Getting Lucky

One of the many things I love about being married is the fact that you are able to create your own traditions. We all had our own routines as children when birthdays rolled around, but as adults you can pretty much establish your own plan for birthdays and other holidays. It's great to be able to piece together your own history with someone, while continuing to honor the history of your childhood.

I wax nostalgic on this because Carl and I have established a pretty fantastic new tradition for his birthday! Each year, either on his actual birthday or the day before or after it, we go out to breakfast at Lucky's in Tremont. Lucky's is an amazing local bakery and restaurant which has recently gotten a lot of press. Back in the spring, it was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" a Food Network show. Click here to read about the episode.

I'm happy Lucky's was profiled on the show, because it's the type of place that deserves to be praised. Not only is their food amazing, but they do amazing things for the local economy. Almost all of their food is homemade on the premises, and that includes every single component of their Reuben sandwich! Most of the vegetables and herbs they pull right from their garden out back. In fact, if you decide to eat al fresco at Lucky's (something I've never been a fan of, unless it's a covered area. I am pretty much an indoorsy person!) you will be seated out among the vegetable garden! Pretty cool. In addition to merely pulling their ingredients out from the back door, they use milk, cheese and meat that are locally grown and produced.

Carl and I both got the Shipwreck for his birthday breakfast, and I can't even begin to discuss how amazing it is. When I tell you about it, you might be put-off, thinking that it sounds exactly like one of those monstrous and greasy breakfast scrambles at any host of notorious breakfast chains. Please understand me when I tell you that this is on an entirely different planet than those dishes! Yes, this one has scrambled eggs mixed with potatoes, cheese, bacon and random vegetables. BUT, the fresh quality of the ingredients infuses everything and makes it taste almost light. Your stomach will NOT hurt after eating this, I can promise you that! It is served with 4 slices of house-made Como Toast, and I stacked some of the Shipwreck inbetween the slices to create a sandwich of sorts. Yum!

Lucky's serves breakfast and brunch. I am always tempted to order their homemade granola, which is absolutely a delight to look at. Seriously, a work of culinary art. Also on the menu is their macaroni and cheese, which looks positively sinful, and the famous Reuben, of which all parts are made on the premises. They cure the beef on sight, make the thousand island dressing on site complete with pickled cucumbers from the garden, whip up the bread in the kitchen and also brine the sauerkraut back there too. It doesn't get any fresher than that!

At the front of Lucky's is the bakery counter and coffee station. While we wait for our food, I invariably trot over to the counter and order up some brownies and cookies to take home. They are always delightful and rich and out of this world. You MUST go to Lucky's (which, by the way, derives its name because of the numbers in its address: 777 Starkweather Ave.) This is a fabulous restaurant for homemade dishes and sustainable living/cooking!