What I wake up for: The Texan at Pat & Oscar's

 Hello sunshine!

My favorite brekkies typically revolve around local joints: Break of Dawn, Plum's Cafe, 'Carolyn's Kitchen', etc.. However, I don't discriminate when it comes to my favorite meal, so I'll check out a franchise if it's tasty fare. That's how I ended up at Pat & Oscar's (a.k.a the San Diego breadstick folks).

One rainy morning, I ran into my local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (or was it Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs?) for some nourishment, when I spotted a sign in P&O's window "Now Serving Breakfast". Of course, I inquired. They started offering this quite recently - in the past month or so. The selections include:

• French toast kissed with vanilla and orange
• 'Pat's Veggie' burrito filled with mushrooms, green chiles, green onions, scrambled eggs, mozzarella, and topped with pico de gallo and avocado
• and 'Ronnie's Special' pizza utilizing housemade dough, country gravy, mozzarella, cheddar, tomato slices, scrambled eggs, bacon and basil (Whew!)

What took my breath away, though, was a pic of the Texan skillet scramble, which I ultimately ordered a few days later. Bits of brisket, green chiles, green onions, cilantro, avocado, pico de gallo and cheddar. Oh my. Thank you to the kitchen for making my dish even though it was 20 minutes after service ended.

While I typically don't enjoy condiments with my food (unless we're talking hot dogs), the pico de gallo really brought together all the components. Cilantro gave a bright flavor. Avocado cut through any heat. The brisket was rather subtle, but gave the dish enough meatiness for me to savor. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention it being served over breakfast potatoes. Everything was so tasty, I didn't really notice them, but I did love my cinnamon breadstick it came with. There's also a garlic and toast option, but I needed a little sweet treat to end my Sunday brunch.


Brekkie is served on the weekends only, from 7:30-11 a.m. For a list of their Southern California locations, click here.