Gypsy Den (Anaheim) 8.11.14

Yesterday, I was looking for a healthy brunch place to meet with some out-of-town friends but also make my 11:30 pick-up time for my son from his half-day camp.  So, we ended up at Gypsy Den near the end of Center Street Promenade.  I had been to Gypsy Den for lunch and for coffee, but not for breakfast/brunch so we decided to give it a try.  We settled in with iced coffees & jasmine tea and looked over the brunch choices.  Our server noted the popular dishes as the Eggs Ole, Breakfast Sandwich and Brioche French Toast and while I really wanted to try the French Toast, I figured, protein would be in order so I went with the breakfast sandwich.

Breakfast Sandwich

The Gypsy Den Breakfast Sandwich is fried egg, lettuce, tomato and choice of real or veggie bacon on a potato bun, served with fresh fruit or red potatoes (they were out of red potatoes when we went but I wanted fruit anyways).  The bacon was a little crispy for me, but probably not for a normal person (I really like soft, some would call it soggy, bacon), but the egg was nicely cooked with a runny yolk and the potato bun was a soft delight.  I appreciated the assortment of fruit that clearly wasn't melon from a bag.  It was a pretty yummy breakfast sandwich.  Definitely simple, but satisfying.

One of my friends ordered the house made granola with seasonal berries, yogurt and honey (adding almond butter and banana which came out beautifully presented and she said was really tasty.  (I would have considered getting this too, but this is my breakfast staple at home so I thought I'd splurge a bit on the breakfast sandwich): 

Housemade Granola

Our other friend ordered the spinach scramble: spinach, feta, onion, egg with veggie sausage (or bacon) served with toast and fruit (or potatoes) with added avocado.  He also enjoyed his plate and was impressed with the presentation of the food: 

Spinach Scramble

Both my friends really enjoyed the funky vibe of the Gypsy Den space (where they also hold Open Mic and host live music regularly in the evenings) and we enjoyed eating on the outside patio (which is also dog-friendly) as we caught up and talked about their Southern California adventures and the importance of GPS.  I often forget about the Gypsy Den because it's all the way down Center Street Promenade, but I was glad to have a good excuse for brunch to rediscover this gem.  

Snooze (Hillcrest, San Diego) 8.10.14

Okay, so, I didn't try everything, but based on my meal, the look of everyone else's meal AND the fact that I had a 1.5 hour wait, the summary is this: Snooze is AMAZING. I don't even like brunch that much and it was completely worth every minute of the wait. Yum. So yummy. If you're in the area, go to Snooze, even if you have to go to a nearby coffee shop or grab a jamba juice while you're waiting.  It is so good.

So, here's the food, but I'm just going to talk about what I actually ate (I was there with friends and picking off most of your friends' plates is just uncouth...):

Breakfast Pot Pie: Rosemary Sausage Gravy over puffed pastry topped with a sunny side up egg with a side of hash browns

3 eggs anyway (in this case scrambled with mushrooms & spinach), hashbrowns & a sweet potato pancake (topped with ginger butter & caramel)

Snoooze Spuds Deluxe: Hash browns with cheddar & jack cheese & choice of two toppings (in this case, tofu & spinach) 

Kids Pancake platter (with plain pancake, fruit & hash brown)

So, before we get to my dish, I just want to say that everyone was happy with their plate and I really appreciated Snooze's philosophy of custom creations so everyone gets what they want.  Normally the three egg plate comes with toast, but my friend subbed a pancake, my husband could get something that was meat & egg-less. My kid got fruit that was not defrosted melon & grapes (I love good melon, but a "fruit cup" at a lot of breakfast places. Ugh, gross.  Real berries--YUM).  Happy.  Really happy. 

Caprese Benedict: Summer ripe heirloom tomatoes tossed with pesto, cream cheese hollandaise over poached egg over mozzarella on toasted ciabatta bread with a drizzle of balsamic reduction & house hash browns.  

Holy Mother of breakfast.  This was AMAZING.  Literally, one of the best breakfasts I've had in recent memory. I loved the cream cheese hollandaise.  You could definitely taste a bit of cream cheese, but mostly it added richness to a mild hollandaise.  The balsamic & tomatoes added a little acidity.  The eggs were perfect, the mozzarella had just the right firmness and the ciabatta was the perfect toasty bread layer.  The pesto was light and didn't overwhelm the natural sweetness of the heirlooms.  And those hash browns, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.  Great to mop up some of the residual hollandaise & egg yolk.  Yum x infinity.  I could eat this every other day of summer (with a day in between for some type of juice cleanse that would allow me to digest the richness of this breakfast). So, so good. 

Service was good and friendly.  Food was fantastic.  Wait was lengthy, but worth it.  Try Snooze.   

Willy's Eatery (Anaheim) 8.8.14

I was looking around on yelp for some breakfast spots to meet a friend and I noticed that Willy's Eatery had reopened after the owners had returned from a brief Greek vacation which afforded me the opportunity to FINALLY try this tiny eatery behind a car wash in a strip mall on Ball Road.  I have to admit that I came in with high expectations.  Willy's has a 4.5 star rating on yelp, over 200 reviews, and boasts the best Eggs Benedict (my favorite classic breakfast dish) as named by Orange Coast magazine in 2010.  So, I came hungry and ready to dig into some great food.

Eggs Benedict with "Those Potatoes"

Of course, I ordered the Eggs Benedict with a side of those potatoes which were hash browns with onions & green peppers.  Before I get into the food, the shop itself is such a charming mom-and-pop hole in the wall.  Ann, the matron of Willy's took our order, asked if it was our first time and brought over drinks and silverware.  It really felt as if she was welcoming us into her home. 

Now, onto the food review.  The ham and the eggs of the Benedict were both really good.  Instead of slapping a piece of cold ham onto the English muffin, the ham (which was a hearty chunk of really good quality ham) had been grilled before being placed on the bread, so that the edges of the ham were just slightly crispy.  The eggs were poached medium, so there wasn't a runny yolk, but it wasn't over poached.  I wasn't the biggest fan of the hollandaise itself, however, but it may just be my personal preference on hollandaise.  I prefer hollandaise that is lighter with a bit of citrus to brighten it.  This hollandaise was very traditional and a little bland.  Overall, a very respectable Benedict, but not the best I've ever had.  Those potatoes were nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with a nice onion and pepper blend.  And, there was a TON of food.  I really couldn't eat it all and I had come in hungry. 

I also got to try the baklava: 

Walnut Baklava

The baklava was really good, particularly if you like walnuts.  I have to confess that I'm more of a pistachio baklava kinda girl, but this baklava was really, really good.  The texture of the phyllo layers and the nutty sweet goodness was incredible.  Definitely a must have for walnut & baklava fans. 

I definitely want to come back for lunch at Willy's to try their Lemon Chicken Soup (a favorite of mine) and Greek specialities, especially since it's so close to home and feels so homey.  I'm sure I'll write another review of the lunch specials as well. Happy weekend!