Harry & the Natives, Hobe Sound, April 26, 2014

Love this place. I thought for sure this was going to be an old-Florida place of my friend Pam's childhood, with more focus on kitsch than food. Yes, it had abundant quantity of kitsch as expected, as well as fabulous food. For a place that's been around 73 years, that's quite an achievement.

Let me be clear: This place was totally worth the 45 minute drive for me. I highly recommend it.

While you wait for your food, or for your friend Pam who's running late, Harry's provides tons of punny and humorous signs to keep you giggling and groaning. Here are two near the door, with dozens more inside on the large covered patio where we ate.

We will start the review with the most boring meal: my daughter ordered one pancake with a side of bacon. She'd eaten most of the bacon before I got a photo of her plate. She  rarely orders pancakes, but she wasn't feeling it for anything else on the menu. She went with what she knew, and said, she was pleasantly surprised. She liked it! She said she was fueled up for a morning of tennis.

I ordered two things, one being a standby test for me: biscuits and gravy. Let me tell you, this was possibly the best biscuits and gravy I've had in South Florida since we started this blog adventure. The gravy was peppery, but not overly so. It was not dull. It was thick, but not cloying. It was delicious. And the biscuits underneath were heavenly. Honestly I'd go back just for this.

Look how thick that gravy is. Barely moved off the biscuits. Mmmm Mmmm.

But I actually liked the quiche even more. This quiche was AWESOME. It was a square slice, so clearly they make it casserole style and not pie style. It was a freakin' work of art. And delicious. This was spinach and bacon quiche. Again, the biscuits were fabulous.

Check out that cool stratification of layers. The egg layer was light and terrific, the bacon was not overwhelming. The spinach made me think maybe I wasn't quite clogging my arteries nearly as fast. The crust was flaky.

Kevin was the bravest of the group and ordered Gator Hash with poached eggs. He loved it. The waiter warned him that gator meat is lean and could be dry, so he should break up the eggs over the hash. Kevin did this and said it was good. I'll have to dig some more details out of him soon and add that here.

Kevin added: "He was correct that the strategy of breaking the two poached eggs into the hash was the correct strategy to add a moist binding agent. However, two poached eggs were not sufficient to cover the generous portion of hash. I recommend adding a third egg to get the right mix of gator & egg. I also like that the time from order to meals delivered hot to the table was pretty fast although that time observation may have been colored by the good breakfast company."

Pam finally arrived, and ordered something special not on the menu, and the waiter didn't bat an eye. She had her usual eggs over medium with english muffin and grape jelly. Her food choices are crazy, but she has recommended two of my favorite new South Florida breakfast eateries, this place and Nicks in West Palm Beach. So I will keep her!

Google review gives Harry & the Natives three $ for cost. Maybe that's for dinner.... because breakfast for four was about $35. No, not as cheap as Burger King, but a hell of a lot better value!

Go, you won't be sorry!

Harry and the Natives

11910 SE Federal Hwy

Hobe Sound, FL 33455

(772) 546-3061

Jupiter Donut Factory, Jupiter, February 16, 2014

Happy birthday, Monica!

I'm always looking for an excuse to make the haul to Jupiter Donut Factory, and my friend Monica had just tried out JDF the week before and was happy to go again for her birthday.

A new twist this visit is that I tried their biscuits with sausage gravy. And while it was served on a dinky paper plate with a plastic fork, it was scrumptious. Peppery, but not too much so. Monica and family also enjoyed the hot breakfast sandwiches and declared them delicious. But none of that hot protein kept us from indulging in sweet, fresh goodness of donuts. Here's Monica's family's haul:

Unless you  live in Jupiter, this place is out of your way. But it's worth a little road trip. And I guess I will just have to come here again to get a photo of the hot breakfasts....

