John O'Groat's

My trip to FO Helms really dampened my spirits. That was my supposed to be a great kickoff to my little journey. The grand opening of the new location of an LA institution. A great introduction to a great novel. I took a bite of that lucious apple, only to realize it was wax.

Early, but I felt it was time to regroup. I decided to go to O'Groat's...a place I'd been consistently going to ever since I moved into the neighborhood. O'Groat's has been serving the West LA area for years. Since that first day I walked in, Paul has been greeting me, and everyone else, with the same genuineness that has endeared me to the place. From celebrities to families, everyone gets treated the same.

O'Groat's, to those who have not been, serves a menu primarily catered to breakfast, and they do lunch as well. After eight years, I've only been for breakfast, at least twice a month. They have the typical breakfast fare, like bacon and eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, etc. They also have specialty dishes like the Huevo's O'Groat's, which is a tortilla made out of buttermilk biscuit dough, topped with a medley of sauteed veggies, which is topped with a couple of over easy eggs(or any other way you prefer), which are topped with cheese and salsa. They also have a variety of pancakes, whether with different ingredients incorporated into the batter, or with amazing toppings, like the lemon curd.

With breakfast, I try to keep it simple. I generally order over easy eggs with homefries, bacon and biscuits. The bacon is thick cut, and probably the best bacon I've ever had. The biscuits are freshly baked buttermilk biscuits, that are heavenly, especially with the two different types of fruit spread they provide. Over the years, I've had the crabcake eggs benedict, the Huevo's O'Groat's, the steel cut Irish oatmeal, different pancakes and the corned beef hash. They also have amazing smoothies and a great yogurt parfait.

I love breakfast places, and will always try other places, but O'Groat's really is consistently good. With the friendly, neighborhood vibe, it's a total winner. This comes close to the perfect breakfast option for me, with it's varied menu and family atmosphere. The prices are a bit high, but quality costs money. And sometimes, it's just worth spending the extra money for a nice breakfast experience.

Lines tend to be long, especially on a weekend. One of the things I learned from Paul's mom, Mrs. Jacoby is, call ahead of time and put your name on the list. That way, you won't have to wait nearly as long, and you can enjoy your Saturday or Sunday breakfast that much more.