Dinerwood On the Road: Las Vegas' The Cracked Egg

My first time in Las Vegas was a little over a year ago. I asked the concierge desk at the Planet Hollywood Casino (where I was staying) where to get a good breakfast. After suggesting the in-hotel restaurant, I stopped him. "No, where do you real people get breakfast?" He paused- "The Cracked Egg." A little while later, I asked one of the bellhops the same question, "The Cracked Egg" he said. Now I didn't make it there during that trip, so I made a point to schedule it in this time.

The Cracked Egg has a few different locations around Vegas. Charlie and I went to the location on Rainbow Road, out in the hinterlands of South Vegas. I was surprised that it was in a strip mall. Once we went inside, I was pleased that there were no hints of "VEGAS!" here. It was very homey and decorated in faux-colonial style and accented with knick-knacks, but also had exposed duct-work which seemed out of place but fine.

The menu at Cracked Egg isn't deep. It covers some solid ground with pancakes, skillets and omelets. Price-wise, it read as entirely reasonable. They also have a gluten-free menu, which you don't see a lot of places.

I asked our waitress what she recommended and she replied confidently, "Anything smothered in gravy." I didn't feel like gravy but as I knew this would probably be my main meal of the day, I needed something filling. I went with sweet and heavy--the Peanut Butter French Toast. Charlie ordered the Mexican Skillet.

We both also ordered the fresh coffee cake, which the waitress brought right out. I took a bite and was surprised to find , a melty chocolate chip in my mouth. They routinely experiment and change up their coffee cake recipes, and this week was chocolate chip coffee cake. It was very rich.

Our food followed quickly.

The portions were pretty ample. I definitely felt like I received $9.50 worth of french toast. It was sweet and heavy, just like I wanted. The bread was split and filled with peanut butter blended with cream cheese. This would be to keep the peanut butter from getting too melted and liquidy and spilling out of the bread. The syrup and the bananas also added a nice balance of flavors.

Charlie's Mexican skillet was good but basic: chorizo, cheese, jalapenos, and salsa. The chorizo wasn't too spicy or too mild.

The Cracked Egg was a very good breakfast experience. The friendly wait staff helped remind me that there are regular people in Las Vegas. I highly recommend it if you find yourself there and want a quick reminder of what normal life is like.

Food: Good.

Service: Great.

Price: Reasonable.

Pie: No Pie.

The Cracked Egg
6435 S. Rainbow, #100
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone: 702.220.6449
Fax: 702.221.9310
http://www.thecrackedegglv.com/

Sunny's Family Restaurant: Underdogs, not undercooked.

You'll have to forgive the less than stellar pictures on this one. #1DC Antoinette and I went out for breakfast with my parents and we forgot our digital camera. These were taken with my fifty dollar Wal-Mart phone...and they are horrible.

My parents are antique dealers and will often come down to Southern California to visit us and go to different flea markets. This past Saturday, we all went to the Golden West Flea Market in Huntington Beach. Across the street was a quaint looking place called Sunny's Family Restaurant.

After spending several hours at the flea market and finding some neat treasures, we finally headed over to Sunny's for breakfast. The first thing I noticed while walking in, was a dry-erase board asking us to compare them both in taste and cost to places like IHOP and Coco's. Sunny's had something to prove. Inside, it was a very warm and friendly place with three distinct dining rooms. One of them was assuredly a smoking section back in the day when restaurants had those. I have no idea what the third section would have been for.

Interestingly, the walls were decorated with a real hodge-podge of different framed images. One wall had all Superman pictures while another was dedicated to Mohammad Ali. There were also a large number of random movie stills. One was of the kids from Harry Potter. I have no idea what the connection was, except maybe the owner just likes movies.

The manager sat us at a table and within a handful of minutes three different waiters asked if we wanted anything to drink and/or to make sure someone had taken our drink order.
We all ordered the coffee and agreed that it was above average. All of the servers were downright festive. They all had smiles and easy-going manners that didn't seem forced. There was a team spirit there.

