97 Gravenstein Hwy S #100 / 707-861-3777
Category: California, Creole & Continental
Specialty: Breakfast and Brunch
Open: Daily 7am-2:30pm Mon & Tue B-L / 7am-9pm Wed thru Sun B-L-D
BYOB only.
*** 11/12/11 $-$$
An Omelet at Hole in the Wall Restaurant
Perfect name for this tiny restaurant in a smallish strip mall along the main drag into Sebastopol. In fact, they are next door neighbors to another interesting eatery, Woodruff’s, which I will review another time.
We went for breakfast as I had heard it was good and besides, since they have no liquor license, lunch or dinner just wouldn’t be the same without vino! Caution: if you come for breakfast, get there when they open or you’ll be waiting in line to dine; either inside or out (weather permitting) on their small, front patio area.
As mentioned, this is a very small space with an equally small kitchen. As the restaurant filled to capacity and more orders were being prepared, my eyes started to water from the smoke that was not being properly vented. Perhaps I am overly sensitive but there was also that smoky smell too. Very unpleasant. Added to this was a seemingly annoyed chef with his kitchen staff, complaining about their slowness. With an open kitchen, in a small restaurant, you can hear such discord and it is distracting.
Wait staff was pleasant enough, but our order was delivered incomplete and we were never advised of the two specials; Eggs Benedict and Eggs Forentine? Ah well, at least we were served three-fourths of our food; Challah French Toast with Candied Pecans and for hubby, (the no egg man!) a side of country fried potatoes and grilled ham. I also ordered 2 farm eggs, over medium with a side of Maple Smoked Bacon. House made biscuits come with your breakfast and they are light and flaky. If you are a “biscuit and gravy” guy or gal, Hole in the Wall has you covered. I hear it’s worthy. The missing item was Maple Smoked Bacon. The french toast was beautifully browned and tasted delicious, and the bacon was worth the delay when I got it, half-way through my breakfast. BTW, the fresh farm eggs did not even come from Sonoma County, which I thought strange as Petaluma was once the egg capital of the world (exaggerated boast) but why buy eggs from Oregon? That’s what I was told by the chef when I asked…..
Another specialty of the house I would have ordered, German Dutch Baby – a baked pancake with caramelized sugar and apples but, it took 20 minutes to prepare and we were hungry.
Overall, the food is good and so are the prices. Would I return? Probably not. Recommended with reservations, mine!
The Good, The Bad and The Inedible 