Breakfast at Peg’s

I can’t walk into many places after staying away for over a year and get a hug. I wouldn’t want to! But I walked into Peg’s Glorified Ham’n’ Eggs at 7 a.m. recently, and a waitress named Jeanette greeted me with a familiar glowing smile, welcoming me like I lived there.

I almost used to live there. During my first few years in town, my friends Lisa, Rob, Mike and I would pile into a booth nearly every Saturday, sometimes Sunday, too. More than occasionally our pal, Leigh, would drive from Truckee to join us.

Jeanette, her sister Joanne and Tim would serve us coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice and whatever configuration of eggs, breakfast meat and toast our hearts desired.

For nostalgia’s sake, I ordered the Plaza ($7.99), one of the several enormous, delicious omelets offered at Peg’s. This particular bad boy is loaded with fresh vegetables—including spinach, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and mushrooms—and seasoned with fresh herbs. It’s topped with sliced avocado with a bit of yogurt on the side. A reasonable mound of perfect hash browns and toast finish off the hearty meal.

Going over the menu was like walking down Memory Lane. I watched Jeanette serve someone a beautiful hamsteak and eggs. No wonder we used to come here all the time!

Before she put my order in, Jeanette asked, “Do you want butter?”

My father grew up during the Depression and instilled in me a great appreciation of butter’s deluxeness.

Yes, yes, yes! Butter my toast, please.

Jeanette said a lot of Peg’s diners are on low-carbohydrate diets, so Peg’s now has a low-carb menu on its dry-erase specials board.

Attention all Atkins dieters, you can choose one of the following: chicken breast, ground chuck, turkey burger, steak, grilled or blackened salmon. Then, in place of super-high carbohydrate hash browns and toast, you can choose two options from the list of sides, including tomato slices or cottage cheese.

In the days when I was a Peg’s regular, I often ordered Nature’s Bonanza ($5.50), which, no matter how hard I try to duplicate at home, never tastes as yummy as the real thing at Peg’s. It’s rolled oats, yogurt, dried apricots, nectarines, dates, raisins, sliced almonds, walnuts, pineapple, raw honey and fresh seasonal fruit. I know it sounds simple enough, but something magical happens when it’s concocted in Peg’s kitchen.

Another change to the menu is the addition of several types of benedicts. You can have your standard Glorified Eggs Benedict or you can have Chef George’s Benedict which includes chorizo patties topped with chipotle hollandaise; Crab Cake Benedict; Smoked Salmon Benedict; Veggie Benedict and more.

Peg’s has all your breakfast standards from biscuits and gravy to waffles and pancakes. Which reminds me of the time—the only time—I ordered the Sandwich, some eggs and bacon or sausage between pancakes. I learned my breakfast limit with that dish, but I recall my old buddy Leigh downing those sandwiches with ease—and coming out with a smile on his face.

We all always left smiling. Full and smiling. Turns out, I still do. I’m not going to stay away so long again.