JJ's Eatery Too has hearty meals and a local flavor

One of the things I love about fall in Maine is that I can go places I would never dream of going in the summer.

Like Old Orchard Beach.

Yes, I know, summer is when most people want to be here, but that's the point. I don't like crowds, and few things turn me off more than sardine-style beaches and heavily-trafficked streets. So I save my Old Orchard adventures for the off-season.

As a warm-up to a day planned around raking leaves, my wife and I decided to go out for breakfast this past Sunday. We considered our options, then decided we wanted to go somewhere we've never been.

We set out south along Route 1, and ended up a short drive later in Old Orchard Beach. It was quiet, mostly deserted and blustery. The ocean swirled in a nasty huff, and the horizon was a blanket of gray.

In that context, we found the twinkling lights outside JJ's Eatery Too at 12B Old Orchard St. welcome and inviting. The downtown restaurant, located right along the railroad tracks in the heart of the action, was not only open for the season and open for breakfast, but it turns out that JJ's Too is open year-round -- which is most promising. We loved our meals, welcome a return trip and will recommend JJ's Too to friends.

I ordered a three-egg broccoli and cheese omelet ($5.20), with a side of potatoes and bread. I opted for hash browns (shredded and grilled), as opposed to home fries (diced, seasoned and grilled) or potato cakes, and asked for multigrain toast.

My omelet was lightly fluffed, and packed with small stalks of broccoli. The vegetable was soft enough to cut with a fork, but still freshly crisp. My Swiss cheese filling was stringy and gooey, and I enjoyed wrapping it around my fork tines.

The hash browns were a bit greasy, but otherwise just right. Ditto the toast -- more butter than I would use myself, but what the heck? It's Sunday.

My wife went for two eggs, over easy, with bacon, hash browns and toast ($4.95). She had nothing but good things to say about her meal. She appreciated the crisp hash browns, and loved her richly buttered toast.

Here's the thing that makes me want to come back: Everything that I saw come out of the kitchen looked fabulous. Granted, that food envy may have been the result of being hungry on a Sunday morning and having to endure watching platters of food move right on by at eye level.

But I don't think so. The slices of French toast were thick and fried to a golden brown. Homemade pancakes filled an entire platter. It was all I could do to resist ordering homemade corned beef hash, let alone the crock of beans.

On the morning we visited, specials included a Belgian waffle, apple and brie stuffed French toast, baked oatmeal and a number of tempting choices.

JJ's Too is also open for lunch and dinner. The menu is both predictable (haddock sandwich) and unusual (lobster quesadilla). Daily specials include meatloaf, mac-and-cheese and shepherd's pie. Steamer and lobsters are available daily.

I had a favorable impression. It felt like a local diner, where people are familiar and comfortable with one another. At the table next to us, after finishing their meal, a summer family bid farewell to the waitstaff. There were hugs all around and good wishes for the winter.

"We'll see you next year," the summer person said to the waitress, as she shuffled out the door and into the cold of fall.

I thought to myself, "I'll be back sooner than that."

The Features Staff of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram anonymously samples meals for about $7.

JJ's Eatery Too