When I’m staying away from home for a few days somewhere new, I like to see and do as many new things as I can, but when I find a good breakfast place I stop looking and go there every morning. A lot of times when we get all foodie, I think we tend to undervalue just doing things right. Taking care of the basics, just giving a solid performance in food, service, and presentation. Hitting the nail on the head time and time again is an art in itself. Even a trash collector can show grace and style just swinging the can effortlessly into the back of the truck and tossing it back to land perfectly at the curb. Everything doesn’t have to be flash and dazzle to be enjoyed. I knew Beaufort, North Carolina was deeply Southern as soon as I tasted the grits at Beaufort CafĂ©. The toast delivered to the table already buttered just sold me further. And the biscuits with white sausage gravy. And sitting down to a smiling server and a large cup of coffee will always make the morning feel right.
I gained so much confidence in the folks at Beaufort CafĂ© that I had to make time for a lunch visit to their sister restaurant right across the street, No Name Pizza. Without the association between the two I most likely would have bypassed No Name because that’s not much of a name. Glad I didn’t. Just like the cafe, No Name was totally dedicated to doing things the right way. A solid, basic menu with a bit of Greek thrown in with the pizza, burgers, and subs. My friend and I split an Italian sub that had bologna with ham and salami, a plate of fried calamari with red gravy, and an absolutely perfect Alfredo pizza. Nothing flashy, nothing flamboyant, and nothing wrong with that.
