Task 30 – The Rio Café (Old Saybrook, CT)

(30) Eat in 10 New Restaurants (19/20)

Restaurant: The Rio Café

Rating: 5-Stars

I woke up and was craving French toast and after many attempts we had nearly given up on having a good breakfast. It seemed everyone was out this morning and all of our favorite breakfast spots were jam packed. Out of pure luck we drove past The Rio Café and other than small signage in the window which I almost didn’t notice there wasn’t much to indicate they sold breakfast. It is relatively new to the area and I can’t say I knew it was there. It was clean and neat and brightly painted in white with tropical but subdued blue and lime green accent colors. The smell of the fresh ground coffee instantly woke even the sleepiest of us and caught our attention. There was only one other family sitting quietly and enjoying their meal when we arrived.

Our waiter appeared quickly and shared his suggestions on what to try and returned with our drinks in short order. I ordered a freshly squeezed orange juice and everyone else ordered the coffee. If the drinks were any indication of the food then we were all in for a treat. I ordered the French toast, my mother ordered the bacon and egg sandwich and my father ordered a vegetable omelet with cranberry walnut bread. There isn’t much to say other than that everything was exceptional. The French toast was cooked perfectly and seasoned exactly as I like, the omelet was delicious with just the right ratio of egg and vegetables, the bread was simply out of this world, and the egg sandwich was the perfect example of what it should be.

The portion sizes were generous but not ridiculous and no one was left hungry by the time we finished. We raved to the waiter about the food and he told us we should try the corn beef hash the next time we are in. We quickly told him that a good corn beef hash is a family favorite and he reappeared moments later with a sample for us all to try. It was exceptional with big chunks of corn beef and onions and we all wished were still hungry.

The prices were very reasonable and we couldn’t understand how this place wasn’t jam packed. As much as I’d like to keep it a secret I want to be sure it will be there for years to come and have been telling everyone about it since. I can’t wait to return for another exceptional breakfast.