough time in Life.     On a brighter note we have been to Daves Diner in Seatac.. Home of the Motherlode CFS, the size of a small roofing shingle, Maggies in Kent, home  of the bacon waffle and possibly the best bran muffin I'.ve ever eaten, I always get them to go., We went to the Buttered Biscuit in Sumner,tons of food and tons of people, Browns point Diner of course.. good bloody marys.....   Tomorrow night is Mary Sues Birthday dinner... We're Goin to Vinces... still the best Pizza in town. when inspired I shall blog again, until then oh yeh! I think I will end my blog with my Beer of choice for the month, I know its not breakfast... well ok sometimes it is.... drumroll please  ....................the IPA from Fremont Brewing!   Hoppy and Delicious, their Slogan is "because Beer Matters"    Im in total agreement.. Beer.... its not just for breakfast any more!    Beer is Food! or for my dyslexic friends   Reeb is Doof!

Roanoke Inn Tavern and more!

Hello my many followers!, I realize that these Blogs arn't coming every week,but lately the Ol Ball and.... I mean my Lovely Wife has been keeping me kinda busy, not a lot of "Sit Down Time" so I thought I'd just combine a few of the local spots, plus a new one.             The Roanoke Tavern reminds me of a joint on some remote Lake where the locals gather to talk about their day or plans, where they sell fishing tackle and liquor ,pour you a cold beer. A place where they talk about the giant Lake Trout, that few have seen,and some come close but no one has landed...things  that legends are made of with names like "The General" or "Troutasarus"  perhaps only in my world, ....The Roanoke Inn and Tavern is a Homey little place in a Homey little part of Mercer Island, where locals probably do go on Sundays...or any other time . My friend "Ol Hot T" has been wanting to go there for quite some time and since we don't often bow down to the requests of myself or for him (it is mostly the girls requests) big surprise huh? We thought we would go, must have been at least a month ago, probably more..... its one of those walk right in sit right down places, I normally like, and I did like it, we all did, buuutt.... nothing really exciting , the Menu is short, breakfast anyways, Nothing to entice us Aubernites into travel, but like I said it was good, The Chikas had Mimosas, Ol Hot T had a Bloody Mary,Oddly I did not, for I do love a good one. I believe the ladies ordered The Spinach Omelette...with mushrooms and Jack Cheese...of course Val (Smoj) had to sub some of the choices, she prefers swiss.....yawn.... they both ordered them as a scramble, and of course MSue had her eggswelldonesideofsalsa! there may have been a side of bacon for her as well , Really?   The Ol Hot one had the sausage and eggs, and I had the ham steak along with said huevos,.... If Im on the Rock and its lunch time I may the Roanoke again, but bfast wasn't all that special... I believe the coffee was good  tho, it must have been spendy i think I only had two cups............              Mothers Day weekend.... no Hot T or Smoj this time,just Msue, Myself and the Children, Jessica and Cassidy, we braved the crowds and since it was Mothers Day, the choice was all Msues, and where do you suppose she wanted to go?   no not Spuds, they dont serve breakfast, although I could eat their fish and chips anytime.   Nope we went to Voulas Offshore Cafe, it is MSuse's favo! and rightly so, its awesome! always delivers an outstanding meal, My Lovely Bride had what she always has, the Greek Hobo! a scramble with  potatoes  eggs and veggies , topped with Feta cheese.          Although Voulas has a broad menu, lots a good choices, she never differs.     Jessica had the "Pinata Benedict"... Amazing! their own pulled smoked pork with Chipoltle infused hollandaise .... so good!     Cassidy, bless her just like Dads heart, had the "Big Voula" three eggsters, bacon and greek sausage along with hashbrowns and toast, one of my go too's at Voulas.            I went a little off center this trip, I ordered the special of the day, " The Achilles"  which consisted of a homemade Pita with a feta/pepper    kind of schmear on it, topped with Voulas crispy thick bacon, arugala ...annnd two Eggamundos over perfecto on top, kind of a greeky Huevos Rancheros,and if that wasnt enough,Voulas Browns the best around! as well yep indeedy, Mothers Day Breakfast perfected!    Spuds?  yep! went there for dinner!        I really shouldn't close this post with out a nod to one of our favorite locals... lately weve been going there just cuz its pretty darn good and close!   right in Downtown Kent, now for you Northend readers Kent is like a small Lynnwood, but with prettier girls.... Oh the name?  Maggies on Meeker..... cuz its on Meeker street... in Kent... cmon keep up.       The Food is always good, the service is great, the food can be slow,but the kitchen is small and the joint is pretty big, we went there today Msue and my self, great  as usual, they do some specials on the weekends.... all I can say is the Cornbeef hash on said weekend special is the best Ive ever had, the weekly fare variety is canned but the special is unbelievable!     You can even go to the Pied Piper Tavern,(next door) if you must have a beer with your breakfast and order from Maggies, also they have stubendaerific baked goods , and there is always a house special Quiche or two on the board.   MSue likes it cuz they make a bacon stuffed waffle just for her!........... So friends until next nosh... Adieu!