Jupiter Donut Factory (Tripadvisor)
141 Center St, Jupiter, FL 33458(561) 741-5290

Dune Deck, Lantana, February 9, 2014

This is the place you take your mother-in-law for her birthday. This is the place you go when you don't want to wait at John G's, and yet, you still want to get here early because a line forms at the Dune Deck as well. There is a playground nearby if you have to wait with little ones, and a lovely ocean view with benches if you are waiting with older ones.

Never forget: CASH ONLY. Always important to remember when you are a party of 6 to avoid scrambling at the end of the meal!

View: The ocean in February while the rest of the country freezes? Priceless.

Service: Friendly and fabulous. Waiter picked up on my anxiety and got my son's chocolate chip pancake order in right away, and the food back out to the on-the-edge-of-whining boy quickly. Coffee and water were refilled attentively.

Food: delicious. My in-laws didn't let me take photos of their meals. My daughter ordered a hot dog because she doesn't like breakfast much. Sean had home made corned beef hash and eggs. He loved it.

I had two eggs over easy with potatoes....

Here's what was left of my son's three large pancakes by the time my food arrived:

Mother in law: very very happy. If you talk to the host ahead of time, you can arrange for a birthday key lime pie and a low-key birthday song from the waiters.

Dune Deck
100 N Ocean Blvd
Lantana Beach, Florida. 33462
(561) 582-0472

Hobo's, North Palm Beach, February 6, 2014

I am trying to combine my breakfast eating with visiting with old friends. And this time I remembered a couple of photos, unlike poor Gabriel's in Wellington.

Sara suggested this diner called Hobo's on Northlake Blvd. The parking lot was packed because clearly some pool cleaning company was having a big breakfast meeting and all their trucks with trailers were filling up the parking lot. But I can see why they chose this place: plenty of seating and great food. Lots of police officers eating here when we left, another sign of a good place.

But the food spoke for itself. I had my standard ham and spinach omelette and it was yummy. Good mix of spinach and salty ham and eggs fluffier than I can ever get them at home. I indulged in a biscuit which was big and a wee bit dry, but I had no problem finishing it.

The staff was friendly and yet, also stayed out of the way to let Sara and I catch up. But I did forget to ask my friend how she liked her sandwich. I'll add in her comments later -- it sure looks good, doesn't it?

I can vouch for the fact that she didn't have leftovers!

Sara has a few other breakfast places in her neck of the woods to show me, but I'd have no problem coming back to Hobo's too. Its big red sign is easy to see from the road. The no frills basic diner decor was neat and clean. Family owned, which means they take pride in their work and you get to watch their adorable toddler scamper around the place.

Once my husband finds out they have two signature hot sauces called Bitch Spit and Rude Awakening, he will want to try this place out himself.

Sadly I did not make note of the wifi.

Hobo's Gourmet Kitchen
421 Northlake Blvd.
North Palm Beach, FL 33408
(561) 841-8305

Boynton Diner, Boynton Beach, January 24, 2014

I don't know who is the brains behind the Boynton Diner. But whoever that person is, he or she said, "lo, for I shall serve breakfast on plates bigger than a person's head, and they shall come."

The Boynton Diner is indeed the home of the big-ass (or big-head) breakfast. It's also tasty, inexpensive, and served with a side of sass. What more could you want?

I've been driving past this place since I started working in Delray Beach. It's tucked away in a Publix Shopping plaza at the corner of Woolbright Road and US 1. I had a few minutes this morning and stopped in.

It's your basic diner layout, 2 rooms with booths and tables. It seems clean and smells pleasantly like breakfast. I took a seat at the counter, where all the single men sit, having second helpings of lives' regrets.

But seriously, I sat down and was served immediately. The menu is pretty simple.  

I ordered two eggs over easy and corned beef hash with a side of home fries, as well as coffee. The meal came with toast, and I substituted biscuits at no charge.

The eggs were perfect -- not over- or under-cooked. But it's the corned beef hash that is the standout.  It arrived lightly seared with a crispy crust. Delicious.

The home fries were bland and disappointing, but that's why God invented Tobasco sauce.  I wouldn't order the home fries again, however.

