Optimism is a wonderful thing. I love to look on the bright side and know that something good will be coming forth. The last few weeks our choice of breakfast stops has really tested my optimism. This morning I brought Mike to Hope Diner , 742 Hope St, Bristol, RI . This is our third stop at this end of Bristol and it may be the last. Hope Diner is very traditional looking, maybe 15 tables and a long counter for seating and even reading the morning paper as one patron was doing. Our coffee was served promptly, but it took both of us several sips, and a questioning look before we simply declared it, “Not too Bad” (low praise for us), but there was something about it that neither of us could figure out that gave it a very slight “off” taste. My meal was a traditional western omelet, with home fries. One word describes both, DRY. The home fries had little flavor and were sliced, not in chunks. I like the sliced home fries as there is more surface area for spices…ah except that there were none. Maybe that is why the waitress asked, twice, if we wanted hot sauce or ketchup. The omelet was flat and although the ham and onions ( no peppers that I could see ) had good flavor, the whole omelet looked like it was pressed with a griddle press. One good thing happened, my good buddy Mike gave me his application to join the Rehoboth Lions. He will be a great addition. ( Don’t tell him I said that, it will spoil my image.) Mike, your choice next week, no pressure. Hope Diner gets 2 cups.
Usually, for my portion of the breakfast review, I write with sophistication and charm, insightful intelligence, wit and astounding candor. Today I will try to sound more like Ray. Why? Because there’s not much to say about the Hope Diner and I want to save my good stuff for next week when Ray and I get out of this slump! It wasn’t all that bad. It just could have been much better. The coffee was meh. We couldn’t quite figure out what was “not quite right” with it but we’ve come to know really good or exceptional coffee and this didn’t make it. We’ve also come to know terrible coffee. This coffee was in between. I reverted to my old standby, the unusual, as nothing on the menu or specials board appealed to me. I liked the option of sweet or spicy sausage and choice spicy…good choice because it was pretty good and most likely home made. Eggs are eggs. But the homefries, like the coffee, disappointed. First, I’m not a fan of sliced homefries. I know it’s just a different way to cut the potato but I’m a traditionalist. Second, they were on the bland side. That was strike two. And as Ray and I only give two strikes, coffee and homefries, that meant we called the Hope Diner, “OUT”. The nice thing about the “unusual” is that I always break the yoke and mix all that liquid flavor with the homefries. Add a bit of salt and many shortcomings in taste are covered up. But even that couldn’t bring up today’s meal higher than 2 1/2 cups in my opinion.
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