Breakfast Across the States

Tabla Bar & Grill welcomes you to embark on a culinary journey as you enjoy the ultimate dining experience, including food, wine, and liquor. 

Tentative BATS: States  17-19
Minnesota:  Minneapolis is one of my very favorite cities (at least from May-October).  I like it so much in fact that I am willing to break my “no large cities” rule and stop there for breakfast.  I have been to Minneapolis three or four times and have had the pleasure of eating breakfast at Hell’s Kitchen both in their old location and new location.  Call me a big fan of their lemon-ricotta hotcakes. On the other hand,  I have never been to Al’s.  This place seems to be the epitome of eating breakfast out in America.  Google Al’s breakfast and you get 59,200 results. I guess I have to go there. I must feast at this tabernacle of breakfastness.
North Dakota:  Driving-wise I’m trying to cut some corners.   I’ll be driving up I-94 from Minneapolis  and instead of going all the way to Fargo I would like to cut over and find breakfast in the very Southeast corner of North Dakota. I may end up having to go to Fargo because the pickings appear slim. I looked at Wahpeton, Wyndmere, and Forman.  (I’m sure you all have been to these hotspots). There are some chains which I won’t eat at and a few other “cafes” listed on Google maps.  The problem is there are no “comments”  provided for any of them  and they certainly don’t have websites so I don’t know if they still exist and even if they serve breakfast. I may be writing down phone numbers and calling when I get there.  One place that Stern writes about on this website is the Farmers Inn in Havana ND. It’s in the general area I am targeting.  The Stern article was written in 2001 and there is nothing else mentioned on the Web so I have no idea if it is still open. I guess when the time comes I’ll dial up a few of these places on the phone and just wing it in North Dakota.
South Dakota: In 1983 I drove across the entire state, west to east, pretty much on back roads. What I found amazing was that every man, woman, and child I passed gave me a big wave. I’m not sure if that is still the case or not. This time I’ll be driving down the eastern side of South Dakota. There are a few possibilities in Sioux Falls but I sort of feel it is appropriate to eat in a relatively small town in this state. Unlike North Dakota, I did find a place with a Web site, menu, and motto “Fast, Fresh, and Friendly”. It’s called the Country Café and is in Madison (pop. 6,605 - okay I take it back that this is a relatively small town for South Dakota).
 

Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown (neighborhood retail area next to the University of Minnesota) would be an excellent choice, especially for a one in a million experience and atmosphere. Be friendly and willing to shift seats to be accommodating if necessary. Hell's Kitchen would be more for a unique breakfast but you've been there.
 
In South Dakota and North Dakota you could just take your chance at about any small town. Actually I would consider Madison on of the bigger towns. The towns with closer to a thousand people always usually have a downtown breakfast diner and most of the times they are good. I could give you recommendations if you plan to drive to the Black Hills area. Some of my trip reports here have reported on good breakfast places in Rapid City, Custer and Hot Springs.

Tentative BATS:  States 17-19
Nebraska:  My target in Nebraska is Omaha. I’ve been there once and was mightily impressed by their zoo and would like to show it to my wife. I’ve been to a number of zoos around the country and usually I end up doing more people watching than animal watching but the Omaha zoo for some reason had me spending the whole day just enjoying the exhibits. While in Omaha I did have the obligatory steak dinner but my breakfast consisted only of the Hampton Inn semi-crap. I looked up one newspaper’s “Best of” and it named Bailey’s as having the best breakfast.  Any other suggestions?
Iowa:  I searched for a place in the very western part of Iowa on the way down to Missouri but didn’t find much other than the Classic Café in Malvern.  I think I’ll go a little out of my way and head east a bit along I-80 and stop around the infamous “Iowa Tenderloin Trail” territory. This way, I can try one of these pork tenderloin sandwiches that have so many devotees. As for breakfast, I found the Chatter Box Café in Audubon but there are other potential spots in the area.
Missouri:  After breakfast in Iowa we will probably drive down to Independence and visit the Harry S Truman National Historic Site.  I’m a big fan of HST. We could probably use some of his straight talk today. For breakfast the next day I didn’t find anything interesting in Independence but did find a place well reviewed on the outskirts of downtown Kansas City called You Say Tomato.  I’m not particularly keen on driving into downtown KC so this spot seemed to fit the bill.
 

