Baby Barnaby's Cafe   

There are barely a dozen tables at this Montrose eatery, but that doesn't keep Houston's gay community from flocking here -- or anybody else. The booths, floor and lower half of the walls are all done in basic black, but one wall is lined with colorful chalk boards listing the house specials. Bundles of Trivial Pursuit cards sit next to stacks of packaged jelly, chilled butter and salt and pepper on each table. Like its decor, Baby Barnaby's menu is a little off-kilter as well. The huevos rancheros come with black beans instead of the usual pintos and the sausage is a chicken-apple mix. Dogaberto's Special is a corn tortilla topped with a fried egg, black beans and cheese, served with a side of fried breakfast potatoes. Fresh fruit, french toast and the stuffed breakfast burritos are among the most popular items on the menu. There's even a secret cache of sugary cereal in case the kids don't want their omelets. A couple of small tables sit outside, giving smokers and the waiting crowd a place to call their own. And on weekend mornings, there are always crowds. -- Olivia Flores Alvarez