Dined at Good Friends Cafe

Good Friends Cafe

Address: 83 School Street, West Dennis, MA 02670

Website: Good Friends Cafe

As the lady has now become part of the work force of Cape Cod, breakfasting will no longer be possible on Mondays, as such, Sunday was chosen for this week’s outing, and we had the pleasure of the company of our significant others.

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Off-broadway, er, off a main street. Feel comfortable locating a spot as no other cars are hurrying you down the road at 40 mph.
• The restaurant is in the same plaza as the local post office and some surrounding businesses I couldn't identify if I was standing in front of them.
• Nothing is ever so busy there aren't available spots.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and first impressions of staff.

• There was a wait to be seated of around fifteen minutes, which was better than the wait of forty we faced at our other choice, the Keltic Kitchen.
• The staff was friendly, and all smiles.

3. Type of seating, comfort, wait time for server introduction.

• Small selection of booths, a small counter, and  a few tables and chairs. Possibly seats 55.
• It was uncomfortably warm in the dining area.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• Opening the menu, you are at first confused by all of the different shapes and colours separating the different offerings.
• There were three pages of breakfast items, which always makes choosing all the more difficult.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• Homemade grilled breads
• Mia’s PB Cup Bagel
• The option to bring home a loaf of homemade bread for $6.99

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• Tough to describe the speed of delivery as items came at different times. Main dishes were served in good time but needed additions eg. butter, syrup, refills, all arrived one item at a time.
• Plates were filled appropriately.
• Aroma

7. TASTE!

• Coffee. Yep.
• The gentleman's meal was good.  He attempted hash for possibly the first time in our treks. It was alright. It would be ordered it again. Pardon us as the palates adjectives are out of reach. The treat here is the special grilled breads.  The gent regularly replaces typical toast with the grilled bread here whenever possible. Comparable to cinnamon rolls but with added texture through nuts and flavor through fruits or added sugars. One could even order the grilled bread fashioned like french toast. I’ll get you next time Gadget!

• The gentleman’s fiancée had food. It was her requests that were said in real time but was heard by our waitress some time later.

• The lady was feeling overwhelmed by starch from too much pizza as of late, and therefore went with the lighter side. Choosing a garden omelette sans bread and home-fries, and with cheddar cheese and not American cheese (or plastic cheese slices for the folks back home!). Although she did not have two of the free options of this meal (bread and potatoes) she did ask for salsa, which she was charged for. Sure! Keep the cost of the meal the same without two parts of it, and charge extra for salsa. The omelette was decent. It was a typical veggie omelette, and the salsa added to it greatly, although the salsa had no heat.

• The lady’s husband exists.

8. Value of product.

• Prices were reasonable, and the overall cost was right for the food they served us.
• Coffee $1.99
• Side of bacon $3.50
• 2 eggs and meat $7.99
• Muffins - the picture I took has a flash on the muffin cost. It looks like it ends with a ‘0’, but I doubt they are free.

9. Payment options.

• Cash only, boo, however, they do have an ATM.

Overall Rating: 6(was 7)/10

The gentleman has a difficult time rating Good Friends low. It has been a decent back-up to the more popular spots he normally frequents while not on a blog run. The owner is dedicated and kind. The food is decent and the menu has a great amount of options that we can’t ignore. It’s the other aspects of the service that pile up that make the experience difficult. Cash only can only make us suspect tax evasion. Another pet peeve: casual clothing at a restaurant is not fine. Please get a uniform. It looks like the service staff rolled out of bed into what was lying on the floor and didn't bother cleaning themselves. If the service staff isn't clean then one can only guess that the cooks aren't clean and in turn neither is your kitchen. The overall rating has just convinced us to lower the rating.

November 24th summary without specifics.

Good afternoon, or good whatever-time-you-are-reading-this. The lady and gentleman are still alive and eating. Not so often at the same time or together unfortunately.  We have partaken in two breakfasts together since our last posting in September.  We are putting together our outing to Good Friends Cafe in West Dennis now. The other spot we visited was the Homeport Restaurant in Orleans and specifics about are visit will surely follow eventually.

Hating to spoil the surprise of our overall rating but if you are in a pinch and cannot wait for the reviews to follow our hops, we would say Good Friends Cafe is only okay while the Homeport Restaurant is excellent.

Good Friends Cafe has long stood as the gentlemans and his wives (more on her title later) preferred back-up to their not-yet-reviewed-here favorite. We had always seen the quirks in their operation but chose to ignore them due to the friendliness of the staff and the usually prompt seating during the busy summer season. It was only after introducing it to our "good friends" that we could no longer ignore the oddities. There is no ill will towards our friends for spot lighting the details or the business for working past them. They will still have patrons and we will still have breakfast; most likely elsewhere.

