Breakfast - Great Places Around The World !

There is something about breakfast joints. Somehow I always find myself thinking of that elusive, kind of romantic breakfast joint with the great freshly baked breads and pastries and that Old World feeling. Not the standard hotel breakfast buffets or the stuff they serve at Denny's or McD's. No real breakfast in that little great joint. Most cities on this planet have this great breakfast and or brunch spot. I made the effort to summarize the few great spots that I have found, whilst traveling around. Try some of these joints when having the chance. You just may enjoy it the way I did.

Le Fumoir (Paris) This handsome bar and restaurant has a definite 'smoking room' feel. Conveniently close to the Louvre you can reward yourself for soaking up some culture with a must Sunday Champagne Brunch. The leather chairs are great to unwind in and there’s also a selection of international newspapers. You can always do the Laduree, the Deaux Magots and the Cafe De Paris, but there is no place like Le Fumoir in all of Paris. Specifically on a Sunday morning!

The Wolseley (London) At 160 Picaddilly in London The Wolseley dishes up a breakfast menu mainlines on classics-with-a-twist, so the fried eggs that come with Ayrshire bacon are duck rather than chicken, and hash is made with crab instead of corned beef. It's also one of the few places you can order waffles, which come with a choice of maple syrup, or creme fraiche and berries.

Cafe Central (Vienna) No breakfast in Vienna tastes better than one in the legendary Cafe Central, the most famous coffeehouse in a city that invented the coffeehouses. Opened in 1860 in a high-vaulted Palais Fertsel, its wood tables, tiled floors, street front windows and golden glow have attracted intellectuals, artists, writers and revolutionaries for 150 years. Amongst them Goethe, Zweig, Mahler, Beethoven, Friedell, Polgar, Kraus, Trotsky, Lenin and many more. The coffee remains the best in town and all the pastries are baked fresh on the premises.

Antico Caffee Greco (Rome) Since 1760, this is Rome's poshest coffeehouse. It is one of the three most ancient coffeehouses in the world. Casanova, Stendhal, Goethe, Keats and D'Annunzio have sipped coffee here. It was Giorgio De Chirico who suggested that this is the cafe where you sit and await the end. This the place in Rome to sit in the morning and have a breakfast in a incredible surrounding.

Gran Cafe de Gijon (Madrid) Each of the old European capitals has a coffeehouse that traditionally attracts the literati. In Madrid it's the Gijón, which opened in 1888 in the heyday of the Belle Epoque. Artists and writers still patronize this venerated old cafe for breakfast or just good old cup of coffee. Open windows look out onto the wide paseo and a large terrace is perfect for sun worshippers. When in Madrid, this is the place I hang out for breakfast.

De Bakkers Winkel (Amsterdam) Breakfast, in my opinion, demands a little something sweet and/or freshly baked. You will do well when visiting this quaint Dutch bakery. Within its walls, you'll discover a wealth of treats, including cakes, tortes, turnovers, croissants, Dutch style pancakes (I call them "the phunk" in my house) and the greatest apple cakes on God's earth. All of the goods are homemade, and they frequently feature a few things you didn't even know you'd find so tempting. The greatest morning pick-me-up in all of Amsterdam.

Kaffee Extrablatt (Munich) Owned by a prominent Munich newspaper columnist, Michael Grater, this cafe epitomizes the nocturnal essence of Schwabing. The sprawling, sometimes smoky room is adorned with photographs of celebrities and features a spacious well-designed bar, but the sidewalk tables are preferable during warm weather. The cafe attracts many of Munich's writers, artists, and counterculture fans. Regulars convene here over breakfast to converse and keep tabs on who's doing what, where. This is the place for a true Bavarian breakfast, which consist of Weisswurst, Brezel and Weissbeer.

The Verandah (Hong Kong) This wonderful, veranda-like restaurant is the only reason to venture to this destination on Hong Kong Island's south side. A throwback to Hong Kong's colonial days in a setting reminiscent of an exclusive private club, it boasts a stylish yet relaxed atmosphere, with tall ceilings and whirling fans, starched tablecloths and flowers, and windows open wide toward manicured lawns and the sea. If you can, book a table more than a week in advance and arrive starving at its famous Sunday brunch. There is no other place to be in Hong Kong on a Sunday morning. Also you will be seeing some of Hong Kong's most beautiful and also most influential people. In any case, with its excellent service, great food, and wonderful ambiance, this is a very beautiful place; you'll want to linger.

Balthazar (New York) When Keith McNally's fin de siecle bistro opened in 1997, the scrum for reservations was about as well-mannered as the Oklahoma land rush. Now it's possible for an ordinary citizen to request a table without calling 3 months in advance. The space - brass fixtures, red banquettes, distressed tile floor - is handsome and welcoming. The Balthazar may be a good restaurant but you need to stop in for a particularly spectacular breakfast. You need to make it early if you want to snag a seat.

Katz Deli (New York) Simply put, a New York meal without Katz's is like a corned beef sandwich without the corned beef. Arguably the classic of all classic New York Jewish-style delicatessens, Katz's has remained virtually unchanged since its inception in 1888. The vintage joint is one massive tin and aluminum space, sort of a immigrant-grunge-chic in what used to be the quintessentially ethnic Lower East Side. Leave your pretension at the door, grab a paper counter ticket and head straight for the cafeteria-style servers. The food is traditional kosher-style, and anyone who's anyone (including former presidents, movie stars, foreign diplomats and neighborhood natives) usually orders a piled-high deli sandwich. Lean pastrami, brisket and hot dogs are of the highest order, and the corned beef - cured, slow-dried over 30 days and hand-sliced - is so luscious it'll make you convert religion.

The Biltmore (Coral Gables) There are many breakfast options in Miami and a lot of them involve great South American and Cuban fare. But there is only one Sunday Brunch option in the whole greater Miami area. The grand American Sunday Brunch tradition takes on its own signature twist at the Biltmore, combining European elegance, Latin exuberance and Miami’s very own tropical style. There is many things about this brunch but let just say this; If you have not been at a Biltmore Sunday Brunch you have not been in Miami!

Dish (L.A. / La Canada) La Canada's Dish restaurant fully lives up to the American ideal, doling out plates of cornmeal Johnnycakes and apple wood smoked sausage etc.. The breakfast here is all American literally. Dish's atmosphere is kept remarkably comfortable, with the staff dressed in khakis and painted wood tables filling the joint. If you're in the mood for a taste of pure Americana, keep Dish in mind, because nobody dishes out home-style breakfast treats, like Dish does.

Bill's (Darlinghurst/Sydney) Enjoy the best Australian breakfast as you sit at the large communal table and read the newspaper in this restaurant owned by my Gourmet Brother Bill Granger. The bright, spacious interior is the best start for your day in all of Sydney. Popular with locals and famous actors such as Nicole Kidman. Try dishes like the famous ricotta pancakes, banana, and honey or corn fritters with bacon. Expect a line most mornings.