| Does this scene seem familiar? It’s 11:08 a.m. on Saturday morning. You and your friends have arrived at your favourite breakfast joint only to wait in line for 20 minutes before being seated. For breakfast?
Of course, we all have our favourites in town and they all have their lineups. In Renfrew, you wait at the Diner Deluxe; in the Beltline you shoegaze while in line at the Galaxie Diner; and in Marda Loop, you stand outside the Belmont. Waiting is fine if you really love what’s in store and if the person you are waiting with is in good spirits. Although, chances are, there is going to be one grump in your group who abhors waiting for breakfast and puts a damper on everything.
A good way to meet in the middle, literally, is to head down to the Palomino on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Cowboy Brunch. But be aware, it isn’t an entire weekend affair – I had to find that out the hard way by heading down on a Sunday just to endure a disappointing eggs Benedict at the Siding Café.
At the Palomino, you’re not going to get any fancy teas or coffees – no latte art here! What you will get is immediate seating accompanied by friendly service, a unique offering of brekkies and your coffee served in a black Jack Daniels mug.
And the prices are good, too – the only item on the breakfast menu costing more than $10 is the Good Morning Burger ($12). My friend loved it because it combined two of his favourite things – a hearty beef patty and a fried egg or, in his inspiring words, "the chicken and the cow, together at last!" It oozed cheddar and was packed with caramelized onions and bacon served with a side of garlic hash browns. It definitely is not for the faint of heart, though (or for those with heart conditions), but tasty nonetheless.
I decided to try out something a little sweeter, the peanut butter and banana French toast ($9). Stuffed with peanut butter, grilled bananas and honey and served with bacon and hash browns, it was a tasty spin on French toast. Heads up to Palomino on this dish, though: please stop serving it on the checkered paper. The syrup/knife/paper situation gets messy and paper bits end up getting stuck in the toast. After bite number one, I removed the paper so I could enjoy the dish. That said, it also could have done with a little more peanut butter. Despite my complaints, I did enjoy it, and those garlic hash browns are great.
While the five-item brunch menu isn’t overly extensive, it also includes Huevos Palominos, the "tasty egg sandwich" and a smokehouse hash plate served with Palomino’s famous pulled pork or beef brisket with eggs, hash browns and melted cheese. Pints of Big Rock are on special for $4.50 and students get their breakfast for half price. You can also order anything off the regular Palomino menu. All within a rustic yet comfortable setting complete with cloth napkins for a slightly more distinguished breakfast experience.
Palomino is located at 109 7 Avenue S.W.; phone, 532-1911. |
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