Editor’s note: Last week, Michael Spradley brought you a tasty piece on breakfast and lunch, San Diego style, with a review of Fig Tree Café. This week, we’re bringing breakfast back, as we introduce The Restaurant Insider. It’s a fresh, new weekly feature by a San Diego LGBT Weekly contributor with whom many readers are already familiar, and have come to trust as their go-to guy for all things gastronomical.
Each week The Restaurant Insider will offer up an insightful restaurant review, complemented by related content such as chef profiles, recipes and food facts. In fact, The Restaurant Insider has agreed to answer readers’ food and beverage questions. Having managed the famed Ivy restaurant downtown, Christopher Hile’s foodie pedigree includes several stints as a successful restaurateur, work as a culinary-school student plus a resume full of prestigious (and perhaps ordinary) food and beverage jobs. Email your questions and comments for The Restaurant Insider to editor@lgbtweekly.jeffjungblut.com.
There are many great things to look forward to on the weekends. Dinners with friends, heading out for a night on the town or just spending some quality time with the people closest to you. I have one favorite that I look forward to each weekend.
Going out to breakfast has to be one of the best things you can do for yourself. Most of us don’t eat huge breakfasts during the week since we are all so busy. I’m not sure I know too many people who get up and make a veggie omelet on a Tuesday. That’s the great thing about a Saturday morning, you can either make it yourself or head out to one of our great restaurants that serve breakfast right.
There is no shortage of places to grab some good morning grub. Every neighborhood seems to have at least one that’s worth it, or worth the wait. Now rating the best certainly took some time, but I picked out a few of my favorites to share.
First up, Café 222 must be one of the most famous we have here in San Diego. Bordering the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter in the Marina District, Terryl Gavre has kept them coming back for years. An endless menu of waffles, pancakes, scrambles and even some house specialties awaits your morning eyes. The Sweet Cornbread Waffle ($6.50) is crunchy and melts with maple syrup. Try one of the international scrambles like the Mexican ($9.75) or Eggs Italia ($9.50) which uses goat cheese and pesto.
Heading up the street to Bankers Hill, Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Café sits on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Spruce Street. Offering some great Mexican fare, this is the place for a breakfast burrito. The Barburrito ($7.75) is loaded with fluffy eggs, potatoes, white onions and just the perfect amount of jalapeño. I don’t think there is a better place in town to order Huevos Rancheros ($8.25). The over-easy eggs are cooked perfectly and served with soft fried flour tortilla, rice, beans and your choice of four sauces.
Over in the East Village, Zanzibar is dishing out breakfast all day. A great café where the coffee is strong and the omelets are the star. My favorite omelet of Bacon, Tomato, and Cheddar Cheese ($9.95) unfortunately has been taken off the menu, but they will still make it for you, and it’s worth asking for. Those of you, who aren’t egg fans, try the Smoked Salmon Bagel ($12.95). A toasted bagel is served with a fresh whipped cream cheese, all the condiments of red onions, salty capers, tomatoes and lemon and then topped with a heaping pile of smokey salmon. From scones to muffins to great pastries, the baked goods are out of this world.
If standing in line and waiting for your morning fix isn’t a problem, Café on Park is the place to hit. Nestled in a little store front on Park Boulevard in Hillcrest, this small café serves up breakfast every day to what seems like hundreds. Every time I have been it is packed to the gills with a line out the door. Expect a wait of 15-30 minutes for a table, but wait, the scrambles alone are worth it. Interesting and different, on one occasion I tried the Artichoke, Mushroom and Swiss ($10.95). I was a little skeptical about artichokes at 10:30 in the morning, but they worked and the scramble hit the mark. For Pancake lovers, ($5.95-$7.95) get your griddle on here. Combinations are endless and go beyond just blueberry.
With three locations to choose from, The Mission in North Park is my favorite of the three. On University and 28th, this is not only a great neighborhood spot, but offers some much needed style to the area. The menu is eclectic and chooses not only to serve a traditional breakfast, but also to steer those who are healthy, even on the weekend. Using soy chorizo as an alternative, the Soy Chorizo Burrito ($8.50) is a unique take on a breakfast favorite. Loaded with chunks of the soy, eggs, potatoes, scallions and tomatoes, this is protein filled and delicious. The Chicken Apple Sausage and Eggs ($8.95) is another healthy no miss here with juicy sausage and perfectly cooked eggs.
No matter what your morning has in store for you on the weekend, whether it be a much needed hangover cure or a power start to a busy day, you can’t go wrong with these places. Think how excited you were as a kid to go and get the Grand Slam Breakfast at Denny’s. Even though you may not get crayons when you sit down, you will get something even better.
Café 222
222 Island Ave.
619-236-9902
Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Café
3172 Fifth Ave.
619-295-2070
Zanzibar
707 G St.
619-230-0125
Café on Park
3831 Park Blvd.
619-293-7275
The Mission
2801 University Ave.
619-220-8992
insider scoop
Eggs Italia
For all you home cooks, try this quick and easy recipe from one of Café 222’s best breakfast dishes.
1 tablespoon pesto
3 tablespoons chopped (small) tomatoes
1/2 cup stale focaccia bread or French bread
3 slightly beaten eggs
2 tablespoons goat cheese
Parmesan cheese
Preheat a small sauté pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add the pesto, tomatoes and focaccia. Allow to cook for one minute until the tomatoes are soft and the bread has absorbed the pesto. Then add the eggs and allow them to cook 3/4 of the way. Add the goat cheese to the pan and fold into the mixture making sure not to scramble the eggs. Allow to cook until the eggs are done and transfer to a plate. Garnish with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and some fresh fruit.
