Mildred's Corner Cafe

Many years ago, before I was even a thought, my father had a job as a soda jerk.  For those of you who don’t know what that is, before there were soda machines behind counters, you actually had to mix the cola syrup with carbonated water.  One day, a very classy woman came in to the place where my father worked and ordered a soda.  My father tried desperately to pick this woman up.  She left and left him a note that said, “Young man, unless you learn some manners, you will never amount to anything”.  Signed, Joan Crawford.

Years later, my father entered World War II and Joan Crawford’s career began to fail.  Then after WWII came to an end, and my father left what was then known as the Army Aircorp, Joan Crawford made a comeback in the movie “Mildred Pierce.”

Mildred’s Corner Café is a small restaurant in Lynn, which just happens to be named after Mildred Pierce.  The owner is obviously a movie nut, as the walls are covered with pictures of old time movie stars and the two televisions near the corners of the ceilings play old time movies.

They do not have a gluten free menu, but they do accommodate.  They have the normal breakfast fare, all quite good, but they also have items not normally seen on a breakfast menu.  For example, the first time I went I had something called the Hawaiian Omelet, which had chunks of pineapple in it, that was surprisingly good, as sometimes pineapple can get a little slimy if overcooked.

Although I have tried many different things there, and have liked them all, my favorite is the huevos rancheros.  I give them two corn tortillas and off they go.  They top them with refried beans, sautéed peppers, cheese, avocado, onions, tomatoes, and of course eggs any way you want them.  I prefer mine to be sunny side up.  Certainly not a dish to eat if you are calorie counting, but hey…it was free day!

Coffee is quite good and served in really big mugs.  

Prefer tea?  They have a very large selection of teas for you to pick from.

For your full gluten family members and friends, they serve really big pancakes, and they are often seasonable.  As an example, in the fall, they serve pumpkin pancakes with cranberry butter.

Needless to say, my father did acquire manners and became a successful businessman.  And Mildred’s Corner Café has become one of my go to breakfast places.