Forget the hotel breakfasts. Make The Little Diner your breakfast spot during your time in Vail, Colorado.
It’s not just about the prices. It’s cozy setting, personalized service and very basic but very hearty style of cooking is what every breakfast spot should shrive for.
There’s usually a wait for its 20-some odd seats, but it’s not intimidating like the trendy New York spots like to exude. Just show up and type your name into the iPad at the front counter. They’ll text you when your seats are nearly ready, giving you the flexibility to meander Vail village while you wait.
All seats line the three counters that wrap around the open kitchen. Run impressively by a staff of four, including Chef Little, your meal here will be what all vacation breakfasts should be.
Dad had the taxi driver special — a heap of crispy hash browns mixed with pork green chili and topped with two sunny side eggs. We were there during August, but this would be an ideal pre-slope meal.
Mom had the veggie crepe, much better than our other village crepe experiences. Slightly crispy on the outside, but still warm and gooey on the inside, loaded with fresh spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes.
Jay had the very neatly stacked eggs benedict with a pile of hash browns. While the benedict is pretty basic — english muffin, canadian bacon, hollandaise sauce — but poaching eggs is an art, and they do it artfully here.
I had a side of cheese grits and the Little Diner’s Pannekoeken, also known as a Dutch baby or german pancake. It’s a souffle-like pop-over as big as your face, and probably more appropriate as an order to share. It was delicious as my main dish, nonetheless, especially with a squeeze of lemon that melts away the powdered sugar.
I wouldn’t even shy away from making The Little Diner part of your morning routine while visiting Vail. There’s enough variety on the menu to keep you coming back, whether you’re in the mood for something as basic as eggs or one of their more-elaborate breakfast platters or sandwiches .
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