Two months ago, Morcate arrived at his N. Santa Cruz Avenue cafe at 5 a.m. to begin his daily routine of starting the breakfast potatoes for the 6 a.m. crowd. What wasn't obvious at first against the dark dawning sky became overwhelmingly evident as he opened the door.

Great clouds of thick, black smoke were pouring into the morning air from somewhere inside. All Morcate could think as he rushed to call the fire department was, how could he get open in time for business that morning? But breakfast wasn't served that day. "I really didn't want to close," he recalls, but the acrid smoke from what later proved to be a slow, smoldering fire ignited inside the walls by an abandoned electrical outlet decided for him.

This week, breakfast—and lunch—will be served as usual. The 60-day turnaround for the complete remodel of the eatery came partly because Morcate and partner Dean Reno have been working daily alongside the contractor crew, employing the skills their fathers taught them when they were kids growing up together in San Jose.

They've plastered, wired, painted and replaced floors. While damage to the building was mainly due to smoke in the dining room, everything had to be torn apart, including all of the kitchen and appliances, to totally rewire the building.

Occupants since they bought the cafe in 1989, Morcate and Reno had given the place a new look about two years ago, throwing out the pink and black 1980s look in exchange for a warmer, updated décor. "We just put back everything the way it was," Morcate says, with one exception: "We have smoke alarms now."

The menu is also the same. Same prices. Same specials, and, the partners hope, the same customers. They held an open house last Sunday with the intention of notifying the regulars who patiently sign up to wait out front on crowded weekends that they are back and in good shape. An open buffet with "some of our greatest hits" was offered to walk-in customers and friends.

Sure to be among the greatest hits before long is a new special—homemade crab cakes and eggs. Made with bread crumbs and onions, the cakes are grilled, then topped with avocado, a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. Another new addition is the primavera benedict made with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and broccoli, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. The fluffy, four-egg omelets still abound with cheeses, meats and vegetables. Pancakes as wide as a spread hand peek through an abundance of fruits and nuts.

For lunch, there are a variety of sandwiches and salads, including chicken Caesar on a baguette or a flank steak tostada salad.

Business has always been good for Morcate, 39, and Reno, 40. They share a pride in what they do, and the fast pace at which their staff of 15 works "requires total professionals," Morcate says. Friends since preschool and working buddies since they held jobs together after school in restaurants, the two and their respective wives, Tina and Sheila, are both business and social partners. Parents of five children under 12 between them, their lives, like their cafe, are crowded.

"It's so busy in our family, no one has time for me," laments Morcate with a grin. "I'm the only one without a day planner!"

The Los Gatos Café, located at 340 N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos, is open daily from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 408.354.4647.