The biscuits were excellent -- light, fluffy and obviously made with butter. The coffee was pretty generic, but served hot and black, so no complaints there.

Two more important points:  The Boynton Diner has free wifi, so hooray for that.

And the diner does not accept credit cards. There is an ATM machine next to the cash register, in case you find yourself short.

All in all, I think I will visit the Boynton Diner again. Their pancake are as big as throw rugs; if they serve those with chocolate chips, I'll gladly end up in a food coma.

Mom's Kitchen, Greenacres, December 21, 2013

It is a thing of gourmet legend -- a hole-in-the-wall diner that has excellent food, great service AND it's cheap. Some people say such a place is merely a myth to entertain children (and old people, who are basically children with more money and incontinence). But I tell you, that place exists. And that place is Mom's Kitchen at 7478 Lake Worth Road, in Lake Worth, Florida.

Mom's is a place you can drive by for decades and never visit, because how good can it be, eh? It looks like a crappy box-diner on the outside, uncomfortably close to busy Lake Worth Road and next door to a motel that's a shoe-in to be a location filming spot for the Florida version of "Breaking Bad."

But once we got inside, we were pleasantly surprised. Mom's Kitchen is small. But it's very clean. It's style is rustic and kitschy, but the old-timey sentimentality isn't overwhelming.  The service was excellent, and we were seated very quickly even though we arrived after 9 am on a busy Saturday.

The menu is lengthy.  All your favorites are probably on it, and if not, the kitchen takes requests. Breakfast is served all day, but they have a good lunch and dinner menu, too.

Coffee is served hot and plentiful. Ice water comes in a large glass -- Mom's knows its customers are thirsty.  The food arrived FAST!

Cindy had a ham, spinach and cheese omelette. They were happy to add spinach to the ham and cheese omelette on the menu. She also had a huge helping of hash browns (very good!) and a biscuit.

 The biscuit wasn't  great -- a little spongey -- but it did a great job of soaking up the extra gravy on Sean's plate.

Sean had a Southern-style Eggs Bendict, which is poached eggs and sausage on a biscuit smothered in gravy.  Home fries came on the side, and Sean ordered bacon as well, because BACON!

The bacon was the kind of big, chunky bacon that doesn't come out of a supermarket package. The Southern eggs benedict was absolutely delicious. And Mom's has its own hot sauce, which is spicy without being scalding. And the hot sauce goes very well with home fries, mmm-mm!

The service was fast and friendly.  And you can pay with cash or by credit card.  Even better, the food is very affordable, so you won't be paying that much.

Inevitably, we'll have to draw comparisons between Mom's Kitchen and another local institution, Deli Inn Diner.  You know we love the Deli Inn Diner.  It's your best chance in Palm Beach County of having a waitress dressed as a superhero, or whatever fun theme they have that week. But the Deli Inn Diner is showing its age, and its food just isn't as good as the offerings at Mom's Kitchen.  Between the two, our tastebuds cast their vote for Mom's.

Nick's Diner, West Palm Beach, October 6, 2013

Nick's again. Mmmm. We've both been thinking about their omelets since we were last there. Sean wanted to take his mom somewhere special, and while John G's is the expected place, and she'd love the Paris Bakery in downtown West Palm Beach, we knew she'd love the food here at Nick's.



Their menu says it all: If you can find a better diner, you should eat there!

So since we've been to Nick's before and raved about it, and we've been busy, it's taken us nearly a week to write this review. Short and sweet: we are glad we came back. Service was good, though my mother-in-law did have to wait a bit for a coffee refill. Restaurant is clean and spacious.

I had the exact same meal: ham, swiss and spinach omelet. It was deeelish. I was full until dinner. Biscuit (not pictured) was great too. 

My mother in law had the special omelet, which, darnit, I forgot what it was. But it obviuosly had tomatoes in it (which is why I didn't get it). You can see her biscuit here.