The first thing that I saw when I opened the menu was the Butterscotch pancakes. My eyes and stomach fell in love and no matter how much I scoured the rest of the menu, I could not seriously consider ordering anything else. Although the menu didn't specify, our waiter did explain that even with the specialty pancakes you can get the combo (which includes eggs and sausage AND bacon) for less than two dollars more.

We also noticed a particularly amusing menu item: Hooker fries. Named after the Union general who captured New Orleans? Hooker fries are french fries covered in melted cheese, bacon and other toppings. I think they may have gotten their name from the fact they will F*** your arteries up.

Antoinette, feeling a bit under the weather, inquired about the soup of the day. Our waiter informed us that at this location (there are two Sunny's Family Restaurants, both in Huntington Beach) they only ever have vegetable soup, but that it is made fresh daily.

My mom ordered the cinnamon roll french toast combo with eggs and a ham steak. She had never had cinnamon roll french toast and her mind was blown by the concept. I've had it before at other places (Brandon's Diner, for instance) and often the problem with it is that it is incredibly sweet. Sunny's wasn't overly sweet and I appreciated that. The ham steak was juicy and surprisingly huge.



My butterscotch pancakes did not disappoint. They were simple enough, just the butterscotch baking chips poured into the batter. For the most part they were melted throughout but occasionally I'd find a few chips that had escaped the heat by huddling inside the delicious fluffiness of the pancake.

The picture of my eggs and pork sausage didn't turn out, unfortunately. The sausage I found overly greasy but the bacon was quite good. My scrambled eggs were a little too wet but otherwise good.



My dad ordered the Chef's Special Cake: three buttermilk pancakes, two eggs, two sausage and two pieces of bacon. He agreed with me about the sausage.

Antoinette ordered the chicken quesadilla and a piece of corn bread, a refreshing break from the parade of traditional breakfasts the rest of us chose. The quesadilla had flavorful peppers but could have used more chicken. The cornbread was wonderful--moist and cakey, with just a hint of sweetness.

Sunny's was a friendly and enjoyable eating experience. We all liked the food but would agree that it wasn't mind-blowing. There was an underdog energy to Sunny's--they were really trying hard to compete. As the dry-erase board out front asked us to, we compared it to a Coco's or an IHOP and hands down Sunny's was cheaper and better than your typical chain. On its own merits, it was just a good place to eat. I'm sure the next time my parents come down to go to the nearby flea market, we'll be eating at Sunny's.

Food: Good.

Service: Friendly.

Price: $6-$10

Pie: Not at this location. They do have lots of ice cream desserts.

Sunny's Family Restaurant

7148 Edinger Ave

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

(714) 841-9934

Dinerwood on the Road: Aunt Emma's Pancake Restaurant, San Diego

Sometimes you turn a corner and BAM! you find something you weren't expecting--maybe it's a twenty dollar bill you find on vacation and your parents let you blow it on Masters of the Universe action figures; maybe it's an old friend who just got a job working the counter at the questionable "bookstore" you frequent; maybe it's driving around your hotel your first night in town and seeing a sign that says "Aunt Emma's Pancake Restaurant." Sometimes it's that last one.

It was closed at the time we drove by (it's only open from 6am to 3pm), but in the dark it looked pretty awesome. We woke up early the next day and headed over.



It wasn't too crowded inside but this was also a Friday morning. I imagine it is busier on weekends. The interior felt newly remodeled. There was a pretty keen half circle counter up by the kitchen which was mirrored by a half circle lowered part of the ceiling. It made me imagine that at one time this place may have had a bit more style and design to it. Now it was decorated in warm earth tones and hotel room art.

We were seated in the span of no more than three minutes, then three different waitresses asked what we wanted to drink. We tried to explain to the later two that someone had already asked but they whizzed away so quickly that we failed. Two of the waitresses came to the table at the same time carrying our two glasses of water and a coffee. Aunt Emma's is the kind of place that leaves you your own pot of coffee on the table, and loyal readers will remember that I love that. After this and taking our order we hardly saw our waitress again.



The menu was very deep and traditional, and of course there was one item that was dominant: the pancake. This is a breakfast joint where the pancake is king and the king is a dessert.