The Farmer's Kitchen in Atlantic, IA. Support a fellow Roadfood.com'er and depending when you stop you can get breakfast or that tenderloin.

Neicie's for breakfast in KC gets lots of love here.

Davydd


The Farmer's Kitchen in Atlantic, IA. Support a fellow Roadfood.com'er and depending when you stop you can get breakfast or that tenderloin.

 
Somehow I missed this place in my research. I will patronize.

Columbia, Missouri has several decent breakfast places, if that's compatible with the itinerary.
Ernies, Broadway Diner, and Cafe Berlin all come to mind.
Only one I have handy pics of is Ernie's:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaszeta/787882071/

Oh, and to chime in on Minnesota: Yeah, go to Al's.  While I adore Hell's Kitchen, Al's is still my go-to place *every* time I'm in Minnesota.  The two owners still know me by sight, even though I only get there once or twice a year now.
 

kaszeta


Oh, and to chime in on Minnesota: Yeah, go to Al's.  While I adore Hell's Kitchen, Al's is still my go-to place *every* time I'm in Minnesota.  The two owners still know me by sight, even though I only get there once or twice a year now.

Al's is one of those roadfood places that I have no desire to visit.
I was in the Twin Cities this past summer and didn't go, Hell's Kitchen on the other hand has a very regionally distinctive menu and it is one of my favorite breakfast spots in the country.. Perhaps if Al's offered Wild Rice Pancakes or Swedish Pancakes I would have considered going but I couldn't find am menu on line on based on research I did it did not appear that they offered these two items.

Like I said in an earlier post, Al's Breakfast is for the experience and the atmosphere - one of a kind. The food, though people rave about it, is really nothing special or out of the ordinary for this breakfaster. My favorite breakfast spots are all up in Northern Minnesota but that is pretty much out of the way for Mealot.

I am not sure if this post is out of order at this point, but when you get back towards VA, one breakfast place to consider is the Dairy Bar in Richmond.  it is pretty close to I95 and on most days has ample on street parking since it is in a factory neighborhood, not a lot of residences or trendy places about.
 
I finally made it there and I have to say, I will be back again soon, so glad this is in my own back yard.

Tentative BATS:  States 20-22
Kansas:  The plan is to drive to Topeka and visit with a friend and then have breakfast the next morning. Our friend might have his own recommendations but I have done some internet research and found the Hanover House of Pancakes. The most remarkable thing about this place is their website. Usually when I find a breakfast spot on the Web there is a couple of pictures, a menu, hours, and location but the Hanover House of Pancakes website is one of the most busy, ostentatious sites I have seen during my breakfast research. Check it out:    Maybe, a new Roadfood forum could be established that discussed wacky and tacky restaurant websites.
Colorado:  The longest one day drive of the entire BATS trip will be from Topeka to Fort Collins CO - 593 miles. Two reasons why Fort Collins is our target:  1) I have never been there and have heard nice things about the place and 2) we have friends who live there.  It seems that Fort Collins is blessed with a number of good breakfast establishments.  Snooze, Lucile’s, and Silver Grill all look like they have great breakfast potential. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who might know any of these places.
Utah:  Most of the driving from Fort Collins to Utah will be through Wyoming but I will save breakfast in Wyoming for a more scenic area of that state.  It seems you can’t go wrong with a place that has been around for 57 years (although they recently changed location) so I’m targeting Sill’s Cafe.  Additionally, the Food Network proclaimed it the best breakfast in Utah - something about their scones.
 

Reading here that you are familiar with the North shore of the Boston area consider the Family restaurant on Lowell St.  Peabody great breakfast at a very fair price. Any of the Brothers restaurants, Lynn, Danvers, Peabody, like eating at an old Waldorf type spot. Save some room for a donut from Martys in Ipswich. Can never go wrong at the Agawam Diner Rt.1 Rowley either.
Maine, I think the Mine Diner is a bit over rated, I keep going back to see what I'm missing, haven't found it yet.
I did have a very enjoyable breakfast at The Union Bluffs at Short Sands in York at the beach, I'm sure to return there.
Parkers Maple Barn in N.H. off the beaten path but even off season seems to draw a croud. Had the Buckwheat pancakes there, very good I would return if in the area. The Red Arrow has opened another location in an old diner on the bridge in Milford N.H. not very far from Parkers, a toss up of where I'd choose.
Good luck in your quest, your going to be retired so take the extra time and enjoy what all the lower 48 has to offer. Chow Jim
 

