Carol’s Corner Cafe – Vancouver, WA

Carol's Corner Cafe

I took my breakfast buddy, Amie, to Carol’s Corner Cafe in Vancouver, WA. I got an interesting first impression that reminded me of Tom Jones’ song You Can Leave Your Hat On.  No – it wasn’t that everyone was doing a strip tease. It was a place where most of the men were wearing hats – ball caps, to be exact. Every hat with every type of logo imaginable was present – one of them was of the hunting variety – camouflage. Obviously a down-home type place where folks can get comfortable in front of heaping plates of food.

Heaping is an understatement here. Even though they offer doggie bags, you may want to think twice about ordering the Full Order option on the omelette menu. They make full order omelettes with six eggs. Yes, you’ve read that right. Six eggs. A half order is your standard 3-egg omelette. When I asked about their specialty, our server said most folks love the CC Hash Special. On close examination, I found that it was very similar to the Hockinson Kountry Cafe’s version of the same – stuff covered with country grave. She also said they were known for their bacon and stated the reason for the claim to fame in the bacon department is where they buy it and how it is made. They buy the best bacon they can find from Jake’s Meat Market Inc. in Vancouver.  Then, they use a bacon press on the grill for the best possible results. I like bacon so I opted for a traditional bacon and eggs breakfast.

Best Bacon in America

Oh my! It didn’t take long for our order to arrive. There, on a pile of hash browns and scrambled eggs, were five planks of perfectly cooked meaty bacon. Even though the breakfast was fairly standard, the bacon surpassed any that I’ve had before. I had to give up on the hash browns (alas, hash browns come last behind toast on the clean-your-plate scale), in order to eat just three of the bacon slices. I shared one with Amie and took the other home, wrapped in foil for the bacon sandwich I had planned for later that day.

If you’re a hungry man – or woman – this is the place for you. Coffee rate: 2 out of 5.  Spendy scale: $

Other Offerings 

• Also serving lunch and dinner
• Kids and Seniors menu

Contact Information 

 Carols’ Corner Cafe

7800 NE St Johns Rd.

Vancouver, WA  98665

(360) 573-6357‎

 

Hours: 

M-T 5:30am-3pm

W-Th 5:30am-8pm

S-Sun 6am-8pm

Nearby Attractions

• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
• Hazel Dell Golf-O-Rama

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Hockinson Kountry Cafe – Brush Prairie, WA

 

Kountry Special

What does it take to make me get out of bed, get dressed and drive over 30 minutes into the back country for breakfast? A recommendation, of course! This one came from my good friend, Brian and I’m so grateful for this new and surprising find. When you pull up to this place, don’t pay too much attention to appearances  – the proof is in the number of cars squeezed into the roadside parking lot and the number of patrons filling nearly every table in the cozy diningroom.

The Hockinson Kountry Café, owned by Rob and Lora Rohde, specializes in family dining. I would also say they specialize in huge portions, delicious food, pie to die for, and excellent customer care. Whenever I try a new place, I like to ask, “So what would you say is your specialty? In other words, what’s popular with your customers?” On this occasion, our server said the Kountry Special for breakfast and Chicken Fried Steak. A quick glance at the menu showed me a common denominator – country-style gravy. Their gravy is homemade and a bit on the spicy side. It’s my usual habit to try the special so I ordered the Kountry Special: Country potatoes, cheese, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, diced ham. All of this it topped with a generous serving of country or brown gravy. This also comes with toast or homemade biscuit. Since I was having the  country gravy, I chose the biscuit which was large, fluffy, and very tasty, indeed.

A Kielbasa & Mushroom omelette

My meal arrived fast, hot and huge! The special was delicious. A word of warning to dieters. Weight conscious visitors to the Hockinson Kountry Café need to leave their guilt at home. Not much diet going on here. My husband went for the daily special – a Kielbasa and Mushroom, 3-egg omelette with country potatoes. He enjoyed that all the way down to a nearly clean plate. His coffee rated a 3 out of 5, but they filled his cup constantly – he was a happy camper.

 As with all meals, I vow to leave room for dessert, but as a lover of savory tastes over sweet, I failed to do so, yet again. If you’re like me, you’ll never make it to dessert. That’s not a problem at the Hockinson Kountry Café. Order a piece of their pie to go. I chose the Raspberry Crumble; it was the best buttery tasting crumble I’ve had in YEARS with not a sour berry in the bunch.

 

Other Offerings 

• Also serving lunch and dinner
• Gifts and gift certificates for sale
• Whole pies or just slices To – Go
• Frequent buyer punch card: Get nine stamps and get $3.00 off next meal
• A Green company – recycling program (including fryer oil), participants in the “One Less Glass” water conservation program
• Kids and Seniors menu

Contact Information 

Hockinson Kountry Cafe

17407 NE 159th St.

Brush Prairie, WA 98606

(360) 254-6726

Hours: 

Monday-Wednesday        6:00 am – 3:00 pm

Thursday-Friday               6:00 am – 8:00 pm

Saturday                          6:00 am – 3:00 pm

Sunday                             7:00 am – 3:00 pm

Nearby Attractions

• Wildlife Botanical Garden

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Natalia’s Café – Camas, WA

Natalia's Cafe - Camas, WA

Besides honoring our veterans on a rainy Veteran’s Day, I couldn’t think of anything better to do than to stick close to home for hearty home-cooking. That didn’t mean I was willing to settle for a bowl of Weetabix and toasted rye…no.  Instead, we took a short drive to Washougal’s neighboring town, Camas, and visited Natalia’s Café. I love the black and white diner look of the place and the overall hometown feel that comes with good service. 

