Breakfast Reviews 2019: Part Three

Blog No. 332

Okay. Three months in and I already messed up. That’s fine. I’m not upset. You shouldn’t be either. I was trying to get a book out, so I may have been a bit distracted. I can do a breakfast review now and another one at the end of the month and we can pretend this never happened. I will point out that my book is on the way, though. Something to be excited about. I hope the copies are good. I’d love to start selling them as soon as possible. They weren’t cheap. I’m pretty happy with them, though, so I can focus on breakfast this morning. My favourite meal of the day.

Breakfast Spot Three: Deb’s Place

We started the our tale at the beginning of the year talking about my love of breakfast stemming from my Sunday morning meals with my grandmother. While nothing will top that breakfast (or those memories) after my grandmother passed away, I started to have regular Sunday morning breakfast with my parents. We went to Deb’s Place in south Windsor after church and the food there became the new standard from which I base my experience at every other breakfast joint. You may ask why I just don’t go there every time, and that’s a fair question. The biggest answer is the hours of operation are limited. The other, I suppose, is variety. Either way, it’s a solid go-to place in the city for breakfast.

As I’ve mentioned in previous breakfast posts, my ideal meal is eggs, sausage, toast, potatoes, and coffee. It’s classic, and it’s delicious. For the most part, eggs are fairly standard at most places. Sometimes (and I think it’s the heat at which they are cooked) they turn out almost fluffy. I prefer when they don’t, and Deb’s has the un-fluffly kind of eggs. As for the sausage, it’s the biggest achilles heel at any restaurant I’ve been to. No one has better sausages than Deb’s. It’s the number two reason why I like it there. For toast, they offer the usual variety. White, wheat, and rye. Anyplace with rye gets a bonus point for me, though, wheat can do the trick. The coffee isn’t anything special, but that’s the thing about diner coffee. It doesn’t have to be. If the coffee is unoffensive, it’s good diner coffee. The potatoes, on the other hand, are my least favourite thing about the place. Do you like onions? You’ll like the potatoes. Do you not like onions? You won’t like them. It’s that simple. There in nothing inherently wrong with them, they just cook them with onions, and if you’re like me, you have to pick around them. That being the worst part, shows how good this meal can be.

As for the best part of the experience at Deb’s? It’s got to be the good memories. Having good food is essential. Knowing that every time I go, I’m going to have a good meal (and good sausages) is what keeps me going back. Once I’m there, I think fondly on all the other good breakfasts I’ve had there, mostly with my parents, on a Sunday, when all I had to worry about was the assignment I had due that week for university. I still enjoy the meal, though I don’t go with my parents (I’d like to, but it’s usually on my weekday off and just before going off to write, or what have you). And that brings me to the reason I don’t go there every time. I tend to have Monday and Wednesday off. I’m often writing those days (either on my own or with Christian and/or Elly). Deb’s isn’t open on Mondays, so that leaves Wednesday. I swear, I’ve tried and they’ve been closed, but the hours posted say they are open that day. I’ve come to expect that they’re closed. It makes me think of going elsewhere.

Also, no counter means taking up a table. Being a solo diner, that can feel awkward when there are people waiting for a table (especially since I like to take my time). That’s not a deal breaker, but it prevents me from going on the weekends (since they are often busy then). It’s not cheap either. It’s not the most expensive and you get a full plate out of it, but sometimes, I’m digging for loonies to pay for breakfast, and that makes me hesitate. I don’t want to end on a down note. The breakfast is good every time, and is basically the standard at which I judge the others. I always feel welcome there, and I never feel rushed. The service is good, and the place is pretty clean. If you haven’t been, I recommend it, just don’t go on a Monday. They’re not open.

P.S. Don’t confuse this Deb’s with the one on Ottawa. This one is on Grand Marais. The other one is not in my breakfast place rotation (much to the dismay of their fans, I’m sure).

I’m giving Deb’s Place two stars off the top for nostalgia and two more for the sausage standard which has remained unparalleled in my experience. I’m not taking a star off for onions (since I am the rare occasion) but they do lose one for not being open based on my personal time table.