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If we lived in a perfect world, all things would be perfect, right? Now that I've grabbed your attention, let's play a little game. Breathe deep, relax and close your eyes. Now that you're in the mood for a fine breakfast, what attibutes come to your mind when you comptemplate what makes a restaurant special? Good food, fast, friendly service, friendly banter, comfortable surroundings, hefty helpings and reasonable prices come to my mind. All those good things, and more, are found at the Cornerstone Restaurant.
Left: Cornerstone Restaurant is located on San Juan Ave. in Citrus, Heights, CA. Right: The decor of Cornerstone is both attractive and comfortable. Welcome to the December 1, 2006 edition of the Sacramento Breakfast Club. I had never heard of the Cornerstone Restaurant, as its located in a part of town somewhat distant from my place of employment and my home, but fellow Breakfast Clubber David used to live in that part of town, and he recommended that we pay them a visit. Dan, Bev and I are always looking for a new place to check out for breakfast, so when David made the suggestion, we cheerfully accepted the challenge. With only one exception, the Sacramento Breakfast Club always visits locally owned and operated restaurants, as we prefer to patronize the local entrepreneur, and we prefer to eat food that reflects local tastes, and Cornerstone Restaurant excels in this genre. Cornerstone is a small chain composed of three restaurants in the greater Sacramento area, and we chose to dine in the store located in Citrus Heights. Yes, I know that Citrus Heights is not located in the city of Sacramento, but please grant the Breakfast Club some liberties, and besides, Cornerstone Restaurant is definitely worth the drive from Sacramento, or for that matter, Timbuktu. As you walk into the restaurant, you're greeted with a sign that announces "Please Seat Yourself" and next to it is a blackboard that lists the daily specials. Dan, Bev and David had arrived before I did, and they were seated at a table for six, with a sign that read something to effect that the table was for five or more people. There were going to be five of us, but my wife decided to sleep in, as she had to work late the night before. So I pulled up a chair and began catching up on "What's new?" with my friends, since it had been a whole 14 hours since I'd last seen them. I think I was in mid-sentence of some world-altering mantra when our attractive and friendly waitress, Shelly, produced a coffee cup and began to fill the empty cup with some of the most delicious coffee that you can imagine. Now that's the way to start a fine meal!
Left: The cook hands a fresh order to one of the friendly waitresses. Note the cheery Christmas decorations. Right: Shelly says "Grrrrrrrr" as she brings our order to us. For me, that was a wake-up call, as I had to get my priorities straight and figure out what I wanted to eat. As I scanned their extensive breakfast menu, my mind went into food-lover's overload, as there are so many choices. Omelet's by the score, all of which feature four eggs. Pancakes. Waffles. Eggs benedict. And more. More. You name it. Not knowing which way to turn, I asked David what he recommended, as he's our breakfast guru. He simply replied "Anything on the menu." He also added that they make a "mean" chicken-fried steak, which only muddied the water. After a few additional mind-numbing seconds, I chose linguica and eggs, as that's one of my favorite breakfast entrées. Cornerstone Restaurant is where many of the locals eat all of the time. There are families dining here, singles and couples. There are lawyers and construction workers. It's comfortable for everyone, from every walk of life. It's fun, friendly, and the attentive staff will make you feel at home, treat you like family, and give the impression that they are happy that you chose to dine at their restaurant. Those are the kind of vibrations that The Sacramento Breakfast Club loves!
Left: Shelly serves Dan his order, as he looks on with anticipation. Right: Core Sacramento Breakfast Club members Dan, Bev and David are getting ready for a delicious feast. After a few minutes, our orders arrived with a flourish. If you've got an appetite, Cornerstone is the place to go, as the portions are large, and seem to be designed to satisfy the appetite of a linebacker. The presentation is attractive, the food is cooked to order, "just right," and it smells heavenly. All it takes is one bite to convince you that this food is just plain good! Bev wasn't able to finish her omelet, so I went over to the counter and asked Shelly if we could have a doggie bag. I know that term has fallen out of favor, but I tend to be a traditionalist. She merrily replied "Coming right up" and I sat back down at our table to continue the discussion on the theory of relativity that we were engaged in. As we debated Einstein's Theory of Relativity and molecular construction, I couldn't help to observe that Shelly had a pen in her hand, and was drawing something on the top of the styrafoam container that I presumed was for Bev's omelet. When she brought over the container to us, she had drawn a cartoon of a doggie on the container. It got a laugh out of us, but it was a thoughtful and fun gesture on her part.
Left: The author's meal of linguica and eggs, prepared perfectly with an simple, but attractive presentation. Right: Shelly's cartoon of a doggie on the styrafoam container. As a journalist, I believe in photos, and in many instances in order to take photos inside, a flash must be utilized, which attracts attention of other people. I've had many reactions from bystanders to my photos, but that's another story... Anyway, a lady came over and asked why I was taking photos. She was merely curious, as I've noticed that most people have the mindset "Why would anybody want to take photos inside of a restaurant like this?" I joked to her that I love to take photos of beautiful women, (that's the truth!) and then I explained to her that we are the Sacramento Breakfast Club, and we dine at various restaurants and put our impressions of them on this web site. She was extremely interested and asked for the u.r.l. of this web site. Free-lance journalism is an interesting thing to do in your spare time... So what does the Sacramento Breakfast Club think about Cornerstone Restaurant? We love the decor, the friendly atmosphere, but from the staff and the patrons, the portions are huge, the presentation is attractive, the food is delicious and the prices won't make much of an impact on your wallet. We especially enjoyed the friendly banter we received from our waitress, Shelly. She's a real keeper. The Sacramento Breakfast Club highly recommends the Cornerstone Restaurant in every way. You'll love the place! Cornerstone
Restaurant Copyright(c) 2006 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc. Custom photography for any occasion...
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