My idea of a great breakfast is a double cheeseburger from Camellia Grill. My disdain, however, for the early morning meal withers slowly. We eat more breakfast now; mostly at home, but occasionally on a Saturday or Sunday morning we venture out into the dining pasture before lunch.Oak St. Cafe sits on the corner of Dublin and Oak St. (but you likely knew that). The interior is busy, noisy, and full of people-like breakfast in bedlam. The walls lined with pictures and memorabilia fail to contain the people spilling out into the street. The tables crammed in nooks and the piano player in a cranny round out the space. A big display case stocked with doughnuts and other pleasures of the baking world cries out in vain. You wait in line, order, grab an open table, and wait for your name to be called.
A long wait as it turned out. If you are recovering from one too many, this may not be the best bet for your first stop. But the Vietnamese Iced Coffee and an opportunity to take in the scene made it more than enjoyable. The coffee needed to be about three degrees stronger to really do battle with the sweet, syrupy condensed milk though.
If you are going to make Huevos Rancheros, they need to be bold. Season the eggs, the salsa, the beans, and the sauce aggressively with both salt and acid. Serve it piping hot. These Huevos did not comply with the rules of the game. By no means a terrible version of the dish, but certainly not the Platonic ideal.
Lindsay's Mexican Scramble had many of the components of the Huevos Rancheros in a less formal environment. Chorizo, peppers, and onions get wrapped in an egg who doesn't know if he wants to be scrambled or omeleted. The beans and salsa provide alternating contrasts and flavors with each bite. The salsa brings a peppery acidity, while the beans bring a depth of flavor and creaminess.Oak St. Cafe is a very lovely little breakfast and lunch spot. Everyone seems to know one another and enjoy the scene. Bring a newspaper, linger just long enough for those waiting for a table to question your motivations. It is the weekend, you got all day. If nothing else the music, jumpy versions of Dave Brubeck and the like sounding from the up-right piano, will put you in a great mood. Oak St. Cafe is not fussy, it is not perfect, but it is breakfast.
Oak St. Cafe - Par.
Posts
4 comments:
I may be going out on a limb here, but is the title of this post any reference to the 80's classic starring Elizabeth Shue, "Adventures in Babysitting"?
Of course. What else could it be?
Other titles were Bedknobs and Breakfasts, St. Eggo's Fire, and The Breakfast Club.
This place is not even that great. Goddamnit, why is that because its local, you must say it is good. 45 minutes for a table. Decent food. Mad expensive. I don't get it.
Anon,
I think I addressed some of your complaints in the article. I found the wait a little too long and my huevos rancheros were not wonderful by any means. But it has some very redeemable qualities. Besides it received a Par which is Blackened Out Speak for decent, but nothing special.
Post a Comment