The Homeport for instance.  The gent's first visit to this spot was after an early morning haircut with three gentleman friends for leg one of his bachelor party. It doesn't get by us that simultaneous haircuts is not the typical man thing to do but it was necessary and it was fun. We arrived at the barbershop at 6 o'clock on a rainy morning for a 7 am shop opening. We were first in line but quickly followed by at least seven others all before the door opened. When all extra hairs were removed, looking like handsomer versions of ourselves, we ran across the wet street and huddled in the entrance of the Homeport.

The experience was genuinely surprising. The breakfast was terrific. Not one complaint from the foursome.  The company was equally delightful. Even though we were freshly pruned dudes awoken far too early on a Saturday just to appease one appreciative bachelor, the wits were sharp and the content unfit for MPAA ratings or in our case the families sitting back to back with us.

The lady's husband was one of the fine gents to accompany the party. He and the groom returned with their wives shorty after the new nuptials to introduce them to the new spot. There was no need to explain or defend anything at the Homeport other than why we don't go more often.  It has taken second place, at least in the gents heart, surpassing other quality destinations in Orleans and that indefensible spot in West Dennis.

For more on our dining please stay tuned. We will get to it. Some new scheduling has to be arranged.

P.S. There was a second leg to the party but it has no breakfast implications other than it caused the bachelor to willingly refuse to eat anything the next day until 4pm.

Dined Monday September 15th

Canterbury Cuisine

Address: 331 Cotuit Rd, Sandwich, MA 02563

Website: Canterbury Cuisine

 

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Huge parking space as this restaurant is located in a complex filled with many different types of businesses.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and first impressions of staff.

• We waited approximately a minute to be recognized as people waiting by the door. There was no sign to tell us whether we should seat ourselves or wait to be sat so we waited.
• A woman that ended up being our waitress approached us and instructed us to sit anywhere.
• We found an unoccupied booth and plopped our butts down.

3. Type of seating, comfort, wait time for server introduction.

• The booth was padded on the back but not on the seat. The lady sat on the side of the booth that shared the frame of the neighboring booth and was shaken every time that patron shifted. The booths were still comfortable for sitting.
• The tables bothered us as they were decorated with local business names and calling cards encased in Phantom Zone glass.
• The server revisited us with coffee in hand in good time.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• There were two pages of choices for breakfast, which is just the right amount. It shouldn’t take you an hour to decide what to eat.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• Croissant French Toast

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• Part of the food was delivered within a reasonable amount of time, the lady’s home fries were apparently not done yet and did not arrive with the sandwich. The server took a cheque from another group of guests, and disappeared for 10 or so minutes before heading to the kitchen to fetch the home fries. The gentleman’s french toast was lacking the requested whipped cream.
• The plates were not overburdened with food, there was plenty of space available.
• Smelled of breakfast.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee. Meh. It was not the worst we have had, but it was far from the best. We did not feel the need to quickly travel elsewhere to get good coffee afterwards.
• The gentleman's Croissant French toast was quite delicious. The dish was originally sought to be altered by adding blueberries but when the server proposed all fruits he couldn’t resist. Blueberries, peaches, bananas, and strawberries were added with glee. Whip cream? Just a little please we shouldn’t over do it. Bacon was ordered and three strips delivered. It was very crispy and that was good. It may be the prefered way the gentleman likes his bacon. He may Sally Albright his bacon next time and ask for it in this specific manner.
  
  
  
• The lady decided to change things up again this morning, and instead of the standard two egg with meat, she had a breakfast sandwich. It was made up of linguica, egg, white cheddar cheese, and a grilled English muffin. There were also home fries on the side. The English muffin ended up becoming soggy on the underside that had rested on the plate. This could have been a result of not allowing sufficient resting time after grilling before putting the egg on. Needless to say wet bread is gross. Linguica, as I have discovered, is one of two types. It either has a chunky gristle interior, or a sausage/hot dog type texture (which I prefer) this linguica was of the first variety. I did have a few occasions where I had to pull a rock hard fatty bit out of my mouth. The home fries were nothing to call home about. They were hard, but in a undercooked sense, and not a crispy fried deliciousness sense. They were seasoned with far too much salt, and adding ketchup only intensified the saltiness and did nothing to improve upon them.

