Cafe Du Monde

Cafe Du Monde
1039 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA
(Visit their website!)

This place is just awesome. They're a New Orleans tradition, which is open 24 hours a day. Perfect for the city that never sleeps and the French Quarter that never stops partying. I'm told that you're supposed to get drunk all night, come over to Cafe Du Monde in the wee hours of the morning, have some coffee and their famous beignets and go to sleep. Such a diet is supposed to overcome any hangover effects the next morning. Now, I don't drink that much and I certainly don't party into the wee hours of the morning so I did not try it. However, I did have a fine breakfast at Cafe Du Monde.

Now, the menu is pretty sparse because they just sell beignets. Well, there are drinks too so I had what I assumed was a traditional breakfast of coffee and beignets. Each order comes with three of these wonderful balls of joy. Yes, it's all just fried dough topped with lots and lots of powdered sugar. But that's all it takes to make a greasy and filling breakfast. The dough was nice and crispy on the outside, protecting the softness on the inside. Just a terrific and simple recipe, which you can bring home with you. They sold the dough but I don't have a deep fryer at home so I didn't partake. Plus, it wouldn't have tasted the same anyway. Beware of the falling powdered sugar, which gets everywhere. Enjoy!

Brasserie Montiel & Coffee House

Brasserie Montiel & Coffee House
2001 Commonwealth Dr.

Charlottesville, VA

Brasserie Montiel: well lit and well decorated.

This coffee house and restaurant is a superb place for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. The place is rather new but there is no learning curve necessary for the chefs here. Well decorated with bright colors and filled with light, Brasserie Montiel is just a really nice spot for a leisurely or fast meal. Here, my companion and I tried the crepes and we were not disappointed. The Nutella and banana crepes are terrific. The crepe itself is soft and well made. Some places just don’t care about the batter but these guys know how to make a good crepe that is soft, not burnt, not greasy, and tasteful. The crepe can certainly hold its own without any toppings like Nutella. My dining companion had the orange crepes and they were just as good. Another plus is that these guys use actual fruit. None of that slimy, overly sweet preservative! These are fresh fruits that really mix well with the crepe.

Tasty crepes: orange on the left and bananas with Nutella on the right.

The coffee here is also very good and I’ve enjoyed more than a few tasty cups. But what about the other breakfast items? The three-egg omelet is great too. You have your choice of cheeses: Cheddar, Mozzarella, or Boursin. Add to that chopped tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, bacon, or ham. The omelet comes with toast and hash browns. Now, are they too heavy and greasy like at most breakfast joints and diners? Not at all. These omelets are gourmet. They taste good and they’re not greasy. I don’t know how they do it but these guys have made a terrific meal that isn’t too heavy and leaves you feeling very good. Here, I’ve had an omelet with Mozzarella, spinach, onions, and ham. OK, the ham may be a bit salty but that’s a minor criticism of this really great place.

(Images by AG and MB)

Trident

Trident
338 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115
(Check out their website!)

Trident also offers some mouthwatering French toast. Try it with bananas and real maple syrup!

(Image by AG)

Trident

Trident
338 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02115
(Visit their website!)

Grab a book and have a meal early in the morning. With a tasty breakfast menu, which offers diners to add salmon to their morning omelet, the Trident bookstore and cafe is a fine place to dine. With a cozy setting and a well-lit dining area, the Trident offers visitors to Boston’s Newbury Street area a comfortable place to relax, get some coffee or juice, and scarf down some nice French toast or have a healthy turkey burger for lunch. A definite plus to their breakfast menu is the availability of real maple syrup, a rarity in most restaurants these days.

Be prepared for a large meal though. The omelet especially has a way of filling you up so that a weekend meal may be better unless you want to fall asleep at work. As for items that could keep you awake, the coffee mug is a bit small but, apparently, you get free refills with meals over $4.95. (I was not aware of this at the time.)

Like all the spots on Newbury Street, this can get pricey (though there are some good deals) but if you’re in the mood for a comfortable breakfast and don’t mind spending a little bit of cash for a pleasant environment and a cool place to read the morning paper, check Trident out.

I can’t speak to their dinner menu but, glancing at it online, it looks pretty good as well.

(Image by AG)