Nutritionists say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
That explains why we eaters of the CSRA are such a happy lot. So many of our restaurants do it right. I don't mean all the Waffle Houses (beloved as they may be) or commonplace fast food. No, think about the unique eateries around here where breakfast really is the most important meal they make.
Case in point: Sunrise Grill in North Augusta. (There's one in Martinez, too.) As its name suggests, morning is the time it shines. Open every day from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., it has a menu that offers three pages of breakfast, one of lunch.
Choose from among omelets labeled Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Continental, plus Greek, Veggie and Chico's, which is jalapeño-hot and garlanded with salsa. Or design your own, utilizing three eggs or six egg whites and a selection from six meats, eight vegetables, four cheeses and Hollandaise sauce. Let them know if you want ingredients mixed in or folded over.
On the side, heartily seasoned home fries are soft chunks with a few crisp corners and brittle curls. They can be customized with cheese, onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, salsa, chili or bacon.
Corned beef hash is as smooth as mashed potatoes. The barely briny hash comes as a single unit resembling a rolled crepe, cooked in a way that gives it a delicate skin.
The most interesting breakfast dish is sweet potato pancakes, their earthy disposition counterbalanced by cheerful sprinkles of cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar on top. Cinnamon cream syrup that comes with them doesn't quite want to blend with the sugars, but it does soak its way into the flapjacks, making a momentous plate of food. The pancakes come as stacks of two or three, with pecans an optional add-on. Country ham is a natural companion.
Sandwiches, salads and soups are available for lunch. The outstanding non-breakfast item is a hamburger. Quarter-pound patties are sold as singles, doubles and triples, cooked through and yet fatty enough to glisten with juice. Bacon, mushrooms and grilled onions are available to dress them, as are lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Each cheeseburger patty gets two slices of American cheese.
I enjoy Sunrise Grill cheeseburgers so much that I occasionally splurge on a quad: a pound of cheese-draped heaven on a toasted bun. The only problem with this meat mountain is that there are not enough napkins in all of North Augusta to deal with how much of it winds up on my hands, arms, face, shirt and lap.
Both breakfast and lunch are available all the time Sunrise Grill is open. I suppose you could call what it serves brunch. However, that upmarket term misses the mark. There is nothing hoity-toity about this popular eatery. With its bright lights and high ceiling, counter-and-booth seating and a squad of coffee-pot-wielding waitresses who patrol the room like they are winged, Sunrise Grill is a good old urban coffee shop. Prices are low; bacon-scented air rings with lively conversations; and all walks of life feel at home.
Sunrise Grill: 404 E. Martintown Road, Suite 4, North Augusta, SC. 803-202-9898. https://www.thesunrisegrill.com
Also at 3830 Washington Road, Suite 10, Martinez, GA. 706-228-4883
