Monthly Archives: January 2010

Revisit to Pop-n-Sons

We revisited Pop-n-Sons diner on 30 January 2010. Our first visit was back in May 2009. We had a fine time then, and we had a fine time today. As you can see from the sign, they have a special on scrapple. Grandpaw will be interested to know that!

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Check out the neat mural of a drive-in out on the front porch.

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This Tampa Bay Breakfast was a real treat. We had our favorite guest reviewer, Mom!

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Here’s a nice touch. We sit down and automatically they bring us crayons.

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This never happens to me when I’m alone, so I’m taking advantage of the crayons! Also, check out my kickin’ LISA09 shirt! Am I a nerd or what? Don’t make fun of me, Hugh, you’ve got the same shirt.

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Marek says, hey old man, you’re always making me give you a kiss. How ’bout un beso for me?

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Here’s a nice menu. Not the most comprehensive menu in town, but all the basics are here. And the prices are reasonable, too.

We had some coffee. This pitch-black swill was like having a cup of used battery acid mixed with old Mac truck motor oil. By which I mean it was perfect. This is some great diner coffee!

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Even Mom got into the act. Though she doesn’t appreciate the concept of “diner coffee” so she tried the hot chocolate instead. She’s so cute.

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Watch out! Here comes breakfast! This is a fine spread. We jumped into having three pancakes because we remembered them being a bit small on our last visit. Like that Grabby McGrab paw coming in from the left? There was an actual “yoink” sound.

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Marek didn’t seem to care for the pancakes, but he surely loved that bacon!

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Our guest reviewer said that the French toast was the best she’s had all day. She’s “in a family way,” which pretty much means that anything she eats has to taste good both going down AND coming back up. We’ll see what happens.

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Marek wondered if I had something special going on over here. Of course I did — I had breakfast! Marek had best watch out, he’s coming in through the Breakfast Spider entrance.

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Marek declined to pay the bill today. Something about how he was having a bout of sympathetic morning sickness. But the bill for two-and-a-half was a shade over 17 bucks. A little pricey, maybe, but not the most expensive we’ve seen.

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On the way out the door, we got into a philosophical discussion about pops with nice lady. Is there truly anything finer than to see a bowl of pops like this?

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By the time we got home, the pops had done the trick. Check out that tongue!

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We had a very nice re-visit to Pop-n-Sons Diner. The breakfast is good eating, the prices are OK, and the people are super-nice from start to finish. The 50s diner motif is always fun. And breakfast with Mom is always a winner! Thanks, Mom, for joining us!

We’re pleased to re-affirm this Tampa Bay Breakfast’s four-pancake rating!

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The Olympic Cafe

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Have you ever noticed how breakfast is everywhere? North Tampa. South Tampa. St. Pete. Levy County. You can even get a decent breakfast in the Industrial Park.

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We visited the Olympic Cafe at 5011 W. Hillsborough Avenue on 23 January 2010. This was our first visit to the Olympic Cafe. They have a nice little web site at http://www.theolympiccafe.com/. And while you’re in the parking lot letting your craggy old man take your picture, you can look up and see airplanes taking off from Tampa International.

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We walked into a warm, cozy little cafe in the middle of the industrial park. Not many people here, but those who were seemed to be locals and regulars. That’s always a good sign. One nice lady informed us that these would be the best pancakes we ever had. Of course, she had no idea that she was talking to Tampa Bay’s only working Pancake Professionals. We know pancakes! And we like eating them, too!

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When we got settled, we found ourselves right in the middle of a championship race between a Tonka pickup truck and a Ferrari. Grand prize was to be king of the world. Or pancakes.

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The Ferrari won. No surprises there. Though after the race I inspected the undercarriage and found a significant design flaw in the drive train. Apparently they thought a rear differential should hang out like redneck’s beer belly. How are you supposed to win races like that? Also, the Ferrari seemed to have four little donut spare tires on it. What are the boys in Maranello thinking?

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And then a Breakfast Spider got the Tonka pickup truck. While Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla” did not conveniently start playing on the house radio, it was playing in my head.

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Oh No! The Breakfast Spider is after Marek! Go, Dog, go! Err, I mean, Run, Marek, Run! Run away! Run away!

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Whew. That was a close one. After shooing away the spiders we had a look at the menu. We found something special: Greek coffee. We got us some. And pancakes. We got pancakes for sure.

The coffee was great. We usually have diner coffee. Sometimes we get Cuban coffee or Cafe Con Leche. But this was our first ever Greek coffee for breakfast.

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The nice lady said that they even have Turkish folks come in to have gyros. But the Turks never seem to ask for Greek coffee. I’m not surprised. Greeks and Turks are not known for cheery relations. Marek, who is actually Turkish if you believe the stories he tells (he claims to be from Adana, walks around saying “merhaba,” and likes to quote Ataturk speeches), said that he would break the mold and try some Greek coffee too. But he refused to discuss the issue of Cypress. It’s always politics with this kid. Don’t get him started.

