Oreo Pancakes!!!

Burbank is rife with coffee shops, yet somehow good food manages to elude them. At least Frank's makes real milkshakes from real ice cream, but I'm still pissed off that the attached motel tore down the zigzag Googie roof. And don't even get me started on the Coral Cafe and Lancers, where the customers all look like Ralph Steadman drawings.

Then Bea Bea's opened this year to save our mornings. There is no other place to hit for breakfast brunch, or even lunch anymore. Sure, we still go to Porto's for takeout, but for a delicious and comfortable sit-down breakfast, Bea Bea's has stolen our hearts away.

Service runs the gamut from shy and unobtrosive to friendly and flamboyant, but always competent.In spite of its location next to the pet shop, Bea Bea's manages to eke out a little style with its hip 70s surf color palette and geometric chairs. In fact, the chairs are so simple and square they kind of remind me of Barbie or Lego chairs blown up to human proportions. 

The extensive menu hits on the usual morning fare, scrambles, omelettes, and pancakes. And then Bea Bea's takes it one step beyond. The "Volcano Scramble" mixes in chicken-tequila sausage, ortega chiles, jalapenos, cilantro, tomato, tortilla strips, avocado, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, sour cream and tomatillo sauce. The make-your-own omelettes can be made with dozens of fillings, and the pancakes are lip-smacking, tooth-rotting sweet.

Be careful bringing children here because they will be bouncing around the room all day after one of these concoctions. The "Piggie Delight" crepe combines ham and chocolate chips. Yes, really. The enormous "Going Bananas" waffle include bananas, Oreos and peanut butter with chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream. The "Crunchy Cornflakes" is french toast dipped in cornflakes and almonds.

But the breakfast that makes me scream for it in the night is the "Just for You Pumpkin" pancakes topped with a pumpkin cream cheese marmalade and whipped cream. Another favorite is "Jacinda's First Blush", eggs any style with strawberry french toast, bacon and breakfast potatoes. 

 The french toast is very thick and could be improved by being soaked a little longer to moisten deeper inside. Eaten cold out of the fridge in the middle of the night, though, the french toast seems just right.

The benedicts are another area where Bea Bea excels. The ham is thicker than thick. Only once did a dining partner send back their eggs because they felt the white was runny. "The Crab Cake Benedict" and "Eggs Florentine" were also popular amongst fellow diners. Seriously, check out how thick this ham is.

The restaurant is open until 4pm and also has a complete lunch menu. Besides your wraps, salads and sandwiches, Bea Bea's also served pastas and burritos. The burgers are massive and you can even order them rare. The tuna salad is popular. The spicy tuna wrap is seriously spicy.

There are a number of veggie items and lots of tofu on the menu. Whether or not they are vegan friendly is unclear, but probably so. They do have three different kinds of iced tea, so they seem to be all about promoting choice.

Be prepared for sticker shock. The average price is $10, averaging around $35 for two after drinks and tip, a bit much for breakfast. But considering the massive servings, you can always split a dish or take half home for later. Once you have eaten their pancakes, no price is too high.

The whimsical names on the menu, the ultra-clean hotel style restrooms and fine decor hint at a feminine hand. True to the subtle hints, there is a Bea Bea who runs the coffeeshop. She got her experience at her sister's popular restaurant, CiCi's Cafe in Tarzana. There are more sisters in the family, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

Oh, and don't forget to order a honey latte.

Vancouver: Ricky's

We did stop at a chain diner for breakfast. Ricky's diner has "evolved into one of Western Canada's premiere, mid-scale family restaurants. And we've achieved this by offering a delectably impressive menu selection in a comfortably modern environment..."



I had to try the breakfast of 3 eggs, 7 perogies and Bavarian sausage with toast. Bavarian sausage is kind of like Polish sausage. The perogies were really delicious for a chain. Perogies are seriously underrated, The Southland needs a really good perogie place.



