Le Peep for Breakfast Comes On With a Roar

Not all chain feederies are created equal.

Surprisingly, several of the chain restaurants that have moved into the county in the last year or two have brought quality with them. Thus, by exercising due caution, it is possible to dine corporately and dine well--not an easy thing to do in the past.

The Le Peep chain, headquartered in Colorado, is one of the new corporate entries that seems serious about serving really good food. This chain has some 75 restaurants spread across the country, with a location in the Del Mar Heights area that is the only Le Peep outpost in California and, as it happens, is franchised. The menu follows the Le Peep formula, however, and is deeply satisfying. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch only, and offers the breakfast menu through closing time.

Le Peep stands in for the neighborhood breakfast and lunch places that used to be common in big cities (before chains killed them off, in truth) and cannot usually be found in new suburban neighborhoods. It does the job quite well with a number of creations, several of them trademarked, that capture the heartiness of old-fashioned American breakfasts, but in some cases offer greatly reduced fat and cholesterol levels. Omelets and certain other egg-based dishes, for example, are available with egg substitute or egg whites only.

It is possible to pig out in the best American breakfast tradition, however. The menu even offers the opportunity to open the meal with an appetizer, a course unheard of at breakfast but by no means without merit in the case of the “Gooey Buns,” one of Le Peep’s many trade-named creations. These consist of a choice of plain or raisin-studded English muffins, split, loaded with cinnamon, almonds and brown sugar, and run under the broiler until the tops caramelize. Whipped cream cheese and lightly cooked apples arrive on the side and are perfect toppings, and one of these muffins easily can be shared by a pair of guests as a tasty warm-up to the main event.

A good deal of choices exist among the various breakfast-dish categories, which carry such Le Peep-specific names as “Homespun Pancakes,” “Mile-High Breakfast Crepes,” “Panhandled Specialties” and “Peasant Skillet Pies.” The “peasant potatoes” remain a constant through most preparations, either as garnish or as base for fairly elaborate preparations, and consist of cubed spuds--skins intact--fried like hash browns and sprinkled with minced parsley. They are as tasty as they are simple, and the “peasant” appellation must arise from the fact that the peels have not been removed.

These potatoes star in the various casserole-like dishes, where they mingle with other elements to create hefty breakfast banquets. All those preparations described as “panhandled” are served in handled ceramic skillets (broiling hot), with two basted eggs arranged as a lid. An example would be “the wanderer,” which tumbles diced bacon, tomatoes and onions and shredded Cheddar into the spuds; another would be the Mexican-themed “desperado,” which incorporates chorizo, mild chilies and jalapenos, salsa and cheese. To finish either of these requires a considerable appetite. The similar “Skillet Pies” omit the eggs.

A server commented that it is wisest to ask for a large table if you intend to order the “lumberjack breakfast,” which requires two large oval platters. One contains potatoes, a pair of eggs and a choice of sausage or bacon, all well cooked and steaming hot; the other is nearly covered by a pair of fluffy, quite tasty pancakes. Once again, this meal challenges the appetite.

The menu includes such basics as fresh fruit, Dutch apple oatmeal and, on the more fanciful side, the “breakfast banana split” of bananas, berries, yogurt and granola. Omelet choices range from the simplicity of a basic cheese omelet to one stuffed with the house “Tomahawk chili” (made with minced chicken rather than beef) and the rather bizarre-sounding “Sir Benedict Omelet,” which stuffs the creation with chicken, mushrooms, broccoli and water chestnuts and coats it lavishly with hollandaise. Many lunch offerings similarly take the form of house creations.

This temple of breakfast gastronomy gets all the minor points straight and serves hot syrup, fresh fruit juices and coffee in insulated pitchers, so that you can refill your cup at will. That’s a nice touch, and very welcome when the eyes need a little prompting to stay open wide.

Le Peep

3545 Del Mar Heights Road

San Diego

Calls: 755-8008

Hours: Breakfast and lunch daily; dinner not served

Cost: Main items $3.45 to $6.95; breakfast for two, including one beverage each, tax and tip, about $12 to $20