8. Value of product.

• The lady received a valpak coupon booklet which included a ‘buy one get one ½ off’ for this location, which is the only reason this location was chosen. The prices were fair, and not overly expensive/
• Coffee $1.99
• Side of bacon $2.59
• 2 eggs and meat n/a. The only option similar to this was home made corned beef hash with eggs for $8.59
• Muffins n/a. You could get a croissant for $1.99

9. Payment options.

• Cash
• MC//Visa/Discover

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

We were trying to stay away from using a ‘.5’ in our ratings, however, the gentleman much preferred his breakfast over the lady. She would have provided it with a 6, and he would have chosen a 7, thus we split the difference. Canterbury Cuisine was not inedible, however it would not meet our standards of ‘cuisine’. We were not aware it existed before we ate there today, and we will likely forget its existence soon.

Dined Monday September 8th

 Café Chew

 

Address:  4 Merchants Rd, Sandwich, MA 02563

Website: Café Chew 

 

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• This location was conveniently located off the main street of 6A. No dangerous turns or stops. It sits among other businesses near a post office.
• Parking was tight and would be difficult during busier times.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and first impressions of staff.

• This was a self service location, however we were greeted immediately upon entering the establishment
• It was suggested we grab a menu, table, and then head to the counter once we were ready to order.

3. Type of seating, comfort, wait time for server introduction.

• Seating was available inside or outside. There were probably enough seats available for 80 people seating 40 in and 40 out.
• Signs posted on the four-tops asked that parties of two accept other parties of two during their busiest hours. Forced courteousness - approved.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• The menu at this location had something for everyone.
• For a self serve cafe, there was more than just sandwiches.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• Huevos Rancheros!
• Cajun Breakfast
• Smoked Salmon
• Tabouli
• Gluten free bread

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• The food was delivered surprisingly quickly, as it was a self serve, it was not delivered together.
• The plates were a good food to space ratio. There was the right amount of food on the plate.
• The initial aroma was heavenly.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee. The flavours of the coffee here were good, which should be expected in a cafe.. If you want to add cream be sure to ask for room to be left.
• The gentleman's Cajun Breakfast was chosen after it fought with Huevos Rancheros for his love and mouth acceptance. Our meals arrived separately as the lady ordered from the counter first and he followed. The Huevos Rancheros was a recent point of contention with the gent and a dinner establishment after they abolished their offering of this delicious meal. Still, he went cajun. An attempt to compare his meal with a past cajun experience. The dish was served with eggs how he liked them, over medium, spicy and hot andouille sausage, a black bean salad, and an amazing grilled corn bread muffin.  Eggs were eggs but the gent mixed them with the beans and everything was great. The sausage was just right. The corn bread muffin was the perfect consistency, crumbling just enough but not too much, and tasted better than any other corn bread he has had. 
  
  
  
• The lady struggled to decide between The Cajun Breakfast and Huevos Rancheros, It was finally settled that she would have Huevos Rancheros, as the gentleman picked the Cajun Breakfast. For a breakfast that lacked meat, this was by far one of the best meals thus far. The beans were cooked in a tomato base, and did not have overpowering cumin, which some beans do. The fresh salsa was the perfect contrast to the hearty beans, and did not have any cilantro (cilantro is disgusting) which was a win. The flour tortillas were warm and soft, the eggs were perfectly over easy, and there was a sharp cheddar to top it all off, which gave a little needed zing to this plate. The lady did not eat the giant mound of sour cream, as it is totally unnecessary and only takes away from a dish. The only thing to do differently next time, is add some sriracha, as it was missing some heat. Halfway through was enough food, however the lady ate everything because it was so delicious, om nom nom nom, nom.
  
  
  

8. Value of product.

• At around $12 per person for breakfast fare and a coffee Cafe Chew is priced evenly with the other self service restaurant we visited in the Underground Bakery. It is worth it considering the variations of meals available with their better ingredients and flavors.
• Coffee $1.93 for 16 oz with free refills
• Side of bacon $2.95
• 2 eggs and meat $7.70
• Muffins individually priced at the counter with other baked goods.

9. Payment options.

• Cash
• MC/Visa

Overall Rating:

This serve yourself establishment didn’t lack service one bit. Having only passed their five year anniversary over a week ago Cafe Chew has a system and organization in place I wish more restaurants followed. We were promptly greeted upon entering and given directions on how to help yourself. The counter was attended by someone that knows the menu, and drinks, and asks where you are sitting and what is your name so food and drink can get to you without wait. If you have ever shied away from going somewhere new because you were uncertain of the ins and outs and being out of place Cafe Chew squashes those nerves immediately. They do their best by posting rules for seating so that even at its busiest times one can likely find seating, maybe you will even make friends with another couple.

We at Breakfast Abroad insist that you try it and we recommend Cafe Chew to any who ask. We only wish it was closer to the mid-cape so we could visit more often.

Labour Day Special

The Original Gourmet Brunch

It says Voted Best Breakfast, however, does not indicate the date of this win.

