Three Squares

The best thing about Cafe Minnie's, located at 101 Denny Way, is that they serve breakfast 24/7. The next best thing is their menu of colossal omelets named after movie stars like (Sophia) Loren; a sliced croissant layered with spinach and topped by a poached egg in Hollandaise. For $7.25, the dish includes cubed potatoes sautéd with onions, tomatoes and green peppers. A hot homemade scone, plump with raisins and spread with ripe raspberry preserves is the piece de resistance. Fresh squeezed orange juice (pricey at $3.75) is, nonetheless, thick and sweet. There's also an assortment of pancakes, waffles and a cinnamon roll to be eaten "knife and fork required." Soups, salads and pastas are also available all the time.

Open 24 hours, every day.

Lunch in the University District

Just inside Hawai'i B-B-Q Restaurant, 5016 University Way NE, is a large poster displaying color photos of the 36 plate lunches that make up the menu. The Hawai'ian Plate is a bargain at $6.50 and includes one scoop each of white rice and macaroni salad, two breaded and fried shrimp, one slab each of barbecued chicken and mahi (fish), and a vegetable egg roll all served with tonkatsu, a sweet, soy-flavored dipping sauce. Other dishes include boneless Mochiko chicken, dipped in egg batter, then floured and fried. A hefty portion with sides is only $5.50. The "national food of Hawai'i," Spam musobi (Spam slice atop an oblong cube of white rice), is $1.50. For only $1.00, you can sip an island favorite, Hawai'ian Sun, a mixture of guava and orange juice.

Open 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. seven days a week.

Dinner in Maple Leaf

The Maple Leaf Grill, 8929 Roosevelt NE has moved into a comfy new home just a few blocks up the street from their original somewhat funky location in a former grocery store. But the food is just as good, and the menu is filled with the old standards as well as new and interesting items. The Maple Leaf Grill chefs do a great job on seafood. Their hamburgers and french fries continue to be the best in Seattle. Maybe the best anywhere. Prices are what you would call moderate; the food is what you'd call basic northwest, with some excursions into southwest, and Italian. On our last visit there, the we had the seafood pasta and a chicken, chilis and cornmeal dish. Both were excellent. The pasta was filled with chunks of salmon and halibut, clams and shrimp in a rich and creamy sauce. The chicken with chilis was nicely spicy, but never uncomfortably hot. The tab was under $40 for both of us, including two glasses of wine and a root beer.

Open Monday - Friday 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday 4 - 10 p.m. and Sunday 4 - 9 p.m. Busy on weekends. Call 523-8449 for reservations.

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