Two Teaspoons, Meet Four Spoons

When Brian mentioned this cafe a while back, he said it was called, "Something spoons ... two spoons maybe?" And I said, "I think you're referring to that wildly popular blog: Two Teaspoons."

But there is, in fact, a cafe called Four Spoons in the neighborhood. It's teeny and tidy, charming, busy but without a wait when we showed up at 1pm last Sunday. The smallish menu has a variety of brunchy dishes, plus real lunch.

I don't remember what my dish was called -- or why I ordered something so huge when I wasn't that hungry -- but it offered eggs, potatoes plus pulled pork and tortillas. If there's a proper way to combine all these things, I missed that day in etiquette class. Nonetheless, my taco breakfast array was delicious in every way.

Brian forgot we were out for breakfast and ordered a french dip. His french fries were excellent. I captured a photo of him in a very serene state, eyes closed (bliss? napping?), but I'll refrain from including it here.

Cyndy's House Of (awesome) Pancakes

Aurora may not have trendy cupcakes or block-long ice cream lines, but it has plenty to eat: burgers, pho, teriyaki, teriyaki, teriyaki, and (opening soon!) Ethiopian. And, we have Cyndy's House Of (awesome) Pancakes.

Before we moved, I heard Cyndy's was becoming a strip club. Fortunately, this was either rumor or the deal fell through. Cyndy's remains open (though only till 3pm), with perfectly-cooked eggs, crisp bacon, and super friendly servers. The decor is charmingly 1970s: note the 25-foot metal flower collage on the wood-paneled wall.

But most importantly, the pancakes are fluffy and delicious. I don't know what makes a great pancake, and I've certainly never figured it out at home. How do you get them fluffy without being doughy? How do brown them just enough? What makes that perfect pancake flavor? I've read the recipes, but my best answer is to visit Cyndy's.

Greenwood weekend: Mr Gyros and Pig & Whistle

Moving into a new neighborhood is always a bit scary. But arson is terrifying. 

While Greenwood residents organize patrols of volunteers and firefighters, businesses are still open and busy.

So with normal eagerness to support local business amplified by communal tension throughout the blocks of Greenwood, this weekend included dinner from Mr Gyros and brunch at the Pig & Whistle.

The oniony, messy gyros from Mr Gyros would be a fairly awful first-date choice. For any other occasion, $5 buys dinner. You may question the lack of apostrophe in a seemingly possessive title (apparently "gyros" is the official Greek for the food), but you may not question the softness of pita, the tang of tzatziki, or the tastiness of lamb sliced from a rotating slab.  

This was actually our third time to the Pig & Whistle. The first was with Brian's parents just after our home inspection; the second, we met our sellers for dinner. This Sunday was no significant home-buying milestone, but it did include the Pig & Whistle brunch special: $10 for eggs, bacon, potatoes and a bloody mary. During which I decided breakfast has the very best cocktails: enthusiastic mimosas with their bubbly champagne, the caffeinated hot delight of Irish coffee, and the spicy, peppery, acidic bloody mary.  

I can't quite bring myself to make a joke about Greenwood restaurants being hot, so I'll just say I hope the arsonist is caught very soon so we can all go back to enjoying our excellent local fare without fear.