OK, I realize that "The Best" is completely relevant and totally subjective. That being said I don't toss that prop out loosely. I seek out the best breakfast food spot wherever I have lived and my current vote without a doubt is Seabreeze Café in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz, CA. Seabreeze is famous for their scratch made cinnamon rolls and were even featured recently in The New York Times travel section.
Like most great breakfast/lunch only spots the decor and ambiance of Seabreeze Café is shabby chic. This type of unique, local, tiny nook restaurant is really what inspired Food Network's wildly popular show, Diners Drive-ins and Dives. Perched right on busy Seabright Avenue this place just cranks out great food seven mornings and afternoons a week. They don't do dinner.
This shot of their specials board is a little hard to read because the glass surface is highly reflective. However, my absolute favorite is #7 on the list they call the Mendocino Scramble.
Known for their great omelettes and scrambles the Mendocino is a superb combination of eggs, fresh basil, portabello mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and feta cheese. All of their egg dishes are available with tofu for those non-dairy eaters too. Notice the generous helping of potatoes here as well which are always cooked and seasoned perfectly.
Speaking of potatoes another really nice touch at Seabreeze is their scratch made fresh salsa that I love to pour freely over just about anything savory on the menu. It is big on flavor and mild-to-medium on the spicy scale. I LOVE the fact that you have to request it because it remains chilled in their fridge which means it is always fresh and safe to enjoy.
Another popular special is their take on Huevos Rancheros. I order HR wherever I go and the Seabreeze version stands up to any other I ever tried.
One of their most popular scrambles is aptly called The Scrambler and features two eggs, mushrooms, green onions and your choice of cheese. With their killer potatoes and a muffin or cinnamon roll you will not leave hungry.
For those who prefer the more traditional breakfast fare Seabreeze offers all of the standard egg, pancake and waffle choices only prepared perfectly every time and served hot, fresh and so quickly you can't believe it.
Have I wet your appetite yet? The only bad news is on the weekends the waiting period for a table can easily exceed one hour. The good news is Seabreeze Café is about 1/4 mile from the beach. This shot is looking right down Seabright Avenue from the café which dead ends at the great Pacific Ocean. We just put our name on the list and take a great stroll down to the water. As much as we'd like to stick our toes in the sand it is normally time to just turn around and get back for breakfast. This walk to the beach is a perfect warm up for all of those carbs we are about to consume.
These views reward you at the end of your stroll down Seabright Avenue...
As you might guess the vibe and service at Seabreeze Café mirrors the comfort of their food. Their display of local artists rotates steadily so there is always something new to check out on the walls. Even the young artists get an opportunity to show off their talents.
At the helm of the ship on busy weekends is Tex who is an expert in crowd control. And believe me these characters are a hungry bunch eager to partake in the bevy of scratch made delectables. Tex took a minute out of his weekend craziness to pose under a portrait that someone painted of him.
To borrow an expression from that Diners Drive-ins and Dives Guy, Guy Fieri, this place is "off the hook!" It won't surprise me at all to see the Seabreeze Café featured someday on that Triple D show.
My parting shot is of my cinnamon roll in progress. Look quickly, however, as it will not be visible for long. Thanks to Tex & all of the Seabreeze Crew for always being a phenomenal foodie stop.
Mmmm mmmm. Can't wait to go to the Seabreeze Cafe for a cinnamon roll! Looks great and your coverage is very DDD :D Great job!
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