Springtime and Louis, Providence RI

Finally being almost done slaying my thesis monster (die thesis die!), I had a nice relaxing breakfast with A today. Louis is a pretty amazing diner, practically a rite of passage for all students here. Its filled with photos, articles, off-beat art, and even more photos. The original proprietor, Louis Gianofrancesco (I think) passed away in 1999, but his son is holding the fort and continues his fathers tradition of non-nonsense morning sustenance.

And what a lovely day it was too! The recent week of rain has left without a trace, and it feels as if winter is gone for good. *crosses fingers* Before I reveal my breakfast, let me whet your appetite with some yummy springy pics...


Gotta love spring flowers. Not sure what the white ones are, but daffodils have to be my favourite of all the springy-growy-things. I'm partial towards the all yellow ones, but these ones are beautiful too, like pretty eggs with yellow delicately suspended within the white.


Apparently I'm not the only one hungry this morning. This squirrel is munching on a piece of pasta, penne I think, complete with tomato sauce. If you look closely, you'll see some of the tomato sauce smeared across its mouth and nose.


And this, ladies and gentlemen, was my breakfast. Framed very artfully by A's hands, this is the Nebraska Sunrise, two eggs sunny side up rising above a sweet mountain of corn bread, flanked by a generous serving of home fries. Great company, good food, I don't think there's a better way to start of any weekend (or day for that matter).


The weather was so warm today, that there were tons of t-shirted, skirted, bermuda-ed, and generally skin-baring people on the greens just hanging out. All these pale sun/warmth-deprived New-Englanders, me included. Add some frisbee throwing into the equation, and you have the makings of a pretty content day.

Louis Restaurant - 286 Brook St - Providence RI

Breakfast of Champions

This has to be one of my most favourite ways to start a morning. First, take a bagel out of the freezer, pry it out from its coat of tissue, and stick it in the oven. This morning's lucky bagel was a plain bagel.


Fresh bagels or any variety toast just as well, untoasted fresh bagels are okay too. In fact, any sort of bread, toasted, untoasted or fried, will do fine (I also recommend fried whole grain), although nothing says "heck to the calories" quite like a bagel. Does 1 bagel really equal 5 slices of bread?

Then, the king of all breakfast foods, bacon. I usually use two slices, each cut into half. Which is just about right to cover the entire face of my bagel. Mmmm... Make sure you're wearing clothes that can afford to smell like bacon and fried food, especially if you're like me and don't have a working ventilation hood. Oh, and don't forget to check on your bagel! A word of caution about this regal food: it bites back! This photo was taken all of 10 seconds before the bacon spit at me.


If bacon is the king of breakfast foods, then the egg is his resplendent and highly versatile queen. Soft boiled, hard boiled, scrambled, or omelette-d, the royal egg is wonderful in all forms during breakfast. But, on a bagel, the egg has to be fried. Now, I know some people like to mess around with the yolk so that it cooks completely, which makes sense if you're eating breakfast on the run and don't want a mess. But if you've got the time and space to savour this breakfast, either alone or with loved ones, keep that yolk runny!


Now to assemble the feast. I like my yolk facing the bottom slice of bread, that way when pressure is applied to the bagel, the bread can sop up some of the lovely runny yolk and lessen the mess. On top of that goes the cheese (Provolone, in this case), the bacon, and the other slice. Tip: pop the entire thing into the oven, which not only warms everything back up again, but also allows the cheese to melt around the egg, further sealing it from yolk-seepage.


Doesn't Ms Tummy look like she's ready to devour the entire meal in one bite? Serve with your favourite morning drink, if you're starting to feel a bit guilty then some fruit juice might help alleviate that. With the yolk exactly as I like it, this is a messy, but supremely satisfying breakfast.