A greasy spoon

We all have our favorite spot for deep fried breakfast. For a vegetarian, most greasy spoons are about pancakes and has browns. Sometimes you'll run into an occasional omelet worth tasting. For my wife and I, we haven't found the perfect place yet but we like (not love) a couple places we've tried:

The Lumberjack Grille
3949 Ohio St
San Diego, CA 92104

Perry's Cafe
(619) 291-7121
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110

Now The Lumberjack Grille used to be the Old Mill Cafe, and as a result, you won't find it under Yahoo Maps as The Lumberjack Grille. Their menu has a large selection of dishes with a few surprises. Look for the Crunchy French Toast which is french toast, battered with raisin bran and fried. I know it sounds odd, but it's pretty tasty if you're open minded.

They have a handful of Mexican dishes, their prices are fair (though some things are more pricey than you'd expect, like sandwiches) and the service is okay. There's some peculiarities to the place such as they serve a pasta-sauce style sauce for dipping their fried cheese sticks in. My wife asked if they had marinara and they didn't. Just don't expect them to have everything to cater to your tastes.

The clientèle is largely gay men for some reason. I don't know the history of the place to venture why that is.

Perry's Cafe is a different story altogether. They're bigger, busier, louder and cheaper. They're right on the PCH so they pick up a bunch of traffic. You'll often have to wait if you're going there for breakfast, but the wait isn't as bad as it seems. The turnover is quick. Their prices tend to be a bit cheaper than The Lumberjack and the service is a bit better. This place is a gem for people who like classic roadside cafes. It doesn't get much more authentic than Perry's Cafe.

The food is what it is: cheap, straight-shooting and edible. Lot of buzz, activity and at times it's a bit too noisy. If you like that sort of energy, you're definitely in the right place. If you want something a bit smaller, more laid back, then The Lumberjack might be more your style.

I've been meaning to have breakfast at Brian's American Eatery but every time I've made the attempt, they haven't had any parking spaces open (and getting a spot on the street in that area is tricky). Hopefully I'll be able to review them soon.