Time out: Good mornings start at El Dorado Coffee and Tea Co.

Restaurant: El Dorado Coffee and Tea Co.

Address: 4068 A Mother Lode Drive in Shingle Springs

Phone: 530-676-2623

Hours: Open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday’s from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday’s from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Breakfast — breaking one’s fast. As your momma used to say, it’s “the most important meal of the day.”

Why, exactly, is it the most important meal of the day? It probably has something to do with calories and energy or something along those lines. I don’t have the luxury for breakfast every day but when I do it’s a real treat.

A friend assured me that El Dorado Coffee and Tea Co. did indeed serve breakfast and that it was one of the best and most affordable around.

We arrived with the highest of expectations around 7:15 a.m. The place was clean and the service was friendly and helpful.

My companion suggested we take a look at the items highlighted in the glass display case near the front entrance and to choose a couple of items to start. We chose the homemade glazed granola “cake” and a yogurt and fruit cup (more like a tall glass, actually).

We ordered our main dishes at the same time as the appetizers. I chose the breakfast burrito and she chose the famous good morning bagel, which she described as “simply killer.”

It’s important to add that El Dorado Coffee and Tea Co. is the only local coffee bean roaster in the county, and that it has an excellent variety of delectable baked goods such as scones and coffee cake to go with a caffeinated or decaffeinated beverage.

While waiting for the entrées we devoured most of the granola and yogurt, which complimented each other very nicely. The dense and sweet granola balanced out the freshness and creaminess of the yogurt. If you get the granola, you should be aware that it’s a meal in itself.

Next came the star attraction.

My breakfast buddy’s bagel was MASSIVE and my burrito was the size of a quartered watermelon.

The good morning bagel is egg, cheese, your choice of meat and your choice of bagel drizzled in a tangy mayo sauce that’s top secret. You’ll most likely be taking half of it home in a people bag to devour at a later time.

My breakfast burrito was simply stuffed to overflowing with fluffy scrambled eggs, a very generous portion of bacon and artistically presented with a zigzag drizzle of cilantro dressing. I found out later that the ingredients were also tossed in the cilantro dressing, which went a long way to explain why the eggs were green.

Looking at this dish when it came to our table I was thinking that there would be no way that I would be able to finish it. But guess what? I did, I devoured it, I just couldn’t stop. It was that delicious. No people bag for me.

As if you needed another reason to drop by, I must tell you that the restaurant has just added a loose leaf tea bar with 40 varieties to choose from and it is already wildly popular.

To find a locally owned and operated coffee shop that focuses on quality, quantity and extremely reasonable prices is not the norm, and when you find one tell everybody and come back often.

I did and I will.

Rene and Dennis Planje are the owners and you can tell from the smiles on both the patrons and the staff that making people happy is the ultimate goal at the El Dorado Coffee and Tea Co., 4068 A Mother Lode Drive in Shingle Springs.

The restaurant is conveniently open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The phone number is 530-676-2623.