Best breakfast in California!

In the morning my alarm clock wakes me, but the thought of breakfast is what actually gets me out of bed. Breakfast is, hands down, the most delicious thing ever.  A steaming bowl of oatmeal with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey, a stack of warm banana pancakes...just thinking about breakfast makes me a little happier.

Anyway, I was in the Sacramento airport last week, waiting for my plane and flipping through the Food Network magazine in one of those book/magazine/overpriced souvenirs for the busy travelers who forgot about their families shops and happened upon an article titled "50 States, Fifty Breakfasts."  Naturally, the word "breakfast" caught my eye and I read on eagerly.  The article selected the best breakfast place in every state, with pictures and descriptions of what you should order.  You can check out the best breakfasts for all the states on the Food Network website here.  Under California, Marston's Restaurant was named.  I had never heard of it so I scanned the foldout U.S. map in the magazine for its location.  As soon as I saw the little red star pinpointing Marston's, I knew that it was my fate to be sampling the pictured "Fantastic French Toast" that very weekend.  For what was my destination?  Pasadena.  Location of my best friend Alison at Caltech, and location of the best breakfast in California!  Can you ask for a better combination?

Sure enough, we ended up at the restaurant a couple days later and split both the famous, featured French toast as well as the macadamia nut pancakes.  The pancakes were creamy and buttery and the added macadamia nuts gave each golden fluffy bite a bit of crunch and a lot of great flavor.  The French toast was made with sourdough bread dipped in a batter containing cornflakes, so the result was a warm crispy exterior with a tender, slightly cinnamony center.  Each plate was served with real Vermont maple syrup, automatically earning a little of my respect, and we both left very full, but very happy.  Check out the menu, here.

Now, I'm not sure I would agree that Marston's Restaurant is the best breakfast in California, but it sure made for a very satisfying and delicious brunch.  Maybe I will try all the other breakfast places in California and report back later.

-Syd