Sean had the meat lovers omelet PLUS a side of bacon. He has supernaturally good cholesterol so he can do this. He also didn't eat again until dinner though! He declared it fabulous and the biscuit terrific. Maybe he'll add his own flair to this review later. He had no opinion on the coffee this time, as he's drinking tea lately. He was disappointed to (re)find out that they do not do home fries. Which is kinda weird for a breakfast place. They do a decent shredded hash browns, and the omelets and biscuits about make up for the lack of home fries.

Our daughter as usual had lunch for breakfast. Here's her grilled cheese with bacon. She was too hungry to let me take a photo of the whole meal -- but you get the idea.

Again, really love this place. Definitely part of the regular rotation.

Hamburger Heaven, West Palm Beach, September 21, 2013

So we had to drop our daughter off for a beach cleanup on the island of Palm Beach. I thought this'll be a great time to try out some Palm Beach eatery. But when I looked up their menus online, I just could not get excited about spending $24 for a plate of eggs. Oh, I'm sure it'd be delicious, cooked by highly trained French chefs, with eggs from golden chickens. In fact, I worried, what if it is so good, it ruins me for all other breakfast places? Didn't want to take that risk.

Then I remembered the *former* Palm Beach diner, now located on this side of the lake, Hamburger Heaven. It's on Clematis, just down the way from World of Beer, the fountains, and Palm Beach Drama Works. I haven't eaten there since they moved into West Palm, and per their web site, they do serve breakfast. My husband had never eaten there, so it was a chance for me to surprise him again.



One warning about that website: It says Hamburger Heaven opens at 7:30 each morning. Well, when we arrived on Saturday morning, the sign out front said they open at 9:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Luckily we were not early birds, and we were their first customers at 9:01. The waitress explained that the every morning breakfast is only during season, so soon enough, we can all get this fabulous breakfast every day.



Oh, that "fabulous" was some foreshadowing. Because Hamburger Heaven's breakfast is exactly that. Both our meals were terrific.




Sean and I both had home fries, which were served extra crispy. I'd never had home fries prepared like these and I loved 'em. They were probably clogging my arteries, but oh what a way to go. Deelish. My cardiologist will not want me to go back.


I ordered an omelet with ham, swiss cheese and spinach. Usually the egg is just a carrier, and I focus on how much I like the stuffings. But this omelet had the fluffiest eggs I have seen since starting this breakfast adventure. Befitting the name of the restaurant, these eggs were like a cloud. The stuffing was good too.



Meanwhile, Sean had a fruit craving, and indulged in a tower of blueberry pancakes. They smelled divine on my side of the table. Look at all those blueberries inside.



Unbelievably we were the only customers the whole time we were there. What's wrong with you people? It might be named Hamburger Heaven, but they serve up a heavenly breakfast as well. There are several hamburger themed items on the breakfast menu, but we didn't try any of those. The prices were totally realistic and appropriate for those of us living on the mainland. I am sure a breakfast this good, the Palm Beachers are making the journey over the bridge to visit their old favorite haunt.

This place is totally going on the repeat list. To be honest, we are already planning our return visit. So remember how I said I didn't want to risk going to the fancy French Palm Beach eatery because what if I didn't want to go anywhere else? Um, well, Hamburger Heaven turns out to have been more of a risk.

Jupiter Donut Factory, Jupiter, September 19, 2013

Quick trip to Jupiter Donut Factory, to introduce it to my daughter's school mate. Daughter got red velvet, same as last time, and declared her love for it again. I and our friend both got Boston Cream. Delish. While there is a definite sugar buzz -- hello, it's a donut -- but somehow these donuts are more satisfying and filling than the standard commercial chemical filled ones. Mmmm, mmmm. Good donuts.

No pictures, because we were running late, even though it was late-start day for the high school. 

We'll start 15 minutes earlier next time, because I think this trip just became a monthly late-start-day tradition!