Tentative BATS:  States 23-25
Wyoming:  The plan is to head north and take in the gorgeous scenery of Northwestern Wyoming. I’m a little worried about this segment of the trip because it will be the first week of October and I think snow could be a distinct possibility.  We plan to spend a couple of days in the Grand Teton area and then drive through Yellowstone on our way to Montana.  Jackson is probably the only bet for a good breakfast in this area. I found Shades Café on the internet. It looks really good although I’m not sure if it is open in the off season.
Montana:  Bozeman not unlike Fort Collins CO is one of those relatively small college towns that seem to have a plethora of places to eat a great breakfast.  My research turned up Main St. Overeasy, Cateye Café, Soby’s, and Nova. I could just do an eenie, meenie, etc. to decide but if anyone has had an experience, good or bad, with any of these places (or others) I would appreciate the help.
Idaho:  I would like to get off the interstate near Missoula and take Route 12 across Idaho unless snow is a factor.  We actually drove this road west to east last summer and found the scenery stunning.  It was basically the route Lewis and Clark took on their epic journey. Maybe driving east to west will look just as pretty.  Route 12 deposits you in Lewiston. It looks like Waffles N’ More is the place to eat breakfast.
 

Tentative BATS:  States 26-28
 
Washington:  I’m well familiar with the western parts of Washington and Oregon.  Both Seattle and Portland are great breakfast cities.  On this trip my inclination is to travel through the eastern portions of these two states.  This way I’ll save both time and money (ouch! those gas prices keep going up) in my quest to have breakfast in all 48 contiguous states.  For Washington I’m targeting Walla Walla as our breakfast destination.  The restaurant that seems to receive the most stellar reviews is called Clarette’s.
 
Oregon:  The only town of any significant size in eastern Oregon is Pendleton. There are a couple of possible  places for breakfast but the Main St. Café looks like the best bet . It has been reviewed on roadfood.com along with a saliva inducing picture.  According to the reviewer “the waitress was friendly and the coffee cup never ran out”.  Well if the coffee cup didn’t run out that’s a good sign that we are likely not to run out as well.
 
Nevada:  We will wend our way to Winnemucca (like that alliteration?) through some desolate looking country.  The Griddle, which is one of a small three chain restaurant group, appears to be well loved and an oasis along I-80. 
 

Tentative BATS:  States 29-31
California:  We plan to stick to the far eastern part of California on our way to Arizona. In other words, we’ll be making the long drive down Rt. 395. This is going to take a couple of days and who knows we may shoot over and see Death Valley and/or go to Vegas and lose all our money. There doesn’t appear to be much in terms of road food along 395. We did once spend a week in Mammoth Lakes and hit every breakfast place in town (I remember the best being The Breakfast Club). I figure the best bet for a great breakfast is when we first enter California in the Lake Tahoe region. Frommer’s said that the Fire Sign Café in Tahoe City is a no-brainer choice for breakfast so that may be the smart choice.
Arizona:  We probably won’t wander too far off I-40 all the way to Little Rock AR.  I have never been to Flagstaff but would like to check it out.  In another 40 days a group of us are driving from the Phoenix airport to Marble Canyon to take part in a raft trip through the Grand Canyon.  We will being going through Flagstaff but probably won’t have time to stop so I’ll save it for the breakfast tour.  It looks like there are a couple of decent choices but Brandy’s seems to pull down a few “best of” awards.
New Mexico:  Earl’s in Gallup (in business since 1946) looks like a place where we might be able to get a good Mexican breakfast. Albuquerque is another possibility. I’ve already been to The Frontier and Weck’s and the Range Café in Bernadillo (3 times!) and had wonderful as well as very filling breakfasts.  My colleague almost had to carry me out of Wecks I was so stuffed.  Any other suggestions for breakfast in New Mexico that is not too far from I-40?
 

