Edamame and sexy coffee for breakfast

Morro Rock graces the vacation photos of thousands of tourists each year, visitors posed with their hands cupping the gigantic icon from afar or simply a glamor shot of the rock off in the distance. But at one small diner hidden on a nearby side street, a window offers a real life framed image of the gargantuan ocean-borne stone.

At Frankie and Lola's in Morro Bay, you can pair "sexy coffee" with "da bomb" egg sandwich for breakfast or perhaps the Patty Benatar burger will catch your eye around the lunch hour. Flavor and flair make this menu standout but the actual prepared items themselves make this quaint bay-front diner memorable.

For an early breakfast one brisk morning, coffee offered a warm reprieve from the cool blanket of marine layer that dances through the air of the Embarcadero. For the main event, I settled on the Westside omelette, which features oven dried tomatoes, roasted corn, leeks, sweet potatoes, pesto, edamame, mozzarella, and scallions. This may be the first time in my life as a menu surfer that I caught such a wild wave that would have me nibbling bites of edamame and pesto before 10 a.m. But this combination of lesser known vegetables tucked inside a suitcase of fluffy eggs brought me a delicious surprise bite after bite. The steamed omelette rests overtop the veggies, keeping them warm and fresh.

Served alongside just about any breakfast option is a mound of chili powder-dusted crispy potatoes that will easily plug any remaining holes in your appetite. The near pound of toasted spuds can be dunked, as usual, in hot sauce or the diner's tasty homemade catsup. Either way, the side of breakfast potatoes is plentiful and, just like the coffee, seemingly never runs out. Though I went with the regular house black coffee option, a "sexy coffee" promises a sweeter more exciting cup of Joe for about $2 more.

A side dish of fruit is presented to the table in a fashion not unlike the carefully contorted origami fold of a banquet cloth napkin, with slivers of apple standing erect in a swanlike formation. The blueberries, strawberries, and banana that accompany the apple are all freshly cut and satisfyingly ripe.

If vegetables, eggs, and fruit are too simple for your untamable taste buds, the menu also features meat substitute add ons for a bit more fun. Under the headline "Veg Heads Unite!" is the promise of tofu, soy chorizo, or sun-dried tomato soy sausage as either a replacement or addition to the meal. Where true meat options like ham and real chorizo can be found on the menu, a faux meat can easily replace the animal product. With such a variety of options and menu prices more closely resembling a classic diner in Ohio than the typically steep coastal costs found in California, Frankie and Lola's is the perfect place for a toasty and trendy morning meal.