Yesterday, I was trying to find a place to have a quick lunch. I was driving on Old Warm Springs Blvd. from Fremont Blvd. going towards Grimmer. I found this restaurant along a store front that houses a Garment shop, Auto Mechanic, and essentially having the look of an industrial complex (nearest interesting place is the Sharks Ice Skating Rink). Curiosity got the better of me, and I took the left turn (that I almost missed) into the parking lot and went inside thinking I can find something good to eat.
Daniel's Restaurant located at 44250 Old Warm Springs Blvd. is very easy to miss as you drive down the Old Warm Springs Blvd. First, most Fremont residents like me are not thinking of finding any food on this small stretch of a road that has industrial buildings; second, the location itself is quite easy to miss as you drive down Old Warm Springs (by the time you realize you see a restaurant sign, you have almost driven too far and don't want to make that U-turn); finally, the restaurant is part of a store front that looks isolated and is surrounded by other stores that has nothing to do with food.
Once you have found Daniel's though, after going inside, the restaurant has the rustic charm of a small town restaurant - out of the Southwest U.S. or Mexico. The large projection TV was showing reruns of "I Love Lucy" that nobody was watching or was interested; however, it grabbed attention and added the old town feel. The restaurant housed four relaxing sitting booths, and about half a dozen tables in a small but comfortable setting. There is a tile roof that completes the architectural visual covering the kitchen and ordering area.
I was greeted by Alex, the tall and pleasant restaurant manager. She also takes order for the food, and serves the food as well. My immediate question was on whether Daniel's serves vegetarian food; she told me I had a choice of a Mushroom burger, Omelet, Scrambled eggs, Grilled cheese, Salad, etc. It was around 1 pm, and it felt great that they still served Breakfast. I asked for the Garden Style Omelet that I ordered with no cheese, and easy on the oil. Alex asked me what I would like on the side; I thought that sides would cost me more, so my initial reaction was "none". However, Alex told me the sides are included in the meal, which immediately got me interested. The sides included your choice of Fries, Hash browns, Country Potatoes or Fresh Fruit. I asked for the Country Potatoes. Finally, the meal also included Toast (I ordered Wheat toast without butter).
I took a spot at the booth nearest the door so that I can feel some of the breeze and also enjoy the warm sun. As I was settling down, Alex brought me ice water. She told me that Daniel's also served Lentil soup and it was completely vegetarian; she offered if I wanted to just try some soup (on the house). I was thinking of relishing the omelet, and thanked Alex for the offer, and told her that I will definitely try the soup, but not today. As I looked around, there were about four or five people having their lunch and having some light conversations. I also noticed couple of employees from Sharks Ice come inside and order their lunch. Sharks Ice is a walking distance from Daniel's (as you walk around and towards the back) and I have to think that for their employees, Daniel's must have become The place for lunch.
As I was beginning to open my laptop, and write about the latest article on Creativity and Innovation, Alex brought me the warm wheat toasts. I immediately moved my laptop, and began munching the toasts with some grape jelly. The wheat bread was country style wheat, and quite delicious. Alex then brought me the main course - the Garden Omelet with Country Potatoes - still steaming hot directly from the kitchen. The aroma of potatoes, and fresh mushrooms, onions, spinach, bell peppers and zucchini sauteed together in an omelet filled the air. Even though the omelet was piping hot, I instantly got to work since I couldn't wait. I poured some ketchup, and a little salt and pepper over the potatoes and omelet for taste. The chef had made the omelet to perfection - there was no sign of extra oil, and all the vegetables were sauteed and mixed really well with the omelet. Daniel's Garden Omelet is the best omelet I have tried or tasted in a long time; I can't remember having a better omelet in the past few years. It was so good that I couldn't put my knife and fork down, and I kept on eating it till my mouth felt very hot from the steaming hot omelet I was eating...I had to take a breather and drink some cold ice water. But wait, there is more. As if the omelet was not the best part, the country potatoes were even better. The potatoes were grilled with red onions and green pepper, and were just right. I couldn't decide what to eat any more - potatoes, omelet or the toast. At one point, I was eating all of them at once. Soon, I realized I was really full - the serving of the omelet, potatoes and toasts is huge - so if you are going to eat breakfast at Daniel's, better come really hungry, since their portions are quite generous.
Daniel's serves more than Breakfast; Daniel's is open all day long for Lunch and Dinner as well. For Breakfast, besides omelets and eggs, Daniel's serves steak and eggs, pancakes and waffles, oatmeal, and side orders of all sizes including biscuits and gravy - call it old-fashioned, but Daniel's is sure to remind you of a good southern breakfast. For Lunch, Daniel's provides a choice of over two dozen grilled, hot and everyday sandwiches. The Greek Gyro and Monte Christo are the lunch specialties. You can also have fruit, cottage cheese, fries, potato salad, onion rings, cole slaw or macaroni salad on the side. And twelve different types of salads or soups. Finally for Dinner, steak, seafood, chicken and pasta dishes are inviting. For Breakfast or Lunch, Daniel's will cost you around $10 including coffee or juice per person; for Dinner, around $13 to $18 per person.
The next time you are hungry for a satisfying breakfast, go to Daniel's and order one of their enormous omelets. You are sure to go home or work really happy and full!
Daniel's Restaurant
44250 Old Warm Springs Blvd.
Fremont, CA
Phone: 510.668.0730
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