Restaurant Reviewed:

Brandywine Restaurant

1345 Lake Dr. SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Phone: (616) 774-8641

Directions:

From Calvin College take Lake Drive west into Eastown. Brandywine will be on the right hand side, before Carlton St. and the Dominos.

Rating Scale--

5 Fingers: Fantabulous

4 Fingers: Good `n' great

3 Fingers: Good, but not great

2 Fingers: Still better than the Dining Hall

The Finger: I'd rather pick my nose

Knuckle Sandwich: Rot-Gut

Restaurant type:

Eclectic

Average breakfast cost: $5.00

Overall rating:

3 Fingers

We've cured lackluster lunches and dull dinners. These reviewers decided to move on to another mealtime problem: boring breakfasts.

The Brandywine Restaurant we reviewed is situated in Eastown and is a storefront establishment. Upon entering we were greeted with a sign reading ``Please Seat Yourself.'' We were only too happy to do so, and chose a table covered with a brown vinyl sleeve. Although not aesthetically pleasing, the tables held a certain charm that we soon came to appreciate.

A waitress appeared and took our beverage order. When she returned, she presented us with thick, warm (this was somewhat disconcerting) menus. We decided that this restaurant warranted two visits then and there, so our next edition will be a lunch/dinner review of the Brandywine Restaurant. We focused on breakfast for this review.

Maria selected two scrambled eggs (very dry), marbled rye toast, and American fries. Anna ordered the ``Hot Delicious Cinnamon Knot'' (that was advertised on every page), a half order of blueberry pancakes, and two fried eggs. We waited in the pleasant atmosphere listening to the hum of pleasant conversation around us until we realized that we had been waiting for 15 minutes. Although this isn't too much time, we needed to get back to class and irritation ensued. Nothing we had ordered should have taken 15 minutes to prepare.

The food finally arrived. Anna's Hot Delicious Cinnamon Knot was a glorified cinnamon roll, drizzled with sugary icing. Hot, soft, and delicious, this breakfast pastry was a real treat. Anna was quite happy she had only ordered half an order of pancakes: they spilled over the edges of the plate. If she had to do it over, she would have only ordered one pancake for the reasonable cost of $2.00. One complaint about the pancakes, though: they tasted faintly of onions. Our hypothesis: a poorly washed omelet pan. Anna's eggs were cooked just to her liking and made up for the suspicious aforementioned pancake. Maria's food was good: the potatoes were buttery and crisp on the edges, the scrambled eggs were the perfect consistency, and the toast, when smothered with blackberry jam, was delightful.

Overall, this breakfast fare was practically priced and provided a nice change of pace from our usual routine. A breakfast here is well worth it for the dusky atmosphere and the friendly wait-staff. Stay tuned for Brandywine Restaurant, Second Edition!

Chow for Now,

Anna & Maria