2021 SW Morrison, 224-2115

Growing up in a truck driver-filled town, I became somewhat of a connoisseur of 24-hour diner food; there was Bart's downtown--open all night--which served nearly everything fried, including the Wednesday night liver and onion special. (I tried it once on a dare and it was totally nasty.) There was also the T&R, where every booth had a phone, and everyone in the building, wait staff included, would be chain-smoking voraciously. That place was the best, because the grill food was so fresh and perfectly greasy. There were no Denny's-style-powdered eggs or Sysco-prepared salads--everything was prepped right there in the back.

Now, the Kingston Bar and Grill is no T&R, but the breakfast food has the same no-nonsense presentation and texture. Right off of Burnside, the Kingston is one of the most serious sports bars I've ever been in. There are always at least five different sporting events on ten different televisions, and last time I was there, there was even a live broadcast of a national tree-cutting competition.

The breakfast menu has three categories: omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and food from the griddle. With the exception of the biscuits and gravy, all are a safe bet, but beware--allow for a triple helping of grease in any dish you order. This is of course, what makes it so good. The sausage and egg breakfast sandwich, for example, is a suprisingly small dish served on a tiny saucer. But once you get through your third bite of tender sausage saturated in warm golden egg yolk, you'll become aware that the mini-wich is a dense and perfect portion. The pancakes are also superb--they're a perfect combination of fluff and weight that keeps you satisfied all day. The omlettes are probably the heaviest item on the menu--beware what you're getting yourself into.

I've never paid more than $5 for a meal at The Kingston. It's a warm bar, full of tall wooden booths and people drinking beer at 11 am. No one will ever ask you to leave or care if you lounge there for two hours reading the paper. And the food is exactly what you'd want from a place like this: cheap, delish, and familiar. KATIA DUNN