Nestled in the cozy glen of West Brighton…
What am I talking about? West Brighton is strip mall after chain restaurant after strip mall; no wonder everyone thinks of it as Henrietta! Because Henrietta is terrible.
Starla is relatively new and is located in a (gasp!) strip mall sort of across the street from MCC / the medical examiner’s office / the Monroe Correctional Facility. We arrived just at opening time, and the co-owner met us in the parking lot and walked us into the shop. Quaint little breakfast-themed art adorned the walls, and chalkboards carried the day’s menu items.
“Are you Starla?” I asked the co-owner, with innocence in my eyes and naïveté in my voice. No. There is no Starla. “Starla” is a portmanteau of the last names of the two owners.
The coffee was from Glen Edith; always a winner! The food comprised options both savory and sweet. We got two (2) peach-blueberry pop tarts, two (2) cinnamon scones with icing, a breakfast wrap (egg, cheese, and bacon), and a breakfast croissant (id., id., and ham). Because we seemed like such nice guys (I presume this was the reason), not-Starla gave us a day-old cinnamon doughnut. “It tastes like same day!” Dave exclaimed.
Homemade pop-tarts are always great; case in point: Starla’s pop-tarts. They were fruity and sweet, like a regular pop-tart; but unlike a “real” Pop-Tart™ the fruit tasted real and, bonus, we were not left with a lingering urge to kill/die. We thought the breakfast wrap had promising innards, but that the wrapping was a bit dry and bland. The breakfast croissant, on the other hand, was hearty and delicious. The croissant itself was puffy and flaky, as it should be. The real sleeper hit was the cinnamon scone. It was chewy, it was crunchy, the cinnamon was swirled in such a way that you never knew quite how much you would get in a bite. The whole experience ran us about $20 toto. We ate at the giant farmer’s table, but it struck me that the croissant, and especially the scone, would be good walkin’ or drivin’ food.
Not-Starla informed us that there weren’t too many MCC student customers (which makes sense: they have their own restaurants and to cross East Henrietta Road is to take one’s life in one’s hands). Most of the customers, instead, came from the Corporate Woods. If I were driving through the area, if I had an appointment somewhere on White Spruce Boulevard, or if I had a class to catch at MCC, I would definitely stop into Starla’s again!
With 10 as a must-eat, this eating experience rates a 9.
Don’t Miss: The cinnamon scone! They might not have it every day, but if they do have it, don’t miss it!
Pro Tip: If you have tender hands, make moves to the side-table for coffee sleeves!
