Benny's on the Beach, Lake Worth, Sept 14, 2013

Benny's on the Beach is a Lake Worth tradition. It's been on the Lake Worth Pier for years, and during many of those years it competed with John G's which was right across the street. So how did Benny's compete? With arguably the best view in Palm Beach County, and delicious food at reasonable prices.

John G's has since moved, but Benny's is still there -- and we went there for breakfast this morning. Diners at Benny's start with three choices -- eat inside, eat outside on a deck/porch, or eat on the "upper deck," a kind of Florida room (large, screened-in windows that are open to the breeze) on the top floor.

For me, the view in the Florida room is the best, and, it has the advantage of being a little cooler than the porch on hot days -- and this was a hot day -- and the seagulls can't come by and poach your food.

I had two eggs over easy, corned beef hash, home fries, whole wheat toast and a slice of melon. It was delicious -- the home fries especially are done expertly. And the melon is perfectly ripe. The corned beef hash was good but not especially memorable.

 However, as good as it is, it is NOT as good as the "heaven on a plate" at John G's.  So, it's safe to say the biggest winner in John G's move south to Manalapan was Benny's. 

Cindy here: I ordered the stuffed croissant -- which is a toasted croissant split, and stuffed with eggy, hammy goodness, with a dollop of cheese sauce over the top. I had the same thing at John G's, and yeah, of course Benny's wasn't as good. I don't know what John G's does, must be magic, but it's not fair to compare other restaurants with whatever they are doing at John G's. John G's is gone from Lake Worth Beach, and Benny's should be considered on its own. And this stuffed croissant was absolutely delicious. I ate it all up, Weight Watchers points be damned!

I also had potatoes, but the croissant was enough for me, and I shared most of mine with Sean.

back to Sean: Cindy and I also shared some biscuits and gravy. Benny's was good, but not as good as the biscuits and gravy at the Deli Diner Inn.  Deli Diner Inn's biscuits and gravy is so good I expect we'll learn one day that at least one of the ingredients is illegal.  Benny's was okay. Thankfully we only got a half serving to share as they were fairly swimming in over-peppered gravy.

Ellie ordered off the lunch menu, and the waitress had no problem with that -- always good news if your kids can be somewhat finicky. Ellie had a beef quesadilla and frieds. The fries were delicious, Sean and Ellie say. Ellie liked it well enough... but was a bit disappointed by the presence of green pepers in it that hadn't been mentioned in the menu, She managed to pick around them.

The coffee was good and hot, and the waitress was generous with refills. I could hear the sea from my window seat, but my daughter, seated further inside the room around the table, says she couldn't hear the waves over the whir of the electric fans.

Overall, I'd say come to Benny's for a good breakfast, and you'll really enjoy the view. If you have time, you can take a nice walk on the beach as well. The best thing about Benny's is the location, and the food is good, too.

Toojays, Lake Worth, September 5, 2013

Toojays is a chain, but it's a South Florida chain. And also, they make good consistent breakfast, so that's where I went today.

The dangerous part of Toojays is their fabulous dessert case that you have to walk past to get to the dining room. And after you order, the waitress hands you a dessert menu, even though you ordered breakfast and it's only 10 a.m., and she kindly prompts you that you can get something to go for later. And then she'll ask two more times before you leave to make sure. Their desserts are to die for, but my pal and I managed to escape without any desserts.



I had a spinach, ham and swiss omelette. Even though that wasn't an option on the menu. I appreciate a kitchen that will accommodate. The waitress gave me a long list of options that included home fries and grits and tomatoes, but before I chose, my pal let me know that if I ask, I can get a potato pancake. Wheee! This is a good friend -- she didn't even know I love potato pancakes. And so I did...

My potato pancake was delightful -- crunchy on outside and creamy potato-y on the inside. I ate it up along with my chock-full omelette and it was delightful in each bite. My friend had eggs, poached medium with homefries and a bagel. We both pretty much cleaned our plates.

We chose Toojays today for its location and good food, but also because on a slow Friday mid-morning, we knew they wouldn't rush us out. We dawdled quite awhile catching up, and other than repeated suggestions of visiting the dessert case, we weren't hassled by the waitress. I unfortunately do not have a photo of the dessert case to impress you with, because if I'd looked, I would've bought....

