Sometimes it’s the silly little things that amuse us to no end.  Something that just catches you off guard and makes you giggle.  We went over to Athens in downtown Safety Harbor for breakfast and they had the Popeye omelette on their specials board.  What does Popeye love?  Spinach and Olive.  Loren had to order it just because it made us giggle.

Along with the spinach and olives, it also had bacon in it, everything’s better with bacon, right?  He really enjoyed the omelette.  I went for the blueberry pancakes and eggs over easy.

The pancakes were very tasty, but I forgot just how hot blueberries can get and burned my tongue on the first bite.  The eggs were perfectly cooked as well.  Our waitress was a little frazzled this morning, but other than that, it was a very enjoyable $15 breakfast.

Athens Restaurant
226 Main St
Safety Harbor, FL
727-726-3471

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We went to a movie this morning and stopped for a quick lunch at Daddy’s Grill afterward.  Loren got a bacon cheeseburger and I went for the ham, egg & cheese breakfast croissant.

The burger was perfectly cooked and I really enjoyed the ham on my croissant.  For $16 with a drink, it was a quick and tasty lunch.

Daddy’s Grill
3682 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 891-6556

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

The smell of cinnamon was just too much to pass up on our way through City Walk into Universal Studios.

I got a minibun, but Loren went for the Pecanbun which was more sugar and deliciousness than one person should eat first thing in the morning.  But it was good.  Total bill for the mini & the big bun was $8.50.

Cinnabon
Universal City Walk
Orlando, FL

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We were going to a movie later this morning, so decided to get breakfast instead of going out for lunch afterward.  We drove into downtown Safety Harbor and settled in at Athens Restaurant.  We got there at just the right time too.  Right after we sat down the place got mobbed with customers.  Loren went for an omelette and grits and some OJ.

The omelette was perfectly cooked and he enjoyed the grits.  I went for some french toast, scrambled eggs and home fries.

At first glance, I thought they had put my scrambled eggs inside the french toast, but I quickly realized that was just the edges of the cooked egg batter that the french toast was dipped in.  The french toast was light & fluffy and both the eggs and potatoes were cooked well.  For $15, it was a quick, tasty, inexpensive breakfast.

Athens Restaurant
226 Main St
Safety Harbor, FL
727-726-3471

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We ate lunch at Eve’s Family Restaurant in Oldsmar today.  We haven’t eaten here in quite a while.  I decided to go for some breakfast and got an omelet.

I ordered the Florentine omelet which had spinach, tomatoes, feta and hollandaise sauce.  The hollandaise sauce was a bit overwhelming, but overall the omelet was ok.  There was a lot of spinach in it and the feta gave it a subtle salty flavor.  The hashbrowns were crispy and though toast didn’t look burnt, it had a burnt flavor to it.  Loren went for soup & salad.

The cream of potato soup was thick and creamy and had a nice flavor to it.  The salad wasn’t anything special.   Total bill with a drink was $16.

Eve’s Family Restaurant
3150 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
727-787-6886

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

I’m on vacation this week and we were heading to an 11:30am movie so decided to grab some brunch at Cracker Barrel.  I say brunch because Loren’s not much of a breakfast eater.  He got a chicken BLT and some soup, while I went for pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns.

He said the sandwich was ok, not a lot of seasoning on it.  His soup went missing and he was half way finished with his meal before our waitress came back & we could tell her.

My over-easy eggs were perfect and they make a darn good pancake here, especially with the warmed up syrup.  I don’t know how anyone could get through a stack of pancakes with just one little bottle of their syrup though.  I barely manage it with two.   Total bill with a drink was $21.

Cracker Barrel
13833 West Hillsborough Avenue
Tampa, FL
813-855-4200

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Walking around taking photos in Vegas today and ate breakfast at the Jean Philippe Patisserie at the Bellagio.

The spinach quiche was delicious.  The only thing I didn’t like about it were the olives hiding inside, but otherwise, it was quite yummy.  What really looked delicious here was the chocolate fountain.

