The Local Table Acton, MA: 81/351

I'm flabbergasted that there was only 7 people here for breakfast at 10:30 on a Saturday morning...this place should be packed to the rafters.

It's out of my local zone, so, I ordered a few things, to get the taste.

"Green" eggs Benedict (spinach V. meat) w/homefries, smoky hash, 1 piece of French toast. YUMMO! Nice bright, fresh flavors. The homefries were large chunk red bliss potato. The hash was obviously made in-house and was very tasty. The French toast is thick, brioche style. 

The flavor & quality of the food, put this place near the top of my breakfast places.

2 minor glitches (I hope the 2nd was a simple oversight V. padding to make up for small crowd)
- they forgot to add Hollandaise sauce....I even checked to see if maybe they normally didn't use sauce on their "Green" Benedict....they brought it quickly.
- I noticed a $3.00 charge for my homefries (suppose to be included)...my server called it a glitch. Hope everyone else finds it, IF, it pops up on your bill.

If you like breakfast.....YOU HAVE TO EAT HERE!!!

Big "Yay!!"

Leggos : Holbrook, MA 80/351

Truly dreadful. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks this slop qualifies as Food.
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I had the Leggo Benedict (eggs Bene w/ham) and a side order of 1 French toast. Problem #1. Mass produced/previously frozen homefries...YUCK! #2. English muffin was barely, if that, cooked/toasted/grilled. #3. They actually put the eggs bene on TOP of a very thin slice of ham (Oscar Myer deli meat??)....Bizarre! #4. Even the French toast had a funny taste (sorry, I'm not good at describing flavors)...Horrible is a good enough descriptor for me.

Do not eat breakfast here or you're literally pissing your $$ away

Cowbells Cafe : Whitman, MA 79/351

Cute little place. Tasty coffee. Above average homestyle cornbeef hash. Asked for a single French toast, it was very yummy. This place has a small menu. There wasn't an eggs Bene.

One drawback (for me anyway)...they have hashbrowns Vs. homefries. Y'all know I prefer fresh diced red bliss potatoes.

Also, the bathroom is very poorly accessible, bad, especially if you have kids in tow.

Almost tempted to say, "Nay." But, the cornbeef hash & French toast saved the day.

"Yay!"

Sippican Cafe   Marion, MA: 78/351

Small town, nice place with a patio & open kitchen...lots of potential. Unfortunately they do not know how to do breakfast. Had eggs Florentine: I liked the ingredients, spinach, mushroom, tomatoes. However, the Hollandaise sauce was dull.

And it truly Failed at homefries....yuck!! Preprocessed crap.

"Nay!!"..... what a shame. This place could be fab, if they found themselves a great Chef.
                                                     
      

Toast ...Hull, MA: 77/351

I tentatively give it a "Yay". Coffee was decent & the cinnamon French toast was pretty good. NOT as good as my all-time fav. I was disappointed in the brown potatoes in the homefries. I should have been more assertive and requested 1/2 cinnamon FT and 1/2 Creme Brulee FT....that way I could have tasted both and it would have been a good test on customer service.

It's not a "drive out of the way" type worthiness. But, I'll probably go back to try that CBFT.

 The Breakfast Nook, Wareham, MA: doesn't count toward my town/city total.

This is for my co-worker, Robbie, he wants more updates.

Well, Robbie....this place is a "Nay!".

They're certainly very friendly here, but, the food is not worthy. I had regular eggs Bene w/homefries. The Hollandaise sauce was bland and the homefries were very dry, brown potatoes. Yuck.

Don't worry Rob...I'll let ya know when I find something good.

Hole in One, Orleans, MA: 76/351...there was a lot of positive reviews and a huge crowd at the door, so, I expected a treat. Nope. Started with a crabby waitress, I commented, "Crowd is nothing new! right? You've been doing this a while?"....she replied, "Yeah, 30 yrs"....OK then lady...no excuse for your attitude.

A got the garden eggs Benedict...spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms. Tomatoes were light pink, far from bright red & fresh, the mushrooms seemed like the type you pour out of a can. Lame!

Homefries are dreadful...mass produced, school cafeteria quality. Yuck. I tried the "homemade" corn beef hash..I doubt it! Very dry.

Seems a lot of people rave about the donuts....certainly hope they're better than breakfast.

"Nay!"