Mealot,
When crossing Arizona be sure to stop in Holbrook at Joe & Aggies Cafe. There's a Sterns writeup on the home page of today's Roadfood web site. Try the Breakfast Enchiladas.
http://www.joeandaggiescafe.com/
When you come out for your Raft Trip, if you're going up to Flagstaff on I-17, be sure to stop at Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City.
http://www.rockspringscafe.com/

Foodbme


Mealot,
When crossing Arizona be sure to stop in Holbrook at Joe & Aggies Cafe. There's a Sterns writeup on the home page of today's Roadfood web site. Try the Breakfast Enchiladas.

When you come out for your Raft Trip, if you're going up to Flagstaff on I-17, be sure to stop at Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City.

 
I did see the Stern writeup almost immediately after I declared I was planning to have breakfast in Flagstaff. Of course, my plans will now have to change. Joe & Aggies looks great and I will try the breakfast enchiladas. Also I now plan to stay at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook the night prior to breakfast. Wow, what an amazing looking place.  Also, thanks for the tip about the Rock Springs Cafe. If the timing permits, I'll be sure to check it out. 

mealot

Foodbme


Mealot,
When crossing Arizona be sure to stop in Holbrook at Joe & Aggies Cafe. There's a Sterns writeup on the home page of today's Roadfood web site. Try the Breakfast Enchiladas.

When you come out for your Raft Trip, if you're going up to Flagstaff on I-17, be sure to stop at Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City.

I did see the Stern writeup almost immediately after I declared I was planning to have breakfast in Flagstaff. Of course, my plans will now have to change. Joe & Aggies looks great and I will try the breakfast enchiladas. Also I now plan to stay at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook the night prior to breakfast. Wow, what an amazing looking place.  Also, thanks for the tip about the Rock Springs Cafe. If the timing permits, I'll be sure to check it out. 

Rock Springs Cafe is famous for their pies, (Are you listening Buffetbuster?) If nothing else, pick up a pie to eat along the way. It's an easy off and on the Interstate.

Tentative BATS:  States 32-34
Texas:  I found an article in an old Texas Monthly called “The 40 Best Small-Town Cafes”.  I was hoping to find something that was both not too far off of I-40 and in a town that looked like something out of “The Last Picture Show”, someplace where a bunch of men in baseball caps sat around over coffee and recapped the high school football game play by play.  The article mentioned Mel’s Diner in Wheeler that seemed to fit the bill. How many remember the show “Alice”?  Apparently, according to Google there are quite a few Mel’s Diners across America.
Oklahoma:  Occasionally I watch “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” but not too often because it makes me hungry and I end up going to the refrigerator for a snack which I really shouldn’t have.  But I did see when the show was in Norman at The Diner and the breakfast burrito looked awesome so I jotted it down as a must-stop.  Then I noticed that if I followed my schedule I would be in Norman on a Saturday. If it’s anything like Madison WI something tells me that I don’t want to be in this town if the Sooners are playing at home.  I looked up the schedule and sure enough Texas Tech was playing at Oklahoma.  I could try to get there when they first opened in the morning and then get out of town or maybe find something in Oklahoma City.
Arkansas:  I’ve seen the “Great Arkansas Breakfasts” post in this forum and then poured over Kat Robinson’s many recommendations about breakfast around the state and even if I eliminate going into Little Rock there are still too many excellent appearing choices off of I-40 to make a clear headed decision. So I put them all on individual pieces of paper threw them into a hat and picked the Hurley House Café in Hazen.
 

Mealot,
In your trek across Northern AZ, be sure to stop in Windslow AZ-You know the song! - And check out the La Posada Hotel. They spent Millions restoring it to it's original splendor. Worth a 1/2 hour visit for sure, maybe more. http://www.laposada.org/
It's a National Historic Landmark site.

mealot


Tentative BATS:  States 29-31
California:  We plan to stick to the far eastern part of California on our way to Arizona. In other words, we’ll be making the long drive down Rt. 395. This is going to take a couple of days and who knows we may shoot over and see Death Valley and/or go to Vegas and lose all our money. There doesn’t appear to be much in terms of road food along 395. We did once spend a week in Mammoth Lakes and hit every breakfast place in town (I remember the best being The Breakfast Club). I figure the best bet for a great breakfast is when we first enter California in the Lake Tahoe region. Frommer’s said that the Fire Sign Café in Tahoe City is a no-brainer choice for breakfast so that may be the smart choice.

