Water Street Cafe – Laconia

One of these things is not like the other…. (Read with grandfatherly-type voice) “Back in the olden days, when people didn’t lock their cars…” my dad worked for a hospital doing HVAC repairs. Part of his job often included driving the department’s white van to the local hardware store for parts. One such day, he parked the van, left the keys in the ignition (it’s the olden days, remember?), purchased his parts, and drove away. A few miles into the trip, he noticed a coffee in the cup holder. “Wait a minute,” he thought “that’s not mine.” (Actually what he said was a lot different, but it uses a lot of fancy $^@* to type out). Upon further inspection, he realized he was driving the wrong white van. He spun around and returned to the store, to find a  very angry man (come on, it’s an accident – and you left your keys in the ignition too!) and his actual white van.

No worries, you will not confuse your breakfast at Water Street with a cookie-cutter restaurant breakfast. This place takes traditional food and adds a twist to make it interesting, more delicious and a nice break from eating the same old same old.

The hubs and I were recently invited to eat breakfast at the Water Street Café, located in Laconia. They have a big parking lot, great prices and a bright, clean dining room.  Upon walking in, I noticed a cheerful sign suggesting something like “Why not have a mimosa or bloody mary with breakfast?” Hmmm, I can’t think of a good reason why not…I’m in! The café has both tables and booths for you to seat yourself. The menu itself has a lot of variety (seven different kinds of eggs benedict!), but make sure you ask your server about the items not on the menu, like the ‘Waffle Stacker’ and their delicious side option of breakfast rice.

While I was enjoying my refreshing mimosa , the owner came over for a quick chat. He was incredibly friendly and clearly  passionate about what he does. A lot of thought goes in to the menu planning. We happened to be there during NH’s maple weekend, and the café planned several specials around the maple syrup theme.

Our server was adorable. She cheerfully came back repeatedly while I took my typical, ridiculously long time to decide. Not only did she make me feel comfortable taking my time, she answered all my questions and made several yummy suggestions.

I ordered the John Daly Omelet: seasoned pulled pork, bacon, onions, cheese and JD Whiskey BBQ sauce. Items are made to order, so you can play around with the menu. I added broccoli to balance out the bacon (eating healthy works like that right?) with home fries and cranberry orange bread. Rick ordered the Santa Fe Eggs Benedict: pulled pork on English muffins topped with 2 poached eggs and chipotle hollandaise with breakfast rice and maple walnut toast.

First, let’s talk breakfast rice. Based on something the owner tried while on vacation, it’s basically a twist on fried rice. Moist and tasty, this was a treat. I am so glad the server told us about it, because it is not on the menu. Make sure you order this! If you are a careful reader, you noticed this was with Rick’s order, but I had the good sense to steal it off his plate and eat it while he wasn’t paying attention.

Luckily, this wasn’t hard, because he was too preoccupied with his Eggs Benedict. Rick loves Eggs Benedict and the pulled pork is a genius twist.

After I finished Rick’s rice, I proceeded to dig into my own enormous omelet, which was stuffed to the gills with fillings and generously drizzled with BBQ sauce. You will not confuse this with the skimpy omelets you might get for breakfast elsewhere. This was a monster. I was hesitant about the pulled pork with eggs but it turns out I love it.

The homemade cranberry orange and maple walnut bread needed no butter or jelly to be delicious. Each made their flavors wonderfully clear, by both scent and taste (and check out the cool twisted presentation for the maple bread!). After hearing me rave about the sweet breads, the server suggested I try them grilled next time, and also pointed out that you can order French toast made with either bread. Deliciousness slathered in deliciousness ? (aka syrup) Yes please!

Now the horrible news is that about a week after our delicious breakfast, the Café suffered a fire! The notice on their website states “Water Street Café is currently closed until further notice for renovations after a fire. Our catering is still available during this time.” So I strongly encourage you to check in on them in a little while so you get a chance to experience their wonderful food (and mimosas!)

Just make sure you don’t leave with some angry guy’s white van if you old-fashioned folks leave your keys in the ignition.  ¡Buen provecho!