A good time was had by all for less than $15. Toojays is a great spot all over South Florida and up the Treasure Coast for a consistent great meal at decent prices. And if you are ready for dessert, in the restaurant or to take home, they are more than willing to make you happy!

Location:
All over!
Check the website: www.toojays.com

Posted with Blogsy

Cup N Saucer, Lake Worth, June 23, 2013

To kick off our new eating adventure of trying local restaurants in the South Florida area, Cindy and I – joined by our native Sherpa guide Eleanor – went for Sunday breakfast at the Cup ‘n Saucer.

I very much wanted to go to the Cup ‘n Saucer because, months back, while Eleanor and I stood in line at the Publix Deli for sub sandwiches, we were approached by a wise (?) old man who got into a rambling conversation with us.  He brought up the Cup ‘n Saucer, and said that they used local fruits in their dishes. That stuck in my mind lo these many months. Finally, I had an opportunity to check it out.

First Impressions

The Cup ‘n Saucer has a big sign out front on the marquee that says Café, a smaller sign says “Cup ‘n Saucer”. Online, it is billed as the Cup & Saucer Bagel Shop, but I didn’t see that title, and bagels aren’t emphasized. It was busy, but we were able to get seated right away at 9:30 on a Sunday morning.

The staff is genial, and there is an actual surplus of wait staff, which is a nice surprise if you don’t like being left to fidget  when you're hungry. Ridiculous number of servers we thought. But we realized later we were early. The place filled up fast, and had a line out the door as we were leaving. 

The décor was simple and traditional, as was the menu. The restaurant was clean. Napkins are paper, the dishes seem to come from a basic café catalog.  

Sitting in the place, you wouldn't know if you were in South Florida, Virginia or New Jersey. That’s okay, especially if you like to ease into your morning. If you like Florida flavor, look elsewhere.

Prices are very affordable for just about anybody’s wallet. The menu was plastic and legible while containing just enough punctuation errors to provide some amusement for grammarians like ourselves.

The Food

The food listed on the menu is basic breakfast food, with no stand-out signature dishes that I could see. I asked about fruit, and the waitress guided me to the specials menu and the Banana Nut French Toast.  It’s billed as “Homemade Banana Nut bread dipped in our special batter grilled golden brown with fresh strawberries and whipped crème.”

It was delicious. The bread was brown and crispy, the banana flavor was strong without being overpowering, the nuts made a nice contrast, the crème did not taste canned, and the strawberries were fresh. I received two pieces of banana nut bread, along with large dollops of crème and enough sliced strawberries to get strawberries in most every bite. Syrup was on the table, and nothing fancy.

I also had coffee, which was basic but hit the spot.

Cindy had a spinach & feta quiche, with a side of fresh chopped fruit (strawberries, melon and honeydew melon) and a biscuit. The quiche was great. 

Eleanor had a cup of hot chocolate topped with a skyscraper of crème, as well as chocolate chip pancakes (two large) and a side of bacon (two). The bacon was crispy and delicious, and Eleanor tore into the pancakes like we starve her. There were a smattering of chocolate chips but not overwhelming, which is a contrast to the Dune Deck Café at Manalapan/Lantana Beach, which dishes up a huge amount of chocolate chips in its pancakes.

I asked Eleanor which she preferred, and she said likes the less-chocolatey texture of the pancakes at the Cup ‘n Saucer. As for myself, I’m keen on the Dune Deck Café pancakes, because it’s like you’re sneaking dessert for breakfast. Mmm … chocolate.

The Service

The service at the Cup ‘n Saucer was excellent. They gave us time to look at the menu but did not neglect us. The waitress was helpful. My coffee cup was filled often. We weren't rushed out of there, but we weren't going to linger on a diner's busy Sunday morning, either.

Overall:  The Cup ‘n Saucer is a basic diner that dishes up good food, and I can see why it has a loyal fan base. I could see eating there more than once – I have yet to try their home fries and hash, which are two of my weekend breakfast staples. However, there is no local color or signature menu items, so tourists looking for that might want to look elsewhere.

Location:

6169 S Jog Rd Ste C10
Lake Worth, FL 33467

(561) 966-4997