When going out for breakfast comes to mind, a lot of local people immediately think, “Why not the Diamond Springs Hotel or her sister restaurant, Sportsman’s Hall?” They both serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, but breakfast, as far as I am concerned, is the best time to visit.
Russ Salazar and I met at the Diamond Springs Hotel one morning about 10 a.m. He wanted me to try their Lobster Benedict (and he was buying!).
I got there a bit early and was greeted by not only one of the friendly servers, but also Leonard, who was cooking, and Moon Shim, Amy’s husband. He oversees the Hotel while Amy takes care of Sportsman’s.
I believe of all of the people who own restaurants in our area, they are the greatest: friendly, happy and always there to make sure you enjoy your meal.
I found a table in the front area and went over the menu while waiting a few minutes for Russ. When he arrived we discussed what we should order with the Lobster Benedict, if anything.
I had originally planned on also ordering one of their breakfast specials to share along with the benedict: two eggs, sausage patty and homemade buttermilk biscuits and gravy (I love their biscuits and gravy). However, after discussing it, we decided that might be way more than enough food, so we settled on just a half-order of biscuits and gravy on the side to split.
Our food soon arrived and they had nicely split both the benedict and the biscuit and gravy on separate plates so we didn’t have to make a mess trying to do it ourselves. I think the word is out that we shouldn’t be allowed to do it ourselves. We are a bit messy.
The Lobster Benedict was beautiful and not only looked very appetizing and delicious, but was. It was piled with diced, grilled lobster, the eggs were perfectly poached, the English muffin, underneath, was nicely toasted and the hollandaise sauce was buttery with a slight tang of lemon. Beside them on each plate was a generous helping of their hash browns.
Both of us made “ooh and ah” comments while we ate the benedict and Russ also pointed out that the hash browns were especially good.
I don’t usually order potatoes at breakfast, but I had to agree these were really good. Maybe I will change my mind next time and order them for breakfast.
The buttermilk biscuit and gravy was very good. They make the biscuits and they are always good, but both of us thought the country gravy could have used a bit more sausage in it.
When Leonard came out of the kitchen to ask us how we liked the meal he had prepared, we complemented him on the Lobster Benedict and then asked about the country gravy.
He told us he puts a lot of sausage into the gravy, then with a smile, added that he must have scooped ours from an area that was low on sausage.
All in all, the breakfast was wonderful. And, no, I didn’t eat lunch that day.
Their breakfast menu is large, very large. It starts with the usual bacon or sausage patty, eggs, pancakes or French toast or potatoes, followed by waffles, corned beef hash and three kinds of benedicts: Traditional, Florentine and Lobster.
It continues with cinnamon roll French toast and then quite a list of “Breakfast Favorites,” the dishes you would find on most menus. It doesn’t stop there, but goes on with Ribeye steak and eggs, Ham steak and eggs, Country Fried Steak and eggs (one of my favorites) and a dish named after the previous owner: Original Dan’s – sautéed hamburger, eggs, spinach, onion, mushrooms topped with Parmesan cheese.
Then come the omelettes and it is quite a list. If you are looking for something special, it is probably included in this list. They range from the ever popular Hotel Omelette, with ham, bell pepper, onion, mushroom and Spanish sauce to a Shrimp, Avocado and Cheese omelette to a Veggie one. I think I counted 14 of them.
Oh, you can get them with only eggs whites or Egg Beaters for a small additional cost.
Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., with some limitations on pancakes and waffles during and after lunch hours.
Okay, that is their breakfast menu and there are two more, lunch and dinner. All of them are on their webpage at http://diamondsprings-hotel.com/our-menu/, so go there and check them out. In addition to the menus, there are lots of pictures and some great history, along with a link to the Sportsman’s Hall’s webpage.
I was surprised to see both the webpages are available to you in English and also Spanish, Italian, German, French and Korean.
The Diamond Springs Hotel is open Tuesday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Diamond Springs Hotel is closed on Mondays, however, if you can’t wait, Sportsman’s Hall is open on Monday and closed on Tuesday.
For more information visit their webpages or call (530) 647-2670.