There is a mess of different pancakes on the menu and nearly all of them involve whipped cream. It being only 8am, I wasn't in the mood for dessert so I ordered the corn pancake, described as "Corn flavored with corn topping."

#1DC Antoinette ordered a strawberry crepe (the foreign cousin of the pancake) and we shared eggs, turkey sausage, and fruit.



It is strawberry season so it was a bewildering that they used frozen strawberries. This might be the most 'foodie' critique I've ever made of a place, and although they were fine tasting, it was just such a cheap restaurant cop-out. The crepe was a little rubbery but tasted all right.

The eggs could have been good but were lukewarm when they arrived. The fruit bowl was a bit plain and the sausage was typical. Although I neglected to take a picture of it, I also ordered hash browns, which were actually pretty gross.



When the menu said "corn flavored" I imagined it may be a corn meal pancake which would have been nice. When it came out and it seemed to just be the regular pancakes with some corn niblets on top, I was a little disappointed. The pancake did have some sort of vague corn flavor, but I wasn't sure if that was just flavor transference from the corn topping. And that white mess on the plate that looks like a wadded up napkin? That's the plop of butter they put on the plate.

Aunt Emma's wasn't the treasure I had hoped it would be. It was adequate and reasonable. I may go there again just to try the dessert pancakes, but it's not a place I can give a gushing recommendation.

UPDATE- 7-27-10

One year later, I was back in San Diego and staying at the same hotel. This time, #1DC Antoinette stayed home and old Dinerwood friend Greg was with me. Although unimpressed on the first trip, I wanted to give it another try.

When we walked in, the waitress very apologetically informed us that the booths were full. We saw about a half dozen empty tables in the center.

"Can we have a table?" I asked.
"Oh, sure" and then she took us to a table.

I was really confused by this until I heard two other parties refuse tables and choose to wait. When we left there were even more people waiting for booths while tables sat empty. Those booth seats must be freakin' amazing.

The coffee was pretty weak, which was unfortunate. I could really have used a pick-up.

Our waitress told us about the $3.99 breakfast specials. We could not refuse that price.

I went with a standard egg and pancake breakfast. Eggs and sausage were pretty standard. I used the strawberry syrup on pancakes and it was shockingly good. The pancakes were very dense, almost like shortcake. With that syrup, it made them taste almost like strawberry shortcake.

Greg had the chicken fajita omelette and it was very good. The chicken was juicy big chunks with a nice seasoning.

The best part was the final bill. That's a cheap breakfast.

I still somehow forgot to take a picture of the sign.

Food: Okay. -update- I'm going to call it 'Good' now.
Service: Fine.
Price: $6-10
Pie: Various. -update- I didn't see any listed on the menu.

Aunt Emma's Pancake Restaurant
700 E St.
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 427-2722
http://www.auntemmaspancakes.com/

Dinerwood on the Road: Night and Day Cafe, San Diego

On our first night of our yearly trip to San Diego, we headed over to Coronado, the posh island community nestled off the coast of downtown. The Night and Day Cafe is a 24-hour broom closet of a place and provided one of those most bizarre eating excursions I've had in awhile.

Night and Day Cafe is tiny--maybe fifteen feet wide and no more than 30 feet long. It consists of a modest narrow counter and a cook station with some nominal storage in a back room. When we arrived, the counter was nearly full and we took the last two seats right at the front.

The walls are decorated with some choice artwork and photography. There is also a very modern jukebox mounted on the wall, which I couldn't get a good picture of as I would have had to crawl over the counter and stand on the griddle. Yes, that last picture is a guy with a fish sticking out of the bottom of his shorts and the second to last picture does say "Belgium Waffle."

The cook who was working not only looked but also acted a lot like the character "Cheddar Bob" from Eminem's "8 Mile." If you've seen the movie you'll know what this means. If you haven't seen the movie, well what do you imagine a character named Cheddar Bob is like?

He handed us menus and asked if we wanted anything to drink and then went back to cooking and chatting with what appeared to be regulars. Note: he asked what we wanted to drink, which was a soda and two waters, and then went back to cooking.

