Old Vine Café is located in “The Camp” which is a trendy, “green” outdoor dining and shopping experience.  I feel like I’m visiting the UC Santa Cruz campus with earthy gourmet cafes and outdoors stores thrown in to round out the liberal experience.

Old Vine Cafe, Exterior

“The Camp” Grounds

“Old Vines” Patio

We anticipated a lengthy wait and it lived up to it weighing in at one hour and ten minutes.  Regardless, I have a feeling it will be worth it.

Wine Bottle Chandelier

“The Waiting Game”

Bella orders wild berry lemonade while I select the orange jasmine hot tea.  The lemonade has a very light berry taste but it is good.

Wild Berry Lemonade

China Mist has surely stepped up their teas as this is far superior to any of their teas I’ve had in the past.  This is their organic line and comes in a nylon bag with tea leaves.  This is great sniffing and sipping.  Bella gets the fresh blueberry crepes which consist of fresh berries and sweet cream with berry coulis.

Fresh Berry Crepes

She adds eggs over easy and Spanish style potatoes and I go with the blueberry brioche French toast with whipped cream and berry coulis and a side of Santa Fe spicy sausage.

Eggs Over Easy & Potatoes

The sausage is sliced open and taste like a cross between Mexican chorizo breakfast sausage (orange hue included) and Cajun sausage.

Santa Fe Spicy Sausage

The crepes are really nice tasting with extremely fresh looking berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries).

Fresh Blueberry Crepes

The French toast tastes like a morph between bread pudding and tiramisu with a berry focus instead of coffee.

Blueberry Brioche French Toast

This is seriously yummy and I am overwhelmed yet feeling anxious as my fork rapidly rotates from plate to plate.  I pilfer some of Bella’s perfectly seasoned, tasty and splendidly oily potatoes.  I scavenger again and help Bella eat some of her country-style biscuit.  It is huge and has that a textured mountainous exterior with a very soft and almost doughy interior.  I slap a little butter on and I’m in “carb heaven”.

Country-style Biscuit

Seriously speaking this may be the best breakfast I’ve had in my lifetime.  Unless you’re one of those people who think “all breakfasts are essentially the same”, dig in your heels, rest your cheeks on the benches and endure the wait.

Bella walks “The Camp”

“The Camp” Grounds

Date of Visit: 9/18/2011; Restaurant:  Old Vine Cafe; Address: 2937 Bristol Street, Suite A-102; Phone: 714-545-1411; Website: oldvinecafe.com; Key: (5 star maximum per category); Ambiance: ****½; Service: **** ½; Food/Drink: *****; Grade: A+.