In an effort to make mom proud, Chow Bella's taking a good, hard
look at the most important meal of the day in the form of Scrambled, a
weekly review of local breakfast spots.
The staff at Scottsdale's Jolta Java really understand the morning grind. The coffee is good -- but not so good it takes an extra 15 minutes to grind and brew. The menu offers a unique variety of breakfast sandwiches and munchies, but nothing that will put you into an all-day food-coma. The employees are friendly, but not too friendly. The atmosphere is ideal for the early-riser still feeling groggy from the snooze button. For customers battling the busy morning rush, it's a breakfast no-brainer.
How was the food? Find out after the jump.
The Sunny Side: The cozy spot effectively brings together the best of breakfast cafes and coffee shops. It's not overly hip or granola, but instead welcomes customers with bright colors and modern deco, attracting an eclectic following of loyal patrons who show up daily for a cup of Joe and free Wi-Fi.
The breakfast menu features quick and sometimes unusual sandwiches as well as the typical coffee shop fare including oatmeal, muffins, and scones. The bagels are delivered by Lox, Stock & Bagel daily, and most of the bakery fare and quiches are created in house. The newest addition to the cafe offerings is a full-length juice bar menu featuring fresh smoothies made to order with protein and supplement options.
After a quick gaze at our choices, we couldn't help but order the Scooby Snack, a bizarre but delicious looking sandwich made up of bacon, egg, cheese and maple syrup all wrapped up in two toasted waffles.
Other menu highlights were the Javarito, consisting of scrambled egg, sausage and pepperjack cheese, wrapped in a warm tortilla and served with Picante sauce, and the freshly made breakfast quiche options. All breakfast options are around five bucks.
Save Your Bacon: The juice bar is a new development and it still needs a little work. We tried the Trail Mix smoothie (almond butter, soy milk, cinnamon, banana, raisins, and whey powder) and it tasted great but the texture was very thin and watery and the straw was too small to suck up the barely chopped raisins. It's a small complaint but very few breakfast spots offer a fresh smoothies and we hate to see wasted potential.
The check: Jolta Java is welcoming, clean, and efficient. It's no culinary triumph but the food is good and fresh. If nothing else, the friendly staff will keep you coming back every morning.
