Super Chef with Kacey and Alyse

It is the day after Memorial Day and I am waiting for Rite Rug to come and put down new carpets in my living and dining rooms and find out they are not coming until 1 PM.  Kacey and Alyse have been at the doctor (she has had a fever for 2 weeks!) and we decide to meet for breakfast at Super Chef which neither of us have been to but has been recommended by Kacey.

We get there at 11 AM and are surprised to find there is a 10 minute wait to get a table.  This place is popular!  It is immediately clear that the theme  of this restaurant is "Superhero.  Here is a picture of the bench on which we were waiting.

All of the menus have a superhero theme and there are a real interesting variety of food offerings.The waiter (a very cute guy with an interesting geometric design in his hair) said the popular items are cajun omelet and wings and waffles.  I was drawn to the description of the OGpancake platter - four pancakes: red velvet, reese cup, blueberry and banana pudding. WOW!  Too much for me but I saw it served to a nearby diner and it was impressive!

We opted for the classic French toast (Kacey), Bacon and cheese omelet (Margot) and Grilled cheese (Alyse.) The down side to this restaurant was that it was very noisy and the service was very slow.  We waited at least a half hour before we got our coffee.  The meal itself took 50 minutes. At one point Alyse grabbed my phone where I take notes and wrote: "Alyse cried bc they wouldn't feed us." We were VERY hungry.

We enjoyed conversing about all matter of subjects - what are Alyses's goals for the summer (none) and Kacey's (get up at 8 every morning, repaint house, reorganize dining room.)  We are all looking forward to vacation and maybe planning a trip to Chicago.  Also, there was a pokemon gym in the restaurant (again I am not sure what that means) and it made Kacey very happy.  There was a Trivia game on the table with questions about DC Superheroes.  Kacey got 8 right and I only got 4.  I need to do a refresher course in superhero.

The good news is that the food was definitely worth the wait.  Alyse loved her grilled cheese and her fries were also great.  She took half of them home.

 My omelet was delicious and the grilled potatoes were outstanding.  I could not finish it all

.  Kacey was in the clean plate club with her French toast with whipped cream and fruit.  The coffee was very good and both Kacey and I took home a to go cup. It was an exceptional breakfast.

And so - they need to work on customer service - but it is a restaurant definitely worth going to.   Interestingly, there is a bar in the middle of the dining area that was very busy - so this is a place to also get a bloody mary or whatever - with your breakfast.  (There is also tasty  lunch menu)
In their website they say they are focussing on:  intense flavors, vibrant palettes, great customer service and creative presentations.  They got three out of four very well!

I recommend - but only for those who are not in a hurry.

La Chateleine with Audrey

It is Friday morning and Audrey and I decide to go to what has become in many ways our favorite breakfast place - La Chateleine in Worthington.

 Today it is warm and Sunny and we are eating outside.  There is a fountain here and it is just perfect.  We can still hear the French music that is playing in the restaurant, we have been greeted with a friendly Bon Jour and there are people around us having - we are sure - intellectual conversations.  Audrey decides that one man behind me may own part of Columbus.  Yes - we are in Worthington.

I first came here for breakfast last November and met Marsha by the fire inside.  It was a comforting place close to home during a difficult time.  Now as I sit with Audrey outside she informs me that there is a "Pokemon Gym" nearby.  I am not sure I understand but I know it makes her happy.

Audrey gets the French toast which has fruit, whipped cream and she says that each bite has a perfect mix of "sweet fruit, whipped cream and French toast."  After a night of working in the hospital, she had trouble savoring it - she just wanted to devour it.



  I had the parisienne omelet which has ham and gruyere cheese and I savored every bite.  I also love the coffee - French cafe with spicy undertones and heavy cream.  It is wonderful.

Our conversation is about the coming weekend and Audrey's realization that she will be moving soon into her house.  She wants to go to Ikea and get the furniture because now it is time to actually get it into the house.  We talk all the logistics of the coming weekend and next week's big move.

Before we leave a young family comes to eat outside and we watch children play in the fountain.  It is an idyllic place for breakfast - not cheap - but memorable.

 I recommend.

First Watch on Polaris with Reagan

It is almost the last day of school and Reagan asked me to pick her up after her exam.  I suggested breakfast and she was very willing to join me.  We opted for "First Watch" at Polaris.

I had never eaten at this restaurant, although I frequently went to the one in Worthington Mall. This has wood floors and wooden tables and what we decided were interesting lights.

 Reagan described the restaurant as "cute"  said it was kind of like a barn.  The sound really travels in a restaurant like this and when we arrived there was a screaming child - but thank goodness -  that sound did not continue.  We also noticed and liked that you could see what was going on in the kitchen.

First Watch has an interesting menu.  I commented on the  the Asian pork belly breakfast bowl and Reagan pointed out the lemon blueberry quinoa pancakes but we opted for more conventional meals.
I chose the steel cut oatmeal with strawberry, bananas pecans, and skim milk.  Reagan picked the Sunrise Granola with yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple,  pecans, grapes and granola.

 I liked mine but Reagan was not crazy about the nuts in the meal.  We each got a delicious blueberry muffin  and Reagan said: "Personally, I think there are too many blueberries."  I personally believe you cannot have too many blueberries.







Our conversation was about the upcoming summer.  In the past, both Marnie and Kacey's families had made a list of what they wanted to do in the summer.  At my encouragement, Reagan came up with this list:
Get a tan
Read 2 books
Listen to a podcast
Go to camp
Go to vacation
Run at least once\
Do whatever my Mom tells me to do
Go out to breakfast with Ogram.