Vacation breakfasts: Barbados 7/3-7/6 2014

Bean n' Bagel: 1st try during my trip. Was recommended by a few locals. I thought the food was lame and fairly lousy. Seemed pre-made or "frozen" style. Not the friendliest server.

"Nay!"


Relish: 2nd try. Much better. Crisp, fresh, quality. I had an omelet (my mistake for not customizing it)...came plain, but, was fluffy & moist. With a side of Lox on a small bed of salad greens. I understand prices seem a little high, eg: $19 U.S. and coffee $6 U.S., but, IMO...if you're on vacation here, I really don't think people are counting pennies.

"Yay!"

Flindt's: Nice. Outdoor patio (street side, not beach side....still nice). I had crepes and scrambled eggs. Nicely plated. With strawberry jam & thick syrup. Eggs fluffy and moist. Tasty coffee.

Beautiful surprise...it was Sunday morning and I began to hear singing....turns out there's a old stone church across the way and the choir was performing. Wonderful!

"Big yay!"

Papa Stewies' Blackstone, MA: 75/351

I broke my rule against eating at "cash only" establishments, I couldn't resist a tiny, hole in the wall place. Officially my smallest to date...18 seats. In theory you would think a small joint would be able to use fresh, quality ingredients and prepare each meal with some innate goodness. NOT worth breaking the rule.

Quantity does not trump quality. I got about 1 pound of hash....was a step above dog food! So much for "homemade". They didn't offer any eggs Bene's, so I had an omelet. Paper thin with barely ripe tomatoes. Homefries were greasy and lame...couldn't exactly determine if they were red bliss. Weak coffee.

IMHO the main problem with places like this....is there are a ton of  locals/regulars that are friendly with owner/chef and they don't have the balls to tell him that the food is lousy. Either that, everyone that eats here doesn't give a rat's ass about taste.

Huge "Nay!"

Crossroads Çafe & Deli: Hanover, MA. 74/351
Not bad. Coffee was weak. They had no problem with my ordering eggs Florentine, even though it's not on the menu. Homefries are red bliss, yet the seasoning was a little lame...ok enough to eat. Moderately busy and the service was quick enough for me.

So it's a "Yay!"

Good Days, W.Bridgewater, MA: 72/351

One swig of the lousy coffee, I should have walked. But, since I always stick it out, on with the food. I was tempted by the extra thick cinnamon swirl French toast, to compare against my Fav....not even close. And I asked for homefries instead of the bacon/sausage choice. They were brown potatoes, dry, bland. Yuck!

To make matters worse....they charged me full price for the side of homefries. Ummmm....menu didn't say "No substitutes"....that's a shitty business practice anyway. So, I complained to my waitress....she grabbed the check and said "Yeah, you can't substitute" and she was walking away before I could say anything....so, I loudly called out...."and they were lousy."

She did remove the charge.

Really lame breakfast, unfortunately for the masses, I bet this place is jammed pack on the weekends.

Huge "Nay!!"

The Farmer's Daughter Easton, MA: 71/351

Fantastic....my new #1.

Very tasty coffee. I was torn between French toast & a Benedict....I went with Benedict w/smoked salmon. YUMMO!!  After my friend Keith finished his meal, he ordered a blueberry pancake, we split it. Scrumptious.
For most of the dishes you have to order homefries or as they call them..."crispy smashed potatoes". It's not a unique style, just a different term. They use red bliss, chunk cut. Very tasty.

There's some hype to this place at the moment....worth it!!!

Huge "Yay!"

Sam's on the Harbor Scituate, MA: 70/351

Decent coffee and fairly tasty food that was served piping hot. Prices were a skosh high.

"Yay!"

Larry's PX Chatham, MA: 68/351

This place was a last minute fill-in, since my first 2 choices were both closed for the season. I should have just waited until one of them opened.

Menu is lame and food was more lame. The homefries were actually horrid: brown potatoes, dry and the flavor was odd....I don't even know how to describe it. Yuck.

Big fat "Nay!"

Angler's Kitchen Halifax, MA: 68/351

Cheap food can be done well...eg: Hoagies

Here, it's lame & lousy...."Nay!"

Patty's Place Norton, MA: 67/351

"Nay"....how's that for short & simple?

Early Bird II Kingston, MA: 66/351....my number jumped, I remembered a place in Stoughton.