Address: 517 Main St, Hyannis Port, MA 02601

Website: Original Gourmet Brunch

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Our first selection, the restaurant we left the house for, The Bluebird was closed. Yes, another ill timed retreat into breakfast land. We marched down the street and found two breakfast places side by side The Original Gourmet Brunch and The Egg & I. We selected OGB because we needed something great and the word "gourmet" sounds fancy.
• Initial impression - not fancy.
• Street parking or in an adjacent municipal lot.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and first impressions of staff.

• We were greeted as we were perusing the outdoor menu, and The Gentleman made the decision of outdoor seating. The table was chosen and we sat.
• The reviews online had comments about poor service here, however our server seemed to be attentive from the get-go.

3. Type of seating, comfort, wait time for server introduction.

• The outdoor seating was with metal chairs, They were comfortable for all but The Lady, whose short stature makes some chairs cut into her leg and prevent circulation. She also required her ‘Roots Canada 2014’ hoodie in order to be outside comfortably. September weather is upon us.
• ¾ of the party found the seating to be comfortable.
• We were offered no name by the server, and an offer to take an order for drinks was made.
• We were only provided two menus, the expectation that couples should share. The gentleman requested more.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• Known for their Omelettes, the menu had pages of omelette selections, and options to build your own.
• There were too many options. An overwhelming menu. A good breakfast menu should be two pages tops. Having 4+ makes choosing your meal very tough unless you close your eyes and point.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• Hickory Sausages.

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• Normal delivery
• The plates all came with in-edible garnish. I don’t understand the slice of orange and parsley. PARSLEY? Why? If you are going to decorate your plates, it should enhance the meal, and not be something I push off of my plate to be thrown into the garbage.
• We were outdoors, there was a delicious smell, however, it now seems as though it came from a different restaurant.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee: not good according to the immediate table of reviewers. According to the owner/manager speaking to a nearby table the beans came from high on a mountain top and roasted for a specific duration in a fashion suiting a country known for great coffee. Regardless of where it is from or how it was prepared it was still inadequate. The coffee was served at the temperature akin to used bath water.
• The gentleman's French Toast was ordered plain without fruit. The reviews we quickly scoured mentioned the French Toast as one of the best things on the menu. This was no typical toast. There was no toast at all. What arrived were three deep fried fluffy dough balls. They looked like a treat. They tasted like air. No flavor to speak of. Even the syrup didn't add anything. It was texture and texture alone I ate.

• The gentleman's fiancée joined us, requesting eggs and toast as her morning meal. She received eggs and toast. It tasted like eggs and toast. She says it was alright but could have been warmer.

• The lady decided to have what this location is known for - omelettes! She chose an asparagus, white cheddar, and hickory sausage omelette, which came with toast and home fries. The omelette was cooked like a pancake, and then folded in half with the extras in between like a sandwich. Standard omelettes have the goodies cooked into the egg. The egg, was foamy. It made a squishy, foam crinkle sound when you pressed on it with your fork. Ew! The cheese was good, I mean, come on, cheese! The asparagus initially had good flavour, however somehow near the end it no longer tasted of asparagus. The hickory sausage was the true star of the show here. Little cocktail weenies! Who says that bigger is better? These little bite sized delicious morsels sure packed a wallop. Talk about flavour! The home fries were boring. They were hard, but not crunchy, and had the inner texture of undercooked potatoes. They were also unseasoned. Nothing on them at all! The lady had to resort to using ketchup in order to choke them down. She had rye toast, and only ate ½ a piece. There was some sort of sauce served on the side. What was it? I guess we will never know.

• The lady's husband ordered 3 eggs, scrambled, with marble rye buttered toast, home fries, and hickory sausage links. Since we were eating outdoors, the smells weren't as pungent as they'd have been if we were seated inside. On first look, the plate was well apportioned; not too much, and not too little. There was enough plate for the food here. The eggs were fluffy, but had an interesting flavour. Interesting doesn't mean good or bad in this case, just different. The potatoes were hand cut, and fried to perfection, but also had a different flavour. Seemed to be a Yukon Gold style potato rather than the standard "Idaho" potato and the blandness couldn't even be enhanced with some salt and pepper. The rye bread was toasted nicely and had an appropriate amount of butter applied. The hickory sausages were small, but the most flavourful part of the dish. If it weren't for the sausages on this plate, it may not have been finished at all.

8. Value of product.

• Coffee $2.25
• Side (rasher) of bacon $2.95
• 2 eggs and meat $6.95
• Muffins: none

9. Payment options.

• Visa, MC, Discover
• Dolla Dolla bills ya’ll

Overall Rating: 4

The Original Gourmet Brunch could be considered Gourmet if your standard breakfast is McDonalds or Dunkin’ donuts.