No glamorous low-light idiosyncratic menu place this time. Sunrise Family Restaurant, whose sign says Sunrise Pancake House, sits on the northbound side of North Lindbergh, just below where the debris of Northwest Plaza sits, downcast and waiting for whatever cavalry can rescue it. Sunrise, on the other hand, is often possessed of a near-full parking lot and plenty of comfortably dressed diners. Sweatshirts and jeans are de rigeur here this time of year, either with work boots or athletic shoes. Folks come here to be fed, not to be Seen.
They do all three meals, but I went for breakfast – you're on your own if you're after fried walleye or meatloaf or pork tenderloin. (Or a salad or a hamburger, but you can get that anywhere, now, can't you?) Family owned and casual to the max, the silverware and the chairs all pretty well match, but the coffee mugs are, probably deliberately, a collection from a garage sale, totally random – note photo below. Service, however, is not at all random.. Attentive employees fly around the room with coffee pots and checks and smiles.
Despite the word Pancake, which appears on the sign in front of the building, pancakes are only a small part of breakfast. Sunrise is more egg-centric in its approach to morning food, giving plenty of combination plates, omelets and skillet breakfasts. And for the pancake-curious, as I was, you can opt for a couple of pancakes instead of toast. The menu calls them small – they're about 5" in diameter. I checked them out that way, and that was when I realized that there's real butter in those packets, not the faux stuff. Good, tender, fluffy 'cakes – although it's not maple syrup, despite the menu description.
And that's about my last complaint. The cream is real half and half, and while the coffee isn't strong enough to encourage upper torso hair follicles, it's obvious that the coffee maker is regularly scrubbed vigorously, no sour or stale notes.
The Popeye omelet takes the usual spinach-and-cheese a step farther by including bacon in it. That's a good idea, and the bacon's flavor plays well with the spinach, both of them being stirred into the eggs before the omelet is cooked. Not so handsome, perhaps, as the traditional French method, but pretty darn tasty even before you find the Swiss cheese tucked in the middle. And what about the home fried potatoes? Ah, yes. Real potatoes, not frozen shreds, thinly sliced and pan-fried. Even without the onions I'm always partial to, these are tasty, crying out for a bit of egg yolk to dip a forkful into.
Metalmouths are catered to at Sunrise, no matter how beatific an image the name implies. Who else has a jalapeno omelet? I didn't go there, but I did try the fiesta skillet. Those potatoes are the base, and they're topped with diced onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, all sauteed, and what's called tango taco meat. That's seasoned chunks of ground beef, and it's topped with eggs, over easy at my request, and shreds of cheese. The vegetable serving is generous, the meat is spicy, and there's sour cream and salsa to add as desired. A special tip of the hat to the biscuit which was warm, tender but not falling apart when touched, a fine specimen. There's biscuits and gravy for those who hanker for it.
Lindbergh is divided there, so you need to approach from the south; be prepared.
Simple, honest food. No fusion, no no foam, no fussiness. Worth remembering
Sunrise Family Restaurant
3500 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Ann
314-209-9545
Breakfast & Lunch daily, Dinner Tues.-Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Breakfast entrees: $4-$7