Point breakfast

I’d been having a poor run on breakfast places lately to the point where I started wondering if I even liked breakfast foods anymore. Sparks Coffee Shop made me see that I’m not over breakfast, just bad breakfast. On a Saturday morning, my friend Brett and I wandered in to try Sparks Coffee Shop. The interior was clean and comfortable with a country kitchen feel to it, with rustic bird cages, wooden shelves and a large chalkboard displaying the specials. We were immediately greeted by a smiling hostess who led us to a nice sunny booth in the corner. She stayed and chatted with us, asking if it was our first time here and answered questions about the restaurant. Another smiling waitress appeared quickly and brought us some coffee ($2.25), waters and menus. The menu had a lot of breakfast and lunch choices, but we were focused on breakfast, so we looked over the array of benedicts, omelets and pancakes offered.

I decided to go with the daily special, the huevos rancheros ($10.99), which came with two eggs and tortillas smothered in a tasty green salsa, with a large side of home fries and beans. There was also a small steak quesadilla and a large side of fresh pico de gallo and sour cream. The plate was huge and I wasn’t quite sure where to start, but the white beans beckoned me when I noticed there were small pieces of meat, which I think was chorizo, mixed in with them. I’m used to being given just plain old refried beans with huevos rancheros, so I thought this was a nice touch and went really well with the eggs and tortillas, which soaked up the green salsa nicely. I can eat quesadillas for every meal, so I was excited about one offered at breakfast. The steak quesadilla was made with a corn tortilla and was packed full of flavorful steak. The only quibble was some of the pieces of steak were a little dry.

Brett went with Mo’s omelet ($10.50) which came with roasted Anaheim peppers, onions, andouille sausage and jack cheese. The omelet was substantial in size and most importantly, it was packed full of peppers and sausage. With every bite of this omelet, I was rewarded with flavors from the ingredients. The andouille offered a low spice, which was nice with all of the melted cheese. The omelet came with a side of potatoes and choice of toast as well, so there was no way to walk away from this one still hungry.

Throughout the meal, service was impeccable. My coffee cup never got below half full. Brett and I started joking that it was like we would take a sip, someone would see it and rush to fill it. All of the servers seemed to be friendly and attentive, and this isn’t the kind of place where only one staff person will help you. The restaurant was fairly busy, but service did not waiver.

As an aside, I used to live in this neighborhood, so I watched this building go through a lot of changes, and I have seen other businesses around it close. I think Sparks Coffee Shop is not only a welcome addition to the area, but also a business that should be able to last. It’s nice to see something positive coming back to the area, so I hope Sparks Coffee Shop is here to stay.