In theory, my husband and I would like to be thin, but we like pancakes, waffles, omelets and warm biscuits dripping with honey even more. So, rather than torture ourselves dieting, we instead decided to eat our way through San Diego, one breakfast joint at a time.

We were inspired by this article from San Diego Magazine, but will not stick to their list completely because we know of many other wonderful breakfast places they failed to list. We want to be equal opportunity breakfast eaters.

Our first breakfast date was to the Crown Bistro in Coronado, which can be reached either by crossing the most beautiful bridge in San Diego, or by coming up from the south on a scenic drive through “the Strand” both routes will take your breath away with their beauty.

But we aren’t here to talk about scenic drives; we are here to talk about food. The article in San Diego magazine listed this place as “under the radar” but clearly it isn’t under the radar anymore. When we checked in, they told us the wait was 20 minutes, but it actually took 45 minutes to get seated.

You should know right up front that I am a terribly impatient human being. I don’t like to wait and most often just leave any place with a line. But because we were on a quest, I forced myself to sit and wait.

The waiting was less horrible than usual waiting because the Crown Bistro happens to be attached to the lovely, dog friendly Crown City Inn, and while I was waiting, a delightful little schnauzer stopped in to say hello. Bearded dogs notwithstanding, I disliked the amount of time it took to get a table. The hostess kept coming into the lobby to call names of other people who had been waiting, many of whom had given up and gone about their day to find sustenance elsewhere.

When the glorious sound of our name being called finally happened and we secured a table, we noticed with disappointment that none of the other diners had food.

By this time, my stomach was audibly growling. I feared the schnauzer might think I was challenging him to a duel.

Our server arrived and was warm and friendly. She brought coffee shortly after we were seated. She thanked us for our patience. I fought the urge to tell her I was actually quite impatient and she should not thank me for a trait I didn’t possess, but having just come from church, I kept my snarky comments inside my head.

We reviewed the menu and it had a nice array of selections all under the $15 price and most hovering around $9.95. I ordered one of the items suggested in the San Diego Magazine, which was Bananas Foster French Toast. (Pictured above.) I also ordered a side of bacon, because…. pigs are delicious. (Disclaimer: My husband is a vegetarian and did not order any pig products.)

After ordering, it took another 25 minutes to get our food. Was it worth the 70-minute wait to eat? I was quite pleased with the Bananas Foster French Toast. My husband asked me if it was really that wonderful, or if it was the rum it was soaked in talking. Please. French toast with sauteed bananas, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream and rum sauce? What’s not to love? Side note -Rum flavored things always make me daydream about pirates.

My husband ordered blueberry pancakes, and described them as “plain,” which is Jeff-speak for anything he finds unremarkable. Just your garden-variety blueberry pancakes, like the sort you could get at Denny’s or IHOP.

I feel compelled to mention that the tables were very tiny. With both of our plates, water and coffee, everything was touching. When my side of bacon came, the plate wouldn’t fit on the table.

Now for your reading enjoyment, here is a conversation I overheard while we were eating. I actually put my fork down from the deliciousness of banana French toast to record this exchange.

Guy: How long is the wait?

Host: Half an hour. At least half an hour.

Guy: At LEAST half an hour? Could it be as long as an hour?

Host: (long pause…) Um….No, let’s just say half an hour.

I knew that was not an accurate assessment because when the same host told me 20 minutes, it was 45 minutes, and there were only 3 other people waiting. The line was much longer. But I said nothing, because it embarrasses my husband when I give handy tips to strangers.

Bottom line- week 1 was a little hit and miss. The location is darling, the bistro is quaint, and the staff was friendly, but incredibly slow. (They thanked us for our patience a total of 4 times.) My food was very good; my husband’s food was merely average.

If it’s a sunny day and you have nowhere particular to be, stop in and give them a try. But if you’re in a hurry, or want to spend less than two hours eating breakfast, go elsewhere.

Total for 2, food and coffee = $35.00 – Date visited 02/21/16

– tlw