(July 22, 2005)

There isn't a day that goes by where someone doesn't send me an email at Dining Out with Rob Balon.com complaining about the lack of places to get breakfast in Austin.

Well, pleasant surprise for those of you not in the know: consider Waterloo Ice House. With five locations across Austin, Waterloo opens at 7am and serves to 11am from Monday thru Saturday and from 8am-Noon on Sundays.

Start with the coffee. They custom roast their own blend at Waterloo. I'm always ready for that first cup of Joe and Waterloo doesn't disappoint.

There are two key words that characterize the breakfast dishes at Waterloo: tasty and fresh. Let's begin with the egg dishes. The Migas are eggs scrambled on the soft side with cheddar cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and tortilla chips. The consistency of this dish is quite good and the taste rush is immediate. The Huevos Rancheros are also a pleasant dish although tailored more for Gringos; the ranchero sauce is a bit tame for me. But order it with sausage patties and then you can mix the eggs, sausage and refried beans and scoop it up with pieces of your tortilla. Yum. Now, they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? So why not start with the Texas All Star Breakfast.

This consists of four eggs anyway you like them, four pieces of bacon or sausage, hash browns and biscuits or toast. This dish is so big that you can raise you metabolism by just finishing it. Uh huh. But it's good. And you will really enjoy the Mushroom and Swiss Omelet. The combination of sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese mixed inside the fluffy omelet produces a very mellow and enduring flavor. Each bit gets better. And of course there is Fried Egg Sandwich which takes me back to my East Coast roots. Get it with eggs, cheese and bacon on Texas Toast. That is tasty.

Another calorically challenged but palate pleasing dish is the Biscuits and Gravy Platter. This is gravy with all the drippings left in, the way it should be. The biscuits are light and tasty, and I like to add some sausage to it. And the Pancakes are worth the price of admission: The Blueberry Pancakes have a subtle flavor. They don't beat you over the head with the blueberry thing like the ones at Kerbey Lane. And the Cinnamon Pecan Pancakes have a nice texture and flavor to match. Not too dense, they sit on the plate, begging for some maple syrup. You oblige, and you are rewarded.

Of course, Waterloo Ice House rocks on all day with great burgers and other fare. And now you know about the breakfast. May your cup runneth over. Mine certainly has.

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