 
It's a little slim but there are places of note, primarily in Bishop. Mt. Whitney Coffee Shop is my choice for a fine Chicken Fried Steak breakfast. Also, you'll definitely want to stop at Eric Schat's Bakery, right as you come into town. Get whatever has just come out of the oven. I like the Russian Raisin Pecan Bread myself. It's great for a pre or post-breakfast snack.  

Tentative BATS: States 35-37
Mississippi:  We’ll head to Oxford. For some reason I’m attracted to college towns but in this case it is more of a pilgrimage to my favorite author’s hometown. I’ve read all of Faulkner’s books but have never been to Oxford. It’s about time. Searching the internet for a breakfast place turned up a number of great looking places but Big Bad Breakfast really caught my attention. I like the restaurant’s name and also its motto, “Lard Have Mercy”.  Maybe to clinch the deal they list an omelet on their menu called “The Awesome”.
Louisiana:  I know we should go to N’Awlins for a superb breakfast but I’ve been to that city so many times that I am up for something different.  In fact, I’m going to NOLA next month so as an alternative I searched for a place across Lake Pontchartrain and came up with Liz’s Where Y’at Diner in Mandeville.  Another great name backed up by decent reviews.
Alabama:  We’ll stick to the Gulf Coast as we move east so it seems logical that we look for breakfast in Mobile. The Spot of Tea looks promising – decent menu, good reviews, and located in a building that was built in 1836. And besides who cannot like a place that Jay-Z sued for playing his music?
 

Spot of Tea is good, I think that's a good call.
 
 

A place near me great value, extra thick bacon. Home fries, eggs, etc. Basic will set you back $5.

Don't get the buffet, but you can if you like. Don't think it's been remodiled in40 years. Low overhead!!

Sunday morning packed. Otherwise fairly sparse. Easy parking.

I can't seem to link.

Blue flame restaurant. Jefferson Hills Pa.

North on rt 51 off I-70 towardsittsburgh.

Greg

Tentative BATS: States 38-40
Florida:  Barring a hurricane or tropical depression it would be nice to spend a day or two camping in a state park along the Gulf.  Topsail or Grayton Beach look like good possibilities.  The thing I like about Google maps is that you can magnify down to where you plan on staying and then move the mouse around the vicinity to discover potential places to eat (they are clearly marked with a fork and knife). Clicking on the restaurant will bring up the establishment’s website and user reviews.  Using this method I discovered Gravel Road in Santa Rosa Beach.  The breakfast menu looks great and the reviews are very positive.
Georgia:  There’s something about college towns that draw me in.  Next stop is Athens.  As usual for a town with a large university there appears to be plenty of good options for breakfast. Mama’s Boy looks especially good. Another idea is the Rexall Grill in Duluth GA.  It seems that this breakfast “institution” ran into some tax trouble last year but appears to be still operating.
South Carolina: It was somewhat difficult finding good non-chain breakfast places along the I-85 corridor. I read about the Beacon Drive-In on this site, but on other sites the place was slammed by no small minority of people.  Spartanburg didn’t seem to offer much else so I looked to Greenville and found Mary Beth’s.  It looks like the place to go for brunch.  I figure breakfast then can’t be too bad.  
 

For lunch or dinner one of our favorite places in NYC is Les Sans Culottes. It is on 2nd ave at the NW corner of 57th street a few paces in next to a McDonalds. This is a laid back country French place with IMO very good food and is very moderate in price bordering on inexpensive - there are fixed price menus available both for lunch and dinner. It is a fun place too. Upon seating, each table gets a large rack of a good variety of different French sausages, hack off as much as you like, a large basket of whole veggies - sometimes with a seasonal fruit or two thrown in, a crock of pate, and bread. By the time your entree is served, you probably will be full.

veracious


For lunch or dinner one of our favorite places in NYC is Les Sans Culottes. It is on 2nd ave at the NW corner of 57th street a few paces in next to a McDonalds. This is a laid back country French place with IMO very good food and is very moderate in price bordering on inexpensive - there are fixed price menus available both for lunch and dinner. It is a fun place too. Upon seating, each table gets a large rack of a good variety of different French sausages, hack off as much as you like, a large basket of whole veggies - sometimes with a seasonal fruit or two thrown in, a crock of pate, and bread. By the time your entree is served, you probably will be full.

