Elvis'n Eggs...by Cheryl Cohen 

   On a part of Broadway where the dust flies even when it rains, there's a place where Elvis never left the building.
    From the boomerang patterned countertops to the wiseacre waitresses, there's a secret time warp that only few are privy to.  You have to know about Jane's to know about it.  If you don't, it's not likely you'll ever notice the vanilla-colored sign on the vanilla-colored building as you drive by.  Jane's Country Kitchen doesn't have to work at being Lemon Grove's most famous unknown restaurant; it just is.
    What makes Jane's the favorite stomach-buster of Lemon Grove's hip breakfast aficionados?  It may have something to do with the size of the portions.  Their "jumbo" omelet consists of approximately 12 fresh eggs, (the eggs aren't counted; they're poured from a large pitcher) stuffed with your choice of accouterments from the list on the menu.  That doesn't even include the hash browns, toast, refried beans, or whatever else you select to complete the platter.
    Ordering and finishing these dishes are two entirely different things, according to a very unpretentious Donna Alvarez, who owns and operates the restaurant along with her husband, Joe.
    "Occasionally, I get a call from someone that'll say they're bringing someone down to our place on a bet that they can't finish the jumbo.  Of course, we don't make it any larger to help the guy cheat, or anything.  We just make them the standard jumbo..."
    The Jane in "Jane's", was Donna's mom, who started the business in 1957 in the location now occupied by Grove Office Supply.  After four years, they moved to their present building at 8125 Broadway in Lemon Grove.
     A year before Jane passed away 13 years ago, Donna took over the breakfast operation, which opens at o'dark thirty for the contractor crowd during the week, and closes at 1pm daily.  "We tried longer hours, for lunch and dinner, but business was too scarce.  We just went to serving breakfast, and we stay busy that way."
    She's not kidding.  On Sundays, those in-the-know about Jane's line up outside of the front door on the asphalt lawn, patiently waiting for a seat in the naugahide booths inside.  The line is long, but moves quickly, and the personnel move at breakneck speed to get everyone fed before the closing time of 1pm. Everyone knows that no-one leaves Jane's hungry.
    They're a gutsy crew, and have the kitchen in full view from the restaurant.   It's old and homey, yet clean here.   Kitchen workers scrape mountains of gooey leftovers from the plastic platters into a lined bucket.  When serving such huge portions, there's bound to be plenty of waste, isn't there?  "A man comes by and picks up all the scraps for his pig", Donna says. Lucky pig.
    Velvet Elvis paintings, posters, calendars, and clocks cover the walls.  "Most of this stuff is given to us as gifts from our customers.  They just keep bringing it in.  It all started with a painting given to us by our son, and it hasn't stopped since.", Donna relates.
    Old rock and roll drowns out the sound of arteries slamming shut as Elvis, eggs, and bacon get digested in booth after booth.   Richard Simmons be damned; this is a place where cholesterol worries aren't welcome.  You may not want to invite your cardiologist here to dine with you, but it's a great place to challenge any big-talker.

Jane's Country Kitchen is located at 8125 Broadway in Lemon Grove, Calif.  Hours are 5:30am to 1pm Tues - Sat, and 7am - 1pm on Sundays.