Breakfast in Sonoma County

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I love this place, especially for breakfast. Not fancy-schmantzy, not out-of-this-world, not cutting edge, though not tradition-crippled either, with old favorites done very well and often pushed a bit further.

• Buttermilk biscuits with ginger rhubarb jam
• Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread with honey and butter
• Spring Cobb Salad with Pt. Reyes blue cheese, 7-herbs chicken breast, avocado, house bacon, pickled onions, asparagus, and snap peas
• Stone ground grits with shrimp-sausage gravy, bacon, and green onions
• Oyster Sandwich of Pacific Coast oysters, arugula, remoulade, & bacon on a roll with butter bean salad and juniper pickled red onions
• Poached eggs with tasso ham, buttermilk biscuit, and hollandaise served with side salad

The only real swing-and-a-miss is their truly awful vanilla syrup on pancakes, waffles, and French toast. We smuggle in our own maple syrup. I’m also not a fan of Nashville fried chicken in general (cayenne, chili and garlic powder, and spicy spicy spicy oil) but that’s just a matter of my personal taste.

The Fremont Diner is a little hipstery around the edges, OK, but only around the edges and not so much on the plate.

Bette’s in Berkeley is still better in most regards, yet…

Home Fried Home

Fried

The fried mullet basket, Friday's fried special at New Malibu Lounge in Pensacola, Fla.