Saturday, April 24, 2010

Steveston breakfast enthusiasts rejoice!


If you love a full breakfast, without the bother of cooking it yourself, you're in luck.

Steveston offers you hearty meals served with small-town care and attention. And the good news is, all of them come with a view.

Take the Buck & Ear Bar and Grill. It's plain inside - and out - but once you sit down to their generous portions of traditional breakfast offerings, you're hooked. Plus, depending on where you sit, you get a sweeping view of the Third Avenue and Moncton Street intersection or the sprawling Gulf of Georgia Cannery. But regulars claim that it's the reasonable prices that keep them coming back.



Pat's Galley has been welcoming early risers for many years. When the Moncton Street block where it sat was slated for demolition, the owners decided to relocate to the River Song waterfront complex. It’s a lot closer to the Fraser River and customers can enjoy a tranquil view of Bayview Street while reading the papers over their eggs, bacon, and hash browns.



Just across the street from Pat's is Cimona Cafe, reputed to have the friendliest smiles around. Miriam the owner welcomes arrivals with a warm “hello.” If all the tables are occupied, which happens quite often, you can sit on outward-facing stools and, from your lofty perch, get a commanding view that stretches from the Canada Fisheries office all the way to Sockeye City Restaurant. All for the same price as you would pay sitting at a regular table. Not a bad trade off, don’t you think?



Sometimes though, you wake up with a void that only an Egg McMuffin can fill. Well, no fear, McDonald's is also here. On the corner of No. 1 Road and Moncton Street, to be specific. This nautical themed restaurant was once the subject of a heated debate in the community. When word got out that a McD was opening, many local feathers were ruffled. Surely not in Steveston! It would be the start of a precipitous decline to suburban nightmare.

Once the store threw open its door, however, locals started warming up to it. Instead of being an eyesore, the Golden Arches is now considered an integral part of the waterfront community. From its windows, you can observe pedestrians spilling onto the crosswalks while drivers whip their heads left and right, trying to determine when to proceed through the uncontrolled intersection. Given the constant flow of feet, strollers, scooters, bicycles, and cars, it is a miracle that collisions don’t occur more frequently.



Then there’s Steveston's Cannery CafĂ©, an old stone house with generous windows overlooking Moncton Street. This sparkling jewel attracts breakfast hunters all year round while its cozy patio is a favourite among those who prefer to dine alfresco in the sweltering summer months.




So, next time you are prowling for a hearty meal to jump start your day, just go down this list and pick one at random. Regardless of where you end up tucking a bib under your chin, chances are you won't be disappointed.

1 comment: