TRAVEL THERE: BREAKFAST BOOOOFAY AT LA MANSION’S LAS CANARIAS
A Great Start to a Day in San Antonio
One of the perks of staying at Omni’s La Mansion del Rio on San Antonio‘s Riverwalk is Las Canarias. A list of its accolades would take up entirely too much word count, but I knew I wanted to eat there. I also figured with so many awards, the price for dinner would be outside Bill’s comfort zone, so we had breakfast there instead.
The Pocketbook vs. the Breakfast Buffet
As soon as we walked in, the hackles rose on Bill’s neck. There was a $20 breakfast buffet and he doesn’t like any buffet – especially not a $20 buffet for breakfast. He doesn’t think anyone can eat $20 worth of breakfast, but he’s uncommonly opposed to us making the effort to do so. I quickly asked the hostess if we could order a la carte and Bill’s hackles immediately eased.
When the poor waiter arrived, Bill made it clear we were not having the buffet, so menus appeared. Since I was on the South Beach Diet, about all I could have was the fruit and muffin plate, but as you can see above, that was no hardship. Mr. Bill discovered the Creme Brulee French Toast. After ordering we took stock of our surroundings.
The BOOOOOFAY
We noticed pretty much everyone else entering the restaurant seemed happy enough with the buffet and then we noticed the waiter’s accent. As each table was seated, the waiter would say, “Good morning. Today we have our excellent Breakfast BOOOOOFAY.” The first time we heard it, it was slightly funny. By the time breakfast was over we were having a hard time not laughing out loud. Wanna get a grin out of Bill? Invite him to a BOOOOFAY.
A Beautiful Venue for Any Meal, but Especially Creme Brulee French Toast
The restaurant itself is lovely. White tablecloths, flickering candles and right outside, the Riverwalk. And to give them their due, the breakfast buffet did look delicious. Nonetheless we were happy with our choices. I had plenty of fruit and the muffin was so dense with goodness I was only able to get down a few bites. In fact, I had plenty left over to provide Bill with an afternoon snack of fruit and the following two mornings he had bran muffin with his coffee.
Bill’s French Toast, on the other hand, was an extraordinary meal for which words are inadequate. The look on his face, from the arrival of the plate until he slurped up the last bite, was pure nirvana. Even in the best of restaurants he’ll say things like, “I think they were too timid with the spices,” or “This was overcooked just a tad,” but while he ate his Creme Brulee French Toast, all I heard was, “MMMMMM,” “OMG, this is good,” etc., etc., etc.
Do I think you should go to Las Canarias? I certainly do. Someday I even plan to come back for dinner. I think Bill’s pocketbook could handle it, but he might have a heart attack. Maybe I should try lunch first.
jane sadek 