I started the day last Tuesday with the intent of hitting a local breakfast spot for two purposes: for one, I have a column past-due for which I need to write about a hole-in-the-wall restaurant; for two, what superstition I have tells me that starting out the first day of the semester with an enjoyable and hearty breakfast has got to put me on proper footing.

My footing was lost, so to speak, in finding that footing when my partner for the outing informed me at 7:30 a.m. that said local spot, a shop of tasties that recently incorporated a breakfast menu, only serves breakfast on the weekends.

Not to be deterred from our attainment of satisfying breakfast fare, and the promise of good semester therein, we opted to hit Copper Oven, figuring to forego the opportunity for content for an assuredly good meal. While I’d never been, I had heard quite enough to be confident in the quality, and quite enough also to think the establishment somewhat outside my “hole in the wall” qualifier.

Located on 13th Street in the Indian Hills shopping center, next to Ace Hardware, the Oven surprised me nonetheless in all the ways a good hole should. One of the most striking and immediately noticeable qualities of the diner, upon entry, is the atmosphere – akin to a coffee bistro, with soft lighting and earthy tones that make it the perfect atmosphere for getting one’s morning perks.

Though this was a sit-down endeavor, I was pleasantly surprised to find a great selection of bakery items – scones, muffins, breads – for diners on the go. And though I passed on these items, there was no mistaking their mastery, an assumption corroborated by my partner in dive-dining, a veritable Magellan of ICT cuisine. Being only several blocks from my home and right on my drive to work and school, I’ll most certainly make the quick stop for coffee and scone on the go, and feel confident to recommend such to others.

The real treat, however, is in the dining room. Being raised by folks of a somewhat Southern persuasion, my measuring stick for a diner’s breakfast prowess has always been in their execution of country gravy, the more sausage the better. So I opted for a full order of biscuits and gravy (get the half order if you intend to walk out of the restaurant). The kitchen sent me some of the best local B&G I’ve had, in monstrous proportion.

The biscuits and gravy were fantastic, the hash browns perfectly browned with the slight crunch through to soft potatoes that you can’t get with string-cut hash browns, and the coffee was above and beyond what I’ve come to expect from most diner experiences. Great prices, great fare, markedly friendly service, and sit-down and on-the-go options make Copper Oven a versatile but consistent choice for the most important meal of the day.

As for my footing in the semester, I guess I should have known better than load myself with biscuits and gravy before setting upon a mental engagement.

Related posts:

1. [eat] Lunch with Liz: The Beacon
2. [eat] Wichita’s Best Sandwich Shops
3. [eat] Best Places to Cure a Hangover
4. [eat] Toc’s Coffeehouse
5. [eat] Where to Get Brunch in Wichita