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Leone Cafe Brings Italian Style Coffee To The Heart Of Las Vegas
The Background
Located in Tivoli Village in Summerlin (Las Vegas), Leone Cafe very much has a European feel to it when you enter. It fits right into the ambiance of Tivoli Village itself, which is designed to resemble a 1400s European Village. It’s certainly a unique area with shops, restaurants, office spaces, and living spaces all within this miniature village.
The decor within the cafe is great, simple, but really transports you out of the Las Vegas vibe.
Inside of the Cafe, waiting to order The Experience
Leon Cafe is a little different for such a large cafe. You find your own seat and wait in line to order. There’s a decent amount of seating but seats could be hard to come by at peak hours, especially something inside during really hot days. Fortunately, I was able to find something outside but the place was really busy.
Although known for their assortment of coffee, lattes, expressos, and juices, it’s not all that Leon Cafe offers. The food here is outstanding as well,
The menu is large and diverse with plenty of unique items. From breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, pastries, there’s really something for whatever you’re craving. That’s not even mentioning the aforementioned list of drink options as well. It’s a lot to sort through as you wait in line. Luckily, the line was long when I went on a Saturday around noonish. That seems odd to say, but will make sense if you visit this place and are figuring out what you want to order.
Overall, I loved the variety of the egg section of the menu. There’s a lot of creativity in how the eggs are prepared with influence from around the world. I was having a difficult time deciding until I noticed there a were a couple of skillet options. I’m a sucker for breakfast skillets, so I zeroed in on the Texas Skillet, which sounded amazing ($15.99)
The Texas Skillet The skillet consists of marinted ground beef, potatoes, Pico de Gallo, mixed melted cheese, sour cream, and two eggs any style. I opted for scrambled eggs.
The skillet was a MOUND of food. Potatoes with the seasoned ground beef mixed in make up the bed of the skillet with melted cheese covering the mixture. The scrambled eggs with Pico de Gallo and sour cream top it all off. Yum! I also added some Cholula and Tabasco Sauce to spice things up a bit too.
I’m not exactly sure what the seasoning is, some sort of Tex-Mex concoction, but it’s TASTY. Even better, the potatoes really soak up a lot of the flavor and the ground beef sticks to the potatoes as well.
Getting a bite of potatoes, ground beef, melted cheese, egg, Pico de Gallo, and sour cream, is one flavor packed bite of food with several layers of texture to boot. Undoubtedly, this is a very filling, hearty meal.
The Verdict
If you’re craving a good brunch option off the strip in Vegas, look no further than Leone Cafe. Prices are affordable, especially for the portions you get. Even though the cafe itself was bustling, the shopping center was very laid back and mellow with minimal people around on a Saturday. It was a nice change of pace from the Strip. With a diverse menu filled with plenty of intriguing food and drink options, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at Leone Cafe. It’s well worth checking out!
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Raspberry and Vanilla Pancakes @ Plums Cafe in Costa Mesa, CA | Pacific Northwest Inspired Breakfasts in Orange County Spot
The Background
Nestled into the corner of a non-descript Costa Mesa shopping center is one of the best breakfast locations in Orange County: Plums Cafe.
This popular cafe has been located in Eastside Costa Mesa for over 32 years, speaking volumes to its popularity and lasting appeal.
This is a unique Southern California cafe. Many items on the menu are inspired from the Portland and Seattle areas. The menu pops with items you don’t readily see at other breakfast locations.
The Campfire Rainbow Trout, Smoked Salmon Hash, Dungeness Crab Omlette, and Dutch Baby are a few unique items on the menu. The presentation on all the dishes is top notch, making the food look even more appealing.
In addition to the breakfast / brunch menu there’s a good selection of intriguing lunch items to choose from. I’m a sucker for the breakfast items here so I’ve never ventured into the lunch part of the menu. Tempted, yes, but have never pulled the trigger since I have my favorites here!
Plums also offers a number mixed drinks and other adult beverages that go hand in hand with brunch.
The Experience
I came in knowing what I wanted already but did a quick once over of the menu. I hadn’t been here in quite some time, probably a couple years (!), so wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything new that caught my eye. There were definitely a few things that caught my attention but in the end I had to go with my favorite item on the menu – the Raspberries and Vanilla Cream pancakes ($18).
I’ve tried a few other items on the menu but always find my way back to these pancakes. Also, always have to order a side of the thick cut Pepper Bacon ($4), mmmm bacon.
Now you may say that those aren’t all that unique, you can certainly find Raspberry Pancakes at other breakfast places, but these are on another level.
