Breakfast Paradise

Breakfast Paradise

1070 E. Front St.

Ventura, CA 93001

I've been driving by Breakfast Paradise for a couple of years, and always see a big sign about a breakfast special for $5.99.  There always seems to be a few customers on the outside patio, and generally places that aren't very good go out after a year. This one seems to keep hanging in there.

So today, I gave it a try. 

The first thing I noticed is that they have a large, tile-topped bar just inside the door, and my youngest immediately decided that would be a great place to sit. We pulled up a couple of the big, bar chairs, and sat down. Today's newspapers seemed to fill one section, and a bunch of change was piled next to it, as if it was being counted and the counters were called away for something else. The tile top was missing grout in some places, so crumbs filled in those gaps. I wouldn't say it was dirty, just that it hadn't be cleaned since opening that morning-we were there at about 11. The interior reminded me more of a wine bar, with heavy wooden chairs and tables, a painted concrete floor and walls painted deep earth tones-great for evening cocktails, but a bit odd for a breakfast place.

The other customers at the counter seemed to be regulars, the waiter commenting on the newly cut hair of one of the older female patrons, casual chit chat among locals. Our menus were brought quickly enough, though they were a bit beat up, again out of character with the walls and furniture. 

My daughter found something that made her very happy-a ham and cheese omelet on the kids menu. She likes ham and cheese omelets, and usually will try to talk someone into splitting one with her since she still doesn't have the appetite for a whole omelet. One on the kid's menu made her very happy, and she ordered that with a chocolate milk. 

I was torn, but eventually decided on the "Texas Bowl," an omelet with sausage, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cheese and spinach, with some coffee. The other thing that I was looking at was empanadas, of which there were several pictures on a couple of different signs throughout. It seemed an unusual item to have, and if they were making a big deal about it, I thought they might be good. But the Texas Bowl won out.

The order took a little longer than I expected, but not too bad. The two servers engaged in long chats with one another, and with the regulars, but not so much with us. Still, my coffee was kept full, and that's really what makes me happy. While sitting there, I noticed that several of the patrons were older, which I thought was odd, but might just reflect the part of Ventura that we were in.

When our order came out, my daughter was happy, and quickly powered through the omelet and hash browns.  My Texas Bowl was okay-the eggs were actually very good, light and fluffy, but the rest of the ingredients didn't quite mesh, like perhaps it was cooked too quickly and didn't allow the flavors to combine. It wasn't bad, just wasn't quite as good as I thought it could be. 

So when I eat at a place like this, my first thought is would I bring the whole family back. On that, the answer is yes. The next is should I bring the whole family back, and on that one, maybe not so much. It wasn't bad, but it also just wasn't that good.