Snooze (above) and McCoy’s couldn’t be more different, but both serve a purpose in the Fort Collins brunch scene. Photo and review by Kristen Browning-Blas.
This is a tale of two diners. One has been serving breakfast and lunch in southwest Fort Collins for 10 years. The other opened in Old Town in April and is already drawing morning and noontime crowds.
McCoy’s Morning Glory is the kind of place people go after church for coffee and a brunch buffet. Newcomer Snooze (pictured above) is where you meet your hip cousin for pepper-infused vodka Bloody Marys and bacon-caramel pancakes.
With its blond wood tables and chairs and country garden theme, McCoy’s does not pretend to be cool. Snooze (which also has two Denver locations) is all about image, from the over-the-top menu descriptions to the midcentury-modern decor. When a restaurant promises “breakfast bliss” and calls its pancakes “brilliance,” expectations naturally will soar.
Presented on humongous handmade platters, Snooze’s petite servings looked a little lost. The always-ravenous jock dining partner felt compelled to supplement Snooze’s “signature” corned beef hash ($9.50) with a plate of pancakes ($8.50). The “Barbacoa Benny” ($10) delivered on flavor with shredded beef and black beans. More smoked cheddar Hollandaise would have made up for the mealy masa cakes underneath.
The McCoy family dabbles in the unusual with breakfast pizzas and calzones, but they know people come for straightforward breakfast fare, and that’s where they excel. The “Bench Press” ($8.49) introduced my grew-5-inches-in-a-year 14-year-old to a new favorite: chicken-fried steak and scrambled eggs with pepper-cream gravy over English muffins.
After a disappointing McCoy’s grilled-cheese sandwich ($6.29), the boy knows what to order, no matter the time of day.
Fort Collins is certainly big enough for both breakfast places, in the best of times and the worst of times.
– McCoy’s Morning Glory –
Breakfast/lunch. 1003 W. Horsetooth Ave., Fort Collins, 970-266-0302. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily.
– Snooze –
Breakfast/lunch. 144 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins, 970-482-9253. 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
McCoy’s Morning Glory seemed like a nice place for a seminar about food handling. I am also thinking about this restaurant as a venue for a small gathering of high school friends. If it’s not available though, I will try to look for event centers in Denver colorado for the said gathering. An event center in Denver Coloradowith a nice catering service is all that I need.
Comment by Gian — June 1, 2010 @ 9:25 pm