Sam and I have to find a new place for breakfast. This is not an easy task.

Ever since I was young, I have went out for breakfast on Sunday mornings. While living with my parents, we would drive to the Sand Burr in Broadhead, WI, or to Lakeside Lounge in Durand, IL. Mom and I would split an order of gravy and biscuits. The Sand Burr had terrible gravy. In college, we got to have luxurious and long breakfasts in the Commons where we could have hot items, eggs to order, waffles and pancakes, cereal and fruit. After a brief hiatus due to poverty, I started going to Hubbard Ave Diner about the time Sam and I were engaged. Every Sunday since Summer 2006, Sam and I have been at the counter around 9 am. We order the same thing every week because our brains aren’t awake enough to make decisions. He has the quiche or the scrambler special. I have veggies benedict with no hollandaise sauce (100 cal PER TABLESPOON!)

So, moving to Hanover, we had a big problem to deal with: Where are we going to eat breakfast on Sundays?

For the first couple of Sundays we were staying at a hotel that had a free hot breakfast every morning, so our breakfast was pre-paid. But, now that we’re in our apartment we suddenly have to ask ourselves on Sunday mornings, “Where are we going?” and, also importantly, “What are we going to eat?”

This Sunday we went to Lou’s, the “breakfast institution” in downtown Hanover. It’s a standard pancake-eggs-potatoes type place, but they emphasize the use of local produce and meats. They have about 15 tables and a counter with first-come-first-served seating. The queue was about 15 people deep, but everyone in line was congenial and talkative. They must have gotten a cup of coffee somehow. Our wait was maybe 10 minutes. The line moved fast.

Their menu was varied and interesting. I typically order of breakfast specials when I’m somewhere I’ve never eaten before, so I got the apple fritters french toast with applesauce. All local apples! Sam ordered an omelet with pears, gorgonzola cheese and leeks that came with potatoes and toast.

So “fritters” apparently means “doughnuts.” I was expecting something like the apple fritters from Greenbush Bakery but instead I got basic fried doughnuts. The “French toast” part was that the doughnuts were cut in halves, dipped in sweet egg, and fried on the griddle. There were THREE of them. Plus some really excellent chunky applesauce that was tart and not too sweet. I don’t know what I was expecting, but whatever this was, it was really good. Pidi and I did a two-hour hike on those calories later in the afternoon.

Next week, I think we’re going to try Lou’s nouveau next-door-neighbor, Market Table or the truckstop down the road, The Fort. Look for a post next Sunday.

Note: this post was composed Saturday, Sept 29, 2012 and backposted to Sept 23, 2012.