The Harmon,Pub and Brewery... and Breakfast !

I cant seem to tear myself away from the Masters to compose a bit in regards to our Sunday Nosh... so if I disappear from time to time you'll know why.      So The Harmon?  yep its a like the title says " A bar" and a darn fine one judging from past encounters, never breakfast but we have had dinner there a few times....Two words...French Dip! best around, so last time there we noticed they serve Breakfast, and we finally got around to it this morning.          Ol Hot T and Smoj were on the docket today and picked us up a little before ten...tennish anyone ?   The Harmon is on Pacific ave. across from Union Station (sort of) in the City of destiny we call Tacoma, just south of a Starbucks (isn't every place) which is where we parked, a little stroll and we were at "Our" place of destiny, a window seat looking out at beautiful Tacoma.        The Harmon must have had a busy Saturday night cuz the place a faint urine smell to it.    it appears that they dump sawdust on the floor and sweep it out, it would explaine the garbage cans full of slightly soggy sawdust out side .       But no worries they had 3 dollar Bloody Marys  and Mimosas so all was good ,Yes indeedy  I did partake as well as the other three, tho the Chickas had Mimosas, The Bloody Marys were heavy on horseradish and spicygood !       The menu is limited for breakfast, 3 kinds of Benedicts, basic eggs and meat of choice, a couple of Omlettes, Pancakes,biscuits , gravy....and a Monte Cristo Sandwich.... Oh yeh and a Chicken Fried Steak.              Msue had the CFS with hashbrowns eggsscrambledwelldonesideofsalsa! what? no toast? nope! none offered, strange she thought.      I don't think she was particularly  thrilled with her choice, as she stated it did not appear  to be freshly made, more of the frozen type, nothing really to complain  about, but not enough to take a picture of either.     His Highness of Hot T ordered the Basic Egg and Meat du Jour offering, his choice was Sausage .        Smoj and myself had the Monte Cristo Sandwich, which weirdly came with two eggs.... but I loves My Chicken Embryos, so I was pleased.       The food arrived Sans sausage and salsa, which the Tattooed hoop earing,mohawk sporting waiter apologized and quickly brought Ken a platter of sausage links and MSue a bowl of Salsa.....dude this is not Fremont!, but capable he was . Kens breakfast was ok, although  the extra plate of sausage helped.      I gotta say The Monte Cristo was pretty darn good.... pretty darn big  and with the addition of two eggs  quite a generous helping.      For those unaware of said sandwich, the Monte Cristo is kinda like a French toast club sandwich.. but no bacon,  Turkey, Ham, and Swiss double decked  in frenchtoast, panfried, and for dipping this one had Blueberry syrup ( its usually strawberry Jam), it was really good, I unfortunately ate all of mine, which commanded a short nap once I arrived home  , Val manged to eat half of hers.        I think Bacon would be good on it however.... really Jim? of course it would!  the Coffee was pretty good as well , as I did not require a stop at the Starbucks.        The Harmon, a good Bar,good beer and a decent breakfast!