Comfort food in Burbank is hot and delicious at Eat ‘n Park

Yes, I know. The name Eat ‘n Park is backwards. Breakfast (and lunch) at this longtime (since 1982) Burbank café would be far easier if you parked first, and then ate. But that’s the name, always has been.

That said, it does have a ring to it. (There’s also a chain with the same name with branches in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It serves dinner as well, which our Burbank Eat ‘n Park has never offered — a pity.)

But then, once seated at the non-ironically old school counter, or in one of the cozy booths at this mainstay, it’s hard to worry about the syntax of the name. What matters is what’s on the plate, served at prices as old school as the counter. It’s food that brings joy simply because it is what it is. This is pure Americana, California-style. Which means huevos rancheros, breakfast tacos and breakfast burritos (with melted cheese and salsa on top or not), along with the T-bone and three eggs any style, the buttermilk pancakes and the Hershey’s Nutella chocolate chip waffles. This is food with joy in every bite.

This is a restaurant of regulars, where many of the diners never even look at the menu; they’ve been here so many times before, what they want is deeply ingrained in their culinary souls. But for those of us who are more occasional, the menu demands some consideration, fueled by a cuppa joe or three. Not counting side dishes, there are some 80 options on the breakfast pages alone, with more than 40 other dishes in the lunch section.

In the great tradition, breakfast is served all day, for this is first and foremost a breakfast restaurant. And a reminder of my contention that breakfast should be served for dinner as well. There’s nothing about a trio of eggs over easy with a side of bacon that make it edible only in the morning. Free breakfast from the clock, say I.

One can, of course, keep their breakfast as simple as the eggs with bacon mentioned above — served as are all the egg dishes with a choice of hash browns, country potatoes, fruit, cottage cheese or sliced tomatoes. Sides that exude times gone by, back when a tomato slice was considered to be a proper side dish, and cottage cheese wouldn’t earn you derisive glances from rough and tumbles seated near you at the counter.

(Personally, I don’t understand the appeal of a tomato slice, unless you’re on a diet, for which the menu here is only passingly appropriate. I have an affection for cottage cheese, which goes back to my misspent youth, when my mother served it with…everything. Back then, it tasted like library paste. These days, cottage cheese actually has flavor. For a change.)

Along with the sides, there’s also a choice of breads. White of course, along with wheat, sourdough, rye, an English muffin or a homemade biscuit. The biscuit is a tad dry. But it still has character. I can’t see biscuits on a menu without grabbing them. White bread? Hmmmph!

I’m also weak in the presence of a house special breakfast dish like the Chili Cheese Potatoes, which are exactly what they promise to be, with enough melted cheddar to turn them into a bowl of chili, not in a bowl. There’s ketchup and hot sauce on every table, should you want to turn the chili into a real event. In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say.

But then, those condiments — unnecessary as they may be — are tempting if you order a specialty omelette, like the well-named “Crazy Omelette.” It’s jammed with an all-beef hot dog, chili, cheddar, onions and green peppers, turning it into a ballpark hot dog neither served in a ballpark, nor on a bun. But give it a spritz of condiments, and all you need is a Dodger game on the TV to take you out to the stadium.

Most of the 26 omelettes stick to the relatively straight and narrow, filled variously with chili and cheese, bacon and onions, amended with…stuff. Avocado, ham, asparagus, lox, tomatoes. Not much in the way of surprises. But you don’t go to Eat ‘n Park for surprises. You go for solidity, steadiness at the wheel, trustworthy cuisine. The most expensive dish on the menu is the T-bone steak with three eggs, spuds and toast, at $22.95.

I don’t rightly know who eats stuff like that for breakfast. I guess somebody does. But anything that takes me away from the house slogan, “The Best Omelettes in Burbank,” has me slipping and sliding away.

The pancakes and waffles are pretty great. The notion of a Belgian waffle topped with Froot Loops gives me a perverse sense of glee; Cocoa Pebbles too. I haven’t had a Monte Cristo sandwich since Pluto was a pup.

This is a restaurant filled with nostalgic cuisine, where locals can and do eat every day. They have since 1982. That makes Eat ‘n Park 40 years old. I look forward to being there when it turns 50. By then, I’ll be ready for a Fruity Pebbles waffle, with Nutella on the side.

Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.

Eat ‘n Park

• Rating: 2.5 stars
• Address: 2517 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank
• Information: 818-953-9302; www.eatnparkburbank.com
• Cuisine: Downhome American
• When: Breakfast and lunch, every day
• Details: Soft drinks; very limited beer and wine; no reservations
• Prices: About $12 per person
• Suggested dishes: 17 Egg Dishes ($4.95-$18.95), 26 Omelettes ($11.75-$14.95), 17 Breakfast Specials ($7.95-$22.95), 20 Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles ($7.95-$12.95), 8 Salads ($4.95-$14.95), 21 Sandwiches ($7.95-$12.95), 9 Burgers ($7.75-$10.95), 5 Entrees ($10.95-$18.95), 4 Chilis ($6.95-$10.95)
• Credit cards: MC, V
• What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)