The Bedrock Bistro 260 Queenston Road
Even though our official breakfast-themed month may be over, we’re not stopping with our search for breakfast food in the City. When we first began compiling our list, I knew to add Bedrock Bistro right away. Located in the East End, it’s a staple to the City, and was even voted as Best Breakfast in Hamilton (according to their flashy sign out front that Avi and I enjoyed reading.)
After our visit to the Hamilton East Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club that morning, we were ready for a bite to eat, and with Bedrock being in the area, it worked out well. And fittingly, after we had just finished learning all about the Boys and Girls Club, we spotted a Kiwanis office located right across the street from Bedrock. How apropos!
While I have passed by it so many times throughout my life, the first time I checked out Bedrock was just a year ago, for my friend Lauren’s birthday. That was quite an unforgettable morning, as it resulted in us launching into an impromptu flash mob in the middle of the restaurant during their popular Sunday All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet (captured and put on YouTube for your enjoyment.) There’s really no better way to make your presence known, and only Lauren could mastermind such birthday shenanigans! And that was just breakfast – we had a whole day of tomfoolery ahead of us, which did not disappoint. So, of course as I entered Bedrock almost exactly a year later, I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered that day.
After we were seated at our booth, Avi and I stared down at our table to observe that we had not one, but two menus each. One being the All Day Breakfast menu, and one the Lunch menu. We zeroed in on the breakfast selection since we’re still on the hunt for all things breakfast. They have a fantastic variety, with all kinds of combos – eggs, pancakes, waffles, crepes, and all the toppings and sides you could want. Of course, there is the classic Steel City Slammer, which they warn you in its description, is only for the hungry! I settled on the Bedrock Combo to get a few different samplings – home fries, bacon (or your choice of ham or sausage), eggs (I chose scrambled, but you can have them any way you like – and I felt silly asking what my options were!), and two huge, fluffy pancakes. Avi went with an omelette (which you can customize to your liking – she went with cheese and veggies) that came with home fries and toast. Portions were large and prices extremely reasonable, which is always appreciated!
We love the feel of the restaurant; it is very homey and warm. Staying true to its name, there are Flinstones paraphernalia up around the space, but not in an over-the-top, overwhelming way. There are screens set up that have the cartoon on loop, and it suits the stone-looking walls. There are Flinstones figures on display high up on shelves, and even across one of the buffet bars. It was quite busy, and with it being March Break, that makes sense, but of what I hear, Bedrock is always bustling. At the table beside us, a family was celebrating a birthday and the servers sang to the special little one while bringing over a dessert and a candle ready to be blown out. At another nearby table, Avi and I couldn’t help but overhear a group of older men discussing the previous night’s episode of The Voice, which was hilarious to hear. I’m a fellow fan of the show, and hearing one man’s review made me giggle and silently agree with him (Lee’s performance of “Heart-Shaped Box” was great, even though he later got the axe from his coach Christina Aguilera.)
Avi and I got down to business during our breakfast, with our Tour notebooks and pens at the ready. We rattled off our to-do list of discussion points, our minutes, if you will. We noted that March 2012 is looking like our busiest month of the Tour yet, breaking all kinds of records for Tour Stops we’ve managed to hit already. We’ve been on a roll lately – so much to do!
As I write this, sipping a peppermint tea, I’m still quite stuffed, so dinner won’t be happening anytime soon. But I’m ok with that; breakfast is the best meal of the day, after all.
– Kristin
