We wanted to try breakfast outside the hotel today, and did just that. About two blocks east of the hotel, we spot this outdoor restaurant (café would intimate something on a smaller scale)
with very clean, blond wood furniture, Xmas decorations girding its outdoor sign. We immediately sat down and waited for someone to give us a menu. In the meantime, looking around the place, I noticed a beautifully painted mural on one side depicting El Morro, and recalled the many times I had been there when Michele was yet a tot. The ceiling also had something that looked like holly hanging from it, together with some other colorful ribbons and flowers. We were told that Christmas in San Juan begins immediately after Thanksgiving. What I found terribly annoying was a television overhead showing a rerun of E.R. What a way to break a spell!
Ok, our menus are coming with a well dressed man who gives us a few minutes to review. The breakfast slate is filled with tasty egg dishes , and even steak and eggs . The prices are at the nadir of the scale, but don’t be fooled. The food is excellent and fresh. So much so, that we went back there the next day. I chose the fried egg sandwich which is served on crisp French bread which is toasted; Chuck had a ham omelette , which comes with a side of bread. He also liked the coffee even though it is quite strong. My tea was dismal for two reasons: it was regular black tea, and they had taken the liberty of adding hot milk to it, which makes it taste positively awful. The next day we were there, I asked for cold milk on the side. This is the land of café con leche, so I’m not going to go ape over this. As an aside, I had asked upon checking at our hotel in Ponce if they had tea, and the gentleman at the desk told me that this was not a luxury hotel. I had to restrain myself altogether from responding.
When we returned the next day, I ordered the pancakes and recommend you DON'T if you ever come here. Stick to the eggs, as they are foolproof. The pancakes felt and tasted like plastic Frisbees. At least, I had tea I could drink without feeling myself curdle. Chuck enjoyed what I had the previous day.
They do offer a lunch and dinner menu, and are a good, inexpensive alternative to the ritzier, higher priced offerings in the Condado area.