So it seems tradition to do a "Best of" for the year we are finishing up, before the New Year promises fresh starts and new beginnings.  In that vein I present to you my Best of Breakfast in the Mahoning Valley for 2013.  Of course this is a very one-sided, subjective list by Me, but I share it to invoke thoughts and jog your memories and hopefully you will call me out on a few of my choices and give me some other places to consider and maybe even try out for the first time.  Any way you look at it, if you take any of these suggestions, I guarantee you won't have a bad meal, maybe just not YOUR favorite, but give them a try, I think you will be pleasantly surprised..................Scott

Best Breakfast’s in the Valley of 2013:

Eggs (any style):  Saratoga, Warren

Omelet:  Jack’s Nest Egg Diner, Warren

Eggs Benedict:  (Just can’t find a “Best,” or even a “Great”) Suggestions Are Welcome

Pancakes (buttermilk):  PerkinsRestaurant, Boardman

Pancakes (specialty):  IHOP, Niles

French Toast:  Pages Restaurant, Liberty

Chicken Fried Steak:  Yankee Kitchen, Boardman

Bacon:  Landmark Restaurant, Austintown

Sausage:  Firestone Farms Sunday Brunch, Columbiana

Italian Sausage:  Luciano’s, Austintown

Ham:  (The only non-Valley pick)  The Circle Restaurant, Deerfield

Corned Beef Hash:  Kravitz Deli, Liberty

Hash Browns:  The Waffle House, Any location

Breakfast Potatoes:  Oldies and Goodies Diner, Boardman

Oatmeal:  TJ’s in the Boardman Holiday Inn, Boardman

Grits:  (My Exception to the Breakfast Rule) – Monteens, Youngstown

Biscuits and Gravy:  Bob Evans, Boardman

Coffee:  Dunkin Donuts, (Caribou Coffee; God rest it’s soul), Any Location

Orange Juice:  Cracker Barrel Restaurant, Austintown

Muffin:  Maggie’s Magic Muffins, Boardman and Austintown

Breakfast Pastry:  Panera Breads, Any Location

Donut:  Apple Fritter, The Valley Marketplace, Boardman

Bed and Breakfast:  The Columbiana Inn, Columbiana

Breakfast Buffet:  Firestone Farms Sunday Brunch, Columbiana

Fast Food:  Sausage Burrito, Burger King, Any location

     Happy Birthday to Me!  Now sure I could go just about anywhere for my birthday breakfast, but being the frugal guy I am, (and the fact that I am getting taken out to a FANTASTIC dinner this evening,) I have decided to take advantage of Perkins Restaurant's "My Perkins," reward program, and go in for the free Magnificent Seven Breakfast.

     Although I usually would prefer to go to non-chain restaurants when possible, I enjoy Perkins for pancakes especially, (see my year end review of breakfast foods being posted tomorrow,) so I am looking forward to starting out my birthday with a free meal that looks a little something like this..............

     If you haven't signed up for "My Perkins" rewards, you can online or at your nearest restaurant.  You may get more information than you ever wanted to know about the restaurant, but you will also receive 20% off your next purchase and a free meal on your birthday.  So use that fake email account that you know we all have for all of your junk email purposes and get rewards today.................Scott

Welcome to the Breakfast Club

     Welcome to the Mahoning Valley Breakfast Club Blog!  This is really a club with a membership of one, me, Scott Fullerton, lover of breakfast foods, dining out, and enjoying a decent cup o' joe.  I will be blogging about some of my favorite breakfast and coffee destinations, along with some reviews of new restaurant discoveries here in the Valley.  Occasionally, I will be inviting some friends and stranger friends, to talk about things that are happening around the Mahoning Valley here in Northeast Ohio and Western PA, and sometimes even beyond.  I hope you will subscribe for my updates over there on the left, and you can expect a post or two a week, along with a few random thoughts and 'pulse of the valley' questions.  I will be posting to Twitter and YouTube, sometimes along the way as well.  

  
     Why a breakfast blog you say?  Well, my inspiration came from a blog I ran across in Columbus, Ohio, called "Breakfast with Nick."  He writes about some of the best places to eat breakfast and a lot more in our Capital City here of Ohio.  Nick even wrote a book about it, and if you go to Columbus often, or just for a treat, I suggest you pick it up.  You can find Nick's book HERE, and his blog HERE.  My reason for writing about breakfast here in the Mahoning Valley is simple, I love to eat breakfast, I had a big birthday come up recently and wanted to start writing more, and I am truly interested in finding out new things about the place I now call home.    Whether you like to eat breakfast alone and read the paper, hang out with friends to catch up with each others lives, or just like a good pancake or omelet, I can hopefully provide you some insight on some of the best places around, or ones you may not have thought of recently.  Along the way, I will be inviting some interesting people to take me to their favorite place for breakfast and talking about things that concern our Valley and more.  I hope you will come along for the ride and tell your friends.  If you see me out and about enjoying some coffee or breakfast, say hi, tell me about your favorite place to go, and join my club, if only for a minute or two.  Any questions, drop me an email at my gmail address, or hit me up with a tweet.  Blogging will commence around the New Years, enjoy ....................Scott