Wake up right in Seal Beach with these morning meals

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

Seal Beach’s Main Street is a municipal anomaly, lined with quaint and quirky businesses that stand in contrast to the rest of the town’s upscale suburban sprawl. However, deeper examination (all it takes is a few hours eavesdropping on coffee shop conversations) reveals that many Main Street denizens are a lot like the stereotypical Orange County resident: conservative and religious. Main Street, it turns out, can be like Second Street’s bizarre evangelical twin. But unlike its Long Beach sibling, Main Street is at its indisputable best in the morning, when it serves some of the best breakfasts around (before Second Street even stumbles out of bed).

First, there’s the Nick’s Deli breakfast burrito, included initially out of obligation, but also because it’s never been praised without good reason. Stop by Nick’s on a Saturday or Sunday morning and you’ll find yourself surrounded by a mob of people either already inhaling burritos or standing in a line that, at times, goes out the door. It’s a hyped place, but unlike most “oh-my-god-you-haven’t-been-there-before?!” sacred cow restaurants, Nick’s earns it. All three of Nick’s burritos (chorizo/bacon, machaca and vegetarian) follow the same basic principle: a brick of eggs, potatoes and cheese cooked fresh and hot, then thoroughly mixed. A poorly mixed breakfast burrito is tragic: there’s little worse than enduring four bites of solid egg followed by a mouthful of greasy cheese. But Nick’s burrito is perfectly proportioned. Of all three, the vegetarian gets my pick—only because at $4.25, it’s the most economic.

Across the street and towards Pacific Coast Highway is Crema Cafe. Crema has many, many good dishes, but I recommend the omelet. Perhaps it’s the creamy hollandaise-looking sauce ladled on top, or maybe it’s the attention to detail (which sometimes comes at a price when the wait is excruciating), but Crema’s omelet is well above its competitors. Just about any accompanying ingredient you select to be packed inside will make the perfect omelet: dense, firm and generously stuffed. I like bacon, avocado and tomato in mine, but there’s too much to choose from to say that those are the definitive ingredients—with Crema’s omelet, it’s all about preference. One thing that’s certain is that the side potatoes are delicious: sliced thin and evenly salted with a hint of rosemary. Ultimately, it’s this kind of quality that’s indicative of Crema as a whole: beautiful, gourmet food priced for the masses and served by the most capable and polite baristas on Main Street.

Last, but most important, is O’Malley’s potato scrambler. Common sense dictates an Irish pub on a street known to embrace all ends of bar culture will do drinks okay, but not much else. And just like any other pub, O’Malley’s sells an expensive pint of Guinness. But in keeping with classic Irish culinary tradition, O’Malley’s also makes the best breakfast potatoes: soft but not mushy, bite-sized but not too tiny, crispy but not burnt. The eggs and cheddar both maintain a nice gooey texture that clings to the potatoes. You also get your choice of tomato, sausage, spinach, or bacon, but it’s the potatoes that truly set the scrambler apart. Additionally, the pub offers a mercifully un-Irish combination of red and green salsas, leaving each customer a personalized combination of heat to pick from at their pleasure. All totaled, the scrambler is an insane amount of food, with two slices of toast thrown on for no other reason than to make finishing it all that much more difficult.

Of course, these aren’t the only breakfast places on Main Street; Seal Beach has dozens of welcome departures from the Egg Heaven and Coffee Cup dishes we Long Beach residents rely upon. No matter which one you stop in as you eat your way down the street, though, be fearless. After all, this will be the most important meal you’ll eat all day—and if you go with the scrambler, it might just be the only one you’ll need.

NICK’S DELI 223 MAIN ST | SEAL BEACH 90740 | 562.598.5072 | FOOD FOR TWO $10-14 CREMA CAFE 322 MAIN ST # 7 | SEAL BEACH 90740 | 562.493.2501 | FOOD FOR TWO $15-20 O’MALLEY’S ON MAIN 140 MAIN ST | SEAL BEACH 90740 | 562.430.0631 | FOOD FOR TWO $20-25 | FULL BAR

Tags: breakfast, crema cafe, nick's deli, o'malley's, seal beach