Proseccos, Palm Beach Gardens, September 15, 2013

Disclaimer: Prosecco's is owned by friends and former neighbors of ours. Further disclaimer: I am a lousy friend, because it took me years to finally get here and I am kicking myself for that.

Had lunch here last week and it was great. Yummy spinach and feta quiche with a side of roasted sweet potatoes. And I indulged in a decadent dessert afterward, that took all day to finish, and left impressed. So when I realized the birthday of a friend who likes Prosecco was coming up, I proposed meeting here for brunch.

Prosecco's was pretty full on a late Sunday morning. We got a table right away but service was slow. My friend, who is a regular, said that's pretty normal on busy weekends. But the place has a European cafe feel on purpose, and who needs to be in a rush on a Sunday morning.



Our group started with a bread basket, which is full of a variety of delicious breads -- some cheesey, some with dried fruit, some whole grain. And yeah, I didn't get a picture fast enough before most of the bread was snarfed. The bakery really is the star of this cafe.

I also started with a mimosa, which was fine. How can you mess up o.j. and sparkling wine?


After drooling over all the options on the menu, I ordered a Florentine Andi since I'd already tried the quiche. An "andi" is a small sandwich, coming from the Italian "andiamo," meaning "we walk." This breakfast sandwich came on a low-calorie multi grain bread that was delcious, with egg whites and spinach. To be honest, I was a little disappointed, but admittedly it's partially my fault. Egg whites are boring, so the sandwich was a bit bland... at least after the first few bites. The first few bites were incredibly salty. I suspect my sandwich touched something salty, or someone's hand slipped in the kitchen and one end of the eggs got extra salted.

My other concern for this sandwich is -- not that I was planning to walk around -- there's no way anyone could walk around eating this drippy, messy sandwich. The egg whites were much bigger than the bread. I ended up using a knife and fork to keep the food off my fingers and clothes. Meanwhile, the sweet potatoes were excellent again.



The birthday girl had quiche lorraine, and let me have a bite. Mmmm, that's when I fully realized my disappointment with the Florentine Andi was just the nature of the bland choice. The quiche was fabulous and delicious. Excellent crust, but not too thick, and very flavorful filling. She chose the salad as a side.

Her daughter ordered the four cheese quiche and ate it up. Afterward, she thought perhaps she'd gotten a spinach feta quiche by accident, because there was more green in it than justified by a few herbs, but obviously she didn't complain. And since I didn't take a photo of her meal, we will never know what it was!



My daughter ordered a "fancy Italian ham and cheese" as I called it. With prosciutto and thick slabs of mozzarella, it seemed straight out of a cafe in Florence. Sadly, girl child's tastes aren't quite Italian, and she felt it was too much mozzarella, but she did love the prosciutto. She also enjoyed a chocolate chip volcano cookie afterward.



The birthday girl's husband ordered the All American, which was a ham and cheese omelet with potatoes, salad, and a side of bacon. So there are options for those whose tastes aren't so continental. Though, wait, omelets were originally French...? Oh I am so confused.



Service was fine, once we finally got to ordering. Water glasses filled often enough. No one had coffee, so we won't have Sean's coffee review this time. I bet it's good though knowing Alison and Avi!

I recommend this place. It was terrific at lunch, and a mixed bag at a busy weekend brunch time. I plan to take my husband here on a less busy weekday morning to try it again. And I will doubly make sure to order something from the bakery.

Location:

4580 PGA Blvd
Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Prosecco Cafe

Nick's 50's Diner, West Palm Beach, August 24, 2013

Nick's is a '50s-style diner with some foodie twists that will keep you coming back for more.

First, let's deal with the punctuation in the name, "Nick's 50's Diner". Grammar purists will point out that "50's" is wrong, but it's that common kind of wrong usage that will probably be grudgingly accepted in dictionaries, say, 50 years from now. See how I did that? Har-de-har.



