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.

Another Week Off

This week Aaron went on vacation, and therefore no restaurant is being reviewed.

Out of the eight locations we have visited thus far, Ruggie's, Route 28 Diner and The Underground Bakery have won out on overall experience.

Ruggie's had excellent food and a pleasant atmosphere, as well as staff.

Route 28 Diner was a place "where everyone knows your name"

The Underground Bakery was a very unique experience, and well worth the visit!

As there will be no restaurant today, here is an overview of our reviews for your viewing pleasure!

May 12th: Pancake Man 5/10

Only a good option if close by or other options are closed or too busy. Note, alcohol is served on premises for next day hair of the dog hangover cure. The food here was not pleasant, and it would almost be worth skipping breakfast if this is your only choice.

May 19th: Piccadilly Deli and Cafe 7.5/10

The Piccadilly Deli and Cafe did not disappoint when it came down to what really mattered: the food. While there was nothing good to say about the coffee (the head cook was drinking Dunkin' Donuts himself), the options to muster and the tastes to devour won us over. We would return to try something else from their menus.

May 26th: Ruggie's 8.5/10

Ruggie's has been the most pleasant breakfast experience on Cape thus far. Proving why it was voted Best Cape Cod Breakfast in 2012 by Yankee Magazine. There was not a part of the meals that left something to be desired. The parking and seat allotments do make this a difficult option if it is a busy day, so plan for that and arrive early.

June 2nd: Route 28 Diner 8.5/10

In a previous review we stated profoundly that taste was, above all, the most important part of our breakfast. We do not plan on altering that opinion but would like to amend it. In no world would we continue to eat at a place that served bad food. Although Route 28 Diner's food did not make us moan in delight after every bite, the diner, value and, most of all, its people are enough to entice a return visit. They will probably even remember our faces.

June 9th: South Street Depot 4.5/10

The new owners also own a popular seafood restaurant located nearby. This information lead to expectations that the prices would be high and the food decent. At least we were half right.

June 23rd: Sailing Cow Cafe 6/10

The fact that we had attempted to dine at this location once before and discovered that it was not actually open (although their website and Facebook page indicated we could dine there beginning Memorial Day) should have been taken as foreshadowing for how the breakfast would play out. The menu options available were disappointing, the food was sub-par aside from the pancakes and home-fries, and the wait staff charged with removing dishes were oppressive. There were parts of this meal that were enjoyable, however overall it is not a location that we will return to unless we are in the area and our cars break down.

June 30th: The Daily Paper 8/10

The Daily Paper won ‘Best Breakfast’ for the Best of Cape Cod 2014 in Cape Cod Magazine. It also won a Silver in Cape Cod Times in 2013 and 2014. With these accomplishments, you would expect a 10/10, however, the impersonal wait staff that served us, the lackluster home fries and bacon bring our rating down.

July 7th: Underground Bakery - High Recommendations

Due to the fact that this was not a standard sit down restaurant, with typical seating and service, we felt as though it could not be compared to previous experiences with an "out of ten" rating. We do think this location deserves a referral as an excellent place to go.

Its a small space down some narrow wooden stairs. Once inside, the chalk board menu awaits you, hanging from the coffee bean, burlap sac covered ceilings. The staff that greets, takes your order and also assists in its creation.

If you are just looking for a coffee, some baked goods, or a loaf of bread, etc., put the Underground on your list. It is on the way to the beach so take your sandwich to go. What goes together better than hot sun, surf and a cup of joe?

Post Wedding Breakfast Special

The Sailing Cow Café

170 Old Wharf Road Dennisport, MA 02639

Website: Sailing Cow Cafe

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

• The cafe is situated within condos and resorts on the seasonal coast of Dennis Port.
• Parking was limited to 20 vehicles though even on a Sunday there were spaces available. Possibly due to its proximity to the resorts negating the necessity to drive.
• The one knock would have to be that we were here two weeks ago and according to their website they would be open. They were not. We addressed this on their Facebook page and they responded without much regret.

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

• The gentleman and his fiancé arrived first and were promptly greeted by a busboy and hostess. They were very kind and did not need to wait until the whole party was present.
• The initial impression of the staff was inviting. This must be trained exclusively for this as we were picking up the pieces as the dining experience progressed.

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

• The seating was plentiful with both inside and outside options available. We selected outside as the sun was shining and the view of the leathery, topless, elderly aplenty.
• The seating was typical for eating outdoors, plastic table, plastic chairs and an umbrella. Half of the party enjoyed the shade, while the other half endured the scorching blazing heat of the mid morning sun.
• At the Sailing Cow, there are a multitude of servers to assist you. At times it can become confusing as to who is your actual server. We did not have to wait for our server, as we had more than one! We were offered coffee by one girl, offered coffee again by another, and then finally our server came over to take our orders.

