Breakfast - ALASSIO

I wrote a rather harsh review 5 and a half years ago and hadn 't been back. I still think the name is a misnomer, although some genuine breakfast items are on offer on weekends It is still almost impossible to get a real English, American or Irish breakfast in Liguria, but we won 't be solving that problem on this website. On a relatively hot and humid late September afternoon we were looking for a light lunch in the shade. There are plenty of places serving sandwiches, but they too are rather predictable. So we sat down at Bar Breakfast and tried to keep an open mind. Besides the printed menu, there was a brief blackboard one. We opted for the "homemade Italian kebobs featuring genuine Irish beef. Rather tasty, but again mislabeled. More like an Italian version of a a Greek Gyro, served in pita bread, Our chosen beverage, Schweppes Lemon Sodo, so a real international meal. Thumbs up for a pleasant sandwich that didn 't fit the description, But then no one here knows how to make a rea Caesar Salad. This is how dishes evolve, I suppose. Service was pleasant, if a little Caribbean. If you don 't know what that means, a trip to the islands will make it clear.

There is something to be said for a friendly, clean and cheerfully decorated bar/cafe. I 've also heard that they make decent sandwiches. But that is not quite enough. There are plenty of bars/cafes with friendly owners and staff. When someone takes the trouble to name a place in Italy, "Breakfast ', you would think they would have some notion of what that term means in English. To an American, Brit or Irish, tourist or ex-pat, or for that matter anyone from Northern Europe, it refers to a morning meal that is much heartier and varied than the Italian habit of starting the day with an espresso, a roll and maybe some juice. Frankly, we were hoping there might be some place in town with a griddle, and the smell of eggs, bacon and sausage, maybe even some pancakes, french toast and hash browns. A bagel and lox would do quite nicely too. I 'm sure my Irish friends wouldn 't say no to a steaming bowl of oatmeal. What is on offer here doesn 't even qualify as a mirage. No sign of a real breakfast here. From 50 years of traveling in Italy, I know a cafe may or may not have decent coffee. It is a wonderful mix of art, craft and science, and catering to their own unique mix of clientele. I do know, with certain brands of coffee, it doesn 't matter how good the barista, the result will be somewhere between terrible and forgettable. Take the trouble to have a good brand, and these folks do, Pasqulini, a very good cup of coffee is likely but not certain; in their case, they still manage to make a mediocre Cappucino! i don 't enjoy saying negative things about a hard working and pleasant establishment. But with their name, I find it false advertising. There was no breakfast to be had.