You get a three-stack of Raspberry Pancakes with raspberries layered in between each. Topped with raspberries, raspberry syrup drizzle, vanilla creme, and powder sugar. They bring out an additional plate with a side of butter and syrup, but you really don’t need them.
The pancakes are so light and airy while bursting with flavor. The combination of the raspberry syrup and vanilla creme is excellent. It really creates flavorful bites with the sweet vanilla taste and slightly tart flavor of the raspberries. Three pancakes is just the right amount for myself as well. They’re more filling then you’d expect for something so light!
The Pepper Bacon is always delicious as well. It doesn’t resemble the familiar crispy bacon from other places; instead, it’s brimming with a peppery saltiness. It’s a little pricey for a couple strips of bacon but the flavor makes it worth it to me.
The Verdict
I’ve been coming to Plum’s for years. The food and service have always been top tier. The Raspberry Pancakes are without a doubt a comfort breakfast item I crave and certainly missed.
Overall, Plum’s provides a wide variety of items on their menu. They offer some unique items not found at many other locations here in SoCal. If you’re in the Costa Mesa area and you’re a breakfast / brunch fan, Plums is definitley worth a try!
Plums Cafe
369 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627 -
The Best Variety of Pancakes In Las Vegas – BabyStacks Cafe
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Why Come To BabyStacks Cafe?
Tired of the Strip in Vegas and looking for a nice breakfast break? Look no further than BabyStacks Cafe! This gem of a breakfast spot offers many, many, many, (did I mention MANY) different types of pancakes and…Filipino food!
BabyStacks Cafe is a very popular breakfast / brunch location on the weekends and since it’s a fairly small place, it can get quite busy.
The Menu
The first thing you notice here is the massive menu. The sheer number of breakfast items can easily overwhelm you. From the usual breakfast suspects – pancakes, french toast, omlettes – to more unique fusion like items ranging from Filipino (Adobo Fried rice) to Hawaiian (Loco Moco, Kalua Grilled Cheese). I loved the variety and diversity of the menu items.
Like I previously mentioned, there’s a TON of different types of pancakes. From Banana Cream pie, Carrot cake, S’mores, Mocha Chip, to many other unique flap jacks. There’s types of pancakes I’ve never seen on a menu before. If you’re a pancake fan, then this is the area of the menu that will certainly both grab and hold your attention.
Despite all the delicious and in some cases, strange sounding pancakes, I settled on Lolo Rick’s Adobo Fried Rice. I was pleasantly surprised, and excited, to find Filipino food on the menu and immediately focused my attention on the Adobo Fried Rice when I saw it. Chicken adobo, a Filipino staple, typically consists of chicken thighs cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and various spices. It’s a combination of savoury and sweet and is quite tasty. I’d never tried it in fried rice nor have it wrapped in a giant omlette so I was looking forward to it!
The Food
Lolo Rick’s Adobo Fried Rice – Massive amount of fried rice wrapped in a omlette like egg The fried rice itself had shredded chicken adobo and rice and it was all wrapped in an omlette style egg. This was a LOT of food that also comes with a side of nicely seasoned potatoes.
A massive adobo fried rice egg burrito 
The chicken was very tender, oozing with flavor, and the rice was soaked in adobo juice and really soaks up the flavor. Each bite is very flavorful with that familiar savoury and sweet flavor. The egg is light and fluffy and basically makes this a fried rice burrito wrapped in egg. If you’re a fan of the Japanese dish omurice, it’s comparable to that, or at least is the same concept with a different spin.
In search of more meat It’s a very filling and delicious meal. However, my one small gripe was that the rice to meat ratio wasn’t great. There was a lot of rice in this which becomes noticeable just because there’s nothing else in the fried rice besides the adobo.
My friend got the strawberry pancakes and let me sample. Topped with a generous dollop of whip cream and powder sugar with a side of strawberry syrup the pancake texture was fantastic. It was light and fluffy and the strawberries were sweet. I will definitely try to order a short stack of pancakes in order to try one of those unique types of pancakes that BabyStacks Cafe offers.
Strawberry pancakes! Overall, BabyStacks delivers with it’s massive menu and unique breakfast items. There’s literally something for everyone. The special items and pancakes, you just can’t find those at every ordinary breakfast / brunch kind of restaurant. It’s certainly worth a visit and the drive from the strip if you’re a foodie.
I can’t wait to come back on my next trip to Vegas to try some more delicious food!
Additional Info
BabyStacks Cafe has seven total locations with six in Las Vegas and one in Henderson.
Check out the menu and info about all the locations here! https://babystackscafe.com/
