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View Full Version : Review: 99th Avenue Cafe - great breakfast spot!



nonlinear
01-04-2010, 12:10 AM
I've been complaining about YYC's breakfast scene for years now. sure, we have a handful of gems like the edmonton trail options, eat eat!, dairy lane, lazy loaf, etc., but these are few and far between, and for me require a 20 minute drive or so from my condo on Heritage and MacLeod. The south has basically nothing in the way of breakfast cafes/diners, aside from Nellie's (blech) and Cora's (fancy fruit isn't my thing). A few weeks ago, however, I was driving on Bonaventure Drive and noticed a little cafe attached to the Stetson Village Inn on MacLeod and 99th Ave SE called, appropriately, "99th Avenue Cafe." It doesn't look like much from the outside, being attached to the motel and all, but given the paucity of breakfast cafes in the area, I made a mental note to try and visit sometime.

This morning, we were looking for a nice breakfast but didn't want to endure a 20 minute drive plus wait for one of the more popular options in town, so we decided to give 99th Avenue Cafe a try. When we arrived, we were surprised to see a full parking lot outside, in spite of a empty motel parking lot! It appeared as though the cafe was actually a destination in itself, and wasn't simply operating off of the motel clientele. Inside, the cafewas bustling with activity. i would say the tables were about 80% full, occupied primarily by a senior after-church crowd. We were seated immediately, though, and had coffee within a couple of minutes.

The breakfast menu is a standard 'bacon and eggs"-type cafe menu, although I am happy to report that the prices are much lower than is found on the other breakfast hot spots around town. e.g. breakfast sandwiches $7.99, omlettes $6.99-$8.99, etc. etc. I think the most expensive item was eggs benedict at $10.99. These prices are very refreshing and welcome in the otherwise overpriced Calgary dining scene.

I had a 3-egg "Loaded Omelet" (ham, cheese, mushrooms, green peppers, onion) with hashed browns, rye, and an extra side of hollandiase (wanted to see how they did it). It was a SUBSTANTIAL omelet made with high-quality, fresh ingredients... very impressive. For only $8.99, it was an AWESOME value, and I have to admit the food itseld was superior to the $12.99 omelet I had at Eat Eat! yesterday. And although I'm not an expert, the hollandaise was excellent as well. very rich and creamy. i'll be getting the eggs benny next time.

my partner had 2 eggs, bacon, tomato slices (option of fritters, hashed browns, or tom slices), and toast. The egg yolks were rich and dark; you could tell these were premium eggs, not the cheap, pale ones you see at most cafes around town (ahem, 1889!). My partner is VERY picky about bacon, but she said this was perfect; thick cut and crispy, with little fat.

with tip, our meal and coffee came to about $23. awesome food, awesome value. service was great too. we will be going back often.

BTW, found their lunch/dinner menu here: http://www.stetsoninn.ca/cafemenu.pdf we didn't try any of these, but based on the awesome breakfast we had this morning, i would recommend this to anyone looking for comfort cafe/diner food.

Isaiah
01-04-2010, 12:25 AM
How much was the 2 egg breakfast with toast, bacon, and tomato slices?

nonlinear
01-04-2010, 12:27 AM
^^I think it was $5.99, but I didn't get it so don't quote me on that :D

nonlinear
01-04-2010, 12:28 AM
just found this review http://www.calgarysun.com/life/columnists/dave_dormer/2009/09/13/10869146-sun.html



Brunch with dad a real treat

The apple doesn't fall from the tree -- identical orders at 99th Ave. Cafe delight times two

By DAVE DORMER

Think of it as a greasy-spoon diner -- minus the grease.

The 99th Avenue Cafe.

With my parents in town for a few days to celebrate the 44th wedding anniversary of their good friends, my dad John and I headed out for some brunch to catch up on all the latest happenings from the old home town.

Unfortunately, my mom, Marj, decided to skip the meal to save her strength for a big dinner that night.

She's still in recovery mode after surgery for lung cancer, but I'm happy to report the disease did about as well against her as the Edmonton Eskimos did against our Calgary Stampeders in this year's Labour Day Classic and she's on the mend.

So, with no real destination in mind, we set out south on Macleod Tr., eventually coming across the 99th Avenue Cafe near Willow Park.

Tucked in the Stetson Village Inn, the cafe is small but inviting, much like some of the places I can remember him taking me to on weekend outings when I was a kid.

The servers are friendly and seem to have a pot of coffee glued to their palms, filling cups and making small talk as they make their way from table to table, giving the kind of personalized service you can only find in a place like that.

Split into two sections, on the left is a larger dining room with carpet and on the right, a tiled sun room of sorts with wall-sized windows letting lots of light in to feed the numerous plants lining the room.

Always wanting as much sun as possible, we grabbed a spot on the right.

About half full when we were there, an older couple next to us were discussing plans to head to newly opened CrossIron Mills mall while next to them two guys in suits were engrossed in a meeting. When I say it's a greasy-spoon diner without the grease, I mean it. Though it's somewhat small and the rattan-style chairs could use an update, the 99th Avenue Cafe is immaculately clean and in good condition.

As dad pointed out, the vines on the shelves near the ceiling are kept dust free. Always a good sign as it takes a little more effort than usual to clean the out-of-reach places.

For a diner, the menu is surprisingly large, with everything from your basic bacon and eggs ($4.99 for the early-bird special) to stuffed French toast ($9.99), omelettes ($6.99 to $9.99) and a breakfast sandwich ($7.99). As it turns out, the apple apparently doesn't fall from the tree, or in this case, from the two soft-poached eggs with hashbrowns and toast ($7.99).

Served up in no time, the eggs came in a small dish, allowing us to pick whether we wanted them on our hashbrowns or toast without breaking the yolks.

Another plus.

[email protected]

99TH AVE CAFE

10002 MACLEOD TR., CALGARY, IN THE STETSON VILLAGE INN

HOURS

8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Sun), 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (Mon), 7 a.m.-9 p.m. (Tue-Sat)

PRICES

Reasonable

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

Yes

RECOMMENDED

99th Avenue.

FOOD

Rating: 4 out of 5

AMBIENCE

Rating: 3 out of 5

OVERALL

Rating: 3 out of 5

msommers
01-04-2010, 01:27 AM
Thanks for the review. It's unfortunate for me that it is located so far down south, albeit sounds like a worthwhile trip. Have you visited Avenue Diner? If so, how would you compare the food? A.D. is above average pricing for sure, buuut I put up with it because I love their eggs benny so much!

bourge73
01-10-2010, 03:33 PM
well I went and tried this place out today and was pleasantly surprised. Food was very good quality as the OP described. I had the Farmers Omlette (Bacon , Sausage, Ham, Cheese) and was excellent, however was thrown a lil by the Fritters which came as Tater Tots? I didnt really care I mean tater tots rock its just been a long while and not what I was expecting I guess. Wifey had a loaded omlette exact as the OP descibed very fresh and delish.

Good service, good food, our new breakfast joint, even if it is a f of a drive from Panorama, its well worth checking out.