I think my nephew got "The Works" omelette - Ham, Portobello and button mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and 3 cheeses, topped with a slice of bacon



No one went for the super-Canadian "benny" their version of an eggs benedict. Back bacon, eh? "With two strips of maple bacon and sliced tomato" It should come with a Molsons.

Seattle: Breakfast at Lola

Wednesday morning we met the sisters for breakfast at Lola. It was a nice atmosphere for a group - the room is large and open. The sadness was overwhelming, but it was comforting to be together, and when my mom picked up the check everyone was genuinely touched. Sometimes it's those little acts of kindness that give people comfort.



We are all so different from each other - this one won't eat gluten, and that one won't eat sugar, but there was enough variety that there was something for everyone at the table.



The menu had a lot of exciting-sounding options; Tom Douglas even dared to put octopus with pork belly on the breakfast menu. "Tom’s big breakfast: pacific octopus hash, sweet pepper, summer squash, pork belly, sunny egg 16" It was tempting but I went traditional.



The smashed garlic fried potatoes appear to have been bashed with a giant cast iron pan and then thrown in the deep-fryer.

Anne's pork-maple sausage looked delicious



They are known for their fresh donuts, which were exciting. But I had them for "dessert" and maybe they would have been better hot. The strawberry jam and marscapone allowed you to make your own jelly donuts.







We enjoyed breakfast so much, we went back on Thursday. I was tempted by the morel, ramps and fontina omelette. This is the Pacific Northwest, and the morels were unreal.

TOAST

This morning I needed a nice, cozy place to treat myself to breakfast. Since I was near the Beverly Center I decided to just drive up 3rd street until something looked good. 3rd street is the au courant restaurant row, so I knew I would come across a familiar name sooner or later.

TOAST caught my eye, but parking was kind of a hassle. I don't know if they had the 4.50 valet parking at 9:30 in the morning, but it would be too weird to pay valet parking for breakfast.

TOAST is so hip I was concerned it might not be comforting enough, but in spite of them having the most attractive waiters I have ever seen, the service was friendly and down-to-earth. The atmosphere was homey, with whimsical touches like little cow statues. The tablecloths were a rough-hewn cotton with large visible stitches and quilted runners. For some reason, those tablecloths made me feel really good. I wanted to just curl up in them.

I watched fantastic-looking plates of food whizz by as the people at the next table discussed which Lexus they were getting. By the amount of meats and cottage cheese on the passing plates, it was clear Atkins is still going strong on the westside. At one table nearby, a girl was served her scrambled egg whites and turkey bacon as a giant plate of banana pudding french toast was set in front of her dining partner. I was thinking, "Wow. You must just hate your friend."

The menu has all of the standards, sometimes with a little twist, as well as more exotic choices. I went for the shakshuka, a Spanish sauce of onions, peppers, garlic and olives topped with eggs. I was not feeling adventurous enough for the Penne Matina "Penne pasta with scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and feta cheese tossed in a light olive oil with fresh garlic and pesto." In fact, I can't imagine anyone wanting scrambled eggs and pasta for breakfast, except perhaps one of those Atkins dieters who had completely snapped and gone on a carb binge. True, spaghetti carbonara contains eggs, but I don't think it's quite the same thing.




The sauce was interesting without being too unusual, kind of like a Spanish Huevos Rancheros. The sourdough toast from the Normandy bakery was first-rate, and the home fries were crispy little cubes, like Potatoes O'Brien without the added distraction of onions and peppers. The most spectacular offering turned out to be the fresh fruit salad. Every single fruit was at its peak of ripeness, practically bursting with sweetness.

The lunch menu has the standard sandwiches, wraps and salads. There are some vegetarian choices, including the appealing-sounding Caprese sandwich. They also have a coffee bar with an extensive selection of coffees, smoothies and teas.

As I was waiting for my check, the guy at the next table was launching into a long story about CSI Miami. I couldn't tell if he was recounting a dream or if he had actually been on CSI MIami. Just your typical L.A. cafe.