Rise & Shine

Few things in life I enjoy more than breakfast and Seattle Metropolitan. BUT, I'm a bit disappointed this "about town" magazing is letting all the cats out of the bag, giving away all my safely guarded morning spot secrets. It's mildly hateful. Many of these places already have long weekend waits. Guess I'll just have to stick to weekdays to enjoy my favorite a.m. haunts.

One thing is for sure, they'll never find my favorite South Seattle breakfast dive, Randy's. Oh, it is a touch of mid-century rubbish. Either a Denny's or Cindy's likely was the former tenant in this '62 World's Fair-looking remnant. The interior features dark faux-wood paneling (the kind you'd find inside a '70s RV) with orange and pink pleather upholstered booths. It would be virtually impossible to overlook the plethora of aviation paraphernalia hanging down from the vaulted ceiling by way of fishing line.

Randy's waitresses are marvelous. Adorable older women who look like Aunt Bea or grandma. They wear designer eye wear, crisp white shirts, black pants and black aprons with white pinstripes. These gals are a hoot, always ready to strike up conversation, make a quick quip or give you a hard time for not finishing your hash browns.

Of course you can really rate a breakfast spot by it's coffee. Randy's has a good, diner style cup o' joe, served in a giant ceramic mug that is so big they've filled up the exterior sides with advertising. Clever and cost effective, both the coffee mugs and the restaurant itself. Mmmm ...