Mother Hubbard's - Buellton, California

Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant
373 A Avenue of the Flags
Buellton, CA
805-688-3912 http://motherhubbardsrestaurant.com/

August 2010

Having spent the night at Anderson’s Pea Soup Hotel and having had dinner at Anderson’s we were eager to sample other tastes. Just across the street from Anderson’s sits Mother Hubbard’s Restaurant, it seemed just right, not too far and the lot seemed to be loaded with cars, always a good sign.

On first impression you are in someone’s home, one that is cluttered with knick knacks, pictures hung on every square inch of wall space. It has been a family run business for thirty years; a home that has seen hundreds of friends, family and neighborhood kids eat their fill and squeal with delight. It is furnished with small square tables with captain style chairs which have the patina worn from the back from all the hands scooting them in and out. There was just a tad bit of a stale smell perhaps from the throngs of patrons eating or perhaps because of the years of cooking and aromas stuck to those nick knack’s.

Quickly seated we got our coffee which was hot and not bad, water and menus in hand we quickly decided and ordered. I chose the Breakfast Wrap (Breakfast Wrap - Filled with spinach, Feta, and scrambled eggs with homemade creme fraiche, served with choice of tomatoes, fruit or cottage cheese) It was stuffed with feta cheese, scrambled eggs and accompanied with large slices of beef steak tomatoes.
My son ordered an omelet ( The Californian - Avocado, diced marinated chicken breast and Jack cheese. Made with three extra large eggs home fries or hash browns, two home-made buttermilk country biscuits or toast and jam or have two cakes instead of potatoes and toast. ). He ordered it with hash browns and pancakes, which I thought odd but he seemed to like the double carb feature.

On first appearance my dish was a brilliant green tortilla wrapper stuffed with eggs and cheese. Once past the “green” the wrap was delicious and extremely large. My son’s omelet was also of good proportion and prepared very well, the hash browns were crunch and he stated the pancakes were also of good texture and taste.

The staff members were friendly, you get big portions and the prices were modest. You do get a lot of food for your dollar. The only drawback was that it was crowded, noisy and again slightly off in the smell. The remedy would be to remove one table from the front dining area and a good spring cleaning to remedy the other, for the noise remind yourself that you are dining out and to talk softly.

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.