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FOOD - DRINK - FUN

Mountain Views News Saturday, August 9, 2025


THE MORNING REPORT: 

 Three Breakfast Spots Worth Waking Up For

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I say, depends who’s cooking—and 
who’s pouring the coffee. This past week, I revisited three breakfast joints that cater to the 
early risers, the weekend wanderers, and folks like me who usually skip lunch if the morning 
meal is any good. One’s tucked beside a golf course, the other sits in the heart of Sierra Madre 
and the other is famous for their generous martinis. Both passed the Peter Dills Breakfast 
Test—fewer frills, more flavor, and, above all, service with a smile.

Brookside Golf Course – A Tee Time with Toast

Brookside Golf Course isn’t just for golfers who still think they can drive the ball 250 yards. 
Nope, it’s become a quiet favorite for those who just want a hearty breakfast with a side of 
green views. The “Glory Days Gang”—that’s what I call my breakfast crew, led by the always-
hungry Hans, aka Hansalicious—decided Brookside was our spot last week-end. The man 
must've woken up dreaming of hash browns. I, on the other hand, went all California on them 
and ordered the avocado toast. Topped with two perfectly sunny-side-up eggs, the dish was 
what the British call “proper.” In my words? Darn good.

Becky was our server and here’s the twist—she took five different orders without writing 
down a thing. No errors. Not even a missed coffee refill. Speaking of coffee, while I’m not 
much of a java guy, I noticed not a single dry cup the whole meal. That’s worth applause.

And if you’re lucky enough to score a seat on the patio, you get a bonus show: critiquing golfers 
trying to survive the Par 4 on the first tee. Spoiler alert: most of them need a mulligan.

Nano Cafe – Where Old School Meets Sunrise Service

Just a few days later, I had a breakfast meeting at Nano Cafe on Sierra Madre Blvd., locat-ed in 
what locals still remember as the old Sunset Nightclub. Word around town is that it becomes 
a nightclub again after dark—kind of like a cruise ship for the Sierra Madre set. Just kidding… 
sort of. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited Nano, but I’m glad I returned. The place has that 
neighborhood vibe you can’t manufacture—it just happens over time, with the right people 
running the show. Ask for Sabrina. She's the kind of server you want at every meal—attentive, 
upbeat, and seamless in her service. My water with lemon never hit empty, and my two coffee-
loving guests nearly had to wave the white flag on the refills.

I kept it simple: sunnyside eggs and a side of applewood sausage. Throw in their house-made 
salsa and boom—you’ve got a perfect plate. No overthinking, no fluff. Just real food, done 
right.

 

Plate 38 – Early Bird Special

Wake up for 9.99 eggs & bacon early bird special, available daily 9 AM to 10 AM, comes with 
a side of toast and fresh fruit, add a bloody mary and you are set !!

IN SUMMARY:

I’m not the “let’s have breakfast at the Langham” kind of guy. I like it casual, welcoming, and 
tasty. Brookside, Plate 38 and Nano Cafe deliver all of that and more. From servers who get it 
right the first time to food that doesn’t need a second chance, these two break-fast spots prove 
that sometimes the best way to start your day is the simplest.

Now pass the salsa and maybe, just maybe, I’ll skip lunch again. 

Email me your thoughts thechefknows@yahoo.com and tune into my podcast if you love 
food that is

BACK TO SCHOOL

ACROSS

1. *Report ____

5. One on the beat

8. Put on the payroll

12. Fan sound

13. Buckeye State

14. Indy entrant

15. Table mountain

16. 2021 movie "The Harder They ____"

17. Carry away, in a way

18. *____ Readers

20. Weary walk

21. Basketry stick

22. *____ time for preschoolers

23. Plums and cherries genus

26. Allegiance

30. Crew propeller

31. Rh in Rh disease

34. Your majesty

35. Miss of the Muppets

37. Band event

38. Asci, sing.

39. Olympic castaway

40. *Didn't fail

42. Frozen H2O

43. Took a penny-farthing, e.g.

45. *Punctuation marks for famous words

47. Maltese or Havanese, e.g.

48. *Use Play-Doh

50. Cheap trinket

52. *3+x=10, e.g.