Cute, homey place with free WiFi...bonus point.

Food was yummy. Decent coffee. Had hash eggs Bene. The Hollandaise sauce was thick & tasty. The hash is home made and delicious. They use red bliss potatoes for the homefries. Only critique is the temp of homefries, they need to be hot with the temp even throughout.

If you're not from the area, maybe try this place on the way to/from Cape Cod. It's a quick jump off of Rt.3 @ exit 9. Quality food without the Cape price.

Big "Yay!"

Dino's Harwichport, MA: 64/351

I should have walked away when I saw it was "Cash Only"....and from now on, unless there is no choice in a particular city/town, I will not eat in a cash only establishment.

Food was lame to lousy. Cornbeef hash straight from the can style. Bland Hollandaise sauce.

Now, let's discuss the "famous" homefries. Dino himself told me the story of how "no-one else cooks 'em like we do and people love 'em". Yikes! Brown potatoes, boiled, then sliced thin (scallop style..???), then cooked on the grill in nothing except butter. Dino says "they get their taste from the butter, I don't add any salt". Call me crazy and I'm sure Dino won't like my opinion....but, YUCK! Bland & dry.

Big "Nay!"

Pumpernickels Fairhaven, MA 63/351
I realise it's early, but, it was to cold. The home made corn beef hash was pretty good. Unfortunately everything else was lousy. Zero taste in the Hollandaise sauce. Home fries were brown potatoes, dry & bland.

"Nay!"

Westbury Farms Walpole, MA: 62/351

They used red bliss potatoes for the homefries, but, dry & bland.

"Nay!"

Mel's Diner Raynham, MA: 61/351
I said in the beginning that I'd keep this blog simple & short.

So, despite home style cornbeef hash, the homefries were lousy.

"Nay!"

Dave's Diner Middleboro, MA 60/351

Cool retro diner. Yummy food including homemade hash & red bliss homefries. Ok coffee. And Fast service, I know it wasn't very crowded, but, Less than 5 minutes !

2 hiccups: had to stop a speeding waitress to get a coffee refill and my waitress did Not clear my plate...even when she brought the bill.

Still.....it's a "Yay!"

Bourque's Norfolk, MA: 59/351
- I feel bad for Norfolk, this is their only choice. I don't mind a greasy spoon, but, this is more of a grungy spoon. The eggs Florentine wasn't bad. Coffee near tasteless and the homefries: #1. brown potato #2. essentially no seasoning.

It's a "Nay!"

A few years ago I had a silly notion to combine 2 of my favortie hobbies: breakfast & roadtrips. I decided I'd have breakfast in every city/town of Massachusetts. There are 351. I sort of forgot about the idea for a while, however, now that I've taken the plunge to start this blog, I'm going to re-start my quest.

As of now from off the top of my head memory, I've hit 58 cities/towns. This is just from the past few years. I didn't include the towns in Western MA from when I visited friends back in the college days and there were plenty of towns I had breakfast with my Dad during the Summers I worked with him. NO. I am not going to start from the begining just so I can blog & log my travels. Y'all will just have to take my word for it. From today on, I will list my tally next to my entry, you'll notice what I mean below.

So, that's why I was in Carver this morning.
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D's Omelet Shop Carver, MA: 58/351
- Bland, boring and the homefries had a funny, mushy consistency. I think they may have been packaged        potatoes. I asked how they were cooked and all I got for an answer was "cast iron skillet", I guess I could  have asked if they were fresh cut. Oh well.

In addition this place was CASH Only which I strongly frown upon. Although I confess that the place with my favorite cinnamon swirl French toast, is also cash only.

Any who....for me it's a definite: "Nay!"

Rye Tavern Plymouth, MA
- Rustic as it can get in the middle of the woods down a dirt road, be careful you might miss it. You need to turn left onto New Tavern Trail Rd., in order to find the entrance.

Coffee was tasty, had to ask for a re-fill, not sure if it was our server or typical.

Stepped out of my norm and had the Burrito which included rabbit meat. Was yummy, but, since everything was blended, I couldn't distinguish the meat. Home fries were ok, small chunk potato with decent seasoning, but very small portion and I don't think they were red bliss potato. Also ordered a 1/2 order of the homemade brioche French toast to share with my son. It came with real maple syrup and was pretty good, but, not stellar.

