Zoe's, Cambridge, MA

This past Sunday we went for brunch as usual, without realizing it was Mother's Day... needless to say it was almost impossible to brunch without waiting -at best- 20 minutes anywhere. We were on our way to Harvard Square, so after a quick recap of all the possible brunch spots on our path, we decided to head for Zoe's. Zoe's is one of those "breakfast all day" retro diners. It is conveniently located four blocks from Harvard Sq. so, although it gets crowded, is mostly locals looking for a quick bite. Accordingly, after less than 5 minutes we were seated.

The menu is what you would expect: healthy portions of breakfast basics; some with Greek twists (like Greek French Toast -made with Greek bread); as well as many sandwiches, salads and wraps. And, most importantly, nothing in the non-dinner menu costs more than $10.

Diego and I stayed with the basics. I went with the Classic French toast with strawberries, which was not particularly memorable, as the six medium-thick slices of bread were not seasoned well, the strawberries weren't ripe and the syrup was watery.

Diego was more successful. He ordered a plate called "My 3 sons" which is basically three of each: eggs any style, pieces of bacon, sausage links, and pancakes or pieces of French toast. These were all accompanied by a large side of homefries, the kind which is almost indistinguishable from chunky mashed potatoes with some paprika. The three eggs were perfectly made -firm whites and warm barely cooked yolk. The sausages were meaty and lean -I asked for a bite, and ended up having one all for myself. I did not try his pancakes, and Diego did not say much, but he ate them all with a bit of syrup so I guess he liked them as much as the rest of his meal. Diego also asked for a small -what in any other place would be considered large!- OJ which was yummy enough to be mistaken for freshly squeezed (it was not).
This was certainly no the perfect brunch, but it was a good enough back-up to keep it in mind for next Mother's Day!