#1DC Antoinette and I were both shocked at the prices. There was very little under 8 dollars and if you wanted something extra, like fries, it tipped the modestly proportioned (we could see what the other patrons were eating) meals over into the 12 or 13 dollar range. Clearly, Night and Day Cafe had been corrupted by the affluence of the area. A place like this couldn't have started out way back when with these premium prices.

I wanted a patty melt and Antoinette had settled on the salad when the late night cooked wandered in to relieve "Bob" and told us that we had the wrong menu. He then handed us the "Graveyard Menu." Graveyard because you'll DIE looking at these prices! Seriously, their late night menu cuts several of their cheaper items (like the chili) and ups the price on others by nearly two dollars. For instance the tuna melt is normally $7.75, after 9pm it raises to $9.50.

Thrown for a loop, Antoinette had to rethink her order. To his credit, the late-night cook did offer to basically make anything for her and run over to the Vons across the street to get any ingredient he didn't have on hand. She ordered a grilled cheese (which was on menu) with bacon and tomato (which was not). I stayed with my patty melt (which had a small price jump on the graveyard menu). We decided to split the fries. We then again ordered a soda and two waters, which eventually the new cook did bring us.

By this time, some space at the counter had opened up and a trio walked in and sat next to us: two bros and a girl who was riffing off Marilyn Monroe, down to her peroxide hair and white halter dress. Our new cook was seriously taken by her. Even though she was clearly spoken-for by one of the dudes next to her (it was unclear which one), the cook proceeded to do his best to seduce and delight her. He put some Chuck Mangione on the juke box so the sweet jazz trumpet sounds would enthrall her. When she ordered fries, he offered and then went on to make her fresh french fries, cutting new potatoes just for her.

After a nominal amount of time our food came up.

My patty melt was very good. It consisted of two patties and lots of cheese and it was grilled just right to make it all come together nicely. It wasn't the best patty melt I've ever had and it certainly wasn't worth the late night price.

Antoinette's grilled cheese was sublime in its simplicity. It's a great combo. The tomato helps cut the grease from the bacon and cheese. They also used garlic butter to grill the bread, which was a nice complement.

He delivered our second-rate not freshly cut fries. I asked our cook/waiter for ketchup. He said, "sure," and went to the back to get a bottle. He then delivered it to the counter:

Oh, not to us. He put it in front of Marilyn Monroe, whose fries were still crisping in the fryer. He very rarely took his eyes off of her. It was especially bizarre because everyone on our side of the counter knew and understood it was weird and all we could do was awkwardly laugh at how awkward it was.

The fries weren't that good anyway. He totally wasn't getting up her skirt using those.

Night and Day Cafe was really bizarre. Good, but not good enough for the price. When we finished and paid, we waved goodnight to the cook. He didn't notice. I can't imagine we'll ever go back.

Food: Good.
Service: Likes blondes.
Price: $8-$13

Pie: NONE.

One final endearing trait:

Rae's Restaurant

It had been quite awhile since I had been to the west side. Charlie lives there and recommended Rae's as a good example of an unheralded breakfast joint on that side of town. He was available to shoot pictures, so off we went.

We rolled in for a late Sunday lunch and I was surprised that it wasn't very crowded--not a ghost town by any means, but not packed. It turns out that the restaurant is deceptively large. Its main counter and booth space is augmented by an annex full of tables in the back. It was also decidedly non-douchey with a healthy mix of hipsters, locals and families. The douchey quotient is kept down by the proximity of places like Snug Harbor and Bread & Porridge, which act as a magnet for those types (Not saying there's anything inherently douchey with those places; they just happen to be more popular.)


Rae's was clearly an older place (est. 1958 according to their menu) and luckily hadn't a seen a renovation in quite some time. The colors change from a green and blue to a decaf shade of orange at the booths. Architecturally, the interior is all hard angles with the globe light fixtures and counter edges being the only exceptions. We sat in front of the picture window by the door. The large window let soft afternoon light just pour in, which gave everything a nice glow.



First off, I ordered a coffee, which was incredibly good--nice and strong without any bitterness. I found it very amusing that they served it in plastic mugs made to look like classic ceramic coffee cups.

