I'm throwing you a curveball this week.

You probably already know Piero's Acqua Pazza for its divine all-day happy hour, with appetizer and drink specials at up to 50 percent off served inside the cool, modern restaurant and outside on a lush patio at The River in Rancho Mirage.

But did you know you can go “Pazza” at breakfast, too? Served from 8 to 11 a.m. daily, the menu features a wide array of egg dishes, French crepes, Belgian waffles, even organic granola, with all the usual sides, and most under $10.

I had planned to order eggs Benedict, $9.50, but at the last minute my eyes lit on the menu's French Scramble, which is eggs mixed with (ooh la la!) Boursin cheese, for $8.95.

It was the right choice — the cheese had been whipped into the eggs before cooking to give them a light, fluffy texture and creamy, mellow taste flecked with bits of parsley. Plain scrambled eggs will never be the same again.

With it, I enjoyed a savory blend of red potato chunks roasted with green, red and yellow peppers and chopped onions (you can order hash browns instead) and crisp, hot sourdough toast.

Small touches make a big impact: servers bring a large bowl of jellies and condiments to the table, and coffee cups are refilled quickly and efficiently.

The meal was outdone only by the view — mornings on the patio, with so much cool air and sunshine peeking through the branches of the carefully planted trees, are a whole different experience than evening happy hour at Piero's Acqua Pazza, which means “crazy water” in Italian.

It's a lovely way to start the day, and there's certainly nothing crazy about that.