Oh, how I wouldn’t love to have one of these in my house.  They had the whole shop decorated in chocolate Halloween items.  Some of them were pretty creepy.  There’s also a store at the Aria and I spent way too much money on chocolate.   Breakfast with an orange juice, was $14.

Jean Philippe Patisserie at Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
702-693-8788

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

The last time we ate at Benedict’s in Dunedin was in 2010.  Where has the time gone?  Unfortunately, our experience today didn’t live up to what I remembered about the food here.

Loren got souvlaki and I went for some breakfast.

He said it was seasoned ok, but didn’t taste like it had been marinated and wasn’t very tender at all.  I ordered scrambled eggs with cheese, home fries, and pancakes.

It’s funny what you remember about a restaurant.  The last time we were here, I was so impressed with the way they made my eggs with cheese.  The eggs were cooked with the cheese, so they were ooey, gooey and yummy.  This time, not so much.  The cheese was sprinkled on top after the eggs were cooked, so the whole thing was just dry and rubbery.  The home fries were ok, but the pancakes were on the thin side, so not quite light and fluffy.   Total bill with a drink was $18.

Benedict’s Restaurant
2676 Bayshore Blvd
Dunedin, FL
727-736-1600

It’s funny what sticks with you about a restaurant.  The only thing I remembered about it was that they did a really great job

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Met my sister & niece in Orlando today & we ate breakfast at Keke’s Breakfast Cafe in Winter Park.  This place is always packed.  My sister ordered a Florida Belgium Waffle, which had strawberries, bananas and blueberries plus enough whipped cream to qualify it as a dessert.

She wolfed the entire thing down and was happy as could be about it.  My niece & I went the less sweet route.  She had a make your own veggie omelet and I went for a scrambler with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese.

It was all really good.  This has been our go-to place for breakfast when we meet up in Orlando.   Total bill was $35.

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe
345 West Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL
407-629-1400

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We were headed to the Fringe Festival in Orlando and stopped at Dixie Belles Cafe for breakfast.  It was a cute, clean little restaurant with friendly servers.  Loren got some scrambled eggs, bacon, ham steak & pancakes while I went for some over easy eggs, hashbrowns & a biscuit.

The ham actually came with my breakfast combo, but I didn’t think I really wanted any meat with my breakfast so I put it on Loren’s plate.  Then I tasted it and ended up eating half of it anyway.  The ham wasn’t overly salty or sweet, it was just tasty.  The pancakes were light & fluffy, so was the biscuit.  Eggs were cooked fine and the hashbrowns were crispy on the outside & soft in the middle.  Overall, just a pretty good and inexpensive breakfast.  Total bill was $14.50.

Dixie Belles Cafe
7125 S Orange Ave
Orlando, FL
(407) 812-7012

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We were going to a movie this morning & decided to get breakfast beforehand, completely forgetting that it was Mother’s Day.  We went by three different restaurants with lines out the door before we finally got a table at Consciousness Blossoms.  They were pretty busy too, but at least we were able to get some breakfast and get to our movie on time.

Loren went for an omelette and pancakes & I got a breakfast croissant with home fries.

Fresh & tasty all around.  The eggs here are just so light & fluffy.  Loren enjoyed his veggie omelette and the pancakes had a nice texture and consistency as well.  They even came around and gave all the moms a sample of one of their smoothies and a chocolate covered cookie.  Total bill with some juice was $20.

Consciousness Blossoms
3390 Tampa Road
Palm Harbor, FL
727-789-1931

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Sometimes the simplest dishes can be the tastiest.  We went to Nana’s Restaurant in Tarpon Springs for brunch and Loren was just as happy as could be with his BLT sandwich and soup.

The sandwich just made him happy.  Crispy bacon, lightly toasted bread, mayo, crunchy lettuce and tomato.  So simple, yet so tasty.  Plus he really likes their black bean soup too.  I went for a Country Scramble.

