Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Starting off with a good breakfast means starting off on the right foot, getting your day and your mind in gear. The S&B wanted to assess some of the diner breakfast options in town, so three staffers, Kelly Pyzik ’16, Editor-in-Chief; Sam Catanzaro ’16, Sports Editor and Steve Yang ’17, Features Editor, went to A&M Cafe and Frontier Cafe to see which one had the best breakfast for your buck.
What we ate
KP: Denver omelette, hash browns, pancakes and apple pie.
SY: Pancakes, sausage, hash browns (on the side), two poached eggs and an extra two poached eggs I got because one of the first ones leaked.
SC: Soft scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast and pie.
A&M
Food—delicious, made to order
KP: The main course food at A&M definitely conquers Frontier. The omelette was creamier and more flavorful — you could tell the eggs were real and that the omelette was cooked to order. The presentation included what seemed to be a Kraft Single© slapped right on top. I appreciated that. The hash browns were crisp and the pancakes were flavorful. The toast was toast. The pie, however, was absolutely awful. I beg of you, do not get the pie. A&M claims “the best pie in town,” but they are liars. The crust was a sort of flour paste spackled around some canned cherries.
SY: First of all, the pancakes at A&M are absolutely gigantic: they are about a foot in diameter, which means you get a hell of a lot of pancake for your money. They were nice and fluffy, making them noticeably better than the pancakes I had at Frontier. The poached eggs were okay (the yolk was almost white, suggesting an older egg) and the hash browns were pretty oily but were somewhat redeemed by the tasty hot sauce provided. Overall, I give the food about a 6.5/10. The coffee was pretty good, and the waitress kept our cups filled.
SC: The second I sat down, the waitress came to the table with a pot of coffee and asked if we wanted coffee. I said yes and watched the brown elixir fall into my mug. With a coffee-like aroma, A&M’s coffee gets points for being simple diner coffee and nothing more.
Twenty-one years on this planet has taught me one thing: a greasy breakfast is a tasty breakfast. When the waitress at A&M set down my plate of food, I knew it was going to be a palate-pleasing greasy affair. The bacon grease was shimmering, the hash browns, fried in oil, were crackling and the toast was lathered in butter. While my arteries were freaking out, my mouth, tastebuds and stomach were hankering for a bite of this bountiful breakfast.
I take a bite and my mind and I am taken back to a simpler time. This was a breakfast cooked to order, or least it gave this impression. The bacon was crispy yet thick, the eggs were fluffy yet juicy and the hash browns were greasy yet crunchy. It reminded me of a breakfast I would make myself in which the demands of my palate trump any concern about what the grease may do to my health.
The pie was gross. The cherry filling itself was passable, but the crust was nastier than I previously imagined crust could be. Imagine what it would taste like if you were to bite into this issue of The S&B and you can get an idea of what this crust tasted like.
Vibes— … unique
KP: A&M is an incredibly weird place. You have to go through a vestibule to get to the main entrance, there are no windows and most of the decorations are centered on the theme of “motor oil advertisements.” Maybe this is just my own thing but thinking a lot about motor oil really turns off my appetite. However, the space is really expansive with high ceilings and big, comfy booths. Not a great location for a morning-after brunch with your paramour, but entirely suitable for a leisurely hangover brunch with the squad.
SY: I really didn’t like the lighting. It was dark and morose, which is the opposite of what I need to get my day started off right. For how large the space is, it felt somewhat cramped to me, but to each their own.
SC: While the vibe is weird, it is unique. And for whatever reason, be it the lack of windows or the greasy bacon, A&M is a diner where conversation flows.
Service—Slow
KP: You will almost certainly wait half an hour for your food, no matter what you order. As long as you have the time for it, it’s nice to sit and sip on coffee. The time frame is just something to keep in mind. The service staff is friendly enough — the best word would be unintrusive. Just like mama’s kitchen.
SY: Pretty long wait for food, which is good if you like a nice, long conversation with your loved ones. (Thanks, KatKels.)
Frontier
Food—mediocre diner fare
KP: The main course food at Frontier is just fine. Greasy, filling, warm. The omelette was more watery and paler than A&M’s. I mourned the absence of the Kraft Single© centerpiece. Frontier offers all kinds of toast—rye, sourdough, cinnamon—which is such a luxury. I luxuriated in my rye toast for many minutes. And the pie was very, very good! Perhaps “the best in town!” The coffee is pretty crap, though. Very burnt and watery-tasting.
SY: I have to be upfront and admit that I love Frontier like a drowning man loves a life preserver: a lot. Just walking in makes me super happy and the food has never disappointed. I got the Sunrise order and I was pleased that I could get one pancake and one piece of French toast. I could also choose how soft or hard I wanted my eggs poached, which was another nice touch. But the two that I got were absolutely tiny—I thought maybe I had gotten quail eggs for a second. Also, the hash browns are usually spectacular, but this time they were pretty mediocre. The bacon and sausage that we got was cold, which was disappointing (although they were still tasty). Nevertheless, it was a filling meal and I walked out happy. Next time, though, I’m definitely sticking to my regular omelette order.
SC: I had a pretty disappointing breakfast at Frontier, to be honest. The bacon was overcooked and shriveled up, in addition to being as salty as a salt lick. The eggs were nothing special and the hash browns tasted too healthy for my grease-inclined palate.
Vibes —ECLECTIC?
KP: Frontier is all about vibes. Vibes, vibes, vibes. Vibes for days. So many vibes you aren’t sure where you are anymore—the Wild, Wild West; a South American adobe village; the Mediterranean; a sports bar. It’s a choose your own adventure kind of diner. I’m into it.
SY: Frontier’s vibes are awesome—it’s open, it’s well lit, it’s energetic and it’s inviting. Exactly what I want from a diner experience.
SC: The vibes at frontier are all over the place. With murals depicting Mediterranean cities on the walls, Fox News on the television and classic Americana booths, one is not sure what the management of Frontier is going for.
Service—top notch
KP: Fast and friendly! You can be in and out of Frontier in 30 minutes when it’s not packed, which is perfect for busy Sundays.
—Photos by Sam Catanzaro.
