Colossal Cafe *** 3/5 stars

St. Paul (that strange city to the east of us) always seems a million miles away. An unblemished land of theaters, museums, old brick and old money that becomes a creepy ghost town after 10pm. Every time we venture that way, we feel like we should be packing an overnight bag and putting our mail on hold. But, what better reason to escape your comfort zone than the quest for great brunch? I really shouldn't complain about the distance. Our friends Jeneé and Greg voyaged across state lines from Baldwin, Wisconsin to join us.



Colossal Cafe has two locations. Ironically, both are small, but the Como spot is less tiny. We opted for a little more elbow room so as not to feel like we were trapped in a canyon crevice with James Franco.

You order your food first and then sit, which is a little awkward when it's super busy, but we managed to find four bar spots on a gorgeous granite slab facing the kitchen.





The appetizer, a colossal cinnamon roll, was the perfect size to share between four people. Yum.



Jeneé and I opted for a classic bacon, egg and hashbrown plate. Greg got a stack of their pancakes made with a yeast-based batter and I got a side as well. Everything was cooked perfectly, but we didn't care for the texture of the pancakes, which was pretty thick and dense.

Do you see that toast? That's the best toast I've ever had. Ever.



The bacon was hiding under the toast.



Bran got this beautiful sausage omelette.



Satisfied customers! The coffee and conversation was so good we stayed for three more cups...