Monday, September 2, 2013

Boulevard Gourmet Deli, Palm Beach Gardens, August 31, 2013

Boulevard is a nice place. Nice is a dangerous adjective. We mean nice in the nicest manner possible, but at the same time, nice is kind standard, right?
We had a lovely breakfast with friends at Boulevard. This is their local favorite breakfast place, and the food was good, the service was fine, the restaurant was clean, and the company was our favorite part. We are finding that there are tons of nice little breakfast places that are great for stumbling a couple blocks from home and fueling up for the morning. But they aren't necessarily worth a longer drive or a repeat visit.
It's not fair to compare a Boulevard with a legendary place like John G's or Paris Bakery Cafe. It's a standard, lovely breakfast diner. If we lived nearby, we'd be regulars too.
So less me justifying my lack of enthusiasm, and more about Boulevard itself. Again, the place was clean and well-lit, in a nice Publix shopping center with tons of parking. Not sure about the gourmet part of the name, but Boulevard definitely has a little bit of a NY deli thing going on -- with an emphasis on bagels and smoked fish more than on biscuits. Though they also serve grits, so they haven't forgotten they are actually in South Florida. Boulevard has a couple dozen tables, and a long counter with stools, and serves breakfast and lunch every day until 3.



I had my usual two eggs over medium with potatoes, and with a little ketchup, it did not disappoint my bland palette. In addition, I love to indulge when given the opportunity in potato pancakes and applesauce. These were a highlight of the meal.


My friends' 10 year old graciously shared a piece of bacon and it was crispy and delightful. I'm not a serious bacon lover, but this piece was a worthy treat. He had scrambled eggs, bacon with extra bacon, and grits. The littler kid had a nice kids' menu option of pancake, egg and bacon.

Our friends enthused about the bacon. The 10 year old ordered grits instead of home fries, then explained that he prefers restaurants where they salt and butter them for you. As a kid, he clearly didn't yet know how he liked his grits and was not sure about being in charge of the final flavoring. Others might prefer they have control over their grits' butteryness.
Sean had two eggs over easy, home fries and bacon, with wheat toast.

SEAN'S NOTE -- The potato pancakes were delicious, and the best part.  I found the home fries bland. The coffee was basic and refills were slow in coming. I like my coffee hot, knife-sharp, and generous refills. While this restaurant was nice, there are better restaurants closer to home. I wouldn't make an effort to go to the Boulevard Gourmet Deli, but it'll do if it's your local place.  

A big dish of hard candies was a hit with the kids on the way out the door.

Prices were good. Less than $20 for me and Sean, even though we had the big side dish of potato pancakes.

Didn't notice if they had wifi. For a change, we tried TALKING to our friends instead of signing online.


Location:
10961 North Military Trail (at intersection with PGA Blvd)
Palm Beach Gardens

website:
Boulevard Gourmet Deli





No comments:

Post a Comment