Best Breakfast Counter

Lonesome curmudgeons have to eat breakfast, too. And if they want to be left alone while they scarf up a stack of moist pancakes or a pair of eggs cooked exactly as ordered over the Sunday New York Times, they'd be wise to check out the breakfast counter at Herb's Fine Foods in Noe Valley. For starters, the huge wraparound counter takes up so much of the cozy diner that there's no stigma attached to eating alone (there's barely enough room left for some smallish booths along the walls). Another plus for change-hating curmudgeon types: There's no evidence that either the specials or the décor has changed in a decade. One downside, though: The massive breakfast combinations are big enough for sharing.