Those of you who have followed this reviewer know of my fondness for Mexican Breakfasts. I make a pretty mean breakfast taco myself so I am not inclined to give praise lightly. That brings us to the subject of this week's review: Joe's Bakery on E 7th. Lost in the dusty eons of years passed is the actual date of the genesis of Joe's but suffice to say they've been at it doe mucho tiempo. The clientele is mostly latino with a sprinkling of anglos and African americans. And every day, from 7am to 3pm, they pour into this little joint with such fervor that there's usually a wait.

And worth the time I might add. The Bakery doesn't do that much for me but the breakfasts and lunches are flat out tasty. Which leads us to the Huevos Rancheros: in my humble opinion, the best in Austin. There are many stellar aspects of this dish: incredibly flavorful and mellow frijoles, beautiful bacon dipped in an egg wash and then in a flour batter and deep fried (Dios mio!) eggs the way you like them (I recommend once over) and an exceptionally piquant ranchera sauce that gives this dish an amazing patina of flavor. The accompanying flour tortillas are also hand made. And then there's the Pork Chop Breakfast. I get hungry just saying that. The chops are fried to a crispy finish and are served with eggs, crispy home fries and those killer frijoles. If you like Chorizo (Mexican sausage) then try the scrambled eggs with which blend beautifully with the spicy sausage and again the refried beans. The Chicharron breakfast (fried porkskins) might not at first glance seem that appealing, but I'll tell you it really works. The crispy chicharrones really work with eggs (who knew?) and make for an unusual yet very tasty breakfast.

That brings us to another dish for which Joe's is very well known: the menudo. I'm not talking about the Puerto Rican boy band whose members were forced to retire when they reached age 16, but the real deal: tripe or the stomach of the cow. Menudo originates from the Sonoran region of Mexico and was a dish literally borne out of necessity. The French even have a version but I like Joe's better. The essential part of good menudo is to cook the three disparate elements: the tripe, the posole and the chile separately blending only just before serving. And gringos can like menudo as well.

Of course there are myriad other offerings at Joe's. Great tacos, queso, and even hot cakes. But for me, the key to this joint that dates back to the 1930's, is that you can get breakfast all day long. And that is very good news.

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