Waking at the Break of Dawn

Grease is the word. Is the word that you heard.
It's got groove. It's got meaning.
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion.
Grease is the way we are feeling.

~ Frankie Valli

As much as I savor foods that are not standard fare (i.e. the Dutch baby at Plums, breakfast pasta from Off Vine), I am always drawn back to hearty morning flavors. Bacon, hash browns, omelets. Grease.

That's not to say that chef Dee Nguyen's menu is an homage to Guy Fieri. On the contrary. The heart and soul of Break of Dawn lies in Nguyen's ability to share his Vietnamese heritage to the masses during a traditionally unimaginative time of brunch.

This morning I had the pleasure of joining Kathy and her family in Laguna Hills. While it could easily be overshadowed by a Mexican chain or grocery outlet, the red awning is a beacon to incoming guests. Similar to the Krispy Kreme hot light, but much sweeter. Crossing the open patio to observe content faces and clean dishes, who else should greet me but the chef. I was surprised and pleased to be seated by Dee Nguyen himself. A subtle yet humbling gesture. I attempted small talk by mentioning how I haven't read any new Twitter updates from him lately. Pretty sure the term "tweet" went over his head. Maybe next time.

It's a learning curve with each visit. There's the unmistakable difference between requesting the french toast and wanting the creme brulee french toast. The naughty/nice crunch of two tempura eggs. A three course pre fixe featuring butternut squash soup. Kathy clued me in on the (mystery ingredient) chocolate milk her sons can't get enough of. My pearl of wisdom is the ability to sample multiple items via side dish ordering.

One may read an emphasis on savory meats such as duck and oxtail. However, be sure to take notice of griddle cakes, sticky buns and even cocktails to satisfy that sweet tooth.

The division between dining and kitchen is a long expediting counter. Dee Nguyen's framed chef coats and reviews share space with flourished dining anecdotes. Mellow greens and yellows conjure a relaxed island mentality. Earthy woods down to the salt & pepper shakers.

Today's choice was my childhood craving for meat and rice. In this case, Portuguese-Hawaiian sausage, green papaya and sesame salad, scallion puree and two fried eggs over seasoned rice. The bright salad flavor was balanced by hearty pork dabbed with onion sauce. It brought back business travel memories when I first met a fellow trainer at the Maui Prince resort over Sunday brunch.

I doubt Spamalot has anything to do with canned meat, so I digress from show tunes and thank Break of Dawn for being a non-conformist.



24351 Avenida de la Carlota
#N-6 (To the right of Trader Joe's)
Laguna Hills, 92653

Wednesday to Sunday
8am to 2:30pm
Closed Monday and Tuesday
949.587.9418

road trip!

Mr. brekkie_fan and I normally don't take vacations for one of two reasons:

1. No money
2. No time

Well, lately we have both.

I plan to eventually update my blog and Yelp! account. Will be conducting research "from the road" (assuming we have wifi) later this summer.

Wish me luck.

Hot Dog on a Stick Day is TO-day, June 15!

I am (as the FoodTV show is called) glutton for punishment.

Stumbled across a Yelp event claiming free corn dogs today at a mall from 5-8pm.
The HDOS official site confirms it.

Now I know what's going thru your mind. The mall. The brave women pumping lemonade. The primary color outfits. Cheese(?!?!) on a stick. Truthfully, I have not had a true HDOS for a very long time. However, that does not mean that I do not thoroughly love corn dogs.

Would it make you any more inclined if I stated they use turkey (and there's veggie options)?

If the husband and I are able to brave the crowds on the way back from California Adventure we may just stop by (translation: he may just end up driving me there and wait for me).

Plums - The best breakfast (and possibly dinner) in the county.

Yes, we read in Orange Coast last weekend that they are finally serving in the evenings. We immediately booked for Saturday. After eight years in the making, we find that this actually started up in November.

While brunch is buzzing and bright, dinner is relaxed and soft. All the tables have ample space between them, giving us a sort of privacy I wasn't expecting. Our server is Julie, who is by far one of the best we've ever encountered. If she saw something, she asked if she could take care of it. When she said something, it would happen.

