The Original Mel's Dinner - Reno

We had a hearty lunch and an even heartier dinner. Dinner was at home, a simple chicken bake that twinkled under the chandelier lights. After a meal in one of the most breathtaking homes I've ever seen (and I've been to the Biltmore AND Monticello), it was time to switch to the sweet simplicity of Mel's Dinner.

Gone are the days of waitresses on roller skates... Back when it was still okay to call them waitresses...but the diner is still a classic. You can feel the hustle and bustle of line cooks preparing for the brunch-time storm, as you sink into the cushions of a cheerful booth.

The menu has multiple pages, but Aidelle's Grilled Smoked Sonoma Sausage was clearly the way to go. The chicken sausage is on the lighter side, balanced by sweet apples and tangy tomatoes, moistened by over easy eggs.

As if that plate of sausagefest wasn't enough, I also got a Biscuit with Gravy on the side. Because the only thing better than sausage is more sausage... Said no man ever.

What came first? The chicken or the egg? The world may never know. What came first? The hangover or the Benedict? The hung over world is too nauseous to ever know. All I know is, this stack of runny eggs and ham is one of the better eye openers I've had and one of the best food comas I've seen.

We were trying to eat lightly because breakfast was way too close to lunch. Fail. But breakfast at Mel's? Not a fail. Not even close.