The menu is small, comprising only one page. It covers the staples well and is peppered with interesting items and odd section placement. Under "Sandwich Specialties" it lists sundaes and malts and ice cream topping for sodas. I was sorely tempted by something called the "Denver Sandwich" which consists of two eggs, ham and pineapple. Now eggs and ham go together and ham and pineapple go together. Eggs and pineapple though? Why call it a Denver sandwich? Apparently it's a thing, although the pineapple appears to be an exclusive to Rae's thing.

Ultimately I went with the other most intriguing option: the bacon topped waffle.
Charlie ordered the Chorizo.



The chorizo had a mild spiciness to it, just enough to give it a tiny kick.



I expected to just find bacon bits sprinkled on top of the waffle, but what came was even better. The bacon had been added to the batter and cooked into the waffle itself. The syrup was nothing special but overall the combination was very good. My potatoes were adequate.

Something we both noticed about the food is that it is perfect "drunk food." It looks decent when on your plate in the daylight, but would look amazing if you were really drunk and trying to sober up. The slight sheen of grease would look delightful reflecting in the streetlights from outside.



At the end of our meal I decided to indulge with the blueberry pie. The edges of the slice were dry and sticky, which happens to fruit pies when they have been sitting out for awhile. Once I got closer to the center, it was much better.

Rae's was an enjoyable place. It had a nice atmosphere and decent food, but its biggest asset may be the price. For two breakfasts, coffee, orange juice and a slice of pie, our bill came to only $19.00. I look forward to going back there and enjoying more of that great coffee and maybe trying that Denver sandwich.

Food: Decent, bordering on good.

Service: Very friendly.

Price: $5-$8

Pie: Various.

Rae's Restaurant
2901 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 828-7937

The Horseless Carriage: Buy a car, get some pie...or not.

The American auto industry has been in the news a lot lately. For once, a diner review is somewhat topical. The Horseless Carriage Restaurant is a unique type of diner. It's unique because it is in a car dealership--the Galpin Ford car dealership in North Hills, right next to the 405, in the heart of the Valley.

Yes. A car dealership's own diner. It opened in-well, why should I tell the story? Let's let Mister Galpin tell it.

For a closer look at the pic, click here.

For this visit, I brought #1Diner Companion Antoinette, #1Diner Photog Charlie, and #1Gwen Stefani Fan Cammie. Cammie grew up in the area and her parents always bought their cars from Galpin. The salesmen would give the kids tokens to take to the restaurant to exchange for sodas. Only one salesmen still does that, Stuart Sank, according to our waitress, and you should totally buy your car from him because of this.

One thing we noticed about the Horseless Carriage was that the interior was immaculately clean. The stainless steel and faux-deco fixtures gleamed and sparkled in the summer twilight. This was, hands-down, the cleanest diner I have ever visited.

We started with coffee even though it was 7pm on a Sunday. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised at how good the coffee was. So far we were off to a good start.

Looking at the menu, I noted that it covered a lot of the basics but wasn't overwhelming. There was just enough of every category to give some variety but without any 'wastes.' I feel like a lot of restaurants have 'wastes' on the menu--dishes that you just can't imagine anyone actually ordering...like the salmon at House of Pies.

Cammie ordered the Cobb salad. Which looks absolutely beautiful in that picture and tasted just as good.

Cammie also ordered a side of biscuits and gravy for the table, just to try it out. The biscuit was good--not great, and the gravy was a little watery.

Antoinette ordered the Sourdough Special and cup of french onion soup, but they were out of soup, so she just got the sandwich. The sourdough special is basically the beefeater at House of Pies or a beef melt at other places. It's roast beef, tomatoes and cheese melted on sourdough. It was good, but not as good as other versions of it that we've had.

Charlie and I both went with the reuben. It started out alright, although it was a little dry. Charlie had the wherewithal to order sides of thousand island dressing. Once we were able to really slather them with sauce, the enjoyability of the sandwich went up considerably.

