This article from the Calgary Herald describes the restaurant very well. In addition, their famous stuffed french toast recipe is included. See this article at : (
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"Family Friendly Brunch - By John Gilchrist and Catherine Caldwell, Calgary Herald February 27, 2011
Sunday brunch is a special meal filled with all S those things we don't eat any other time. Crisp bacon, fried sausages, eggs Benedict, stacks of pancakes and plates of waffles.
A Sunday morning with any of these, especially the ones we can coat with maple syrup (and really, which of these can't we?), plus a bottomless pot of coffee, is such a good way to start the week.
And since Sunday brunch is family time, this month we thought we'd find a Sunday morning recipe that the whole crew can help prepare.
We checked in with chef Keith Geddes of Dairy Lane Cafe, a diner originally opened in 1950 and one of the city's oldest continually operating restaurants, and he kindly shared his recipe for stuffed french toast.
For decades, Dairy Lane fuelled the baby-boom families of Hillhurst with bacon-and-egg breakfasts and burger-and-shake lunches. You could dine-in at one of the few tables crammed into the interior or step up to the takeout window and order your goodies to-go.
Then in 2001, Dairy Lane and the building in which it resides were purchased by the Highbanks Society, an organization that assists young, single-parent families, and the place went through a major renovation, including an upgrading of the kitchen and a re-do of the seating area.
Since 2004, Shayne and Jodi Perrin have operated Dairy Lane, and a portion of their profits go to the society.
The Perrins did a small renovation again a few weeks ago, installing new kitchen equipment and flooring and repainting and re-upholstering, but the spot is still as tiny as ever, seating about 20 inside and a couple dozen on the patio they built in 2005.
Dairy Lane still does a great breakfast and serves an eclectic lunch menu of local and organic ingredients, including three variations of meat burgers made from beef, peppered pork or turkey, as well as three vegetarian versions.
A recent expansion into the early evening hours five nights a week has them offering a wine list to pair with the burgers and other assorted dishes, a heady change for a joint where coffee used to be the strongest drink. (There's a nice cocktail and Canadian beer list, too.)
Dairy Lane's stuffed french toast is one of the most popular dishes on the menu. And it's amazingly simple: thick slabs of bread with a pouch sliced into them, stuffed with back bacon and cheese, dipped in egg and cooked.
Pour maple syrup on top and you've got a little slice of heaven.
So break out the bread and the syrup. It's french toast and family time.
Dairy Lane is located at 319 19th St. N.W., 403-283-2497, dairylanecafe.ca.
Catherine Caldwell and John Gilchrist are Calgary-based food writers who like their toast any which way but burned. They can be reached at escurial@telus.net.
Stuffed French Toast
This recipe comes from chef Keith Geddes of Dairy Lane Cafe.
In keeping with Dairy Lane's focus on local ingredients, Geddes uses Sylvan Star Gruyere in this dish, available at local cheese mongers, Kingsland Farmers Market and soon at the new Calgary Farmers Market.
4 slices sandwich bread, preferably sourdough, about 2 inches (5 cm) thick
8 slices back bacon
4 slices Gruyere
6 to 8 eggs
canola oil, for grilling
maple syrup, for serving
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Cut a pouch in each slice of bread by inserting a knife through bottom crust, cutting as close to all 3 sides of bread as possible without perforating top or side crusts. Set aside.
Heat back bacon slices either in a skillet over medium heat for 1 minute on each side, or for 30 seconds in a microwave. Lay out 4 slices of warm back bacon, top each with a Gruyere slice and then top each with another warm back bacon slice. Fold each stack and insert one into each bread slice.
Whip eggs in a large, shallow-bottomed bowl. Carefully dip cut sides of bread into eggs without pressing, squeezing or submerging bread -you don't want any egg inside pouch.
Lightly oil a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place stuffed bread in skillet and grill 3 to 4 minutes, or until cooked side is golden brown. Flip and cook other side until golden brown. (Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in batches.)
Place grilled bread in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted (it may ooze out slightly). Serve with maple syrup.
Serves 4. Cook's Note: Geddes notes the firmer the bread, the easier it is to cut the pouch. Refrigerating the bread for a few hours will do the trick.
Variation: Cinnamon Cream Cheese and Berry Compote Stuffed French Toast
Mix 1/2 cup (125 mL) cream cheese, 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon and 1 tbsp (15 mL) whipping cream together thoroughly. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine 1¼ lb (625 g) frozen mixed berries with 1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch and 3 tbsp (50 mL) sugar and bring to boil.
Reduce to simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, or until berries are heated through.
Cut bread slices as directed and stuff each with a generous 1 tbsp (15 mL) cinnamon cream cheese and 2 tbsp (25 mL) warm berry compote.
Whipping eggs with just a dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg, proceed with rest of recipe as directed.
Garnish completed french toast with extra berry compote (and save some for a topping for ice cream or mix into plain yogurt . . . mmmm). "