Horseback Riding + Eggs Benedict

Pumpkin Raisin Bread, Eggs, Sausage, Potatoes, Corned Beef Eggs Benedict, Burger on Dutch Crunch

Pumpkin Raisin Bread, Eggs-Sausage-Potatoes, Corned Beef Benedict, Burger on Dutch

What did you do yesterday? I turned 25! This past weekend was full of ridiculously fun birthday shenanigans. I really wanted to get out of the city and do something different for my initiation into the Quarter Century Club. So, Saturday morning I took a bunch of my city friends up north to the country town of Olema, to do some good old fashioned horseback riding!

Five Brooks Stables

That’s me + Hank in the middle, with Becca + Danny to the left and Rayna + Snip on the right.

As you can see, some of our horses – mainly Hank and Danny – kept stopping on the side of the road to nosh on grass. I wondered how strange and tempting it must be for them to be walking and essentially exercising on a trail that was lined on both sides by their food! It would be like us hiking on a path lined with sandwiches, sushi, and french toast. Strange. I didn’t blame them for stopping so often.

Country Hunger

By the end of our gorgeous and relaxing trail ride, we had worked up quite an appetite. We headed back to the city and got lunch at Judy’s Cafe in the Marina.

Egg’s Benedict Special – with Corned Beef, potatoes, fresh fruit and a pumpkin raisin muffin loaf

It was at this very lunch that I ate my first Eggs Benedict, and I can safely say that it will not be my last. For St. Patty’s Day, they had a benedict special with Corned Beef. Being a proud Irish lass, I of course opted for this special (3 more in our party ordered the benedict as well)! The benedict consisted of an English muffin base, corned beef in the middle, and topped with two poached eggs. The eggs were great – not too runny, and topped with a delicious sauce. The corned beef was delicious and full of flavor, as was the generous side of seasoned potatoes. The fruit was fresh and welcomed in such a hearty meal, and the pumpkin raisin bread made for a great dessert – sweet but healthy. I loved that in each bite I was getting quality corned beef, eggs, and an English muffin. Very tasty and filling!

Everything.

Michelle ordered the Potato Special which had a little of everything in it – potatoes, mushrooms, onion, jack & cheddar cheese, etc. It was really good, but so hearty that eating about a quarter of your plate will fill you up.

Sunny eggs, potatoes, sausages

Chanda ordered the classic 2 eggs, 2 sausages, and potatoes. Perhaps the most impressive order of the day was Chester, with his burger:

Salsa Burger on Dutch Crunch + Fruit

Chester’s burger came on dutch crunch bread (aka the best), and was topped with melted jack and cheddar cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Luckily there was a generous serving of fruit as well. YUM.

Overall Experience

I have only good things to say about the food at Judy’s Cafe. The portions are large and the quality is there.

However, the service we experienced was lacking a bit. They are cash-only, yet pretty expensive. You would think if they are saving money on cc transaction fees they could charge a little less than they do. Moreover, we were given a 6-person table for our party of 7. We had to pull tables together and apart ourselves to make up for this. At the end of the meal, I asked for a couple of our plates to be wrapped up to-go. Our waiter stared at me blankly for a second before saying, “What? You mean boxes?” Sure. I mean boxes. Even then, only one box was brought to us, so a member of our party had to get up and track down more of these elusive boxes. It wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t the best. I can only recommend it for the food based on my experience.

Luckily I was in good company and we were all very hungry when we got to Judy’s, so our goal of filling our stomachs with great food was met.

As always,

Thanks for reading & Happy eating!