Way More Than Crackers…

Unfortunately, not so much for us but for the folks a couple towns south of us in the suburbia known as Chandler, the breakfast options are rather limited. Considering breakfast is one of my favorite 3 meals of the day, i find that to be a large problem. Being the wonderful brother that I am, i agreed to drive out to Chandler to show my brother’s beautiful and very well painted condo to some possible tenants in the hopes of getting it rented. Of course anytime i find myself going to another town, whether its a 30 minute drive away or a 6 hour flight away, i use that as an excuse to try and eat somewhere new, and hopefully delicious. Like i mentioned before though, apparently a good breakfast isn’t a priority to the people of Chandler, so we didn’t have many places to choose from. Though if you knew how long it takes us sometimes to decide on a restaurant, maybe having less options is a blessing. After doing a bit of research online, Crackers and Company Cafe won out over….well nothing, i couldn’t find much else in the way of breakfast that we haven’t tried yet in the area we were heading to.

After checking out the menu online i found some interesting breakfast options, which happens to be served all day which is a very good thing in my book. I wish more places did breakfast all day. At the same time though, considering all the images of sunrises and chickens on the website, i was weary Crackers and Co. would be country kitchened out…definitely not our style. As i mentioned though, there were some interesting things on the rather large menu, with all those options i was sure we’d both be able to find something we were happy with. The interior wasn’t AS bad as i thought it would be. Certainly not the decor of my choice, but it was open and inviting inside. I believe there are only 3 Crackers and Co locations, but this place looked like it could be a huge national chain. The menu was BIG, with a ton of breakfast options. Omelets, skillets, baked goods, waffles, crepes, pancakes, blintzes, breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches and so on. The point is, if you can’t find something here that interests you, nothing’s going to. Looking at the 2 meals below, i think it’s obvious who ordered what. i went with my usual mexican-inspired breakfast, while julie got her usual veggie overloaded omelet. Not bad but not great. I ate my meal, it filled me up, but i wasn’t nearly as satisfied as i am say, after a similar meal at u.s. egg. my one main complain was the tortilla on top, which was on the hard and crusty side. otherwise, everything was just ok. Across the board, it all could have been more flavorful.  For the rather inexpensive prices though, i felt as though we got good value. As julie said, it did the job. for those of you who are curious, my brother wound up renting the condo to a couple of guys i showed it to, though i received no commission.

Would i go back? I’m not ruling it out, but i’m not going out of my way to ever go back either. If i’m in the neighborhood, and there are no other options worth trying i’d go back to Crackers & Co Cafe. Though if i do go back, i’m getting that sticky bun cinnamon roll type thing that kid next to me was eating…

The Spicy Mexican Skillet - Chorizo, roasted green chilies, onions, Crackers Country Potatoes sautéed together, topped with Monterey Jack, cheddar cheeses and two eggs any style. Served with a large flour tortilla and garnished with olives. Served with salsa and sour cream

Country Garden Omelet - Fresh sautéed mushrooms, green bell peppers, green onions, broccoli, tomatoes and Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses topped with a dollop of sour cream