I love breakfast food more than just about any type of food out there. It truly is the most important meal of the day, simply because it is the most delicious.
I should preface this by saying that when I eat breakfast, I eat some breakfast. No egg white omelets for this girl. For me, breakfast pretty much means one thing: biscuits and gravy, please. Unless there is an option on the menu that includes hollandaise, and then it’s anybody’s game.
Breakfast in Bloomington gives you a variety of options to choose from. Downtown alone, you have The Village Deli and Runcible Spoon facing off with just an alleyway and the dinky, downtown Bloomingfoods between them.
But they are both meh in comparison to the gem hidden in the retro building nestled on South Walnut Street, right next door to our town’s only gentlemen’s club, good ol’ Night Moves. All you townies know what I am talking about; and if you don’t know, you are about to. I am talking about Wee Willy’s. Go there tomorrow morning … and every morning thereafter, mostly because you won’t be able to help yourself. But don’t go there too early, because there is a very loyal crowd of locals (mostly very, very old locals) who spend the vast majority of their waking hours drinking coffee and reading the Herald Times. Lucky for you, they get up at 4 a.m. and you most likely rise and shine until around eleven, so you will probably be okay. Just don’t sleep in too late; they close at 3 p.m. daily.
A word to the wise, Wee Willy’s is old school. It’s cash only, so hit the ATM on the way or you’re gonna be missing out on some very delicious, very un-heart healthy grub. The good thing is, you won’t need much. Their breakfast menu is so affordable you will kick yourself for all the money you threw away on breakfast jointsl downtown. Everything on the menu is good, but you must add the fresh squeezed orange juice to whatever you choose. The waitresses make it themselves daily. They are also very generous with their sides of bacon and sausage, and the gravy is by far the best in town, if not the whole country.
The other breakfast options in this town do have their high points. The Village Deli’s Power Breakfast is a must for pancake fans. I think they are over-priced on the whole, but this particular option is pretty reasonable, especially when you consider that they throw in coffee and OJ. Their Huevos Rancheros are pretty awesome as well. I like any excuse to eat guacamole before noon.
On the westside of town, a restaurant called the Cozy Table has recently opened its doors. For just under six bucks, they have several choices of five egg omelets and a bread choice that includes pancakes as an option. They also have what they call a Country Benedict. I admit, I gave it a shot. It’s pretty much what it sounds like, an open faced biscuit topped with two sausage patties, two fried eggs and sausage gravy. It wasn’t healthy, but it’s not really what you’d call a health conscious establishment anyway.
For gourmet coffee connoisseurs, Runcible Spoon is your pick. The same goes for hollandaise fans, as their Eggs Benedict is the best in town. I find it by far superior to that of Uptown Café, Irish Lion, and dare I say, even Scholar’s Inn. The lox and croissant benne is a bit pricier but worth giving a shot, especially with friends over a pitcher of the reasonably priced mimosas. They also have a righteous beer selection and good specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I just can’t say this enough – avoid Runcible of the weekends! They get waaay too crowded, and on busy weekends, or sometimes when they just feel like it, they pull this limited menu hogwash that totally sucks. They don’t even let you choose how you want your eggs. Really.
For a quick breakfast that is close to campus, we are very fortunate to have Bloomington Bagel Company within reach. Let’s face it, sometimes you just need your carbs; and there is no better way to start your day than bagels and schmears, my friend.
Here is a little trick I learned from a friend who is a former employee. They use the same salmon in their lox schmear as in their pricy, but delicious Lotsa Lox bagelwich. Load your bagel up some lox schmear and then add tomatoes, onions and capers to get the same taste for a fraction of the price!
And now, for brunch – it’s the most important fusion of two meals a day. It is also one of my favorite things to do ever. Bloody Marys make drinking vodka in the afternoon socially acceptable, and sometimes, cheap champagne just tastes better mixed with orange juice. Okay, at all times cheap champagne tastes better mixed with orange juice.
Brunch rocks. And on lazy Sundays in this town there is seriously only one place to go – Scholar’s Inn. Don’t let their sky-high entrée prices throughout the week intimidate you; their brunch is totally affordable. Think comparable to Runcible, or add a dollar or two to what you would pay to have breakfast at their sister restaurant Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse. Trust me, the atmosphere makes up for it, especially in spring and summer on the patio. And it’s still Scholar’s, so it’s totally delicious. Personally, I love the biscuits and gravy (obviously), the fried green tomato BLT, and the Charleston. My god, the Charleston. Sage sausage, shiitake mushrooms, and hollandaise. It’s a party in your mouth.
Also, they are one of the few places in this town where you can actually have a Bloody Mary with your brunch if you choose. And half-priced champagne cocktails on Sunday! Be aware that they don’t include mimosas on the half-price list.
It sucks, but when Bellinis are an option I don’t even want mimosa. The Canypso is great. The Mellon Ball is great. They are all great. It’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in this town.
Hyperlink guide
Village Deli – http://www.villagedeli.biz/
Runcible Spoon – http://www.runciblespoonrestaurant.com/
Cozy Table – http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/94/1554829/restaurant/Cozy-Table-Restaurant-and-Pancake-House-Bloomington
Runcible Spoon – http://www.runciblespoonrestaurant.com/menus/coffee.html
Uptown Café – http://the-uptown.com/pdf/breakfast.pdf
Irish Lion – http://www.irishlion.com/sunday.html
Scholar’s Inn – http://www.scholarsinn.com/BtownWineBar/index.html
Brunch – http://www.scholarsinn.com/BtownWineBar/brunch.html
Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse – http://www.scholarsinn.com/BtownBakehouse/index.html