This was one heavy dish.  Eggs, potatoes, cheese, sausage gravy, biscuit and it also came with bacon that I got on the side.  There was way too much of it for me to finish.  It was good, but one note texture-wise.  Total bill with a drink was $21.

Nana’s Restaurant
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We were headed to a matinee show at Ruth Eckerd Hall and figured we could get a quick to bite to eat at Athens Restaurant in Safety Harbor before the show.  Loren went for a Greek salad and I opted for breakfast.

He said his salad was ok (especially after adding my bacon) and I liked the French toast.  I asked for cheese in my eggs and would have liked for it to have been mixed in instead of just on top, but otherwise they were ok.  For $15, it was a quick, decent meal.

Athens Restaurant
226 Main St
Safety Harbor, FL
727-726-3471

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Met my sister in Winter Park today & we decided to go back to Keke’s for breakfast.  It was really busy.  We ended up waiting almost 30 minutes for a table for two.

She went for the raspberry stuffed French toast.

This is one sweet breakfast item and she was Mmm, Mmmm-ing the entire time.  I went a little more traditional with a combo of scrambled eggs, home fries, and French toast.

Mine was ok.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  The French toast could have used a little more flavor to it.  Maybe next time I’ll try it stuffed.  Total bill was $25 with two hot chocolates.

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe
345 West Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park, FL
407-629-1400

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Rodie’s Restaurant recently opened up on McMullen Booth, so we decided to give it a try.  Loren opted for lunch while I ordered for a breakfast skillet with pancakes.

The skillet I ordered had hashbrowns, ham, onions, mushrooms & cheese.  It was very bland and dry and the mushrooms were out of a can.  The pancakes were a bit on the heavy side.  They just weren’t light and fluffy, especially when you dug into the middle of them.

Loren got a chicken sandwich with chips.

He said it was ok, but not something he’d come back for.  There just wasn’t any down home goodness to the food, it was just extremely generic.  Our waitress was new as well and it showed.  One of those things that makes me twitch is after I’ve ordered something to have the waitress come back to the table to tell me what I ordered wasn’t included in the dish when it says so right on the menu.  Needless to say, the pancakes that came with my meal showed up a bit later than the rest.  Total bill was $17, but I’d probably hit up Cracker Barrel or Village Inn before we go back here again.

Rodie’s Restaurant
2471-7 N McMullen Booth
Clearwater, FL
727-647-5973

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Loren hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, so he wanted something filling for dinner.  That means Cracker Barrel.  Chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, greens, biscuits, and fried apples filled him right up.

I went for breakfast instead of dinner and settled on French Toast.

I didn’t think I was going to eat all four pieces and yet I did.  It was cooked perfectly.  The only thing I would have changed would have been to add a little cinnamon to the custard that the bread is dipped in.  It would have really put this dish over the top.  The warmed syrup is a nice touch too.  Total bill with a drink was $22.

Cracker Barrel
13833 West Hillsborough Avenue
Tampa, FL
813-855-4200

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Yes, I’m one of those geeks that had to go see the final Harry Potter movie on opening day.  Since we were going to the 1pm movie (and needed to be there an hour early), a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel seemed the way to go.

We both settled on pancakes, mine with scrambled eggs and hashbrown casserole and Loren got some bacon.

The pancakes were good.  We both ended up having to get more syrup though.  Loren really liked the bacon.  He said it was crispy and yummy.  The eggs were ok and the hashbrown casserole was pretty tasty.  With an OJ, the total bill was $20.

Cracker Barrel
13833 West Hillsborough Avenue
Tampa, FL
813-855-4200

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We were driving up to Holiday this afternoon, so we stopped at the Americana 50′s Diner for lunch.  I always have high hopes when I walk into a diner that it’ll be like all the places Guy Fieri visits on Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dives.  Sadly, the food here didn’t live up to the expectations.

I went for breakfast and ordered the French Toast, two eggs over easy, and some homefries.

