September 17, 2016 - The Local Diner, Coppell

Christine: True to its name, the Local Diner was located in area that was once old town Coppell, but now developed into a walkable prairie style community of restaurants, retail stores, and homes. The Diner was on the corner in an old time brick building which was actually new construction. When we asked the cashier about the restaurant, we learned there were two only locations, and he added the owner was sitting at one of the booths in the back, and pointed to “the bald guy”. The restaurant was funky, bright, and sunny on this beautiful Saturday morning. The menu was 


The menu was typical breakfast fare with lots of choices and combos. I opted for the French Toast Plate which included two eggs, any style, and bacon or sausage patties. Our server was attentive, quickly took our drink orders, and returned shortly with a carafe
of coffee. Our breakfasts arrived on checker trimmed plates to match the décor. The French toast was thick and beautifully showered with powdered sugar.

Served on a separate plate, the eggs and the sausage were cooked to perfection. My breakfast items were ordinary items on any breakfast menu, but these were more delicious than usual. Sausage can sometimes be a disappointment when overcooked to the dry and flavorless round of meat, but mine

was tasty, moist, and fresh. The sunny-side-up eggs were cooked just the way I like them. A nice touch was the salt and pepper grinders on the table.

To top off this great breakfast, we took a short trip to the Coppell Farmers Market which was a just short walk behind the restaurant. It was a fun mix of local products: honey, produce, herbs, pies, cookies, mushrooms, and along with gourmet delights to sample and purchase. The Market was located in the center of a park which is reminiscent of an old Texas town square.  Surrounding this community square are beautiful Craftsman style homes with inviting front porches, forming a housing development named “Main Street” of Coppell.

 

September 3, 2016 - Burritos Locos, Grapevine

Christine: Our plan was for another restaurant on this day, but with no place to park, and a line around the building, we decided to save that for another day. Instead we drove to nearby Burritos Locos which we could see from where we stood.  I had eaten there before though never for breakfast. It is authentic Mexican food like you would get in any small town in Mexico.
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The staff is Hispanic and very little English is spoken, but no matter, it works. I ordered the Chilaquiles con Carne which is Chilaquiles with meat, served with rice and beans. If you aren’t familiar with Chilaquiles, it is a dish of fried tortilla strips with cheese and salsas often served for breakfast or lunch. It is down home Mexican food often made with leftover tortillas. It was a generous breakfast portion and absolutely delicious. Breakfast is served with tortilla chips and three kinds of salsa. All three were very delicious, but two were very hot and spicy, so beware. I could not finish my meal so took half home which reheated nicely for another delicious meal later that day. Typical of restaurants in Mexico, they do not present the check until you ask for it, so we were able to sit and talk for some time without feeling pressured to give up our table.

It was so good, I forgot to take a picture of my meal intact, then remembered to after I had already eaten a good portion of it.