What does this have to do with Breakfast?? That's the topic here.

Tentative BATS:  States 44-46
North Carolina:  I have always wanted to visit Asheville. It sounds like the kind of city I would like to relocate to and live as a retiree. So we’ll check it out and then head into the Great Smoky Mountains for a night of camping. The stand-out breakfast place in Asheville seems to be Sunny Point Café. They serve breakfast all day which is certainly a good sign. They also have a tasty sounding shrimp and grits dish on the menu. I’ve promised myself I would have shrimp and grits at least once on this breakfast tour and this looks like the place to indulge.
Tennessee:  What’s up with Gatlinburg and pancakes? A search of the internet turned up the following pancake places:
Pancake Pantry
Log Cabin Pancake House
Little House of Pancakes
Flapjack’s
Atrium Pancakes
When in Rome do as the Romans do, so I guess we’ll have pancakes for breakfast.  All of the above places have their advocates and loyalists. I’m just picking the Pancake Pantry because it had the highest number of reviews but I can be convinced otherwise.
Kentucky:  I was almost shut out trying to find a good, non-chain breakfast place in Southeastern Kentucky. I realize that this area of the country is not big on tourism but don’t coal miners need a great breakfast?  I searched and searched and finally came up with Billy Ray’s in Prestonburg.
 

From my years of living in TN, I'd probably give a slight edge to Log Cabin over Pancake Pantry, but there's not *that* much difference food-wise.  They do have a different ambiance as well.

here is one from salinas ca- am reposting my roadfood review
 
sangs cafe
Just outside the Steinbeck Center Musuem( great place for all Steinbeck fans),I saw what looked like a little place called Sangs Cafe- what drew me to it was a sign that said John Steinbeck ate here. I went in and thought I stepped back in time - a horsehoe shaped counter with stools and large dining area full of folks happily muching on their breakfasts.
The food was fantastic beyond any expectation- I had two eggs, the most lucsious homemade corn beef hash, and the aboslute hands down best has browns I have ever had, and let me tell you I have scarfed down more than my share of hash browns in 50 plus years. These were perfectly crisp and browned .well seasoned, about a good half inch thick , moist on the inside - I am still raving about them! The portions of the corned beef and hash browns were enormous , so laRGE that my eyes poped out of my head when I saw the plate coming my way.I also noticed the llunch menu and would love to go back- meat loaf, roast pork with stuffing and I saw a flinstone sized lamb shank coming out of the kitchen- evberything seemed to be in the ten dollar or so range...amazing roadfood nirvana- if you are ever in the region this place is worth a detour to get to..now the sad part of the tale- the plate was so huge , I had the waitress take it away after eating only half the potatos and corned beef as I was afraid if I ate it all I would pass out in the musuem- also had a long ride home, but wow what a place ........Sangs is a treasure , and yes talked with the owner(son of the original owner) and Steinbeck did eat there often- I can see why!!

 
[lang="0"]

mealot


  Oklahoma:  Occasionally I watch “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” but not too often because it makes me hungry and I end up going to the refrigerator for a snack which I really shouldn’t have.  But I did see when the show was in Norman at The Diner and the breakfast burrito looked awesome so I jotted it down as a must-stop.  Then I noticed that if I followed my schedule I would be in Norman on a Saturday. If it’s anything like Madison WI something tells me that I don’t want to be in this town if the Sooners are playing at home.  I looked up the schedule and sure enough Texas Tech was playing at Oklahoma.  I could try to get there when they first opened in the morning and then get out of town or maybe find something in Oklahoma City. 

I have three suggestions for OKC and all are just a few blocks from I-40:
 
Los Comales Authentic Mexican taqueria  featuring  breakfast tacos and burritos.
Nic's Grill Very small (10 or so seats) cafe that has great food. He was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives as well. Watch here 
Cattlemen's Steakhouse Yes they do breakfast and they open at 6 a.m.