The way to my heart is through my stomach.  That should be no surprise to anyone who knows me, and certainly something that M knows well.  I've told you before how much I love breakfast, and also how grumpy I get when I am hungry.  Well imagine my attitude when the plan was to go for breakfast before Costco one morning, but by the time the morning came M only wanted coffee.  I’m sure I was happy.  I mean, I would have suffered through a Costco hot dog and poutine for brunch after shopping, but I really wanted a big breaky.  Much to my chagrin, M turned the opposite way of Costco and my attitude was adjusted real quick.


We arrive at Humpty’s Classic Café and I’m so excited.  Not only is it a true greasy-spoon type spot but I've been wanting to go there for a while. Now this isn't your regular Humpty's restaurant (it's unlikely I'd write a blog about one of those). This location is straight up classic diner style; imagine sock hops and poodle skirts.  This very tiny building is just north of all the retail shopping in the area of Deerfoot Meadows.  It’s in the middle of the parking lot and is styled in the exact fashion of a ‘50s café, from the aluminum/tin outside to the red leather booths and stools along the counter.  When we walk in the first thing we notice is how big it is inside.  Looks are deceiving from the road, it holds a fair number of people.  The second thing I noticed is how at 945 on a Sunday morning the place isn't quite half full.  That to me is worth every penny.  I am always on the hunt for a wicked new spot, but I HATE lining up for breakfast.   The trendy restaurants here always have a 30-45 minute wait on weekends during peak times.  I just can’t get behind that.  The third thing I noticed is that the servers all look like they've been there since the place opened.  I giggled to myself as the two ladies up front instructed us to sit where ever we’d like.  I chose the bar, unusual for me yes, but I feel like it added to the ambiance of it all.  Looking around I see that it’s a lot of families, young parents with young kids or old people.  We are the odd balls out here, DINK’s if you will, but no one is paying attention to us.  There’s no hipster vibe, or ‘I-have-to-dress-up’ for this feeling.  It’s just bacon and eggs and coffee.  And a jukebox at your booth if you want to get really nostalgic.  I feel like that’s a big hit for the kids, and if nothing else it’s entertaining for them. Maybe Mom and Dad can read the paper for a few minutes while Ambrosia or Jaaissonn (yes I made fun of stupid names there) figures out how to use it.


T: Are you even very hungry?
M: Nope, I'll have coffee and toast.
T: Pfft, sure. You're missing out.


Our server came over right away and M ordered his black coffee.  Not this girl.   I love me some chocolate milk.  Love.  It's pretty much a staple in my life, especially at breakfast.  Now the problem I have is when I ask for a large glass I mean a LARGE glass.  Not that mini cup, you know, with the vertical lines and its plastic, and you probably learned to drink on it when you were 2?   Fuck those cups.  I want a substantial glass, something that will last me through the entire meal.  I tell servers this, and I'll gladly pay.  You can charge me for 3 glasses if that's what you think is fair.  Seventy percent of the time I get a small-ish cup no matter my pleading with my server.  But here, different story.  Its like she understood me.  I got a huge glass.  It was probably a whole liter.  It lasted me until I was finished my meal, and it was only 3 bucks.  Amazing.


Oh, right.  Food, that's why I'm here.  I never really branch out too much on breakfast fare, I stick to my usual bacon, eggs, toast and hashbrowns.  At home my repertoire expands greatly, but I really do enjoy the traditional when we are out.  I felt like it took a little while to come out, considering the roughly half full restaurant but that's fine.  I was preoccupied with looking at all the old school features and doing some people watching.  The gentleman at the end of the bar was clearly a regular, and I like to see that.  It bodes well for an establishment to have a loyal guest following.   When breakfast arrived I was perfectly content :).  The eggs were cooked right to over-easy, the bacon was crispy (actually a tad salty) and the hashbrowns are excellent.  Fluffy on the inside, very crispy on the outside, and the seasoning is bang on.  I'm sure M's toast was wonderful as well, but it's toast.  Is it burnt? Send it back. It's not burnt? Good, eat it :).

Leaving Humpty's that morning I was a happy camper; I was filled up on bacon and hasbrowns!  I know for sure we will be back and I'll try something new next time, as long as it comes with a large glass of chocolate milk!

By the time breakfast was over it was almost noon (on a Sunday)...we should have skipped Costco :(.