Breakfast of Champions

On Sunday morning, my friends and I had breakfast at Panini Cafe, located in Aliso Viejo. The restaurant is a chain, and in addition to its primary fare of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine (YUM), it also serves breakfast. 

I spent a few minutes staring longingly at the listing for French Toast, before deciding that I really wanted more of a savory breakfast. The restaurant offers all kinds of scrambles, omelettes, and breakfast sandwiches, each one more delicious-sounding than the last. I finally decided on the Mediterranean omelette, minus the olives, which left me with a combination of egg whites, feta, tomatoes, and spinach.  

The omelette was so, so good. For the first time in maybe my entire life, I did not feel the need to salt my eggs. That's probably because feta often has a higher sodium content than most cheeses, so its presence was enough to increase the saltiness of the spinach and eggs as well.
Additionally, the potatoes that accompanied my meal were seasoned, and enough so that they didn't require any salt for flavor. My blood pressure is probably so appreciative of this meal.

Some other things that I enjoyed:

• The Panini Cafe does a nice job with their sides. They offer a side of either roasted potatoes or fresh fruit (I chose the former, since I don't enjoy fruit when it's mixed together), and either sourdough or nine-grain toast. Also found on the plate: a random sprig of lettuce adorned by a tomato slice.

• Egg whites are available for substitution at no extra cost, which is awesome, since most places charge you up to a dollar more just for choosing a healthier option. 

• The wait staff is attentive and friendly. At no point were we rushed to order, or rushed to depart the restaurant, which allowed us to enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast. The waiters and waitresses also consistently returned to our table to refill our drinks, and made sure that we had everything we needed at all times, without resorting to hovering.

• The restaurant offers unlimited free refills on coffee. Also, their coffee brand of choice is Lavazza, a tasty Italian brand that my father drank often when I was a child. I may or may not have once invented a song involving Lavazza, my father, and...cars. And feet.

I don't expect to be returning here any time soon, mainly because I don't know when I'll be in Southern California again—and if I am, there are still so many places that I'd like to discover. However, I'd really love to explore the lunch/dinner portion of their menu (caprese paninis make my belly so happy), so...we'll see.