We all ordered desert, well three deserts for four people. #1DC and I were going to split the pumpkin pie, which was the only pie they had left that day. Cammie ordered the cheesecake and Charlie ordered the strawberry cake. Charlie was the winner. The cake was especially pretty and delightfully sweet. It could have been a little fluffier, but was good overall. The cheesecake was decent but unspectacular. Our pumpkin pie was, well--it was a piece of pie that tasted like pumpkin, but not pumpkin pie. There seemed to be no nutmeg, no cinnamon, no spices. It just tasted like mashed up, kind of burnt, kind of soggy pumpkin on a pie crust.

In addition to the pies and cakes, they have something called the "Galpiccino." This consists of coffee ice cream, mocha powder and milk, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream. Just for the name it deserves to be ordered...just not by us... at least this time. And of course they had jello and whipped cream. How could they not?

With only a few minor bumps along the way, from the coffee all the way through to the end, it was well worth the drive. The only truly disappointing part was the pie. Even forgetting that it is probably second only to the Police Academy diner as far as unique locations goes, I can truly recommend the Horseless Carriage for a great experience.

Food: Good.

Service: Very friendly and helpful.

Price: $6-$11 with dinner entrees being a tad more.

Pie: Various cream pies, fruit and pumpkin. Stay away from pumpkin.

15505 Roscoe Blvd

North Hills, CA 91343-6503

(818) 892-3707‎

Again, special thanks to Charlie Chu for his great photography. He is available for weddings, bat mitzvahs and celebrity funerals.

Dinerwood On the Road: Fred's Grill - Morro Bay, CA

Continuing our Memorial Day vacation adventure, which last time took us to Jerry's Coffee Shop, we found ourselves in Morro Bay on the central Californian coast.


The desk clerk at the Motel 6 recommended Fred's as having the best breakfast in Morro Bay. Having had one of the worst dinners of my life the night before, my expectations for the food in this town were very low.






I normally wouldn't have been drawn to this place. The exterior looked homey with the flower boxes and beige paint job, but the golf ball on the sign was a sure indicator that something odd was going on. The "Grill" in the name didn't set my mind at ease either. "Grill" always makes me think of bar food and hamburgers. Or the Macaroni Grill, which is just plain stupid.






Inside it was quite odd. There were various golf themed pictures on the walls and golf tchotskies on the table tops. I did not like it because I do not like golf. I also had no clue if golf was a thing in Morro Bay (apparently it is: "a poor man's Pebble Beach"). I don't remember seeing a golf course around town (apparently there's about four within a few miles).

The counter seemed more like a bar's bar. In fact, the whole place had a vibe of sports bar trying out a breakfast menu. I've come to find out through my keen detective skills--okay, okay, I just called and asked--the opposite is true. Fred's started as a breakfast joint and expanded all the way to dinner then, because of the economy, scaled back to being a breakfast joint. Although the outside didn't change, I imagine the inside decor had been altered to reflect the new emphasis, but then never changed back.

The service was very nice. We took a long time to order since we were trying to juggle planning the rest of our trip, making notes about what had already occured, and then trying to figure out if we wanted to split something or not. We were annoying, scatter-brained patrons that morning but our waitress handled it fine.



We started off with some coffee. It was quite possible the worst coffee I've had in recent memory. It was oddly metallic and bitter tasting, and had to be drowned in cream and splenda.




I ordered a hearty breakfast with pancakes, eggs, potatoes and ham steak. I had been spoiled with damn near perfect pancakes the day before, but these were still very nice restaurant pancakes. My potatoes were a bit salty as was my ham steak. The ham steak was also very thick, which was nice. My eggs, ordered over-medium, were fine except for the orange flavor transfer from the garnish.




#1DC Antoinette ordered a sausage and cheese scramble. The scramble was too cheesy but the sausage was good.


Fred's Grill was perfectly fine. The only bad part was the atrocious coffee. The place did lack any of the charm that I seek out in diners and coffee shops but it quite possibly is the best breakfast place in Morro Bay, and you know, good for them.



Food: Good.
Price: Reasonable.
Service: Very nice.
Pie: "Peach and Apple, but not all the time. And chocolate cake."




Fred's Grill
1698 Main St
Morro Bay, CA 93442
(805) 771-9811