Breakfast Challenge

I was blessed enough to have my sister fly out to visit for the last few days of May. If anyone would be up to the challenge of helping me find breakfast places in a time crunch (3 days out in a row), I knew Dewey could do it, assuming I could get her to wake up for it. I technically missed this goal, as my 5th new breakfast place was actually enjoyed on June 1, but a friend pointed out that I should go for quality over trying to cram in any place that was open on a Thursday before 8 am. So here are the reviews:

#1 - Mesa Cafe: I ventured out there on a Sunday, turns out they serve breakfast pretty late on the weekends. I can't even remember what exactly I had, but it was a typical dish for me, some type of spinach/veggie omelet. It was good, I do remember that, and accompanied by a tasty blueberry muffin, plus they did their has browns extra crispy!

#2 - Ranchos (Ocean Beach, San Diego): This one wins! This was hands down one of the best breakfasts I've had in a very long time. I enjoyed a fajita omelet that was loaded with deliciously seasoned veggies along side of potatoes with peppers and onions and the option of black beans (instead of refried). Another bonus was the organic Mexican coffee, with a hint of cinnamon. It can be quite rare that you find great breakfast along with great coffee; I am usually to the point where I seriously consider bringing my own every time. Rancho's wins because it was the best food, but also because there were at least 10 other dishes on the menu that I would consider getting; a good candidate for bringing me out of 'play it safe' mode.

#3 - Peabody's (Montecito): A cute little breakfast diner, we trekked all the way down to
Montecito early on a Friday morning to cram in the last 3 places. I honestly had the wrong thing. The omelet was not creative, just egg placed on top of a pile of veggies. Jayna branched out and tried the Spanish Tortilla - which, from the bite I managed to snag, was great. This was similar to a fritata only thinner, consisting of a combination of eggs, potatoes and great flavor.

#4 - Sambos: I don't want to say they were a 'typical' breakfast/brunch joint, because it was certainly great, but the menu style was somewhat California, traditional breakfast/brunch. I liked Sambos because they start you with a basket of mini-muffins and you are given the option of a side of pancakes instead of toast. Perfect for those of us who love our eggs but want a bite of the sweeter side. I had a spinach, tomato and cheese omelette that was delicious.

#5- Rose Cafe (Mesa) - We managed to miss the breakfast menu, it's only served until 11 am (booo!), but ordered from the all day breakfast items. The chips, salsa and guacamole here were yummy, the style was the more traditional Mexican plates, served with sides of beans and rice.

I think Tupelo Junction is still my favorite nicer breakfast place in town and La Carreta is my favorite casual place (with Cajun Kitchen as a close second). We did notice that Cold Springs Tavern also serves breakfast, but only until 11 am, so with careful planning in regards to timing, I'm hoping to make it up there one of these days to try it out.