This is another one of my favorite places where I can always count on a good meal for breakfast or lunch. I intended to go for my usual – the Traditional Breakfast (minced ham and eggs, a generous portion of crispy hashbrowns and toast). Instead, I ventured forth and tried a new item on the menu – Russian Meat Stuffed Crepes. 

Russian Meat Stuffed Crepes

This dish was a pleasant surprise and I felt quite virtuous as this was a lower fat option than my usual. These homemade crepes are stuffed with grilled ground beef and caramelized onions. They are served with a generous dollop of sour cream and a bowl of fresh fruit. I enjoyed them very much – even without the sour cream which, alas, I cannot eat. 

While I enjoyed my meal, I picked our server’s brain about the history of the place. Ben is Natalia’s nephew and he manages to keep all the tables served single-handedly. Natalia Zhikharevea is from Uzbekistan and has lived in the United States for about 16 years. Six and a half years ago, she opened up Natalia’s and has successfully thrived where others have failed. I think the key to this success is the close knit family that runs the restaurant, the fresh-tasting food cooked to order, and the courage to introduce new things, thereby teaching old dogs new culinary tricks.

I recommend checking out her bakery counter. Everything is made from scratch every morning with different delights on different days. Apple Strudel, Caramel Fingers, Apple Pie, Apricot Cake, Napoleon, and Spinach and Bacon Quiche were the tempting treats of the day. 

Other Offerings 

• Breakfast served all day 
• Lunch:  Try the Russian Goulash – delicious! 
• Homemade Jams on the table 
• Open for dinner on Camas’ First Friday Main Street event 

Contact Information 

Natalia’s Café 

437 NE 4th 

Camas, WA  98607 

360-834-3421 

Hours: 

Tues – Sun: 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM 

Also open the first Friday of every month for dinner. 

Nearby Attractions 

• Camas Meadows Golf Club 
• Two Rivers Heritage Museum 
• The Pendleton Woolen Mill 
• Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge

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Cameo Cafe – Home of the Acre Pancake

Cameo Cafe - Vancouver, WA

For my first official restaurant blog entry, I decided to do what all writers do – write what they know. That’s why I chose Sue Gee’s Cameo Cafe in Vancouver, WA as the first stop on my breakfast culinary tour. My family and I have never been disappointed with the service or the food.

This cafe is one of two locations. The first opened in Portland, OR in 1968. The best thing about this place is its hometown feel with quirky decor and friendly service. It’s the home-style cooking that keeps folks coming back. The best thing about the Vancouver location is the view of Club Green Meadows Golf Course. Be sure to ask for a window seat. If the weather is nice, take advantage of their outdoor seating, but please don’t heckle the duffers.

Pindaettak - Korean Pancake

On this visit, I couldn’t resist Cameo’s French Toast Special which included thick, perfectly battered slices of French toast and two slices of meaty, crispy bacon. My husband went for his “usual” – the Pindaettak (pin-day-tuck) which is Korean for pancake. This is a savory plate-sized pancake made with veggies, beans, spices and ground rice served with a side of two eggs, bacon and their famous Strong Bread toast. Every meal comes with toast. When given the choice, take a chance and order the Strong Bread. It’s nutty, slightly sweet, and crusted with poppy seeds – a delicious, perfect sideshow to everything on the breakfast menu.

1/4 Acre Pancake

My daughter is Pancake Queen. Her domain is this “Home of the Acre Pancake”. They serve pancakes in 1/4 acre increments – each of which are the size of a 12-inch dinner plate. Servers warn folks against ordering the full acre. Having said that, ALL portions are huge. Don’t be shy about asking for a doggie bag. Plenty of customers carry a Styrofoam container out of Cameo’s front door.

Drinks are somewhat spendy, but they come in generous sizes. My son’s hot chocolate came in a mug and looked more like dessert with its whipped cream, chocolate sauce and colorful sprinkles. My daughter insists that I point out that the lemonade was not too tart and just the right amount of sweetness. I had fresh squeezed OJ, not too sweet and surprisingly low pulp. My husband rated his coffee a 3 on the 1 to 5 scale. The good news is that his cup was never empty. $3.95 – $12.95

 Other Offerings

• Free Wifi
• Breakfast served all day
• Vegetarian options

Contact Information

Cameo Cafe Vancouver
7703 NE 72^nd Ave
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-253-6341

Hours:

Mon 7am-3pm
Tues-Sat 7am-9pm
Sun 7am-5pm

Cameo Cafe East
8111 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland, OR 97213
503-284-0401

Hours: 6:30am-3pm

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