This is a Greek pastry made from phyllo dough wrapped around semolina custard. There are many variations in Greece, but the one we had was a little crunchy on the outside, somewhat creamy in the middle, and it was flavored with citrus rind and dusted with powdered sugar. There was some syrup on the bottom, but it wasn't too sweet at all, maybe because in Greece it's considered to be a breakfast pastry rather than a dessert. Our waiter said it was his favorite, and I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.
Location: Koutouki, 73675 Highway 111, Palm Desert, California. Date: November 22, 2023.
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This southern specialty is often called breakfast shrimp. I had it at a restaurant called Petit Dejeuner, which is French for “breakfast”. The grits were buttery with little pools of melted butter, and they were cheesy with strands of yellow cheese. The four tail-on shrimp were a decent size and cooked perfectly. The dish was garnished with green onion and red and yellow bell pepper. The owners are Detroit natives, but they use family recipes from Arkansas. One of the owners came by my outdoor table, and when she saw what I was eating, she declared “It's the best part of breakfast!”
Location: Le Petit Dejeuner, 67-778 E Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City, California. Date: November 18, 2023. I love nopales, which are the paddles of the prickly pear cactus, and Las Palmas delivered with this dish from their breakfast menu (though breakfast there is all day, so I actually ate this dish for lunch). On the menu it's described as cactus and egg with rice and beans, but that really doesn't do this dish justice. It was grilled and chopped nopales mixed with scrambled egg and a little finely chopped tomato, onion, and green chile. There was sourness and a little crunch from the nopales and just a touch of heat from the chiles. The beans were creamy, and the Mexican rice was colored with tomato (I detected some tomato skin in it). I squeezed a couple of lime wedges onto the dish, and the flavors really popped.
Location: Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant, 55792 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Yucca Valley, California. Date: April 15, 2023. Is there a more American breakfast than biscuits and gravy with eggs and bacon? I ordered this at a funky little cafe in a funky little town, and the presentation was photogenic. The eggs were cooked exactly how I like them (sunny side up, easy), and the bacon was perfect. The gravy was good too, tasty but not too thick. The biscuits, however, were tough, but I ate them all anyway.
Location: Morongo Valley Cafe, 49780 Twentynine Palms Highway, Morongo Valley, California. Date: November 19, 2022. This seasonal pastry consisted of a torched meringue witches hat set on a crispy chocolate shell with a creamy pumpkin filling. The meringue had a soft chewy texture that was quite delightful, and the pastry wasn't too sweet. The pumpkin flavor came through nicely, and with a cup of strong coffee, this was a fitting post Halloween breakfast. Meringue, by the way, is whipped sweetened egg white stabilized with cream of tartar. It's completely white unless you torch it to get some color.
Location: Black Market Bakery, 4686 30th Street, San Diego, California. Date: November 1, 2022. I had this coffee inspired salad for breakfast at a Bisbee Breakfast Club in Arizona. It featured slices of coffee-seasoned grilled chicken breast on a field of curly red and green lettuce. The garnishes were sliced black olives, tangy crumbled feta cheese, refreshing tomato wedges, crunchy raw red onion rings, a whole hard boiled egg, and a half dozen crunchy artichoke fritters. I could see and taste the coffee seasoning on the warm chicken breast strips. For my dressing I chose oil and vinegar, and they served it old school: a bottle of oil, a bottle of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper shakers. I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast salad, and kudos to whoever came up with it.
Location: Bisbee Breakfast Club, 13864 N Sandario Road, Marana, Arizona. Date: November 4, 2021. The menu didn't say it, but the tacos came with purple potatoes; I thought that was really cool. There was also some salsa (onion, tomato, and jalapeño), as well as a generous amount of avocado and micro cilantro, all stuffed into two white corn tortillas. There was fresh hot sauce on the side. I was invited for brunch at a golf course, and we ate outside with mountain views. For my side I chose tomato slices, which isn't something you're offered often. I thoroughly enjoyed my brunch dish, even though it was light on protein.
Location: Escena Grill, 1100 Clubhouse View Drive, Palm Springs, California. October 24, 2021. My Papua New Guinea coffee was very smooth with an interesting after taste, but the banana nut bread was the star of my breakfast in San Diego: it was thick, moist, and only semi-sweet. Yeah! It had a mild banana flavor but it had more flavor and crunch from the roasted walnut pieces. I bought some PNG coffee beans here, and I made a stronger coffee at home to which I added sugar and cream; it was rich with a hint of chocolate. Dos Palmas cafe has cacti and bougainvillea out front, lots of outdoor seating, and the adobe building has a wooden porch. This is a very nice breakfast spot.
Location: Dos Palmas Cafe, 3562 Adams Avenue, San Diego, California. Date: September 2, 2021. I had breakfast in the Hiram S. Stevens House, built in 1865, which is a rambling house in the Old Town of Tucson. It's now a café that doubles as a bar, brunch restaurant, and art gallery. It's certainly a noteworthy place! I ordered a Romano, which is espresso with a piece of lemon peel, and a slice of Blueberry and Sour Cream Pie. The Romano was really good espresso with the lemon peel adding extra zing. In the pie, which was not too sweet, I could taste both the blueberry and the sour cream. The whipped cream garnish was itself garnished with fresh blueberries, and the pastry had a streusel topping.
Location: Café a la C'art, 150 N Main Avenue, Tucson, Arizona. Date: August 27, 2021. Entering this place through the courtyard is amazing. You pass flowers and a vegetable garden, and in front of you, behind some tables and chairs, is a huge wall of a tall building that is all mosaic tile: no windows, just tile. If you're not eating outdoors, you enter the restaurant through a door to the left. I decided to eat here because of the entrance alone! Then I found the Shakshuka Benedict. Shakshuka is a North African dish of spiced tomato sauce and poached eggs. Here the two perfectly poached eggs sat atop two chickpea cakes, and apart from the spicy tomato, there was hollandaise sauce and a bunch of raw spinach tossed in what tasted like lemon vinaigrette. The thin chickpea cakes, or fritters, were crispy on the outside but soft inside, and they added savoriness (I detected cumin). The tomato sauce, which was akin to a salsa, added sourness and spice. The hollandaise was tart and creamy, and the spinach added freshness.
Location: Nook Urban Kitchen, 1 E Congress, Tucson, Arizona. Date: August 25, 2021. |
AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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