Now let's talk about the decor. Nick's is retro-styled in a black-and-white, heavy on the chrome and neon and Formica style that Hollywood tells us all diners looked like in the '50s. You've seen this diner in that movie, you know, the one you can't think of the name, but it stars that girl, you know the one. And that dude. Yeah, that one.

Anyway, you can check out a photo at Nick's website: Nicks50diner.com.

The diner has been around for 25 years. So we have a '50s-style diner, 25 years in the biz, you might think that the menu would be old and stale as well. Such a line of thinking would be incorrect. Just look at the breakfast menu on the back page of the big menu ...

You can see offerings including "Hangover Deluxe," "Sloppy Tex Mex", and "Cuban Egg Sandwich" that I'm pretty sure weren't offered in diners back in the '50s. This is a very good thing.

My point is the familiar retro blandness of Nick's decor might lead people to underestimate its food. I think such people are in for a pleasant surprise.

I'd say that Nick's offers dishes to please any palate, from people who just want two eggs and a big cup of shut up, to people who want an omelette that would choke a goat and friendly staff to talk to you while you gobble it down.

With that in mind, on with the food ...

The Food

I had a "Shepherd's Pie Omelette," which was pretty much a slice of shepherd's pie wrapped in egg and covered with string fries. Yum-yum.

The biscuit that came with it was flaky, golden brown, and delicious. I also ordered bacon, because, hey, bacon! And it was done just right, not over- or undercooked.

Kevin had corned beef hash and scrambled eggs, which came with the most generous serving of corned beef hash I've seen in a long time. And Kevin ate the whole thing, pronouncing it mmm-mm good.

Note that Kevin got grits with his meal, too. Now there are two things about grits. You either love 'em or hate 'em. And restaurants either do grits right, or they don't. The grits at Nick's got Kevin's seal of approval.

The coffee was good and hot, just the way it should be.

Cindy here: I wasn't swayed by all the fancy options, and decided to keep it simple with a make it yourself omelette. My tastebuds said ham and swiss, my new healthy eating habits added spinach. And it was GREAT. It was pretty much three of my favorite foods with a little bit of egg binding it all together. Mmmm, mmmm. I have one easy way to explain how much I liked this omelette: Nick's gives an option of biscuit, which was flaky and perfect on the first bite.... but after trying it, I went right back to my omelette and ate until I was too full to eat my biscuit. Too full? To eat a biscuit?

I was telling my husband four hours later, that I rate a breakfast place not only on the immediate pleasure of the eating experience, but also on the length of time of feeling satisfied. And now here at lunch time, I am all, nah, I'll skip. then I remembered the biscuit which I brought home with me... that was my lunch. Mmmm, mmmm. It could've been better warm. I should've heated it a bit.



Pam had the most interesting breakfast creation. She ordered two eggs over medium, plus rye toast and hash browns. Then she put grape jelly on the toast, and put the eggs between the toast, and ate it like a sandwich. She swears it was good. Her egg yolks were wee bit runny, but definitely not watery as can sometimes happen with eggs over easy. I am totally ordering my eggs like this from now on... but I'll skip the jelly and rye.

Ellie, our daughter, is ambivalent to breakfast other than bacon. Nick's was totally willing to accommodate that, and made her a grilled cheese sandwich ... with bacon on it. She said it was scrumptious and "baconlicious." But she didn't eat her crusts because they were too crispy. She also ordered her customary hot chocolate which she described as very hot, but very good.



Turning it back over to Sean:

The Service

The wait staff was generous with the coffee refills, and checked back on us regularly. The food came quickly and we were out of there in half an hour. I didn't feel rushed; it's just that things went so smoothly.

Memorable note: You get all this and free wifi. Really, what's not to like?

Worth a Return Visit?

I want to go back and try the Sloppy Tex Mex. I can see it as a place where I might sit at the bar with endless coffee refills, stoking up on caffeine and surfing the web until I vibrate right off my seat.

Location

1900 Okechobee Blvd
West Palm Beach, FL
33409

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