Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/reviews/restaurants/9258312145.DTL#ixzz1I6poxPRy

Article credit

Katy's Korner is that most American kind of eatery -- a restaurant that serves breakfast from the moment it opens until the moment it closes after lunch. Sure, the menu includes burgers and BLTs, but the focus is on the egg and all that goes with it.

There's a lot to like about Katy's Korner, which sits between a chain sandwich shop and an auto parts superstore in a San Ramon mini-mall. There's a good crowd, especially on Sundays,which indicates that people have taken to the 10-month-old restaurant.

The attentive waitresses for our three visits could not have been friendlier or more attuned to the needs of the breakfast seeker, even as service began at 7 a.m. Menus and strong coffee ($1.50) landed at the table within a minute of our arrival, and the level of chatter between waitress and regulars had all the healthy ribbing of couples long accustomed to one another.

Calling the interior charming is not a stretch, with walls covered in folksy prints and a line of figurines topping the tall half-wall that separates the narrow dining room from the kitchen. There's even a tiny room in the back for young visitors, with a television, VCR, coloring books and toys.

For sunny days and busy weekends, when a line runs out the door, there's a patio shaded by a beautiful tree.

And the foldout menu, three big pages in bold type, seems to offer just about anything you'd ever think about wanting for breakfast.

Offering too much, though, may be what made our third visit to Katy's Korner less than fulfilling after two mostly satisfying weekday meals.

GRIDDLE-FRIED POTATOES

On those two early morning visits, when the restaurant was partially full and the pace steady, the food came fast and hot. Regulars didn't even have to relay their standard order to the waitress. And it looked as though the county sheriffs gathered at a table by the door might be at their daily meeting place for a strong cup of coffee.

A straightforward plate of eggs (three for $6.95) came with rough cut and griddle-fried potatoes, toast and jam, and was enough for the healthiest of appetites.

Dark and chewy wheat toast sopped up the fluffy whipped butter -- never a favorite of mine but universal at Katy's Korner -- and the preserves were stacked aplenty in a little rack right at hand.

EGGS BENEDICT WITH GRAVLAX

Nine versions of eggs Benedict appear on the printed menu, priced from $7.50 for vegetarian versions to $8.95 for a Dungeness crab version. But it was a special rendition, made with house-made gravlax ($8.95), that captured the attention of one early morning breakfast partner.

Three perfectly soft poached eggs and a silky hollandaise sauce were true to form, but gravlax -- salmon cured in sugar and salt -- proved less than successful. The sweetness worked against the dish, and the slices of fish -- delicious when cold -- did not come across well when served warm. Next time, I'd opt for the classic version, with Canadian bacon.

Ingredients and technique proved better in a fluffy, three-egg omelet with ham and cheese ($6.95). The omelet had such loft that it seemed made from a half- dozen eggs, and was nicely moist within. If you're in search of something more complex, there are a dozen omelets with varying combinations of ingredients ($6.95 to $8.95), served with potatoes and toast. I was disappointed with a plain waffle ($4.95), partly because I missed the small print announcing that the waffles -- plain, pecan, strawberry or mixed berry -- are served with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I'm not a fan of cinnamon, and the thin and rather dry confection could have spent a little less time in the iron.

BUSY SUNDAY

The Belgian waffle ($5.95) -- thicker and cakelike and available in the same versions as the regular waffle -- was just about the only unmitigated success on a howlingly busy Sunday.