Quest for the Best Breakfast: The Marmalade Cafe

Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with our search for the best breakfast this Sunday. We went to The Marmalade Café in Calabasas, which is the same chain restaurant as the Marmalade Café we have in Malibu. And you would guess that the two restaurants would be pretty similar. But, it was actually the opposite. The restaurant in Malibu is so much better. The service is much better (but that is a whole other story). The food is much better. But, with that being said, the food at the Calabasas restaurant wasn’t so bad that I didn’t want to eat it. It was a decent breakfast. Pretty classic and somewhat bland. But…edible!

(Also, another bummer about Sunday breakfast…Allie’s camera died and the battery seems to have disappeared. So, I only have the pictures I took with my phone to share with you. Hopefully, the battery turns up soon!)

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The Blueberry Pancakes

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There was nothing special about these blueberry pancakes. At all. They were really cakey and bland, to the point where your mouth seemed to dry up after one bite. But, put some syrup on anything and it’s bound to taste somewhat good. And that’s exactly what I did.

The Eggs Benedict

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Overall, there was really nothing special about this dish either. Except for one thing. It’s hollandaise sauce recipe is spot on!! There is a bit of a kick in it and I absolutely loved it. Now, I just need to find that sauce on a better version of the Eggs Benedict and we will be good to go!

Even though we didn’t have the best experience this Sunday on our quest for the best breakfast, I am looking forward to continuing our search! Because when the day comes that we find the best Eggs Benedict and the best blueberry pancakes…oh it will be a very magical day!

Super Bowl Sunday Funday

Since my beloved Patriots did not make the Super Bowl (I’m still upset), what I wanted more than anything was just a good game to watch. But, it’s always more fun when you have a team to root for…so, I cheered the 49ers on for my dad’s sake! (His first team growing up was the 49ers. But, once he and my family moved to Boston, he couldn’t resist falling in love with the Patriots. And I don’t blame him…how can you not love them?!)

The 49ers ended up losing too. Not a good year for my family’s sports teams. (Let’s not even bring up the Red Sox). But, I did get the good game I was looking for! I wasn’t so sure about that during the first half of the game…in fact, I was pretty bored by it. I was pinning on Pinterest, cooking, and baking during most of it.

Allie and I made White Chicken Chili and Cornbread.

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^^Don’t let the onions make you cry, sister!

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AND…Football Rice Krispy Treats.

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^^”They’re little footballs” “Laces Out” (Can you name that movie??)

We sat down on the couch just in time for the half time show.

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Beyonce hit the stage and from that moment on, with the power outage and amazing performance by the 49ers in the second half, my eyes were glued to the TV.

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^^Our oldest sister, Emily, joined the party too! (Technology is amazing) As you can see, Allie and I were a bit too into the game. Sorry Emmy! We love you

Thank you for the good game Harbaughs and the amazing half time performance Bey! My only wish would have been that the Patriots won the Super Bowl. Then, it would have been a perfect Super Bowl Sunday! Oh, well…there is always next year. I have faith in them!

A Quest for the Best Breakfast: The Tavern

Yesterday morning, Allie and I continued our quest for the best breakfast! When my big sister in Kappa heard of our little adventure, she suggested we try a restaurant called the Tavern! And if we were rating on the best atmosphere, this restaurant would have won.

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The Tavern was almost like three restaurants in one! At the front of the restaurant, there was a section dedicated to prepared foods, pastries, to-go sandwiches, cookbooks and other sorts of quick treats.

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Then, the center section of the restaurant had a more formal dining area with a bar.

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And continuing past the center section to the back is another room. A magical room. It had glass ceilings and trees growing through it.  It made you feel just like you were outside, except you didn’t have to be bothered by the bugs or wind. It was so serene and simply exquisite!

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But, Allie and I aren’t searching for the best atmosphere, now, are we? So, let’s get down to business!

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The tavern serves their version of the eggs benedict with prosciutto, gruyere and brioche toast.

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I loved it on the toast and the prosciutto on the benedict instead of the traditional Canadian bacon was to die for! I could have done without the gruyere and with a bit more hollandaise sauce. (The hollandaise sauce lost its power when it had to compete with the prosciutto and brioche) But, overall it was still quite delicious! I still don’t think I have found the best benedict though.

As for the pancakes, the Tavern prepared them with ricotta, blueberry compote and touch of lemon, which was a different twist on the traditional blueberry pancakes. But, it totally works! They were very tasty. The Griddle still wins in my book! To see what the blueberry pancake judge thinks about the blueberry pancakes be sure to check out her blog within the next couple days!

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Stay tuned.