Breakfast

We had a short layover in Atlanta on our way to Mississippi on Thanksgiving Day. We walked the terminal briefly, and elected to stop at Atlanta Bread for a snack. There was a very long line and lots of employees were working hard to make the experience speedy. They were very kind considering they were stuck at work on a holiday. We were amused by their uniforms. Each shirt had a word on the back that was a play on words; for example: Teashirt. It was very cute.

To prove either how popular the restaurant was or to prove they weren't prepared for the holiday crowd, while we were waiting after placing our order, we heard that they had run out of sesame bagels. Luckily, I had chosen a cinnamon raisin. I ordered it with butter and to my shock, the answer was to spray Pam on the bagel before toasting it. I was very disappointed in my bagel. I also was disappointed because I wanted a smoothie, but they were out.

Cost Per Person $6.99

I recognize that Father's Day was some time ago, but as is evident with all my posting, it's been hard to bring myself to talk about food extensively without making my stomach upset.

So, the brunch idea was misleading because there wasn't a variety of breakfast and lunch dishes. It was simply a collection of lunch dishes served closer to breakfast time (starting at 11:00). I also thought the selection wasn't so balanced and wide enough for the price. And, I think it seemed like a way to dispose of leftovers. We were only the second guests dining at the cafe soon after it opened for brunch. The salad, soup, fruit, and desserts were self-serve, but the hot items were served for you. The buffet was all-you-can-eat, which meant you got to go back for a new plate. None of us had room for more than the first trip. Also, the $9.95 price for the buffet did not cover any drinks.

Once we left Paris, we had an interesting variety of breakfasts. In Caen, the Kyriad Hotel had a great variety of rolls, cheeses, sliced meats, cereal, and granola. They had juice dispensers instead of juice poured out of pitchers, which was more institutional than quaint. And they even had hot chocolate powder. Amusingly, the hot chocolate mix was Nesquick! I also remember a basket full of fresh fruit.

Down in the basement of the La Tour Notre Dame Best Western was a small room with brick walls and archways and nice tables with chairs crammed up against the wall to provide enough seating. Many Europeans don't do breakfast. At most, it's a hot drink and roll. Occasionally, juice accompanies the meal. I learned pineapple juice is quite popular in France.

Have you ever walked up to a counter at a restaurant and felt as if the people behind the counter were reading your mind and knew exactly what you wanted? Of course it sounds impossible, but that was the way I felt when I arrived for brunch at Ethos Vegan Kitchen with Paul and my folks on Father's Day.

This was such a fun restaurant. We had breakfast there twice during the three days I was in Boston. The staff was very kind and the acquisition of the meal very entertaining.

When you order your bagel, it is picked up near the cash register and dropped down a chute to a conveyor belt carrying it along until it runs into a saw laying on it's side and spinning furiously. The bagel gets sliced by the saw, and the force carries the bagel down to the end of the counter to be toasted, cut into quarters, and buttered. Naturally, this occurs behind a glass partition for safety purposes.

The location we visited was across from the State House on the "Freedom Trail". We passed another "Finagel" that did not appear to have the saw and conveyor belt. If that is truly the case, this experience was even more special