The menu is not fussy, featuring the Pacific Northwest flavors that keep us coming back. I knew I would have lamb, but the burger or the chop? Hmmm. Either way, I took a chance with the Blackstone Merlot and was not disappointed. It was smooth like buttah. For starters, we ordered both the steamers and pomme frittes. Manila clams married with fire roasted tomatoes, garlic and a fresh herb broth. Potatoes were the skinniest strips, so dainty yet tasty. To sop up the broth, it was recommended that we use one of their signature feta and chive popovers. I was gonna have one anyway, so let the dipping begin. The airy and rich taste that awaited me was so delightful that J had to get his own.

Their featured soup was salmon and vegetable (normally grilled chicken & vegetable). According to J, it was "thick but not too thick". Just the right temperature too. I decided on the lamburger. It was so massive. A stack of red leaf, tomato, onion and bun protected my savory protein. I detected the wild oregano and slathered each forkful with a sauce of feta and cucumber. Julie dared us to compare the cous cous salad with the likes of Houstons or Cafe R&D. She was right. It was on par with the competitors with grape tomatoes, feta, olives and peas. For a little more green, I also requested a side of pan flash spinach. Simple and pure flavors brought out the flavor in my wine.

J had the roasted free range chicken. Lemony and herbed, it had bursts of roasted fennel and garlic resting on smashed potatoes. I found myself making content food noises (don't we all?) as I made my entree disappear.

This whole time, Julie would provide updates on our food, check/refill beverages, and keep us content. It was as if we'd been sitting in her section for years. Not only did she warm my dessert, but she heated my mug for tea "to help keep it hotter longer". Who does that? She was the first.
We were so impressed by dinner that we requested to speak to Kim (the owner). She remembered us from our meeting a few years back to discuss the gloriousness of fresh waffles. During our dessert frenzy of cheesecake brownie (for me) and Grand Marnier ice cream sundae with bittersweet chocolate sauce (not for me) we sang praises of service and the overall dining experience. Kim even asked us to contact her if we had any ideas for additional menu selections.

Our contentment was such a warm feeling that he wrote a 30% gratuity. It was completely worth it.

Plums Cafe
369 17th Street
Suite 7
Costa Mesa
949.722.7586

Food Network listens to their fans!

I saw my first commercial last week, and I didn't want to believe it until I saw it. And that's what I'm doing now on my TiVo.

Robert Irvine is back on Dinner: Impossible!!

Despite the lying, the hoopla and his tarnished rep - the powers that be didn't know what they were missing until it was gone. Sure - Michael Symon is an Iron Chef. He may even be cuter. However, he's no OG like Irvine.

Robert is a MACHINE. The ultimate multi-tasker and task master. For the premiere, he's at the winter X Games. It's a perfect match for his intensity level. His cooking evolves (and his temper rises) as the challenge counts down. It's like the busiest one-man reality show.

The best part about watching the mind of Chef Irvine at work is how he can make do with whatever is at hand. Most of his dishes are made with just a handful of ingredients, but he puts enough thought into the flavor combinations that they end up being showstoppers.

Obviously, I'm a fan. The truth is that Robert carries the show. The last blog from his website can be found here.

And how about them guns that are his arms?

31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins (4/29)

Help Baskin-Robbins honor firefighters with a $100k donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program.

Participating stores will reduce prices of small ice cream scoops to 31 cents. (that's 2.5 ounce scoops or 3 ounce soft serve cones) Limit 3 scoops per person.

By checking out the following link, you'll also be able to set up an email or text message reminder. Heck, you can even track it on Twitter or post it on your Facebook (like I did).


http://baskinrobbins.com/Spotlight/31CentScoopNight.aspx

How to Order a Great Steak - An Interview with Tom Colicchio

I only take credit for finding this in an Allure magazine my best friend gave me (Thanks San!). Who knew prime dining advice can be found next to topics such as "How to Enjoy a Blind Date" and "My scalp feels tight and itchy, but I don't have dandruff -- what can I do?"

For those who do not regularly tune into Bravo, Tom Colicchio is the head judge on Top Chef. He's also the chef and owner of Craft (one in Century City), Craftsteak (Vegas), and 'wichcraft (one in SF) restaurants.

I had the opportunity to shake his hand when he was at the helm opening week in Century City. He was outfitted in chef whites that evening. Come to find out they were short one chef and he was "...in the back, cooking meat". Niiice.

Some gals love a man who can sing. I enjoy one who can cook.


Here's a link to the article: How to order a great steak