Breakfast!

Road Trippin’

with Steve McCarthy

I’m not really a morning person. Yeah, these days I seem to get up early, but that’s just a function of age and habit. I’m not what you’d call awake before about 10AM. Thirty years of teaching and needing to be out of the house before 7AM to get ready for the little dears has made it tough to sleep in. This means I’m rarely awake enough to bother with breakfast. A cup of hot chocolate (I really hate coffee- I know, sacrilege in this Starbucks driven world- but then you know me, an iconoclast to the hilt) and a breakfast bar is about it. If Marianne is making bacon, well, naturally I’ll have some of that, but really, I’m just not a breakfast guy. Unless we’re on a Road Trip.

If it’s Road Trip Time, I’m a breakfast-o-holic. Our usual deal is to hit the road at O’Dark-Thirty, and about an hour or so down the road, pull in and get some eats. As a creature of habit, for me it’s always the same thing. Pancakes. Unless there’s Waffles. Then either sausage (only if it’s link sausage in the casing, don’t give me those patties!) or bacon, lots of maple syrup and butter and a cup of hot chocolate. I tell ya, nothing beats good flapjacks in setting up the day for a long drive. Ya got yer protein from the porky goodness, carbs from the pancakes, sugar from the syrup  (hopefully but rarely is it REAL maple syrup) and maybe blueberries for some fruit. What more can you ask for? 

Now every one has their own favorites to get the day going and I’m not about to try and break you of your favorite day starter. It is perhaps the most personal food choice you can make.  Some people love eggs. Me, I’m not an egg fan. Put it down to my Mom making Christmas ornaments out of  whole egg shells and me having to eat scrambled eggs every morning for what seemed like months. Still, lots of you love ‘em and your choices are endless. Hell, that greatest of all French cookbooks, Larousse Gastronomique lists some 250 or so different ways to do eggs, and that’s not including omelet variations! Eggs are a very personal choice and people are exceptionally particular about having them perfect and their way. I get that. Then there’s the SoCal invention, the Breakfast Burrito. Again, very personal choice as to what it should contain. A Talmudic Debate can arise just bringing up the topic. 

The point of all this is to give you our Top Spots for Breakfast On the Road. These are the non-corporate, locally owned, mom and pop diners that once were the staple of Road Trip Life. These are the places that sustained generations of Fellow Travelers, both professional and recreational. There was an old saw about “Eat Where the Truck Drivers Eat.” Once I think that was true, but usually it meant that the food was cheap and plentiful, not necessarily good. Today, most truckers still prefer that (it’s coming out of their pocket and their profits after all) and the Mega Eateries know this and cater to it. It’s just not that good a guide any more. In unfamiliar territory, it is a good indicator if there are a lot of cars in the parking lot that look local. Locals know and support places that are good. Places that give good value and good food. So, in unfamiliar territory, let that be your guide. 

This list is just the tip of the iceberg of course. It’s not definitive and best of all, it’s local. All of them are within an hour’s drive from Monrovia. 

1) LeRoys. 523 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, California (626) 357-5076  · leroysrestaurant.com. This place is on old Route 66 and is in our backyard. It’s a serious diner that is open only for breakfast and lunch. It’s almost always crowded, and prepare for a long wait on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It’s also terrific!!!! Pancakes that flop over the edge of a dinner plate, good bacon, good sausage and a great staff. It’s been an institution for decades here in town. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m in a bit of a rush because I’m meeting my sister Sue and her husband Rog there for breakfast this morning! 

2) Worker Bee Cafe 973 Linden Avenue, Carpinteria, CA. (805) 745-1828 Dear Constant Readers and you who have my book will have heard of this place. It’s one of our favorites and a must stop if we were headed north on 101. The couple who run it are wonderful. He cooks, she wait’s tables. He’ll come out to chat and the locals all give him guff and he gives it back. The waffles are quite good and again the place is crowded. The decor is wonderfully kitschy, filled with Bee Themed Stuff. As it should. Like all good diners, they also cater to families and will bring out a bucket of small toys for kids to fool with while they wait for the food. As with LeRoys, they only do breakfast and lunch.

3)Summit Inn Restaurant, 5970 Mariposa Rd, Hesperia, California, (760) 949-8688. This is another classic Route 66 Diner. One of the originals and one of the few real one’s left. Get there NOW because there are new owners and it seems a bit up in the air if they will keep it open. That would be tragic. This place is right at the top of Cajon Pass and is perfect if you are headed east. The staff are what you’d want. They call you “Hon” and serve up good food with a smile and some conversation. This place is open for dinner and serves exotica like buffalo and ostrich burgers. Seriously, make a stop there and SAVE THE SUMMIT!!!

4)  Bun Boy 1890 West Main Street, Barstow, CA,(760) 256-8082. OK, Barstow is more than an hour away, but this place is another classic Route 66 spot. It’s pretty far off the interstate, but why the heck are you on the interstate in the first place? If you take Route 66 from Victorville, it’s just as you get into Barstow. There’s a huge parking lot from the days when the trucks rolled by and the food is great! Truly homemade everything, and all the funky decor that you’d expect. 

So, there’s four places to start with. Please support your local diners so we won’t be reduced to McJackKing slop as our only choice. Try ‘em all, and if you have one to add to the list, let me know at steve@theacemagazine.com. Good Eating, and Good Road Trippin’ to ya!