Reassuring Matters

What was left @ 2:38pm

We make wonderful French Toast every Sunday. I can say that now with confidence. You see, it's been awhile since I've actually eaten our French Toast. It can be a terrible thing to be around one of your favorite foods day in and day out; things that you once liked stop sounding good to you. I had a friend once that worked at Baskin-Robbins and she got over her love of ice cream real fast. Once we perfected our French Toast batter, I guess it was too late; I was over it. But fortunately today was once of those days at the Cafe where the only thing that sounded good to eat was my own recipe. So, at the end of the day, my mom kept the griddle on, we flipped the closed sign, and dished out two more portions of French Toast. Around 2:30 in the afternoon, Mother and Daughter sat outside in the beautiful fall sunshine and ate their breakfast.

It was totally delicious. Not that I didn't think it would be; it had just been awhile, you know? I proceeded to spend most of the meal commenting on how good everything tasted: the buttery-crisp edges, the softness of the bread, and the syrup. Man, do we have good syrup. Evan has ALWAYS been a stickler for real maple syrup and will ALWAYS fork up the extra buck if a menu offers it in replacement of that corn syrup crap. To be honest I never really understood it until my French Toast Experience today. WHOA, What. A. Difference. Consider it an epiphany.

I found the whole experience very reassuring to be reminded that yes, our food is delicious. And yes, it's worth paying for. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of that when we get in the thick of it. It's not enough to have people coming in and out of the Cafe. I cannot tell you how many weekends when I'm stuck back in the kitchen beneath a sea of tickets, that I ask, desperately gasping for air, "What are people saying? What's the reaction today? Do people like the food" And even when the news is good news--scratch that--GREAT news there are days when that is simply not enough. There are days when your taste-buds are the only ones who you can really rely on. So yes. We do have awesome French Toast: Tried and True. But please feel free to come in and check for yourself. Believe me, I totally get it.

Recipes vary each week but we also try to keep it seasonal. Some favorites over the last year:

Oregon Pear French Toast with Salted Dulce de Leche Butter

Spiced Pumpkin French Toast with Maple-Pecan Butter and Real Maple Syrup

Southern Challah French Toast with Oregon Peach Compote and Kentucky Bourbon Butter

Middle-Of-Summer French Toast with Manzanita Blackberry Compote and Vanilla-Bean Butter

Challah French Toast with Oregon Strawberry Compote and Orange-Poppyseed Butter

French Toast with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote and Whipped Cardamom Cream