Saturday, February 12, 2011

BREAKFAST AT KITCHEN ON THE TRENT

The Kitchen on Trent is not new.  When it first opened several years ago, the place was swamped with customers who loved the cafe theme.  It was so popular that the owner expanded when the adjacent commercial unit was available.

This is a no-frills small cafe-style restaurant with great prices.  Carb lovers will delight in the freshly-baked muffins, cookies, scones and other pastries.  Teas and gourmet coffees are available at a self-serve station, and you can order breakfast, lunch or dinner during  the appropriate hours, Monday through Friday.  Saturday hours are 8am - 2pm for breakfast and lunch only.

It's been a long time since I visited KOT, so hubby and I decided to have breakfast there.  We placed our order at the counter, and I asked for 1 egg over easy with bacon and whole wheat toast.  (I wanted soft-boiled or poached, but that's not an option at KOT.)  The counter person informed me that they were out of whole wheat toast but they had light wheat.  I asked for a glass of water with my breakfast and was told it would be brought to me.  Hubby asked for 2 eggs over easy, ham and potatoes, but was told there were no potatoes.

We went to the self-serve bar to get our coffees.  I got the hazelnut cinnamon, and hubby got a house blend.  The coffee was steaming hot, but only available in paper cups.  The cups were large, but KOT calls them small and charges $1.63 per cup, a fair price for gourmet blends.  These blends are not like Starbucks coffee, more like McDonald's, which I particularly like -- not too strong, not too weak, just right for me.  We loved the coffee, but not the paper cups.

We sat at one of the small tables to wait for our meal.

Our breakfast came to the table in a reasonable amount of time.  Thankfully, several napkins were on the table, so I could sop up the grease from my plate.  We were surprised that a beautiful fruit cup came with the breakfast.  What a bargain for $3.71.  Unfortunately, my water never arrived.

Hubby was already not happy because he wanted his spuds, and he was even more discontented with the thinly sliced ham.  He wanted a real slice of ham.  I mean, really, what do you expect for $3.71 anyway?  There's a lot of food here.  Maybe it's not perfect, but where can you go in New Bern to get a full breakfast like this for $3.71?

Our entire bill came to $11.50.  Now, truthfully, we're not going back.  It's because we're hopeless food snobs.  I want my eggs poached or soft boiled, I don't like sopping up grease from my plate, and I hate coffee in paper cups.  Guy wants a thick slice of ham and he wants his potatoes. We'll pay more to get what we want.  But for others who may not be as snobby and don't want to pay the prices at the Hilton (my top breakfast-place pick) or at IHOP, Kitchen on Trent is a good choice.  You can also order omelets, French toast, oatmeal or sweet potato pancakes.

There's not a lot of atmosphere here -- it's a spread out diner without a sit-down counter.  There's no view, and the food is not gourmet.  Still, for the right people, this could be a top pick for breakfast.

8 comments:

  1. I am a carb lover, and can tell you that their carrot muffin may be my favorite carb in town! Their food isn't gourmet, but it is homemade. Its all fresh and made to order. Given their smallish clientelle that's probably why they are out of certain items sometimes.

    I've already discussed my Hilton experience, but don't tell me you prefer IHOP!!?? I consider myself a breakfast snob too, but more in the sense that I prefer unique, non-chain, "special" places that have good food too. I am not too particular about what I get for breakfast, so I can generally go with whatever looks best at that particular place.

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  2. Hi Marisa, When I was younger I ate a carb-loaded breakfast and loved it. As a senior citizen, I'm now pre-diabetic and can no longer indulge my carb cravings. So that means I don't buy sweets at restaurants, including muffins and scones. I make my own, so that I can swap out some of the sugar for a sugar substitute, reduce the fat content and use whole grains wherever I can. It helps. So when I critique a restaurant for breakfast, I'm looking for who cooks the best eggs without grease. Christoph's and IHOP are the only two restaurants I've found so far that will cook eggs properly without an excess of grease.

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  3. Hi Judy. I discovered your blog via a review of 247 Craven. My mother has a summer home in Minnesott Beach and I have spent every summer of my life in Pamlico County. My husband and I are coming up on our 9th anniversary. We have been to just about all of the "major" (ie tourist trap) restaurants in Morehead, Beaufort and New Bern. Do you have any suggestions for a good place in New Bern to celebrate our anniversary? We have a four year old and a four month old (who will be 8 months old by our anniversary) and we don't want to travel across the river this year.

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  4. Hi vkochis, I assume then that you will be taking the children with you to celebrate? Won't that be kind of hard on you? I'm going to be honest, since I don't travel with little ones, I really don't know how restaurants are equipped to serve an 8-month old who will need a high chair and a 4-year old who will need a booster seat. My favorite NB restaurants as of this date are Christoph's on the Water, Persimmons, Bella Cucina and Morgan's. I've done reviews on all of them which you can read. Bella Cucina will be under Sea Glass Bakery, where Chef Sami worked before he moved into Pia's old restaurants. In Morehead City, nothing can come near Chefs 105, best restaurant ever (read my review). You should call each restaurant to find out how they are equipped to serve your little ones. Happy 9th anniversary! Hubby and I will celebrate our 48th this year.

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  5. Oh no, we're not taking the kids. Sorry I didn't make that clear. They'll be with my mom. We just don't want to go far in case something happens and we have to head home.

    Thanks so much for the suggestions. We've been to and loved Chef's - it was sort of unplanned but great. We've also been to Morgan's, but I would like something a little more romantic. Do you think Christoph's fits that bill?

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  6. Christoph's is in the Hilton, so it's a typical upscale hotel restaurant. I don't know what constitutes romantic for someone. Christoph's is quiet, great service, upscale food from Chef Tom Pristash, but not terribly intimate. Probably more intimate would be Bella Cucina on Trent Rd. It's small, low lighting, great Italian food from Chef Sami who was born, raised and learned to cook in Italy. He will come to your table and greet you personally. If you go, order from Chef's Creations side of the menu. I especially recommend L'Amica del Texas.

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  7. Thanks again, Judy. My husband is excited about the new options you've suggested.

    Congratulations on 48 years of marriage! I hope we will be similarly blessed.

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  8. FYI : @ Persimmons we now offer brunch items on our sunday lunch menu 11:30am-2pm & poached eggs are always in the mix.

    Thanks !

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