Saturday, March 31, 2007

Breakfast at the Old European

The menus at the Old European used to be much longer, with lengthy explanations of just how "European" everything on the menu was. Pancakes? European. Fried Egg Sandwich? European. Coffee? European. Punchline of a moderately filthy joke I used to tell in grade school? European.

The new menus are now succinct and to the point, without the long apocryphal origin stories. The giant mounds of food remain the same, however: witness the "Goulash." 4 eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, ham, peppers, cheese, and tomatoes in a glorious mound of hangover-curing, weekend-starting, greasy goodness - just the thing to get Matt fueled up for a fun day of basement renovations.

Honestly, though, the real reason to go to Old European is for the aebelskivers. A cross between a pancake and a doughnut, these little balls of doughy goodness are possibly the most genuinely European dish on the menu.

The service at the Old European is usually scattered and a little surly. But in the current age of "Hi! My name's Chad and I'm going to sit in your lap and tell you about the specials and put my hand on your shoulder and forge a special, special friendship with you today!" I honestly don't mind a little snarl with my coffee, as long as the coffee keeps coming.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The north spokane location ( which we enjoy every weekend if possible) still has the original menu, with all the great stories. The food and service has always been above average.

Anonymous said...

My wife and I had an excellent meal at the Old European and plan on going again soon.

We were not from the area, and had heard about them through word of mouth. So, after showing up a little on the late side, 1:30pm, we ordered a very memorable meal.

I ordered a ham steak with SS-up eggs and biscuits and gravy. She ordered the traditional Hungarian goulash with assorted aebelskivers (plain, sausage, and blueberry).

Not only was the meal delicious, but the service was exceptional throughout. The standout for me was the aebelskivers with sausage filling, and one of the best biscuits and gravy I have ever had.

Needless to say we have a new favorite in Spokane.