I rarely eat out for breakfast. I’m not opposed to the idea, but I’m extremely spoiled at home. On weekend mornings, my sweet husband always makes me a delicious spread of eggs or pancakes while I lounge in bed like a queen. Why would I stand in line for a brunch table when I could do crosswords in my pajamas?
Still, we decided to venture to newly reopened Brea Lu in Westbrook on a recent Thursday morning for an early morning date. (A weekday visit wouldn’t conflict with my weekend ritual, after all.) The breakfast-and-lunch joint (get it, BREA-kfast and LU-nch?) moved to this larger location on Main Street last year but had to delay opening for months because a fire damaged their new equipment.
We sat right away at a booth by the window. The menu covered all the breakfast hits, from corned beef hash to eggs Benedict. We considered a list of potential combos that could be done as a scramble or an omelet or a burrito (for $2 more). The options ranged from the traditional (Western with ham, mixed peppers, onion, sharp cheddar) to the unexpected (peanut butter, cheese, mushrooms and sharp cheddar).
I ordered a Mediterranean omelet with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and feta ($13.99), and my husband chose the Cajun breakfast burrito with corned beef hash, Cajun seasoning, sharp cheddar cheese ($19.99). Both came with home fries, and mine also had a piece of toast. We can’t resist pancakes, so we added a kid pancake ($6.99 with blueberries) from the à la carte menu so we could sample a smaller order.
Our food took about 10 minutes to come out of the kitchen. While we waited, we sipped our coffees and people watched. A steady stream of diners showed me that patrons were glad to see this local spot back in business. I checked out the lunch menu to find more staples – a BLT, a tuna melt, a smash burger. You couldn’t go wrong here if you were in the mood for the classics.
When the food arrived, the portions were sizeable. To our surprise and delight, the kid pancake had Mickey Mouse ears. The food was tasty, and we enjoyed a leisurely hour there before we paid our bill and headed out the door. The total for two coffees and three dishes was a little more than $50 – more expensive than a breakfast at home, but a filling start to the day. Plus, we didn’t have to do the dishes.
I left seeing the value of breakfast out. I’ll also be putting in a request for Mickey Mouse ears on my weekend pancakes from now on.
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