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For the last couple of weeks, the members of the Sacramento Breakfast Club have been talking about Waffle Square, specifically their signature dish, the Farmer's Skillet. After comparing notes, and reading old write-ups on this web site, we realized that it had been nearly two years since we'd paid them a visit. What has this world come to? My, with so many wonderful places in the greater Sacramento area to enjoy breakfast, how time has flown since our last visit! Well, things were to change, as Friday, April 17, 2009, it was Brad's turn to choose a restaurant (and pay for the meal!) and his choice for today's club meeting was Waffle Square.
Photo: Waffle Square is located in an attractive and well-maintained building in suburban Sacramento, that offers plenty of easy-to-access, free parking. Waffle Square is located at the busy corner of Cottage Way and Fulton Ave. in suburban Sacramento, Ca, in a building that appears to be a remnant of a once-prominent, local restaurant chain that ceased operations a decade ago. The restaurant is easy to find, easy to get to, and the parking lot has ample space. You walk in through the double glass doors, and you're immediately greeted by the cashier, and a hostess. At the cashier's station is a white board that lists the specials, which change every couple of hours. Today's omelette special was tempting, as the white board advertised steak and eggs for $6.99, but I had a Farmer's Skillet on my mind... Since I no longer work the night shift, I'm usually the vanguard of our group, and today, I walked into the restaurant alone, and was greeted by our friendly server Brenden, who asked if I was alone. I told him that I was, for now, but there would be others coming, so he sat me at a table for six, near the entrance to the kitchen, which was perfect for me, as it afforded a photographer's eye view of all the action. In a couple of minutes my coffee arrived and moments later, I was joined by David, and then we sat down to the serious business of drinking coffee and talking about... what else? ... breakfast!
Photo: The decor of the dining room is cheerful and airy; note the tile floor, which has been recently installed, and the HDTV monitors tuned to CNN. Our table is in the middle of the photo, towards the rear. Shortly after 8 O'clock, Dan, Brad and Matt arrived from work, and sat at our table, and started on the day's gossip about what did, and what didn't happen at work. (In case you're new to this column, all of us work together, at the same place, albeit different shifts, but we all do the same thing...) Brenden came around and asked who wanted coffee which was a no-brainier, as coffee is as important to members of the Sacramento Breakfast Club as water is to a duck. The name Waffle Square is a little misleading, as the menu does include a variety of waffles, but waffles do not appear to be the specially, as the restaurant features a well-rounded breakfast menu that caters to every taste you can imagine. The menu features three pages of breakfast choices, two pages for lunch items, and a page of senior specials, and other special items. Waffle Square is open for breakfast and lunch only, which is a huge green flag in the eyes of breakfast-lovers like members of our club. The menu reflects the taste of the locals, and so does the decor of the restaurant, as it's cozy, comfortable, and very "countryish." Not only does the menu mirror the taste of the locals but much of the restaurant is decorated with Sacramento Kings photos, souvenirs and memorabilia. After all, the Sacramento Kings are the favorite sons of every basketball fan in the greater Sacramento area, and it's quite fitting that the decor of Waffle Square should be decorated to reflect the taste of the locals.
Photo: Brenden takes Brad's order, as Matt still ponders the menu, trying to decide what to order. He finally succomed to temptation and ordered a Skillet Supreme, which was a wise choice for a breakfast lover! Today was a skillet day, as Dan, David and I ordered a Farmer's Skillet, and Brad and Matt ordered a Skillet Supreme. Now you ask, what exactly is a Farmer's Skillet? OK, start with a large plateful of country fried potatoes, fried crispy golden on the outside, yet soft and tender inside, topped with sauteed white onion and bell pepper slices. Take about 5 links of sausage and dice them into slices and place about half of them on top the potatoes. Top the potatoes with a couple of fried eggs over easy, sprinkle a handful of grated cheese over the eggs, and completely cover the entree with delicious breakfast gravy. Distribute the remaining sausage pieces equally in and around the gravy, and you have a Farmer's Skillet breakfast. The Skillet Supreme is similar, as it starts out with country fried potatoes, but includes bacon, sausage, ham, bell pepper slices, mushrooms, green chilies, and two eggs, topped by cheddar and Jack cheese. Both Matt and Brad asked if gravy could be substituted for the cheese, and Brenden readily agreed.
Photo: Brenden poses in front of the pick-up window with my order of a Farmer's Skillet and sourdough toast. Note the two cooks hard at work in the kitchen, and the order wheel, which is no longer used. When you choose a Farmer's Skillet for your breakfast, you only need to bring two things with you: 1) Your appetite, and 2) $6.95. That's right, for less than $7.00, you'll get a breakfast that will stick to your ribs, and will satisfy the largest of appetites. The Farmer's Skillet combines on one plate all of our favorite ingredients for a fine breakfast, it satisfies the appetite of a lumberjack, not to mention a hungry guy that's just completed a tour of duty on the night shift. Add in hot, buttered sourdough toast, some of the best coffee to be found in Sacramento, incredibly fast service, and a very friendly waitress, and you have a combination that just can't be beat. Simply said, we can attest to the fact that a Farmer's Skillet breakfast, enjoyed at Waffle Square is one of the best breakfasts in town. Brad and Matt can basically say "ditto to the above" about a Skillet Supreme.
Photo: Brenden places my order on the table, as David admires it. David seems so excited that he can hardly contain himself, as he anticipates the Farmer's Skillet that he ordered. With that being said, you may be wondering why it took us nearly two years to return to Waffle Square? Take a look at the adventures of the Sacramento Breakfast Club, found on this web site, and the answer is that there are so many wonderful breakfast restaurants in the greater Sacramento area, that it's difficult to return, even to a proven favorite, due to the old adage that "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence." I, for one, love to try new restaurants, as it's always an adventure, and it's fun to be able to review a new (to us) restaurant. However, for a restaurant of the caliber of Waffle Square, there is always room for an encore visit.
Photo: If you're wondering what a Farmer's Skillet looks like, wonder no more. It combines everything that we love on one plate, and you won't leave the restaurant hungry, but you'll definitely leave with a smile on your face. It's interesting to note that prior to a couple of weeks before today's visit to Waffle Square, Brad wasn't aware that the club had previously visited the restaurant, as the past visits were before Brad became a member of the club. Brad had noticed the restaurant as he drove by on the way to his son's baseball game, and thought it looked like a possibility for the club. When he let us know that Waffle Square was his choice, Dan, David and I congratulated him on is fine taste in restaurants, and refereed him to the web page that documented our previous visit. And yes, Brad enjoyed his Farmer's Skillet breakfast!
Photo: Today's club members, from left to right: Eric Rench, author, photographer and Webmaster, Dan MacLeod, Matt Donnelly, Brad Holther and David DeMario. Photo graciously taken by Brenden, our server. Waffle Square is a very comfortable, family-friendly restaurant, that caters to the taste of the locals, and offers wonderful food, great service, a bottomless cup of coffee, huge portions, at a wallet-friendly price. If you're looking for fast, efficient, friendly service, good coffee, and outstanding food, served by friendly staff at a reasonable price, than Waffle Square is the restaurant for you. Waffle Square Country Kitchen Copyright(c) 2009 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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