{"id":251550,"date":"2017-05-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-05T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/breakfast-revelation\/"},"modified":"2017-05-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-05T07:00:00","slug":"breakfast-revelation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/breakfast-revelation\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakfast revelation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Frank Sabatini Jr.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just when I put the kibosh on waiting in long lines to score a solid breakfast on weekend mornings, Ortega\u2019s Bistro in Hillcrest came to the rescue.<\/p>\n

Famous for its Puerto Nuevo cuisine, especially grilled spiny lobsters, I recently spotted through profuse bougainvillea a banner out front stating breakfast is served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It has actually been happening for years and I regrettably never noticed.<\/p>\n

\"Breakfast
Carnitas hash and eggs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Apparently other breakfast-goers also assume the tastefully appointed restaurant serves only lunch and dinner given that my father and I were seated immediately on a Sunday morning, sans the commotion inherent to other Uptown breakfast joints.<\/p>\n

Visiting from back East, his go-to breakfast dish in San Diego is huevos rancheros. He has eaten it at establishments all over town in the years I\u2019ve lived here. Yet halfway through our meal he rated the version at Ortega\u2019s as his favorite.<\/p>\n

\"Breakfast
Ortega’s is a low-hype, high-quality place for breakfast in Hillcrest. (Fotograf\u00edas de Frank Sabatini Jr.)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Part of the appeal stemmed from the roasted tomato arbol sauce accented with saut\u00e9ed poblano peppers, a stimulating departure from traditional rancheros sauce typically flooding the eggs. Though like son, like father, he requested the sauce on the side and dribbled it judiciously over the deftly scrambled huevos. I taught him years ago it\u2019s the best way to eat the dish.<\/p>\n

The grilled corn tortilla underneath was fresh and buttery; the accompanying refried beans were flavorful and velvety; and the fluffy rice seemed cooked in either vegetable or chicken stock. Nothing on the plate tasted boring. Nor was it constructed in slapdash fashion.<\/p>\n

\"Breakfast
Bloody Maria with tequila<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I started with a Bloody Maria spiked generously with tequila but lacking in peppery zip. The house-made mix had a mild tomato flavor similar to the base of the hearty chicken-tortilla soup I also ordered. In that it paired well with cubed avocado, tender chicken pieces and pleasing bursts of cilantro. The cocktail, however, needed more heat to match the boozy bang.<\/p>\n

Ortega\u2019s French toast is wildly toothsome. Made with challah bread from nearby Bread & Cie, it dazzles the palate with a buttery, crispy veneer that leads into helium-light centers. The bread pieces are pre-dressed in butter, syrup and cinnamon, and served with a dollop of cinnamon-infused whipped cream. The menu lists it as \u201camazing French toast.\u201d And it truly is.<\/p>\n

\"Breakfast
French toast with cinnamon whipped cream<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carnitas hash was my entr\u00e9e choice. It yielded a perfect ratio of cubed, succulent pork to the saut\u00e9ed potatoes, poblano chilies and onions. Topped with zingy tomatillo sauce, the plate makes room for three scrambled eggs and a cup of stewed charro beans that I folded into fresh flour tortillas that are kept warm in a rustic metal pot.<\/p>\n

Other options include chilaquiles con huevos, a shrimp omelet and a loaded breakfast burrito filled with eggs, bacon, chilies and rosemary potatoes. In addition, all items on the regular menu are also available, should you want to kick-start your day with steak tacos or a grilled lobster.\"Breakfast<\/p>\n

Based on a couple of past dinner visits as well, the food and atmosphere at Ortega\u2019s are exquisite without relying on trendy fads or PR gimmicks. Perhaps it was an anomaly we were able to walk right in and choose a table in either the main dining room or colorful cantina in the back of the restaurant. But even if faced with a line, I\u2019ll take this breakfast experience any weekend over one that is all show and no substance.<\/p>\n

\u2014Frank Sabatini Jr. is the author of \u201cSecret San Diego\u201d (ECW Press), and began his local writing career more than two decades ago as a staffer for the former San Diego Tribune. Reach him at <\/em>fsabatini@san.rr.com<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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