55. Soviet place of exile

56. Curtis, to friends

57. Beehive state

59. *Olden-day notebook

60. Honey-producing facility

61. Sushi restaurant soup

62. Location of altar

63. Type of poem

64. Sing like Ella Fitzgerald

DOWN

1. Mountain basin

2. Attention grabber

3. Reduced Instruction Set Computer

4. Hiccup's Toothless, e.g.,

5. Irritate by rubbing

6. Persian Gulf ship

7. Multi-

8. *"Get out of classroom" permit (2 words)

9. International Civil Aviation Organization

10. Retired, shortened

11. Bard's before

13. Lacking cordiality

14. Settle a debt

19. Unethical loaner's practice

22. Us, in Mexico

23. Temporary store

24. Reason to strike

25. Prodded

26. Totes or tugs

27. Permissible

28. Cease-fire

29. Many affirmatives

32. "Good grief!"

33. Bro's counterpart

36. *School alum

38. Next step for juvenile

40. Margaret, for short

41. Describe as similar

44. Elks' hangout

46. Poppy derivative, pl.

48. Marine cephalopod

49. *Grading arch

50. Big one at 7-Eleven

51. Regrettably, exclamation

52. Sound reflection

53. Auditory

54. U.S. space agency, acr.

55. Geological Society of America

58. *Van Halen's "____ for Teacher"


ALL THINGS by Jeff Brown


There are approximately 1,350 potentially active volcanoes 
on Earth outside of the mid-ocean ridges, which 
are mostly underwater and harder to monitor. These are 
volcanoes that could erupt again, based on their past activity 
and current monitoring data. 

Quick Breakdown: Hundreds more under the oceans 
(like mid-ocean ridges), but these are less well studied. 
Around 40–60 volcanoes erupt each year on average

These potentially active volcanoes are monitored by organizations 
like the USGS, Smithsonian Global Volcanism 
Program, and others worldwide.

 TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS VOLCANOES ON EARTH

Volcano Location Why It's Dangerous

Vesuvius Italy Close to Naples (3+ million people); deadly history 

 (Pompeii, 79 AD)

Popocatépetl Mexico Highly active, near Mexico City (21+ million people)

Mount Rainier USA (WA) Glacial volcano; risk of deadly lahars (volcanic mudflows)

Mt. Nyiragongo DR Congo Extremely fast lava flows; threatens Goma (2+ million)

Taal Volcano Philippines Surrounded by lake; potential for base surge and tsunamis

Mount Merapi Indonesia Frequent eruptions, densely populated area

Mount Fuji Japan Dormant but active; near Tokyo (37+ million metro area)

Mount Etna Italy Very active; potential ash and lava threat to Sicilian cities

Sakurajima Japan Daily eruptions; close to Kagoshima (600,000+)

Yellowstone 

 Caldera USA Supervolcano; rare but catastrophic if it erupts

TOP 5 DEADLIEST VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS IN HISTORY

Volcano Location Year #Deaths #Notable Impact

Tambora Indonesia 1815 71,000+ Largest eruption in history; caused "Year 
Without a Summer" in 1816 due to global cooling

Krakatoa Indonesia 1883 36,000+ Massive explosion & tsunamis; shock waves circled 
the Earth 7 times

Mt. Pelée Martinique 1902 30,000 Entire city of Saint-Pierre destroyed in minutes by 
pyroclastic flow

Nevado del Ruiz 

 Colombia 1985 23,000 Eruption melted glacier, causing deadly lahars (volca 
nic mudflows) that buried the town of Armero

Mt.Vesuvius Italy 79 AD 16,000 Famous for destroying Pompeii and Herculaneum; 
preserved under ash

MOST NOTABLE IMPACI

Volcano Year Why It's Famous

Mount St. Helens (USA) 1980 Largest eruption in U.S. history; 57 deaths, mas 
sive landslide

Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland) 2010 Grounded flights across Europe for days due to ash cloud

Laki (Iceland) 1783 Caused a global famine, tens of thousands died across Europe

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com