Theme Day -- A Typical Breakfast

The Spar, Fourth Avenue
Where to find a typical breakfast in Olympia, historical edition

The Spar is legendary. Recently reopened in a new incarnation by McMenamins, this tile-fronted cafe has operated seven days a week since the year dot. It's served more breakfasts to hard-working, up-and-coming or down-and-out lumbermen, secretaries, legislators, lobbyists, lawyers, students and just plain folks than you could hope to shake a stick at.

There was a bar and a card room in the back with a discreet light over the after-hours entrance off the alley. (And the light, at least, is still there.) It had an open-flame cigar lighter, toast made from homemade bread, and waitresses resembling your grandma (if your grandma had red hair and a tattoo) who were famous for never writing down an order and never screwing one up, either. Breakfast here was not for the dieter or the faint of heart: Gallons of caffeinated coffee, eggs any style, waffles or pancakes, bacon or ham, biscuits and gravy, Joe's Special, crab omelet, eggs Benedict, you name it. If it was a heart attack on a plate, the Spar served it up with a flourish but very little style.

If you came back for lunch you could have a burger and a milkshake made with real ice cream, served in a glass full to the brim. Right beside it, the waitress plonked down the metal mixing container holding the cold, delicious rest of your shake. You might get a tummy ache if you finished the whole thing, but why not? It's not like you had one every day.

Bless McMenamins for keeping a bit of history alive, but sad to say, it's not the same.

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