Check, Please: 3 spots for breakfast

At the Buttered Tin, co-owners Alicia Hinze and Jennifer Lueck spend their mornings turning out a fantastic cornbread-based huevos rancheros, plates of tender thyme-flecked buttermilk biscuits smothered in pork sausage gravy, an ever-changing strada and a first-rate smoked trout hash. The well-made baked goods and cheery surroundings are an added bonus. Served daily.

237 E. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-224-2300, http://thebutteredtin.com

Casual, ultra-friendly Lucia's to Go is the place for a superb plate of fluffy scrambled eggs, marvelous sweet or savory crêpes, a daily (and expertly prepared) frittata, a bowl of the kind of oatmeal you'd like to make at home but never do and a bevy of homey baked goods. There's free parking in the restaurant's nearby lot, an Uptown rarity. Served Tuesday through Sunday.

1432 W. 31st St., Mpls., 612-825-9800, www.lucias.com

Great-looking newcomer Tavern 4 & 5 starts the day with a lengthy menu that offers basics (eggs any style, buttermilk pancakes, Belgian-style waffles) but also features a Reuben-inspired Benedict (brisket, chopped pickles and a poached egg on caraway rye toast), a bacon-roasted tomato-watercress omelet, a scrambled-egg/pulled-pork burrito with a charred corn salsa, and more. Served daily.

16396 Wagner Way, Eden Prairie, 952-934-4545, http://tavern4and5.com