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

• Too Little. Where’s the beef? Or any meat? What? If you would like breakfast at the Sailing Cow Café, you can have your choice of bacon or sausage (but not sausage, because they were out)

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• Cowabunga Omelette (20 egg Omelette to be eaten within 40 minutes)
• Corn Bread French Toast
• Deep Fried French Toast

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

• The food took slightly longer normal but not terribly long.
• The deliverer/main/older server had difficulty determining whose plate was whose as two dishes came without intended sausage.
• She thought either of two plates were the lady's but neither were, her plate followed moments later.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee. If you love your coffee to be watered down and tasteless, then the Sailing Cow Café should be the next destination on your list! It’s the Coors Light of coffee. (The Brown Bullet)
• The Gentleman would like to congratulate the lady and her man on their wedding. Friends and family crossed borders and bridges to see them married on the beach.  With their life together ahead of them they were still able to make breakfast. Coffee and confused service aside, his meal was not too bad. He ordered the Georgefarm Special. The older/main server had mentioned that this was the meal most men ordered. 2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausage and two pancakes with toast and homefries, the menu read. 2 runny eggs, a handful of limp bacon, 2 sweet delicious pancakes, thick cut homefries and weak white toast he received. If there is a next time the gentleman would go straight for the pancakes, however no where on the menu is a plate of pancakes priced or mentioned.

• The Gentleman’s Fianceé was left hungry as the meal she ordered was unfortunately unsatisfactory. The timeliness of the table visits by competent service were too sparse to make any changes or complaints. The eggs benedict she ordered could have been just fine had it not been slathered with liquidy hollandaise sauce. Whomever makes the coffee must also create the sauce. She enjoyed the homefries as well as the sub she later needed to indulge in to fill her void.

• The Lady's order was not as expected. This restaurant did not have the option of a meat + egg combo, therefore it had to be ordered separately. One egg, one piece of toast and homefries with bacon on the side was ordered for this post-wedding breakfast celebration. The egg, surprisingly enough, was an egg! It was over-easy, not easy-over, and was cooked perfectly. The Rye toast was light and fluffy, and had a wonderful mouth-feel. The homefries were delectable, firm, yet soft at the same time. Just the right combination. The flavour of the homefries was wonderful, providing  The bacon was unfortunate however. It is disappointing when there is no choice of kielbasa or linguica. This establishment had paper thin bacon. More like air with the taste of cured pork than anything with substance. When the lady had half a slice of toast left, she added some sugared berry flavoured spread to it, and picked it up to take a bite. One of the many servers came in with stealth and took the lady’s plate right out from under her. Oh well, I guess I was done with that anyway?

• The Lady’s Husband ordered the grilled French Toast which would be considered “normal” French Toast as the other option was Deep Fried. It came with butter packets on top which the gentleman would consider disgusting, as it had touched other hands before laying atop the French Toast.The powdered sugar was just enough to add a little sweetness, but not overly so. But the time it had come out of the kitchen, the top piece was a bit cold, but the flavour was good. After obtaining some table syrup (authentic maple syrup was not available) in a squeeze bottle, the French Toast was complete. The bread had a nice crust on the outside, and was nice and fluffy on the inside. The flavour was good, and as the slices disappeared, the warmth was found in the lower slices. The home fries were ordered as a side, but came on a full meal sized plate. And while the husband quite enjoys this amount of food, it could be a turn off to some. But oh the taste! The frying of the potatoes was exceptional, and the spices added some zing, but not enough that it was overwhelmingly spicy. Although an abnormally large amount for a side dish, it might have been a better dish than the French Toast.

• The Lady’s Brother-In-Law had the Georgefarm Special. He thoroughly enjoyed his pancakes, as he exclaimed on more than one occasion throughout the meal. They were delicious and fluffy. The Lady’s Brother-In-Law, after noticing that the Lady’s plate was taken mid meal, held on to his pancake plate to prevent it from being removed before he was finished.

(The Lady's Brother-In-Law Chris, and yes ladies, he's single)

8. Value of product.

• (value of product comments)
• Coffee $2.00 per bottomless cup (although for a full cup of all-coffee-hold-the-extra-water it would probably be more)
• Side of bacon $2.95
• 2 eggs and choice of meat not available. 2 eggs available for $4.50
• Muffins $2.95

9. Payment options.

• Cash
• Amex, MC, Visa

Overall Rating: 6/10

Good: 

It was nice to have breakfast outdoors, as it was a beautiful day on Cape Cod (as most days are when you live by the beach) Parts of the meal were enjoyable.

Bad: 

The food overall was not good. There can be no middle ground when you are breakfasting. It should be all or none. Although the homefries and pancakes were delicious, they do not make up an entire meal. The outdoor seating seemed to be too close to the other tables, as part way during the meal the table next to us was filled, and The Lady was squashed by a larger gentlemen who sat down without a care that there was someone behind him.

Overall: 
The fact that we had attempted to dine at this location once before and discovered that it was not actually open (although their website and Facebook page indicated we could dine there beginning Memorial Day) should have been taken as foreshadowing for how the breakfast would play out. The menu options available were disappointing, the food was sub-par aside from the pancakes and homefries, and the wait staff charged with removing dishes were oppressive. There were parts of this meal that were enjoyable, however overall it is not a location that we will return to unless we are in the area and our cars break down.