Post XI - Brenda's Diner mk. II

I ordered a decent breakfast....sausage and gravy over biscuits, home fries and corned beef hash.  You might think that this is a meal guaranteed to give me a heart attack, but the cholesterol and blood pressure both seem to be good at every visit to the doc...so that's good!

As always, I had black coffee (I assume - my notes don't include it, but it is my standard breakfast beverage) with my meal...Brenda's usually has pretty good coffee so I assume it was good now.

The biscuits had a clearly homemade taste and texture, which served as an excellent base to the gravy and sausage.  The gravy was smooth and mild- not at all gritty.  It may sound like an odd attribute for gravy to have (grittiness), but when not properly cooked, it can develop this...which is a shame.  You can have a gravy that is awesome across the board and have it ruined by grit. 

Grit.  It might be a great newspaper, but it's a terrible gravy additive.

Anyhow!  The home fries were awesome.  I've never had home fries quite like these...they have great blen of spices which is unique to Brenda's as far as I can tell.  Black pepper, paprika, sesame seeds (which get a great toasty flavor from the griddle)....as well as some I can't quite place.  Garlic is a maybe as are poppy seeds....just a terrific melange of flavors and textures.  The home fries alone are worth the trip.

Also worth the trip out is the corned beef hash...it seems unlikely at best, but i would swear they corn their own beef for this.  There is a flavor which goes well beyond the corned beef I have had anywhere else.  It's almost a spicy sweetness like clove or caraway or cardamom.  Going along with the fact that the texture and mouth feel of the beef is that of a really good brisket...it's a work of art on a plate fried on a griddle.  This time around wasn't quite as crispy as I normally prefer, but since I like it that way to off-set mushiness, this was OK.  A good high quality hash stands up on its own...and this one certainly does.  It didn't need salt or hot sauce or anything else to add to the flavor - it stood on its own.

This is a great little place and well worth the trip up to Port Byron.  Something for almost everyone (Vegans may be a little out of it), friendly and attentive service, great food and prices make this a favorite place to go again and again and again.