I really should have taken out my camera again because the French Toast was only toasted on one side.  It was weird.  It was like they flipped it over on the griddle and immediately put it on the plate.  Unfortunately, it also hadn’t been soaked very long in the egg custard as it was rather dry inside as well.  Once it was drenched in syrup, it was ok, but the overall execution of the dish should have been better. 

The eggs were cooked ok, but the home fries were too thinly cut, very dry and flavorless.  I guess when I envision home fries, I expect them to be mixed with onions at the very least and be at least salt & peppered. 

Loren went for a pastrami & corned beef club club with Manhattan clam chowder and fries.

The chowder was pretty good, but definitely needed salt.  He said the sandwich was very dry and also lacked flavor.  I think that’s the downside with some of these local diners; they try to create a menu that won’t offend any palette and end up serving very bland food.  If nothing else, at least the prices were reasonable.  Total bill with a drink was $17.

Americana 50′s Diner
1730 Us-19
Holiday, FL
(727) 942-7880

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

We ate lunch at the Chatterbox North Family Restaurant in Palm Harbor today.  They were pretty busy, but we got there right at the end of the lunch rush, so we didn’t have to wait long for a table.

Loren ordered a corned beef sandwich with a bowl of their vegetable soup.

The soup had some wonderful flavors.  It was the best part of the whole meal.  Loren said the corned beef wasn’t remarkable at all.  I ordered the country breakfast.

The problem was that I didn’t mean to order the country breakfast.  I totally managed to read the menu incorrectly because I wanted pancakes, eggs and homefries and got biscuits and gravy, homefries, eggs and sausage.  Our waitress was kind enough to fix my mistake and brought me out some pancakes.  The eggs and pancakes were good, the homefries, not so much.  They were a bit too crispy and lacked any seasoning whatsoever. 

I was craving fruit pie, but when the waitress mentioned Boston Cream Pie, I had to get that instead. 

It was ok, nothing special about it.  The whole meal cost us $17 with a drink.  The prices are definitely right here, but overall the food was pretty mediocre. 

Chatterbox North Family Restaurant
2710 Alt 19
Palm Harbor, FL
727-786-3736

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

The plan was to go to the Yummy Cafe on Drew Street, but when we drove by, it didn’t look open so we headed over to Lenny’s.  I thought maybe it wouldn’t be crowded at lunchtime, but I guess breakfast or lunch, it’s always mobbed in there.  Luckily, we only had to wait a few minutes for a table.

Surprisingly, though, once the large crowd at the table behind us left, it really wasn’t that noisy in there.  I started off with some hot chocolate since it was a little chilly in the restaurant and since I ordered breakfast, we also got the complimentary pastry basket.

The pastries are a mixed bag.  I had a raspberry cheese tart that was good, Loren had a piece of blueberry cake that was tasty, the others were just ok.  The danishes were a bit dry.

Loren got the turkey sandwich with a potato cake on the side.

The sandwich was huge!  They really pile on the meat.  The potato cake was pretty good too.  He ended up bringing half the sandwich home since it was so big.

I ordered the stuffed crab benedict with pancakes.

It sounded better than it was.  The crab cakes were small and the flavor did not mesh well with the eggs and hollandaise sauce.  They weren’t very crispy either, which would have definitely helped with the texture.  The poached eggs were cooked perfectly, but the english muffin needed to be toasted longer.  I didn’t like their hollandaise sauce either.  It had a tangy flavor to it, that just wasn’t quite right to my taste buds.  The pancakes were also a bit too dense.  They weren’t light and fluffy at all.  This is definitely a dish I won’t order again.

The service wasn’t great today either.  When I ordered my hot chocolate, I also asked for a glass of water that never came until I asked again.  After bringing out Loren’s sandwich, the waitress asked if he wanted some mayo, he said yes, and she never brought it.  Plus when she brought my plate, she tipped it and one of the eggs slid off the english muffin onto the plate.  Luckily, I didn’t end up wearing it.   Total bill was $22. 

Lenny’s Restaurant
21220 US Hwy 19 N
Clearwater, FL
727-799-0402

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value