Scrambl’z, Almaden Expressway
Scrambl’z has only been open a short while and, as it is close to home, we decided to give it a try. It’s right next to Best Buy on Almaden, just off Highway 85. There used to be a Baker’s Square restaurant there.
I’d never heard of Scrambl’z so checked it out online before we left home. There is another one in Morgan Hill and until last June, there used to be one in Modesto.
As we drove into the car park Tom expressed doubt about how good it could be. From the outside, it looks a little gaudy with it’s bright yellow exterior. Everything is freshly painted and the plants outside look brand new.
Inside there was a warm welcome – if slightly overdone. All the staff wore blue T-shirts with the Scrambl’z logo. We were shown to a booth near the window. They have tried to make it look like an old fashioned diner but it’s too contrived. The tables in the booths have yellow tops but all the free standing tables have different tops in a host of colors. The chairs are mismatched as well and I saw no two the same. There are stools at the counter – well actually they are high stools with backs – and once again they are all different.
I thought the menu was a place mat. I did see they offer oatmeal but at an extortionate price – $4.99. I asked the server if it came with raisins or fruit She told me it was oatmeal with milk and butter and that’s all. So I decided to go for something else and ordered a Healthy Short Stack for $7.99. Tom ordered a beef, onion and mushroom scramble for $10.99. The coffee was $2.29. Wow, the prices were steep.
On the walls are a lot of retro posters. Right next to us were lots of pictures of James Dean – and I’m not complaining about that. Other artists from the same era were also depicted – Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Judy Garland.
Behind the counter, up on shelves either side of the hatch to the kitchen, were huge sculptures of fruit and vegetables. They were brightly colored and in your face. Above the hatch was a large screen TV showing a football game.
The biggest attraction though was the bright yellow VW bus in the left hand section. Unfortunately it was not possible to enter the vehicle.
Our food was served on bright red plates. My buttermilk pancakes were nice and hot. On top was sprinkled powdered sugar and a brown powder. I’m guessing the latter was the ‘healthy’ part as the menu stated they were high fiber. The maple syrup was a disappointment. It was in a very sticky, standard Log Cabin bottle; it was cold and it was tasteless. Tom’s scramble (or should that be scrambl’z?) came with camp fire potatoes – home fries to you and me – and an English muffin. The muffin looked a little overcooked and the portion of jam in the small plastic pot was not at all generous. The coffee was awful. Our verdict on the food was OK but nothing to write home about.
Of course I paid a visit to the restroom. I was so intent looking at the VW bus that I went into the men’s restroom by mistake. I thought a first it was a unisex restroom but then noticed there was no lock on the door. Thank goodness there was nobody else in there. I made my exit pretty smartly and went into the right restroom next door.
It was certainly clean, bright and smelt of new paint. There was one big poster of Audrey Hepburn on the wall. Other than that it was bland.
Would we come back again? The answer is no. It might appeal to the younger generation but we got no warm fuzzy feelings in there. We much prefer the real old fashioned diners, the ones that have been around for some time. Also it is very expensive. A third reason is the fact that we had to turn right out of the car park and drive all the way to Blossom Hill Road before we could do a U-turn.
February 05 2009 07:07 pm | Breakfast Log
