Mark T.
Yelp
Unfortunately, my experience here was less than spectacular.
Reviews were great, and I'm always down to try a new place with rave reviews, so, despite half the menu being eggs (didn't really want eggs), I brought the fam for breakfast anyway.
Altogether, I was able to try their Cinnamon French Toast (with a side of bacon), Bagel and Lox, and the Belgian waffle.
Cinnamon French Toast was cooked perfectly. I loved the gentle, delicate crust on the outside, and soft, not overly gooey inside. It also had an incredibly light sweetness and just a hint of cinnamon.
While I liked the cinnamon added a pleasant taste without overwhelming everything, a touch more wouldn't hurt. The other thing I wasn't thrilled with is the temperature, they were more warm than hot.
Bacon was okay, it wasn't limp, but it wasn't crisp either. It was like they do in some delis, where they fry it on the griddle, and leave it a metal container on there to keep it warm.
Belgian Waffle was...boring. The consistency was uniform throughout, rather than a crisp outside and a soft inside, it was somewhat crispy through. Especially in light of this, It was also quite dry. They do have syrup and jams on the table, but I want to be able to enjoy a waffle without having to drench it in syrup and jam.
The bagel and lox were sub par, with the lox being the largest falling point. This lox had an uncharacteristically strong smell and taste, and its consistency was much softer than good, fresh lox should be. With this, they also forgot the home fries... by the time this was realized, the whole meal had been eaten! Oops.
The coffee was weak, adding in cream, I could actually distinctly taste the cream! Yikes!
The location was clean, and prices were about average for what we got, I've seen better value and I've certainly seen worse.
If you're willing to make the trek to downtown Salem, look for parking, and can pay cash, I highly recommend Red's as an alternative.