I told her that these were VERY achievable.

My goals so far:
A book a week
Have a garage sale
walk frequently
eat healthy
swim with family
take Chuck's ashes to the Maumee River

So, a good meal, a great breakfast companion and an interesting conversation.  I recommend all of it.

Tom's Dinner in Brooklyn with Audrey

Not all the restaurants are going to be in central Ohio.  For my 70th birthday, Audrey took me on a trip to NYC and we stayed in Brooklyn.  My niece, Elyssa, recommended this diner which she described as really popular - there is a long line on weekends. 

Fortunately for us, we went on a Friday morning and there was no line and plenty of tables.  The restaurants decor is eclectic with stained glass windows framed by red tinsel, an American flag, many framed restaurants reviews.  It was very comfortable. 



At the waiter's recommendation Audrey  ordered Lemon Ricotta pancakes and they turned out to be delicious - light, lemony and fluffy.  She never would have ordered them without the suggestion and was glad she did.I had a cheese omelet and hash browns  The hash browns were very peppery and I tasted mostly American cheese in the omelot.  It was good.

 We had a wonderful conversation about our plans for the day.  Elyssa told us that the Botanical Gardens were only 3 blocks away and free on Fridays.  We planned that in the morning and that afternoon we went to the NBC tour at Rockefeller Center.  It was a great way to start a very full day.

Sunny Side Cafe with Melanie

It was a rainy morning and Melanie texted that she was free after her physical therapy and did I want to meet for breakfast?  Yes - and what could be more spirit lifting than "Sunny Side Cafe?"  It is on Sancus Road and convenient for both of us.

When we arrived we were led to a booth in an empty part of this bright and clean restaurant.  Both the hostess and our waitress, Lisa, were warm and friendly.  As soon as we sat down Melanie looked at the menu and mentioned the "Funky Monkey" pancakes.  Unfortunately they include the calories on this menu and it was twice the calories of the thick griddle french toast which I decided on instead.  Melanie  thought the tex mex options for breakfast were fun and ordered the  "Migas Tacos" which were corn tacos, eggs, avocado, cheese, cilantro.  At my urging she opted for hash browns as a side dish.  Melanie was delighted with all the gluten free options and read them aloud to me.

First I got my coffee and it was good and came with a cute creamer.

  Then the food arrived and it was very good.  I loved my French toast and Lisa brought more syrup as the french toast really soaked up the syrup.  The bread was real sourdough and was delicious.   Her meal was very good.  The hash browns were crispy and crunchy and we give them a 10!  Perfect!

Our conversation on the day after Mother's Day was full of our stories about the events of the day before.  Melanie's daughter Erin had invited her for a scrumptious brunch and I was treated to a steak dinner prepared by Erik.  Mother's Day can be a really tricky day for many mothers (and it often was for me - especially when I was working!) but this year was just fun.

So, I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone  - good coffee, good food, good service!  It is a great choice for breakfast on a rainy Monday morning.

Steak and Shake with Audrey

Audrey and I have become in the habit of going out to breakfast on Friday mornings.  She is a chaplain at Grant Hospital and works nights Mondays through Thursday.  Friday morning, then, is the end of her workweek and so we celebrate with breakfast together.

This week we went to Steak and Shake because it was close to Home Depot where we were going to purchase more mulch and flowers for our yards.  (Audrey has been living with me since her house caught on fire six months ago.  Soon she will be moving and - like me - wants to get her yard spruced up this spring.)

We had not been to Steak and Shake for breakfast but I knew that the ROMEOS (Retired Old Men Eating Out) from Karl Road Christian Church ate here monthly.  When Chuck ate with them, he frequently came with a coupon and ordered two milkshakes (buy one, get one free.)

Audrey and I chose to forgo the milk shakes in the morning and instead opted for traditional scrambled eggs.  I ordered ala carte off the menu - one egg and hashbrowns.  She got bacon, two eggs and a biscuit.

Our review of the food was that it was "decent" and the service was adequate.   I am a coffee lover and thought that the coffee was all right and appreciated the waitress keeping my cup full.  Audrey drinks orange juice and pronounced it "Okay."
The eggs were not fluffy but they were good.  Audrey's had cheese on them.  She said that her bacon was "3 out of 10." The biscuit came without butter, but she liked it with strawberry jam.  She said:
"Good biscuit, worth the gluten." I liked my hash browns.

The restaurant itself has black and white tile floors, black booths and for us, good music in the background. It seemed a little dirty - especially the divider between the tables.  We would definitely rate this an "OKAY" breakfast and the best part of it is that it is relatively inexpensive.  Our total bill was $12.15 for the two of us.


























Audrey is a wonderful breakfast companion.  I am fascinated by whatever she shares of her experience working in the hospital.  We are planning a trip to New York City this week.  Much of our conversation was about connections with her cousins who live there and what our days are going to look like.  We have already planned three tours in four days plus we are planning to go to the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero.  We don't want to be overbooked and want to include enough free time to make choices in the moment.  I am VERY excited about all of it.  It made for a wonderful time at breakfast.

What is this Blog all about?

There are several things I enjoy doing:  eating out, conversation with friends, and writing.  This blog is an opportunity for me to do all three.  It is my intention to visit different restaurants for breakfast with various friends and acquaintances.

This blog will be my record and reflection of these dining experiences.  I will reflect not only on the food and the restaurant, but also the gifts of relationship with my culinary companions.  I find that as I get older, it is easy to forget the blessing of times out with friends and now I can share the fruits of these encounters.