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Friday, August 21, 2009 was Dan's turn to choose the location of the bi-monthly meeting of the Sacramento Breakfast Club. Dan and some of the gang had been discussing breakfast at work, which is a major subject of conversation, and Brookfield's Restaurant came up. Our club visited Brookfield's back in 2007, but on that occasion, I forgot my camera, and I wasn't equipped back then with a camera in my cell phone, so Brookfield's didn't get a write-up. Dan, David and I, the three members that attended that meeting, still have memories of the delicious corned beef hash that Brookfield's serves, and the gigantic biscuit that's offered as a side dish. Brad has eaten there before, and he mentioned his fond memories of chicken fried steak, covered with delicious country gravy. So for today's meeting, Brookfield's was the restaurant of choice.
Photo: Brookfield's Restaurant is located in an attractive, modern building, just off busy Interstate 80. Brookfield's Restaurant is a small chain of three restaurants, located in the greater Sacramento, CA area. They've been in business since 1981, when they founded by Lee Manolakas, an accomplished chef. Mr. Manolakas, fondly known as "Mr. M." embraced the concept that his restaurant should feature favorite family recipes, home-style cooking, in a family-friendly atmosphere. Mr. Manolakas is retired, and his son Sam, and his daughter Stacy not run the three restaurants, along with many dedicated and talented employees. We chose to visit the Madison Ave. location because we'd been there before, and the location is convenient for all of the club members. If you're heading east on Interstate 80, in the direction of Reno, the location of Brookfield's Restaurant couldn't be better, as it's located just off the freeway. The restaurant features ample parking, for all varieties of vehicles, and you'll notice a few 5th wheelers and 18 wheelers parked out in the "Back 40" of the parking lot. To the members of our club, 5th wheelers and semi trucks are a huge plus, as the folks that drive those vehicles seem to have a 6th sense for scoping out a quality restaurant.
Photo: Brookfield's dining room is comfortable, squeaky clean, spacious, and very family-friendly. Check out the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling near the upper right hand corner of the photo.
Photo: Brookfield's breakfst counter, and the busy kitchen, with Amber standing near the center of the photo. This is the sight that greets you as you walk in the front door. The decor of Brookfield's is both comfortable modern, and extremely attractive, as it features a very high ceiling with exposed wooden beams, for a rustic, yet very contemporary look. The room is very open, and gives a feeling of spaciousness. Seating is a mixture of tables and booths; the aisles are wide, and there's plenty of room to move about. I was struck by the display of pots and pans hanging from the ceiling in front of the entrance to the kitchen, as it gave out an almost-folksy look. Brookfield's Restaurant is an attractive place to sit down and enjoy a great meal! Although Brookfield's Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, their menu seems to put a heavy emphasis on breakfast, or is it just because we're breakfast enthusiasts? Many of the categories have cutesy-poo names, such as Sunrise Specialties, Great Egg-Spectations, and Egg-Ceptional Omelettes. Setting aside the cutsey-poo names, Brookfield's menu features something for everybody who loves breakfast. In fact, the menu is so vast that it's almost difficult to decide exactly what to choose. But to the breakfast enthusiast, it's a labor of love...
Photo: Amber poses for my camera, as she holds a portion of our order. That's my Chicken Fried Steak that she's holding in her right hand. Prior to our visit, a co-worker, who is not a member of our club, overheard us discussing our plans to hold our next meeting at Brookfield's, and she advised us to see if we could get Amber for our waitress, as Amber attends college with her daughter. Our co-worker advised us that Amber is excellent, so just by dumb-luck when we were seated, we were pleased to see that Amber was to be our waitress. Brookfield's Restaurant is famous for their fresh in-house made Corned Beef Hash and Eggs breakfast, but true to form, most of us opted for the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, but were tempted by many other choices, such as the Ranch Steak and Eggs or the San Francisco Joe's scramble. Actually, we'd already made up our minds as what were going to order, as Brookfield's menu is posted on their web site, and we'd surfed their web site extensively before visiting the restaurant. So we just paid a glace at the menus, and asked Amber to bring us coffee, and then we'd place our orders. It is interesting to note that four out of six of us ordered Chicken Fried Steak, eggs, biscuit, with extra gravy on the side; only Bev and Dan chose to differ.
Photo: OK kids, here's the real deal... Chicken fried steak, eggs over easy, country style potatoes, a large biscuit, and plenty of extra gravy. By the way, also a bottomless cup of delcious coffee... I can't even comtemplate breakfast without coffee. Brookfield's web site clearly states the mission of the restaurant, as it reads "Real Food for Real People. We make food from scratch using trusted family recipes. That's Real Food!" How true that statement is, as it sums up the delicious breakfast that members of our club enjoyed. The batter was golden brown, crispy and seasoned perfectly. You really didn't need a knife to cut the steak, as it was very tender. The eggs were cooked to order, and the potatoes were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and not greasy. The biscuit was large, and made from scratch, and the gravy was creamy, with lots of chunks of sausage. Our waitress, Amber, provided fast, friendly service, and was everything, and more, that our co-worker promised us she would be. Brookfield's Restaurant serves an outstanding breakfast!
Photo: August 21, 2009 Breakfast Club members, left to right: Eric Rench, Bev MacLeod, Brad Holther, Matt Donnelly, Dan MacLeod, and Mark McIntire. Photo was graciously taken by our charming waitress, Amber. We can't wait to try the other two restaurants in the Brookfield family, and you can count on that future club meetings will be held at the other Brookfield's locations. Brookfield's Restaurant is highly recommended by the Sacramento Breakfast Club! Brookfield's
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