My son, CJ, had the grass fed local beef burger. He said it tasted a bit better than average. His overall comment was "pretty good place to come, now & then."

So, it's a "Yay"

Possibly useful:. Sunday Brunches

Saturday 1/25

Fish Monger Cafe Woods Hole, MA:

Rustic settings with plenty of windows overlooking the water. Eggs bene was tasty with decent Hollandaise sauce, homefries were chunk cut redbliss potato and there was a watermelon slice to finish off the dish. I was sadly disappointed with the coffee.

It's a Yay!

Intro

Hi Folks. My name is Jim and I love breakfast. Some of my friends (Brooksie) mentioned off hand that I should write about my experiences at all the different places I eat breakfast. So, I'm going to give it a whirl.

I am NOT a professional critic or cook/chef. Hell, I don't even cook at home for myself. So, this simple blog will not dissect the meals. I won't explain how things are prepared or seasoned, etc... This is simply a basic "Yay" or "Nay" decision. I'll try and give a short and concise explanation. There will be some that I choose as a "Nay", based on other factors, other than quality of food.

This is definitely a low brow, just for fun experiment.

Figured I'd start with some basic info that I could share as just a matter of things on my mind.

Current "Best":

1.Daniel Webster Inn, Sandwich, MA
- This is my favorite due to the atmosphere..eg: greenhouse style room, linen tablecloth, linen napkins, WiFi.
  The food is top quality and typically delicious and they leave a coffee jug on the table.

2. Wildflower Cafe Duxbury, MA:
- Quaint little place with quality, local ingredient food. Bonus = homemade honey butter and jams. Also,      flavored syrups.

3. Hoagies Diner Pocasset, MA
- Retro 50's style diner. Quick service. Simple food, yet very tasty. BEST VALUE! Good food & coffee for
 under $10.

4. Aunt Aleda's Mansfield, MA:
- Quality food, fresh baked goods (Raspberry Babka). Really good homefries that mix redbliss and a few sweet potato chunks.

5. The Rox W.Roxbury, MA:
- The BEST eggs bene w/smoked salmon and their homefries are oven roasted.

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Brunch

1. Tek-Nique Bedford, NH:
- Yum, Yum, Yum.....Best food overall.

2. Clearwater Cafe @ Holiday Inn Mansfield, MA:
- BEST Value. Nice setting, many choices of food, decent quality food. Missing live music to make it   Awesome.

3. Tinker's Son Norwell, MA:
- Live Celtic music!!! Pretty yummy food. I'm not a huge fan of the service set-up, seems a tad crowded.

4. Colonel Blackinton Inn Attleboro, MA:
- Live jazz music...usually just a duo. Quality food.

5.Moonstones Chelmsford, MA:
- A la Carte style. Very yummy.

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Special Items:

1. East Side Millis, MA:
- Home baked cinnamon swirl French toast. YUM-YUM. Slices are about 1 1/2 inches thick.

2. Norwood Town Square Diner Norwood, MA:
- Blueberry French toast. They press the blueberries into the batter onto the bread. Mmmm.

3. The Mug Marshfield, MA:
- Broccoli Skillet. Diced redbliss potato, covered w/egg (as you like it) and then covered in cheese sauce. I     typically order mine w/diced tomato and diced ham.

4. Purple Finch Cafe Bedford, NH:
- California Eggs bene. Delicious.

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A few quick "Nays"!!

1. Country Fare Falmouth, MA:
- Terrible tasting food/coffee

2. Strawberry Fair Norwell, MA:
- Over priced for the quality.

3. Stonebridge Brockton, MA:
- Lousy food.

4. Jeep Grill Norwood, MA
- Don't bother

5. Amber Road Cafe Canton, MA:
- This place Breaks my heart! :-(.......they have quality and delicious food. But, I personally am boycotting
them due to their "minimum" charge for using credit card/debit card. I can tolerate a small minimum, but, they want $25!!!! NOPE! Crazy.

6. Crabapples Falmouth, MA:
- Even just one bad experience will sour me. To many other places to eat. The food was pretty decent the couple times that I went, however, one time the waitress failed to clear my plate, even though it wasn't busy and she had a couple of opportunities. On top of that, I left $15 cash for a $12+ total. She did not return with my change!


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OK....I think that's enough ranting to kick things off. When I try a new place, I will try to remember to log on and "Blog"!!

Stay Tuned..................