I dream of Genies!!

Have you ever waken up in need of just some good food? Something sweet and savory and satisifying for the start of the few days you may have away from the monotony of the day to day stresses of work. Well, I had this hankering for a really good breakfast and down the street is this little café in edge of the Brooklyn neighborhood. I was with my friend Amber and I remember the first time I found this place, only through luck and road rage of not being able to get over the river to another favorite breakfast place, thus finding Genie’s Café.

 It has a small yet had a fair amount of seating. The first thing you walk into is an elaborate bar with a great selection of spirits. Now I am no stranger to booze and breakfast but these people don’t mess around. The diversity of the staff is what I loved about it. There was no uniform and everyone seemed actually enjoy working there. They had couches to sit while you waited for a seat and you can even order a drink if you want to have something while you waited. The fact that no matter what, you feel welcomed and comfortable right as you walked in was at time surreal. Amber and I walked in right when they opened which if you want to enjoy immediate service that’s probably the best time if not it can certainly fill up quickly.

The menu was pretty straight forward and everything was local and fresh. Even the Mimosas were made from fresh squeezed orange juice.  There was a good selection even for the pickiest of eaters. Wither you be vegan, vegetarian or carnivore all are welcomed here. As we picked seating I decided to sit closest to the kitchen as possible. Being a cook I love the banter and noise of the kitchen. The fryer hissing and pans sizzling as a fresh egg hits the hot pan, it was like a symphony to my ears. I saw the fresh baked buttermilk biscuits cooling in the window and it became my mission to have a biscuit of some sort. Biscuits to me are the things that you will wake out of a coma and walk ten miles in the freezing cold with barely any clothes and no shoes for. If you ever wonder why old people said that back then, it was because the biscuit were that damn good. As the waitress came back with all smiles to take out order, I decided on biscuits and sausage gravy with eggs over easy and red potatoes.

While Amber and I talked and sipped on a mimosa, I could hear them working away on our order. Shortly our food arrived. My mouth watered as the smoked sausage gravy flowed hot over the soft delicate biscuit. If you looked up the definition of marriage it would show a picture of these biscuits and gravy. I drizzled ketchup on my potatoes as if I was a kid back in the day when the only condiment I knew was ketchup. I don’t know what it is about potatoes and ketchup just makes a breakfast complete. I digress. You know that feeling of when you know something is everything you could ever ask for. Like it is perfect, all your needs are met and nothing besides God himself could ruin this moment. That was my first bite. Crunchy crust of the biscuit with the gravy soaked soft center laced with broken egg yolk was the quintessential moment of true peace. To me this was the working of a good restaurant. They get you comfortable and welcomed. Tease with the choices and tailor your meal to your liking, finally delivering greatness with simple yet carefully crafted good food. Even if the food was ordinary the experience alone was worth it. I can’t wait to dream of Genie’s again.