My father owns a small restaurant in a quaint seaside town. Every time a new restaurant opens up nearby (and believe me, over the past 30 years a lot of restaurants have come and gone in this small town), my dad views the new establishment as company rather than competition. “I hope the food is good,” he’ll say, “Another good restaurant will just bring more diners to the area.”
I now see this principle in practice every Saturday and Sunday morning as crowds of breakfast-seekers walk past my window on their way to one of the many Ball Square breakfast restaurants. For something quick, cheap, and greasy try The Broken Yolk at 136 College Ave, or for the look and feel of a classic diner there’s Kelly’s Diner at 674 Broadway. For moderately priced, high-quality food with friendly service go to Ball Square Breakfast Cafe at 708 Broadway, and for the same food with unfriendly service there’s Soundbites at 704 Broadway. For a down-to-earth cafe with good music and baked goods I recommend True Grounds Cafe at 717 Broadway. If you’re looking to try something wonderfully exotic, just travel up the road another half mile to Panificadora Modelo, a small Brazilian bakery and sandwich shop at 508 Medford Street. No matter your breakfast tastes, Ball Square is sure to offer a suitable option.
Ball Square Breakfast Cafe , 708 Broadway
One of my favorite morning hangouts is Ball Square Breakfast Cafe, which is owned by the son of the owner of Victor’s Deli, and is engaged in a bitter feud with the next-door Soundbites. The two menus are practically identical because Omar Djebbouri, the chef at Ball Sq. Breakfast Cafe, also created the Soundbites menu when he worked there. And the menus are exquisite. Despite the similarity of the food, most locals have a staunch preference for either Yasser, owner of Soundbites, or Mike, owner of Ball Sq. Breakfast Cafe. Personally I prefer Mike because he makes his customers feel welcome and knows the names of all the small children, compared to Yasser who always gives me that annoying, “just eat your food and leave so I can seat more customers and make more money” stare.
Ball Square Breakfast Cafe specializes in classic breakfast foods prepared with quality ingredients and great care. My favorite dish is the French Toast, which is made with inch and a half thick Challah bread and topped with fresh caramelized fruit and whipped cream, or stuffed with bananas and cream cheese ($6.95). There is also a fresh fruit bowl that overflows with juicy berries, melons, kiwis and mangoes ($4.50). My only two complaints are that real maple syrup costs extra and the music is borderline-painful 90’s soft-rock.
Panificadora Modelo, 508 Medford Street
My new favorite breakfast place is Panificadora Modelo, a Brazilian bakery that I had passed many times but only recently ventured into. The Modelo is very small but always full of Spanish or Portuguese speaking families and couples and young men.
I ordered an egg sandwich, which ended up involving not only fried egg but ham, thinly sliced potato crisps which added a nice crunch, melted cheese, dark green lettuce, tomato slices, and mayonnaise, on a huge, soft, homemade roll. I also wanted to try something from the bakery so I got a pastry that was moist but not too dense, and coated with a thin layer of sweet, gooey coconut.
My mango smoothie was not what I expected, as I expected something frozen. The smoothie was instead only slightly cold, but offered a combination of flavors that my poor American palette could only guess at as mango and coconut milk. I also love a good cappuccino, and the one I was served was large and frothy with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a stick of rock-candy for sweetener. The entire meal, which fed both me and a hungry friend, cost just $12. And don’t worry, then menu is posted in both Portuguese and English.
Ball Square is Breakfast Square, but be warned, come dinner time your only option is Chinese food.
No Comments Yet
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
