Perkin my interest

I'd never been to a Perkins before they opened here in Lacey. I figured it to be something like IHOP, and there are similarities. But now having stopped in a few times, I'd definitely opt for Perkin's over the other.

First I stopped in for sort of a late dinner. One of the specials that evening was their lemon pepper salmon. Didn't know if it would be up to Mom's, but it was perfect. Cooked just right, just enough to flake, moist and tasty. Nothing particularly special about the potato and vegetables - just very good.

Perkins is one of those medium size chains, with restaurants in about two thirds of the US and a good chunk of Canada. At one time it was owned by Holiday Inn, but is now held by a private company. The company also owns the Marie Callendar chain, a very similar operation, which I've been to out in Coronado, across the bay from San Diego.

Breakfast anytime

My next stop in the restaurant was for a late breakfast - yeah late again. Conveniently, they offer breakfast selections at all hours. And there's some real nice selections. Why choose between eggs or pancakes or french toast, when you can have a combination? So I did. And when you can have it covered with fresh blueberries and strawberries, well that makes it health food.

Desserts too

It's a resturant AND BAKERY, and they have specials to take out as well as with your meal. So since I sometimes view dessert as the main course, I had to give something a try that first evening. Unfortunately I chose the lemon meringue. I guess with the whole bakery build-up I was expecting something amazing. It was good, but ordinary.

A friend who was with me chose better, selecting some blueberry pie a la mode. That met a hearty approval. It occurs to me that Perkins makes a great stop just for dessert and coffee. So with the lemon meringue down, I have no choice but to try out the rest of the dessert offerings.