There’s a lot to love about The Daily Kitchen and Bar. They locally source ingredients, serve a plethora of vegan and vegetarian dishes, have a beautiful patio in the heart of Carytown, and pretty much only employ the happiest people on earth. When I went there for dinner last time, I got a pig and fig pizza, which was not only delicious, but incredibly unique.

After Cazey and I did our TV spot for National Vegetarian Awareness Week, we knew the only place that would be right to brunch at would be a place with a ton of vegetarian options, so to The Daily we went. Despite the cooler temperature and my lack of a jacket, Cazey asked for a table outside anyways. It ended up being perfect because we both ordered hot coffee to warm us up from the cooler temperature.

One interesting and fun fact about our experience at The Daily is that we actually went for breakfast and not brunch, which are two distinctly different menu offerings. The breakfast menu is lean, but smart. From what our waitress told us, the brunch menu is an extensive array of breakfast pizzas, burritos, benedicts and sandwiches (and huevos rancheros, which Cazey decided he would order when he returns for brunch). If you show up before 10am, that’s breakfast, and since were up early to be on TV, we did breakfast.

Along with a round of coffees sourced locally from Carytown Coffee, I ordered the wild mushroom omelet with asparagus and goat cheese and a blueberry scone on the side. Cazey ordered the power breakfast with his coffee, which featured scrambled egg whites, chicken sausage and buckwheat pancakes.

We barely had time to drink a few sips of coffee before the food came out. It was probably only a 10-minute wait, which was incredible. As soon as my plate hit the table, Cazey was already demanding to try it because mine looked that good. And it tasted that good, too.

When I think of mushrooms, I usually think they can be rather bland. Not these mushrooms. They were a powerful flavor that did well to balance out the rich goat cheese. The side of potatoes was excellent as well with a nice brown crisp finish and a soft middle.

But where I’d really like to invest my review time is on two things: the scone and our waitress. I love a good scone and really hate a bad scone. A bad scone would be one that is dry and flavorless. This scone was the exact opposite. It was probably the best scone I ever remember having, especially with the creamy honey butter and sweet berry jam. When I first saw the scone, I thought it was a little small until I took a bite. It was deliciously dense without being heavy. And since I ordered a whole meal, there’s no need for a huge scone either. I’d take quality over quantity any day. And that scone was straight quality.

The second thing I’d rave about was our waitress. When we sat down, she was absolutely lovely and could read the fact that we were ready to order as soon as she came over. She made quick banter with us and was fast to fill up our coffee mugs. Our table was a tiny bit wobbly – something we didn’t complain about or even notice – and she took the time to find something to balance it. She also just seemed happy, which makes me happy. She loved the weather, loved the food she was serving and loved talking to customers.

The Daily really has it all together. Sometimes you can go somewhere and get good food, but shit servers. Sometimes you get a great location, but a poor kitchen. And sometimes you go to The Daily where they figured it all out and provide a stellar experience every time.