John G’s, Manalapan, August 17, 2013

We had breakfast at what is arguably the most famous breakfast restaurant in Palm Beach County, John G’s, and it’s taken several days to get to a review. Was it that awful? NO! It was as good as claimed and it’s taken us this long to absorb it all. (Actually we’ve been busy, but that’s beside the point.)

John G’s used to be located at the Lake Worth Beach until construction there caused them to move in 2012 to the Plaza Del Mar near the Lantana beach, in the town of Manalapan, across from the Ritz Carlton. Soon after John G's moved there, the Lantana Bridge closed for a year of construction. "Son of a ..."

Despite the obstacles, John G’s appears to be doing just fine.

Besides its great food, John G’s has been famous for decades for customers waiting up to an hour to get in. Cindy avoided this place because she doesn’t believe in waiting in line for an hour for breakfast. She had eaten here only once before, in 1990, because a friend worked in the kitchen and snuck her in the back way. 

Sean, similarly adverse to lines, had NEVER eaten at John G’s in 30 years of living in South Florida! But we figured, if we are going to blog about breakfast in South Florida, we have to go to John G’s. This meant getting there at 7:30 to avoid the lines. 

First Impressions

At 7:30 a.m., our big party of 8 was seated right away. When we left at 8:30, the place was quite full, but no line had formed yet. So the trick for this place is: don’t sleep in!

Our friends who regularly visit John G’s said the décor and tables are the same as the previous restaurant, but the space is slightly bigger, which means less bumping into other customers.

The Food

Dishes we tried: 

Willet kids: CRUNCH HONEY GRANOLA FRENCH TOAST

French Toast with almonds pecans & raisins & peanuts. 

Also, bacon! Mmmm .... bacon.

Sean: HAWAIIAN OMELET Filled with a colorful array of sautéed vegetables, topped with our special cheese sauce, with a grilled pineapple garnish. Incredible! $9.25. 

This omelette was delicious, and extra points for being something we haven't seen at other restaurants. The waitress said this was a customer favorite. 

Cindy: STUFFED CROISSANT.  It comes with scrambled eggs, chopped ham, and our great cheese sauce. Served with hash browns or grits. $8.75.  

 

This was fabulous. Served with fruit and four tomato slices. The eggs and ham were overflowing the croissant, but each forkful was a good balance of egg, ham and bread. I had leftovers believe it or not, and it was just as yummy the next day.

Laurie: THE ORIGINAL CINNAMON-NUT FRENCH TOAST Featuring our special thick-sliced bread, liberally coated with sliced almonds & a hint of cinnamon sugar.  $8.10.  

Sean tried one of these and it was incredible. The toast was flaky and crunchy while also chewy and delicious. It's probably the best french toast ever. There -- the gauntlet is thrown down!

Jerry: CORNED BEEF HASH Topped with two poached eggs, buttered toast and jelly.  $9.50 

The presentation of the food was gorgeous. And the portions were ridiculously huge, except for the corned beef hash. Yet 6 out of 8 of us were able to finish our breakfasts. This place is a diet buster, because you will want to eat every bite.

Each dish also comes with a choice of fruit cup (made with chopped fresh fruit, not canned) or a glass of juice.And finally, many restaurants claim they serve gourmet coffee, but John G's actually delivers. You'll want more, if you're a coffee drinker. John G's also offers a nice selection of teas.

The Service

The staff was attentive without being too pushy, and they were quick to accomodate our large party.

Memorable Note

John G's also has a bar, so if you're in the mood for spirits with your breakfast, you can go eat in the bar.  You don't see that every day.

But really, if you want to take visitors out for a memorable breakfast in South Florida, take them to John G's. They'll brag about it when they get back home.  

Worth a Return Visit?

Heck, yeah! And we won't wait decades to go back.

Location:

264 So. Ocean Blvd.
Manalapan, Fl

http://john-gs.com/

Paris Bakery and Café, West Palm Beach, August 3, 2013

Cindy suggested this because Paris Bakery and Café is rated #1 for breakfast places in West Palm Beach according to Trip Advisor.  There was plenty of parking (I used a metered spot on a side street). We set the bar high going in.

First Impressions

It’s a slice of Paris in the middle of West Palm Beach. The restaurant itself is clean and decorated in a Parisian theme. The staff is friendly.  You can sit outside, though my companions chose inside service. The restaurant was busy at 9 am on a Saturday, but not crowded.

