Not enough breakfast places in these parts, right? Readers share that news with me routinely. So I'm delighted to alert you to Brigs in Ballantyne, an outpost of a small Raleigh-based chain, and Toast in Dilworth, sibling to the one in Davidson - mostly because both have got what Starbucks would like you to think it has cornered: Smiling, enthusiastic servers helping people in desperate need of caffeine ... and more.

Brigs servers greet, counsel, fetch and bid goodbye with brightness, while the menu is a sprightly - and lengthy! - array of hot cakes, Belgian waffles, French toast, omelets and scrambles, "royal skillets." Think stuff atop hash browns and beneath eggs and Benedicts. Yes, that's Benedicts plural: There are nine.

Pancakes come in multiple forms: Seasonal pumpkin ones fared well, regular were fine, but the granola ones were outstanding. They had a bit of heft without the weightiness of whole-wheat products, and a marvelous nutty flavor.

Bacon was cooked crisp, turkey sausage well-flavored, eggs cooked to order (though one day's scrambled were a mite dry, the poached were perfect). Grits bordered on watery, my only true disappointment.

Omelets shone: light, moist egg encasing fillings that range from smoked turkey and avocado to spinach and Brie. There's one with itty-bitty shrimp, some crab and cream cheese, with hollandaise on top; our server said that's the most popular of all, but I'm betting the spinach would give it a run for its money.

There are pages of salads, burgers and sandwiches, too, but breakfast is the key and what Brigs does best. I had an OK Alaskan salmon sandwich heavy on aioli and a Greek salad high in iceberg and low in feta. Breakfast dishes run about $5-$12. Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday-Monday, 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. At Toringdon Market, 12239 N. Community House Road; 704-544-0074.

Toast, tucked into the corner spot of a small Dilworth shopping center where Patou and Las Ramblas once were, brings warm colors and a touch of hominess to a rather cavernous space. It also brings a warmth of detail.

Each menu reminds you that every server is "YOUR server," and the staff actually acts that way, too: They deliver to each other's tables, attend to various diners' requests and generally keep cheerful.

Here, the buttermilk pancakes are called flapjacks and were tender and terrific. Toast, appropriately, was thick and hearty and came to the table warm and unbuttered - another detail worth noting, if you've ever gotten a slathered piece gone soggy.

Condiments on the table included orange marmalade, which immediately won my heart. Eggs, even scrambled, arrived light-textured and moist, and bacon was thick-cut and beautifully done. Grits were nicely done, with some body and without butter.

You can slather everything yourself; packets of real butter are on the table.

Here, too, I much preferred the breakfast fare to other things I tried. Breakfast dishes about $3.75-$10. Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. 2400 Park Road; 704-215-4166.

So, two spots with good eggs, bacon, 'cakes and more. Now, if only both had some range on coffee, we'd be all set. But I'm getting greedy...