That Morning Meal

It is easy to forget about breakfast. I spent most of college life and my early adult weekends sleeping well past the hour when any decent person considers eating cereal, eggs and pancakes. But as I age and wisen, I realize that there are very few pleasures (at least culinary pleasures) that compare to sitting down in the morning with a group of friends and chowing down on bacon, omelets, and hash browns, with coffee taking the place of alcohol as the social lubricant.

My absolute favorite breakfast place is the Modern Diner. If you summon up a mental picture of what a diner is, you will see, more or less, the Modern. (That's probably why it was the first diner put on the National Register for Historic Places.) But the nostalgia trip wouldn't be any good if the food wasn't first rate, and it certainly is that. While you wait for a table (and on the weekend, you will wait), you can check out the several dozen specials they have listed. All types of berry-stuffed pancakes, exotic omelets and creative waffles are there for the choosing. Or, you can just get a classic like scrambled eggs with a side of rye toast and a cup of joe and enjoyably waste away the first few hours of your morning.


View Larger Map

The other breakfast spot I keep coming back to is more of a hole-in-the-wall than a diner, strictly speaking. Ruffuls, in the Wayland Square neighborhood on the East Side, is a local institution that many people probably walk by without even noticing. However, once you walk in the first time and taste their hash browns, you'll be loyal for life. Amazingly, you can still have a meal for two at Ruffuls that will leave you completely stuffed and pay about $15, with tip. It would be almost impossible to splurge.


View Larger Map

I personally would be hard-pressed to pick my favorite. I think the Modern Diner might be a bit better for sweet stuff like pancakes, and Ruffuls has the market on omelets and hash browns. But either way, if you're looking to fight off a hangover or bond with family after church, either one of these spots will give you exactly what you want in before-noon dining.