Breakfast

Almost every Sunday, I make the same breakfast, unless making something special like the overnight french toast. It's a fairly simple breakfast, but a) it's delicious, and b) it reminds me of our honeymoon, since that is where I first had it.

We spent the first leg of our honeymoon in Las Vegas (at the Venetian--HIGHLY recommend it!) then headed up to California. Neither of us had been to Vegas, but we'd both been to California (LA & Hollywood) and love it there. So we decided on a mix of a new place and adventure then a place that feels like home to us.

Our original plan had been to stay over in Santa Monica close to the pier and the beach. However, J broke his heel three weeks before the wedding, and while the doctor first thought J would be out of "the boot" by our honeymoon (which we took 3 weeks AFTER the wedding), turns out 6 weeks wasn't enough to fully mend, and the week before we were leaving, the doc gave him the dreaded "3 more weeks" line. So boot=no beach, which meant a change of plan.

Our new locale was North Hollywood, at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn.
http://www.beverlygarland.com/

We decided to stay here because it looked like a great little place, was somewhere new for us, had easy access to public transportation into the heart of Hollywood and back, and they also had a great package deal with Universal Studios, as well as a shuttle to get us there!

We tried to have lunch and dinner somewhere different each day, sometimes in our area or in Hollywood while we were there during the day. One place we kept spotting from the bus and shuttle was Vivian's Cafe, just up the street from our hotel. http://www.venturablvd.com/vivians-cafe/

We decided to have breakfast here our last day. Boy, how I wish we'd gone there sooner! It was DELICIOUS. I can't remember what J had, but I opted for the Huevos Salseros--per Vivian's menu : "Two eggs any style topped with warm salsa on top a flour tortilla. Served with our homefries." I ordered my eggs over easy, and in place of the homefries (I'm a hashbrown girl), I asked for a side of avocado, since I was in California after all, the Avocado capital!  It was wonderful--the salsa was homemade and delicious, and overall I was just in love with this dish. 

Since then (September 2010), I have made this almost every weekend! 

I start by heating a flour tortilla on low heat on my crepe pan. (You can heat in microwave if necessary, but better if you heat in a pan or skillet.)

 Fold the top over, and serve, or if you like a little more oomph, add some hot sauce. J & I are particularly fond of Cholula hot sauce.  

Fry my eggs, flip the tortilla to warm/toast evenly:

Try to work quickly to keep things as warm as possible. Tortilla on the plate, eggs on one half of the tortilla, and top with salsa. Fresh salsa is best. I love the Giant Eagle fresh salsa--the fire roasted salsa. Also, if you are local (Pittsburgh) in the Strip District look for Arturo of Cinco de Mayo salsas. He is also at the Farmer's Market May-November, and some of his salsas are available at the Mexican grocery store in the Strip District, a wonderful place! Arturo's salsas are amazing!

We usually have this with a side of fruit, but if you can find some good avocados, it's a perfect compliment to this dish!

We had the loveliest time in this little nook of North Hollywood, so it's nice to constantly think back on that trip. If you ever get there, be sure to stop at Vivian's!