Sunday, October 26, 2008

Brookline Lunch, Cambridge

It wasn't in Brookline and it wasn't lunch, but I still managed to enjoy myself at Brookline Lunch, 9 Brookline St, Cambridge, MA, Tel +1 (617) 354-2983. Because they serve a very respectable breakfast, and it's cheap. Sorry... not cheap... inexpensive... affordable. Cheap sounds so... cheap.

brookline omelette

I had an omelette with fat chunks of ham, sliced mushroom, cheese and a tasty side of home fries with a bit of veg mixed in. The trouble and strife had the eggs benny and was full of praise. And Mr Smith had an excellent egg and bacon muffin with cheese and crispy bacon. Happy campers all round.

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Cafe Campagne, Seattle

You know very well that in '82 there was a drought in Bourgogne. The locals dubbed it the year of the raisin. And that wine wasn't sold by the case, only the bottle.
Niles Crane on the '82 Chambolle-Musigny

I wonder what the corkmaster would think of the oeufs en meurette at Cafe Campagne, 1600 Post Alley (corner of Pine Street), Seattle, WA, Tel +1 206 728 2233? Drizzled with a sticky, rich, red-wine-fois-gras sauce, it was certainly better than the "real thing" I tried in Cluny last year. Maybe they add a splash of '82 burgundy to give it that raisiny edge?

oeufs en meurette

Maybe not. Whatever they do, it works. The eggs were a little under-poached, but otherwise this is a flawless dish. Thick, crunchy garlic-brioche-toast base (which they called a crouton). Two poached eggs. A sprinkling of onion, bacon and mushrooms. All smothered in the aforementioned sauce. A must-try dish if you're brunching in Seattle.

Other dishes are a little less exciting. The Omelette Choisy, for example, was a slightly overcooked herb-chevre omelette served with a chicken and pork sausage, a few chunks of potato and some dry baguette. Order that one and you'll probably need a Kir or two to wash it down. Or a Kir Royale. Or, if you're feeling innovative, a Kir du Soleil, with mandarine liqueur. Never heard of that one before.

If you're lucky, food and drinks will be served by a very spunky waitress, so make sure to order just one item at a time, to keep her coming back.

16/20 "oueffs en meurette"

score

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Glo's, Seattle

Slow food is all hip and trendy these days. Not at Glo's, 1621 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA, Tel +1 206 324 2577. It's just classic diner food that happens to come out slowly. Very slowly. So come early and be prepared to sit around and wait. Because breakfast at Glo's is worth the wait.

neon glo

Despite being a humble diner, Glo's is most famous for eggs benedict, the show pony of the breakfast world. They serve five different breeds of benny: classic Canadian bacon; smoked salmon; Florentine (with spinach); Californian (with Avocado); and Blackstone (with strip bacon and sauteed spinach). Most importantly, the house made hollandaise is very good, and the hashbrowns are delicious: soft and crispy cakes of shredded spud. Yum.

eggs benedict

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Saturday, October 04, 2008

Cafe Beaubourg, Paris

I don't care if it was designed by a Pritzker laureate. Some cafes just scream 1980's. Like the Cafe Beaubourg, overlooking the Pompidou Centre in Paris, Tel +33 1 4887 6396. Grab some shoulder pads, pop on the Wayfarers, and slide that old Billy Ocean tape into your walkman. It's 1987 again and the markets are crashing...

croque madame beaubourg

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Thursday, October 02, 2008

Mokafe, Brussels

The traveler's challenge is to find good, simple, local food without getting ripped off. Usually, you fail. Sometimes you get lucky. Like when I stumbled into Mokafe, Galerie du Roi 9, Bruxelles, Tel +32 2 511 78 70. The food was nothing to get excited about, but it was simple and good. And the place had great buzz.

mokafe brussels

I had breakfast here twice. First, I tried the croque monsieur, which was just a croque, with a bit of salad on the side. Second, I tried the omelette jambon et fromage, which was just an omelette, with a bit of salad on the side. Maybe I should have gone with the more traditional bread, croissants and assorted viennoiserie, which seemed a popular choice with the locals? But in the relaxed cocoon of Mokafe, I didn't really care.

Actually, the real discovery was Mokafe's rustic dinner fare, like stoemp saucisse. If you like English style bangers and mash, you will love stoemp saucisse. It's basically a creamy mash with some bonus veggies mixed through (spinach in this case), served with a big fat grilled sausage. I'm told you can also get bacon stoemp served with fried eggs, so I'm quite happy to claim it as breakfast food.

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