Ever found yourself hungry, but didn’t know where to go in order to eat a good breakfast at a reasonable price? And another good part is that as long as you get there at a reasonable hour, you can expect to be fed a top notch, second to none breakfast.
Not to worry. There are three such places in the city of Kalamazoo. Maggie’s Campus Cafe, perhaps, is the most convenient. If I wanted breakfast, but also wanted a change from a constant diet of dorm food–that is where I usually went…and sometimes still go. I usually go for their whole breakfast stew, which is the specialty they became famous for, as they boast on their menu. According to such menu, this breakfast stew contains “scrambled eggs, hash browns, ham, bacons, sausage, and cheese.” I get the choice of a half stew (for $4.55) or a full stew (for $5.25). I can taste those sausages even now. From tasting it, I can most certainly tell why the plate is a favourite.
There are other things I like about this establishment. The prices on the rest of the selections they sell are reasonable. Their pancakes range in price from $2.35 to $5.05, depending on what it is you would like, or what you want on it. The $5.05 is for folks who like topping on theirs.
That was good news for me. I used to bug my poor Mom–God rest her soul, she just died Friday–constantly back when I was 8 years old–to cook pancakes until I burned out on them. I ate pancakes so much in 1974 that between 1975 and November 2, 2006, I didn’t touch them. Then came Friday, November 3. I broke my 32-year-fast from pancakes at Maggie’s, hand-in-hand with my lovely wife. I have craved them ever since. It was good to know that if I were to purchase them there, I would not have to pay as much.
The great thing about Maggies–in spite of the fact that they close at 3 p.m every day–you can still eat breakfast up until closing time. Not the same can be said of another favourite restaurant of mine, McDonald’s–or big Boy.
Another restaurant, Theo and Stacy’s, serves breakfast well into the afternoon as well, even though they also serve lunch and dinner. Now I tend to go there for their omelettes. The omelettes range in price from $5.50-$5.75, depending on which style you want. Now I tend to pick the Western, for $5.75. When it comes to pancakes, I tend to order the $3. 95, which is a bit more expensive than at Maggie’s Campus Cafe.
Theo’s and Stacy’s are a winner because of their hours and their wait staff. They’re open from Monday through Saturday from 5: 30 A.M to 8:00 p.m., and their waitstaff is relatively fast, depending on their customer volume. I don’t remember going there and waiting for more than a half-hour or so.
Blue Dolphin, on 502 South Burdick, heading towards the city’s south side, is another money saver for Breakfast. When I used to work in that area, I would go there for dinner on many an occasion, and take carryout, because I had to be at work before a certain hour. But I remember going there for breakfast for the first time on a Thursday, December 15, 2005, with my then-girlfriend, now wife. I was impressed. I loved the atmosphere, and liked the food. Although I don’t remember it being as tasty as, say, the food I ate at Theo’s, or Maggies, I remember the atmosphere being second to none. Yes, there is a bar, but it’s situated so that the people who wish to drink are separated from those who choose not to.
Get a load of their prices, though. You have a number of meals to pick from, including steak meals. For instance, you can get sirloin steak, which also comes with fries and toast, for just $5. 75. Want something a bit easier on the wallet? Well try their Biscuits and Gravy for $4.25.
Even though that is the cheapest thing they have–even the most expensive of these meals are below $10.00. The Sizzler Steak, 2 Eggs, American Fries and Toast meal is $6.75, sounds like it’s worth every penny. The Center Cut pork chops–which I would not recommend as very healthy, is $6.95–but it also comes with 2 eggs, American Fries, and toast.
Now if your favourite thing about breakfast is the omelet, then if you go to Blue Dolphin, you’ve come to the right place. Their omelets are all under $6.00. Their plain, for instance, is $3.75. The veggie is just $4.95, the cheese omelet is just 3.95–a hair under $4.00.
If you like juices–be it orange, cranberry, or otherwise, you probably won’t have to spend above $2.00, depending, of course, on what size juice you want.
For people who can’t afford the Cadillac type restaurants, like Sol’s in the Downtown Radisson, or Colonial Kitchen, where you will at least spend $20.00, and yet don’t want to go to a place like McDonald’s for breakfast–there are other reasonably priced options. You just have to look for them.
www.thebluedolphinrestaurant.com
theoandstacys.com
www.maggiescampuscafe.net
