Italian Frittata Omelet at First Awakenings in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
Italian frittata omelets are claimed to have been around since the time of ancient Rome. I do not know if that is true, but I certainly like them.
When I saw the Heartland Frittata on the menu at First Awakenings in Salinas, California, I told the server, “That dish is talking to me. I have to have it.”
Frittatas are beautiful “ladies who lunch” dishes. They are omelets that are baked not cooked on the stovetop. At First Awakenings, the final dish comes to the table in a round ceramic baking dish with hash browns served next to it.
The Heartland Frittata is what I would have called “fancy” as a child. The omelet is thick with sautéed spinach and 1-inch strips of cooked and chopped bacon. Once the frittata is baked golden, First Awakenings blankets the top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and places it back in the oven till it melts. Then, chopped and seeded tomatoes are scattered on top of the melted cheese.
The spinach-cheese-tomato flavor dominates with an occasional salty burst of bacon. This frittata was delicious with coffee and real cream and side of bacon. (About $30 per person)
The reason I said the dish was talking to me was all the nutrients I could get in this nice breakfast:
-eggs – protein and Vitamins A and D
-cheese – calcium and protein
-spinach – Vitamin C and potassium
-bacon – protein and selenium
-tomatoes – antioxidant lycopene and Vitamin A
(Nutrition information source: Verywell.com)
For the flavor and nutrition, I thought the Heartland Frittata at First Awakenings in Salinas, California was a good buy for me. Other diners might like it as well for the same reasons.
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
