If you are willing to go with me, I want to take you back to my birthday -- specifically, birthday breakfast. Sue had reserved a spot for us at the Waterfront Gastropub, which is right on the river, and has a patio. She had reserved it for my birthday, which was last Wednesday, but then changed it to Thursday, due to weather concerns.
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| Sue, some of the patio, and a bit of the river and bridge |
We hadn't dined out since unowat happened, but on a open patio by the river to celebrate a certain occasion, we were willing to take a chance. We were to wear masks until we got to the table and sat down.
There were more precautions. The servers remained masked. Once seated, we could not change tables. There was no passing of menus; we clicked the website to view the menu. When it is time to pay inside the otherwise empty building, one must mask once again.
I am pleased to write that I felt very safe indeed, and it was a glorious spot for such a breakthrough outing. We are not attracted to patios by busy roads as most happen to be in this town, but this location is quite wonderful. We had a clear view of town hall as well as up and down the river.
We did make an error of judgement, however. Because it was a cool morning, 18C/64F, we opted for a sunny table. Once seated, we realized our mistake, but we had made our choice and couldn't change tables. You see, it was quite sunny, and since the sun is still north of the equator, it is still quite powerful and we were darn hot. Oh well.
The breakfast! Scrumptious! Possibly the best ever or certainly right up there and the best in a long time. I had the Waterfront Scramble: three eggs with hollandaise, layered over hashbrowns, bacon and sausage.
I managed to eat almost all of it. I told the server that once upon a time I would have consumed it all and asked for more, but I gave it a good shot in this my dotage. That meal kept me feeling full from 9 in the morning until 8 in the evening without me feeling at all hungry, unless you count a few pieces of chocolate. (Am I the only one who likes a little bit of chocolate after eating an eggy breakfast such as this?) I had a few pieces of toast at 8, but I am not sure that I needed even that all those 11 hours later.
I would go again and would like to do just that before they close the patio near the end of October. They do have heaters to extend the season for as long as is reasonable, but what will restaurants like this do when winter forces the patios to close?
I shall end with a pic that I took from elsewhere on the patio as we were leaving. It was reasonable to stop and do this since the patio was pretty well deserted by this time, and we were also, once again, masked.
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The former Boulton Brown Mill, now condos
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What a treat the morning was: great venue and great food.
Addendum
I have two more photos from Sue's phone to add. One is a selfie of the two of us at breakfast and the other my final birthday gift which had just arrived that we picked up at Shauna's right after breakfast.
15 comments:
What a fine way to celebrate one's birthday. I love the pictures so much and I felt like I was right there with you. I could even see the effects of the breakfast on my scale! :-)
Lovely spot. We've eaten in outside spaces of restaurants only twice.
Breakfast in one of the restaurants here where we occasionally ate is similar and also delicious. Oh for those good old days...
Looks like a lovely birthday breakfast, aside from the overly warm seating. I agree with your assessment of on the street dining and while we have eaten outdoors it's always on the sidewalk seating portion near the eatery. The literal "on the street" dining experience close to barriers and cars is not for us. Your view was lovely and nice to see the unmasked faces.
Assuming that sports between kids are happening this fall, you're set for taking photos of some games for a few months...great hoodie! Glad you had a bunch of photos from your breakfast feast by the river...it looks super. I've had meals al fresca a few times, maybe twice a month so far. Since I spend 2 days at the rehab center with a dozen other people (all masked until we are eating), I've become pretty used to being with people again. It did take a while, though!
What a delightful place to have your birthday breakfast! And what a breakfast feast...I hope restaurants like this can sell take out/take away when it becomes too cold to meals on the patio. Today I'm going to a family birthday party for my oldest granddaughter who turns 13 and I will bring my mask just in case. But we will celebrate outside.
I would have loved such a birthday meal on this patio. Lovely.
What a fine outing--the breakfast sounds amazing!
What a beautiful setting and photos! It sounds like there were many precautions in place too. I would love that breakfast. I used to enjoy going out for breakfast and always order some kind of egg dish. What did Sue have? A wonderful way to celebrate your birthday and then a new jacket too. Yay!!
We've been going to restaurants . I still feel uneasy about it and we don't have nearly as much covid as you did.
I love that restaurant! We haven't been there all season.
Happy birthday!
What a special outing. I've enjoyed several meals out this summer, all outdoors.
Is that hoodie a football team?
What a beautiful patio spot to eat! I wonder what will happen with the restaurants when it gets cold, too.
I take it your present has something to do with sports--LOL! ;)
The patio breakfast looks wonderful...... but the Montreal Canadiens??????? Leafs all the way!
A stunning location for breakfast, I'd love to have views like this while fine dining. The climate in the West of Scotland does not lend itself for outdoor dining most of the year, something I miss from my previous life in Switzerland.
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