No Baloney Tony typically would not shy away from anything that reads “Manly” – mostly due to the fact that my nickname is Tony (like a boy), I have two brothers and my competitive nature comes out when it comes to the battle of the sexes.
However, I had to forfeit the option of trying the Manly Meal when I saw the manly size of the T-bone steak that couldn’t even fit on the skillet.
No Baloney Tony typically would not shy away from anything that reads “Manly” – mostly due to the fact that my nickname is Tony (like a boy), I have two brothers and my competitive nature comes out when it comes to the battle of the sexes.
However, I had to forfeit the option of trying the Manly Meal when I saw the manly size of the T-bone steak that couldn’t even fit on the skillet.
At Mae’s Cafe in Garden Grove the motto is: great customers, great food and great service. Just ask regulars like Kathy and Rich Jocham, who boast that they patron Mae’s every Sunday, sometimes even two times in a day.
Mae Liu took over a well-established coffee shop 18 years ago but had to change the name in 2002. Mae wisely did not change the chef, Armando, who has been there for 30 years, the culture of wonderful service or the reasonable prices which as far as I can tell are at least 30 percent under the norm for diners and she humbly let me know that 80 percent of her business is regulars.
Open 24 hours, seven days a week, Mae’s caters to every type. From the young partiers who need to fill up after a night of entertainment, the late eaters who cannot find a restaurant at 10 p.m. and, of course, the lunch and breakfast clientele.
Though we contemplated the most popular breakfast dishes such as John Wayne’s favorite (eggs, spicy sausage, cheese on a tortilla), the ever-reliable Denver omelette and even the Manly Meal (T-bone steak, eggs, lyonnaise potatoes and a choice of pancakes, waffles or French toast) but settled on the pancakes meal and a vegetarian omelette with some bottomless Joe and a tall glass of OJ.
Both dishes offered healthy portions. The pancakes meal came out on two plates; the three pancakes were at least six-inches in diameter and couldn’t share a plate with the eggs and bacon that came on the side. The omelette was stuffed with broccoli, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes and oozed cheddar cheese with toast and hash browns on the side to complete the dish.
This local spot will not disappoint and its motto is evident. The cheerful cooks sling a variety of dishes, the wait staff smile as they welcome and take orders and customers are happy to pile into Mae’s.
Whether you enjoy wee-hour noshing between 2 and 5 a.m. or steak-and-eggs type of breakfast, I challenge you to find a more impressive T-bone along side of a healthy portion of eggs.
And a challenge to the ladies: If you can finish the Manly Meal in one sitting, contact me and I will give you props in an upcoming review. Be sure to include your full name, contact information and city of residence. Pictures are welcome, as well.
If you have any restaurant suggestions or would like to contact No Baloney Tony, email nobaloneytony@ymail.com
Mae’s Cafe
9062 Trask Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92844
714-898-7044
