Waffles, since he had never tried one
before. It is so hard to pass up a Tina’s
waffle—they are simply divine, and I
knew my guest would enjoy it.
As we waited for our food to arrive,
I sipped coffee and glanced around at the
restaurant filled with diners, and a team of
servers busily bustling among the tables,
tending to customers’ needs. Hungry
customers continued to queue up at the
door, and some sat on outside benches,
waiting for their tables to become
available. As tables became vacant, the
employees quickly bussed and cleaned
the table, and the next group or diners
was promptly seated. As a result, the ebb
and flow of the wait queue moved along
at a decent pace. Only one of the four
televisions positioned in the dining room
was turned on that morning, airing sports
programs. The bartenders busily poured
morning cocktails and served those seated
at the bar, and diners throughout the
room laughed and conversed, creating a
casual and comfortable dining atmosphere.
The waffle was the first plate to arrive
at our table, and we eagerly grabbed our
forks and began eating. The fluffy waffle
30 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM MAY 2018
was a light golden brown,
and the middle was garnished
with fresh strawberry slices.
The waffle was accompanied
by small containers of warm
syrup and melted butter.
Just one bite in, my guest
was already raving over the
waffle. Its slightly sweet
flavor (attributed to the
addition of malt powder to
the batter) and light, airy
texture caused each bite to
almost melt in our mouths.
In no time, the waffle had
disappeared, and my guest
declared that he would be
ordering a waffle on all
subsequent breakfast visits to
Tina’s Place.
Our breakfast entrees
arrived soon after, plates
brimming with our egg
orders and plentiful home
fried red potatoes mixed
onions and bell peppers. My
guest’s eggs were cooked
as requested, and three
very generous slices of ham
were layered across the mound of fried
potatoes. My Eggs Valerie was beautifully
presented, the medium-cooked poached
eggs served atop an English muffin, piled
high with fresh slices of turkey, bacon,
and slices of tomato and avocado, topped
with a light yellow Hollandaise sauce and
garnished with a sprinkle of green onions.
My guest thoroughly his breakfast,
although he almost couldn’t finish his
meal since we’d already
eaten the waffle. He
mentioned that he’d
prefer fewer onions and
bell peppers in the in the
fried potatoes, and said
he’d likely order hash
browns in the future.
My first experience
with Eggs Benedict
proved to be quite
interesting! Although
I tried to cut through
the savory tower in an
attempt to eat bites of
all ingredients at once,
I wasn’t very successful.
The stacked concoction
kept toppling over and I ended eating
some of the ingredients separately. When
only the eggs, sauce and English muffin
remained, it was a bit more manageable
for me to eat. The Hollandaise sauce
was rich, creamy and delicious, and was
quite enjoyable. With so many different
choices and the quality of the sauce, it’s
easy to understand why Tina’s Place is
well-known for Eggs Benedicts.
Customers enjoy breakfasts at Tina’s
Place so much that Tina received repeated
requests to add breakfast items to the
dinner menu. So, beginning in July 2017,
guests were delighted to see that a full
page of selected popular breakfast entrees
had been added to the dinner menu,
including several egg breakfasts, two
omelets, Belgian waffles breakfasts, and
Shrimp and Cheesy Grits. Our evening
interview with Tina provided another
opportunity to try a different breakfast
entrée, only this time it was for dinner! I
selected the Pork Chop and Egg breakfast,
which is served with a choice of one or
two large, bone-in pork chops, two eggs,
hash browns or country fried potatoes,
and toast. The pork chops were perfectly
grilled, were tender, and had good flavor,
although I may have enjoyed a bit more
seasoning. This entrée is large, and if
ordered with two chops, easily provides a
second meal for the next day. My guest
ordered the Turkey Deluxe sandwich
for dinner, which is made with chipotle
mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, turkey, bacon,
tomato, avocado, grilled onions and grilled
mushrooms, and is served with choice of
side. Need I mention that my guest also
Tina’s Place Bar
Pork Chops and Eggs
2300 San Pablo Avenue, Pinole | (510) 964-7546 | (Catering): 510-691-9316 | tinasplace2.com