The Food

The food was delicious. I had the Crêpe Country, which is a crêpe wrapped around scrambled eggs, chicken, avocado, red onion and spinach. That tastes as good as it sounds. It came with a side of home-fried potatoes.  The potatoes were also very tasty. Mine were a little soft, but my companions had no complaints.  The coffee was bold, dark, and delicious.

We also got sliced baguette bread on the side. The owner told us he made the bread fresh that morning, and it certainly tasted that way. Yum-yum. They asked us if we wanted more; I did, but thought it better for my waistline to ask them to hold off.

Cindy had the Crêpe HO! LA! LA! -- crêpe with 2 eggs any style, ham, Brie cheese, spinach, avacado and fried potatoes on the side. I had a bite and I think that’s what I’m having next time. The brie cheese makes it (though the avocado really was a treat).

As for our companions, Barbara had Crêpe Surprise -- crêpe with 2 eggs any style and mozzarella cheese. Jerry had a vegetarian crêpe dish. Everybody was very happy with their food.

The coffee cups were a source of amusement. Barbara didn't like the funky one finger opening to hoild the hot hot ceramic. The coffee was delish, so she kept making the effort. She was much happier with the glass mug with the bigger handle that she got later. The boys enjoyed showing off their finger strength lifting their mugs with gusto.

The Service

The service was excellent, attentive, and prompt. The serving lady’s charming French accent added to the experience. More than one serving person checked on us, and I believe two of them were the owners/managers.

One Memorable Note

The Paris Café is cramped.  My chair was constantly being brushed and bumped by service people going by, even though I pulled up tight to the table and even shifted my chair around the table. I put my arm down and felt my elbow slide along flesh, then realized it was the buttock of one of the servers who was standing thatclose to me. There are times when I don’t mind being surrounded by female buttocks pressing in around me, but breakfast isn’t one of them. Or maybe I’m a cranky pants.

Thinking about it, I probably had the worst seat in the house. But there isn’t much room anywhere inside. If personal space is an issue for you, be sure to sit outside.

Would we go back again? Oh, la, la! Of course we would. I can't wait to try some of their other dishes, which you can find here: http://www.parisbakerycafe.com/menu

Location:

212, S. Olive Avenue

West Palm Beach

FL 33401

tel : 561-820-9281

Howley's Restaurant, West Palm Beach, July 27 2013 and June 29, 2013

Love it. Been here for dinner and lunch several times. Great old diner that is an institution, but has been modernized and made hip. Fabulous murals in parking lot and on north side of restaurant. Indoor and outdoor seating, booths and tables.

Sean and I came here for breakfast and loved it.

On this Saturday, we took our friends Barbara and Jerry.

Sean and Jerry had the spinach, tomato, feta omlettes. They cleaned their plates.

Barbara tried the classic eggs and potatoes breakfast, plus biscuit and gravy... is that what's it called? It didn't work for her. Unusual flavor reminded her of curry which she's not fond of. Sean and Jerry tried it and said it was okay, but not a favorite.

I had a florentine benedict. Florentine benedict was great. I sometimes shy away from benedicts because they can be drowning in cloying sauce, but this was served with light hand and was yummy.

I also got sweet potato fries, which is usually a later meal type food, but they'll cook them up fresh for breakfast and they are great. We shared those.

Unusual eclectic art work for sale on the walls.

Memorable for the art work, and kitchiness, and tattooed waiters.

We had gone with our daughter on an earlier occasion, as we were just thinking about starting this project. I had a classic two eggs over easy with potatoes. Plus biscuit. Here's a pic when I was halfway through the meal. Yes, I'm a horrible person who eats her eggs with ketchup.  Don't judge me. The food was good, the eggs well cooked, the biscuit was meh.

The Howley's kitchen was totally cool with our daughter's request for a bacon and cheese quesadilla.. She loved it, and wanted more. Again, pic is halfway through the meal.... We will get better at this.

Sean's review of our first breakfast visit: Corned beef hash, poached eggs, biscuit, and sweet potato fries.

The corned beef hash was a bit dry, as is fashionable nowadays, and delicious.  The eggs were poached perfectly.  The biscuit was too dry, and crumbled when I tried to dip it in Cindy's egg yolk.  The sweet potato fries were excellent and came in a huge, heaping portion.

Nice waitress, very attentive.  Coffee was good and hot. Ellie's hot chocolate arrived very hot and no whipped cream on top.

Location:

4700 S Dixie Hwy
West Palm Beach, FL 33405

(561) 833-5691

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