Recently in Coffee Category

By Maritza Velazquez

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But for me, it's almost nonexistent. I enjoy my sleep and I'm not willing to wake up even a few minutes earlier to prepare myself some eggs or even a piece of toast.

On weekdays, I let my stomach rumble for a while before I scurry off in pursuit of a meal. 

The weekends are the only exception, when I occasionally indulge in my favorite breakfast foods - French toast, pancakes or omelets. 

In lieu of the same old dishes at Denny's or IHOP, I've recently opted for Cafe Verona, a quaint bagelry in Diamond Bar. The place is nothing spectacular but it has unique food offerings, as well as a wide selection of coffee and other beverages. 

On some Sunday mornings, I head to the cafe for the bagel omelets, which range from $4 to $5. They have a few choices, including my favorite, the veggie bagel omelet.

For $3.35, it comes with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and cheese. The omelet is cooked and placed between the toasted bagel of your choice. For me, it was onion. 

Other bagel options include spinach parmesean, jalapeno cheese, cranberry, chocolate chip sourdough and garlic.

If you want to take some bagels home with you, it'll cost you $9.95 for a dozen. 

There's also a special - for $3.95 you get a small coffee and choice of plain, veggie, ham or bacon bagel omelets. 

I also tried the strawbana smoothie for $3.95, made with real strawberries, bananas and vanilla yogurt. 

If you go for lunch, there's a lunch special - a ham, turkey or tuna sandwich with potato salad and dill pickles for $4.25. 

For healthy alternatives, there are pocket sandwiches prepared in pita bread, as well as a good selection of salads. 

The cafe has a great patio with bistro tables and shaded by a verdana. Most times when I come here, I order a coffee and some breakfast and sit down with a newspaper. 

Others do the same and it's a nice place to meet up with a small contingent of friends. 

Cafe Verona is located in the Ralph's shopping center, 1138 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. in Diamond Bar. For more information, call (909) 860-2044.

Lisa's Coffee Shop catches my eye often, when I travel east on San Bernardino Road to an assignment or have lunch somewhere else.

I was in the mood for a warm American dish and decided to satisfy my curiosity for what's inside this little diner that's surrounded by auto shops and industrial buildings.

The cozy restaurant, with its small town 1950s feel, has lent itself to a few movies and commercials. The vintage Coca-Cola signs and the many state license plates hanging on the walls helps add to this old style diner.

Open everyday for breakfast and lunch only, Lisa's menu offers a selection of classic American dishes, with some Mexican plates thrown in for good measure.

Although steak and eggs sounded good and Lisa's serves breakfast until closing, breakfast for lunch didn't feel right this time and I went for the Texas-style sirloin steak lunch instead.

My plate came with mashed potatoes and gravy and two halves of a dinner roll buttered and thrown on the grill for a bit, and a choice of cup of soup or salad.

I went with a cup of the soup of the day - albondigas, a Mexican meatball soup with chunks of potatoes and carrots. 

I can't help but compare my mother's Mexican cooking to other Mexican dishes, and though this albondigas was slightly different than mom's, I liked it better.

Sorry, ma.

The broth wasn't as greasy as I'm used to. It was very light and the meatballs were soft and seasoned just right. 

The sirloin steak can be rubbed with chipotle sauce or blackened for only 79 cents more. I love spicy food, so I went for the chipotle rub.

Now I can't recall if I asked for a small cut of steak or a large cut, but if what I got was a small cut, the large cut could have fed me all day and then some. 

My large piece of steak came medium, just as I asked, juicy and colorful with the chipotle on top. 

From just a few bites of the mashed potatoes, I could tell they were freshly mashed with skin and all. They were great.

The gravy was good, not too syrupy and not too thick. But it was a little too salty for my taste. The soft dinner roll was perfectly buttered and toasted.

With the soup and a good helping of mashed potatoes and steak, I was full and had to throw in the napkin. 

But there was still plenty left for dinner, which is good since Lisa's is closed for dinner.

There was only one waitress at the time and she patiently tended to the locals and regulars stopping in for a good hearty lunch, so be patient for her to come around and help you too.

Once she took our order though, my and my lunch companion's meal were out in about ten minutes, fresh, warm, and just what we ordered.

I don't know if I'll ever be around the area early enough to have breakfast at Lisa's, but I sure will be back sometime to have breakfast for lunch.

Lisa's Coffee Shop is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and located at 1530 W. San Bernardino Road in Covina. Visit www.lisascoffeeshop.com or call (626) 339-2014 for more information.