Denny's - Fort Bragg and Woodland Hills

Denny’s
901 N Main St Ft Bragg, CA 95437
and
Denny’s
20137 Ventura Blvd,Woodland Hills, CA 91364

August 2010

Traveling always makes you thirsty and hungry my son and I are no exception. After driving for several hours through a narrow, steep canyon on a winding, narrow two-lane roads we finally arrived at Ft. Bragg. Cresting a small hill, the first sight was a Denny’s Restaurant. I will be honest with you. I do not eat at the Denny’s in my home town. It is disgusting. I was not enthused about eating at this one either. But driven by hunger and thirst, and with an open mind we stopped and ventured inside. I was impressed. For being a coastal building it’s outside was remarkably clean and it’s interior was spotless. It was comfortably air conditioned and the tables and booths were clean and in good repair.

We were quickly seated by friendly staff, had piping hot coffee within a minute and quickly began to peruse the menu with anticipation. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all. The menu is like that of all the other Denny’s throughout the nation so I won’t bother you with this and that’s about its offerings. Our order arrived quickly. There were generous portions and was served hot. The food was cooked well and presented nicely and looked like the menu pictures.

I was impressed, first it was clean, the staff friendly, the food was good and fresh and finally it was an okay Denny’s. Perhaps another try later, elsewhere; that was soon to be the case.

Our hotel in Encino was adjacent to yet another Denny’s. This one was a tad bit smaller but nonetheless Denny’s. Traveling is an adventure and I guess so should dining out be adventurous as well. That considered, we decided to have breakfast at the Encino Denny’s.

This one is located on Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills, California. It is located just across the street from Taft High School. Its exterior is lush with plants, brick work and the facade of Spanish architecture. The inside was clean and air conditioned without any type of lingering smells. The staff members were all quite friendly although not quite as friendly as at Ft. Bragg. We were seated quickly and had coffee, water and orange juice in a matter of moments.

Breakfast was fast, hot and cooked well, and our waiter was prompt and came back several times to check on us. Perhaps my faith is restored somewhat with this chain, will I try my home town Denny’s? Perhaps, perhaps not. I will have to wait and see how adventurous I feel at the time. I guess it comes down to the owners of each franchise. If you watch that curious reality show, Restaurant Impossible, it does not matter where something is located. What matters is how it is ran and the attitudes of the owners and staff.

Perko's Fort Bragg, California

Perko’s
898 S. Main
Ft Bragg, CA
http://www.perkoscafe.com/

August 2010

Arriving late to spend the night in Fort Bragg, we chose to eat our dinner from Safeway, a couple of pre-made sandwiches, chips and soda. As a result, we awoke in morning very hungry and I do think the ocean air helped that along. Adjacent to our hotel was a restaurant called Perko’s. It is part of a chain that covers most of the length of California. From all the cars in their lot it seemed to be a favorite morning gathering spot for the locals, usually a good sign. It certainly was more convenient for us because we didn’t have to drive; just walk down the stairs across the parking lot and presto, we were ready for breakfast.

Perko’s has the appearance of a Denny’s’ or Marie Callender’s or perhaps a Golden Skillet, it offered food and that’s what we were after. We were greeted by a hostess who seated us quickly in a booth and soon we had water, a menu and piping hot coffee in hand. I must add, delicious coffee.

The menus offers the diner a good assortment of breakfast items, from eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, omelets, cold cereal just about anything for anyone. The prices were reasonable and the portions good sized and very tasty and hot. We both got egg dishes with hash browns which were done to perfection. A good crust on the hash browns but not dried out. Eggs over easy were cooked but still provided enough yoke to dig your bread or hash browns in. Bacon was cooked, crisp yet still tender and juicy all together a very good breakfast for a very reasonable price.

The interior is that of most family style places, booths and tables and chairs, it was clean well-kept and the atmosphere was comfortable. The staff was eager and friendly, all in all a very good experience with very good food and service. I would give them a 10 and I would eat again if ever I find myself in Ft. Bragg.