Breakfast Restaurants--Dozen Best

[title type="h3"]Dozen Best Restaurants For Breakfast.[/title] New Orleans has not been historically a great breakfast town–not the way Las Vegas, Chicago, or New York are anyway. But it can claim to be the world's most famous breakfast house: the one in position #1, below. Beyond Brennan's, we have so many unique breakfast dishes to play with: pain perdu, grillades and grits, calas, and all those Brennan egg creations. Here are my own favorites. I expect many arguments and suggestions of other inclusions. An odd curiosity is that the North Shore has more great breakfast places than the city and Jefferson Parish put together. [caption id="attachment_45967" align="alignnone" width="480"] Egg Sardou.[/caption] 1. Brennan's. French Quarter: 417 Royal. 504-525-9711. In a class by itself, really. The creator of most of the fancy egg dishes served everywhere, Brennan’s set the standard for breakfast in the 1950s and still does. It’s expensive and more like brunch than breakfast. 2. Cafe Adelaide. CBD: 300 Poydras St. 504-595-3305. The best hotel breakfast in town, and great at that, with superlative versions of the New Orleans breakfasts classics–including the city’s best lost bread. 3. Mattina Bella. Covington: 421 E Gibson. 985-892-0708. A spinoff of the Peppermill in Covington, in a charming antique building. Ask them about their specials, or for anything–they really can cook here. Hardly a better hollandaise anywhere. [caption id="attachment_44902" align="alignnone" width="400"] Eggs with crabmeat at Liz's WhereYaAt Cafe.[/caption] 4. Liz's Where Y'At Diner. Mandeville: 2500 Florida. 985-626-8477. A colorful, cheery restaurant in old Mandeville, with an unusually creative menu of breakfast dishes and clean, classy cooking. Jammed on weekends, and most of the time on weekdays, too. 5. Peppermill. Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd: 3524 Severn Ave. 504-455-2266. The leading breakfast place in Metairie, always full, with great pancakes and surprising fancy dishes, too. [caption id="attachment_21359" align="alignnone" width="400"] Lost bread found at the Ruby Slipper.[/caption] 6. Ruby Slipper Cafe. Mid-City: 139 S Cortez. 504-309-5531. ||| CBD: 200 Magazine St. 504-525-9355. ||| Marigny: 2001 Burgundy St. 504-525-9355. ||| CBD: 1005 Canal St. 504-525-9355. The original Ruby Slipper in Mid-City has had them standing on line since they first opened a few years ago. The downtown location is more attuned to people who work downtown. Both make fine specials as well as standard breakfasts. 7. Riccobono's Panola Street Cafe. Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor: 7801 Panola. 504-314-1810. Owned by the same people as the Peppermill, but with a looser, more rustic menu and a hipper, younger crowd. Hard to believe how popular it is in this obscure backstreet location. [caption id="attachment_47644" align="alignnone" width="480"] Corned beef hash and eggs at Blue Line.[/caption] 8. Blue Line Sandwich Company. Metairie 1: Old Metairie: 2023 Metairie Rd. 504-309-3773. Chef Brad McGehee operates a pleasant diner on Metairie Road, with polished versions of every breakfast dish you've ever loved. It's the kind of place you go for a long, lingering breakfast. Unusually good coffee. 9. Eat. French Quarter: 900 Dumaine. 504-522-7222 . One of the French Quarter’s best casual breakfast cafes, with a big menu and classy eats. 10. Coulis. Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 3625 Prytania. 504-304-4265. The passing of owner-chef James Leeming hasn’t sent the place into a tailspin, as his wife and crew keep on serving the sharp breakfasts and lunches. [caption id="attachment_26560" align="alignnone" width="400"] Beignet sticks at the Fat Spoon.[/caption] 11. Fat Spoon Cafe. Mandeville: 68480 Highway 59. 985-809-2929. ||| Covington: 2807 North Highway 190. 985-400-5200. The Fat Spoon--aside from its less-than-alluring name--is everything one hopes to find in a local neighborhood breakfast-and-lunch place.The breakfasts are solid throughout, even to details like the coarse-ground grits. The Monday red beans are outstanding, and can be had with a very good link hot sausage. 12. Surrey's . Uptown: 1418 Magazine. 504-524-3828. ||| 4807 Magazine. 504-895-5757. Juices galore and offbeat breakfast dishes side-by-side with the standards. A bit of a cult following swears by it, and they’re onto something: the ingredients are unusually fine.