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Between the fiery Mediterranean politics and the Breakfast Spiders, I thought we were doomed. But then, thankfully, breakfast came. Check out this nice spread.

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The pancakes are thicker than a Ferrari!

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Marek wasted no time! He asked for pepper, but I have to lay down SOME law with the boy, lest he think I’m just some pushover.

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While we were having a nice breakfast experience, the proprietress came out to check on us. It’s always a fine thing to have this kind of visit; it’s a mark of pride you don’t see every day. We had a nice discussion about how Greeks are great cooks. Then we got a complimentary Greek treat, some Greek rice pudding!

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Marek went to pay the bill, but he fell down. He cried out how he was Dante descending into Inferno. I pointed out to him that Dante was Italian, not Greek. And Dante started his journey on Good Friday, which is months from now. Sheesh. Kids these days.

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Finally he sorted it out and found the register. The tab was about 8 clams. Not too bad!

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When we were done we sat in the back of the car and talked about it. Kind of odd location. Food was pretty good. Price was right. Greek coffee was excellent. Complimentary rice pudding was sweet, both literally and figuratively. People were exceptionally nice. What do you think? Four pancakes? Yeah, dad, let’s say four pancakes. Done. Also, check out my super Save Yankeetown t-shirt. You can’t buy these at Wal-Mart!

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We’re pleased to award the Olympic Cafe with a Tampa Bay Breakfasts rating of four pancakes.

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When we were driving home, Marek wanted to take pictures with my phone. I handed it to him. When I got home, he had emailed me this picture. I didn’t even know my phone could email a picture. Kids these days. Impressive!

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The Dome Grill

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Have you seen our Tampa Bay Breakfast Map? It’s really heavy on Hillsborough County. We didn’t give Pinellas County nearly enough pancake love in 2009. Marek says, hey freezer geezer, let’s pull one of these breakfast recommendations out of the bucket and head across the bridge. I fired up the Breakfast Mobile whilst Marek sat in the Navigator seat and directed.

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We landed at The Dome Grill at 561 Central Ave in St. Pete. This was our first visit to The Dome.

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The Dome was recommended by our friend Aleshea. If you hear one voice rising above the cacophony of the Tampa Bay area, it’s probably Aleshea. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is The Official Poet of Tampa Bay Breakfasts. She’s our current favorite driving-to-breakfast music. She’s all that, AND she can repair the suspension on a military-grade Humvee.

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The inside of The Dome is quite nice. It’s a place where you order and pay at the counter, then they call your number for you to come collect your pancakes. There was a locals vibe, and everyone we met was friendly as family.

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There’s what looks like a kickin’ little take-away bakery here. There’s baklava there … do you think The Dome is actually a Greek place? Do historians know for sure that Plato, Socrates, Aristotle did NOT have blueberry pancakes for breakfast every day? Epicurus would have, fo sho, yo, if here weren’t so pent up.

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Here’s the centerpiece, though. This is pure artwork. An object of reverence, aptly placed on an altar in the center of the room. I saw this and knew I was in the hands of coffee passion. Oh, the deliciousness that it contained.

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This coffee ought to come with a disclaimer — it’s so good you might forget where you parked. Look at that perfect color. In RGB terms, that is #000000.

Check out our Official Poet playing trucks by herself back there. Sure, one might assume that Marek’s across the table from her, but that would be an assumption, now wouldn’t it?

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OK, I’m just kidding. Marek really is there playing cars. Which is a nice segue into introducing Bryan, a fine musician, a photographer of exceptional talent, and Aleshea’s main squeeze!

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Enough with the chit-chat, long chops! Get to the breakfast! (Marek typed that.)

We all had some really fine chow this morning! Bryan and Aleshea come here often, but they tried new things today in the spirit of being Guest Reviewers.

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Marek couldn’t keep to his own and jumped into mine. He helped me out by making sure there were enough finger-holes in my pancakes. Whudda guy.

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The eggs were great, the bacon was fine, though not Steve-Standard, but the pancakes were simply awesome. These were really, really good pancakes. I’d say second only to Skyway Jacks for the bay area. Throw in some blueberries and we might have a little competition on our hands here.

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Really good pancakes. I went to check on the menu and it’s true, they serve breakfast all day. All day breakfast is one of those marvels of the world, like plumbing or calculus, where you might not come across it every day but when you do you think, now here’s something worthy of note.

Marek washed it all down with juice. He had to build up his strength …

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… for playing more cars! Cars!

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When we were done, we dropped a stack of Tampa Bay Breakfasts business cards with the rest of the fliers. We’re spreadin’ the good word about breakfasts throughout the Tampa Bay Area (and the Levy-Citrus-Marion Tri-County Area, too, of course). There’s no pancake we will leave unflipped in our quest to visit every mom-n-pop breakfast shop there is.

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Man, we like breakfast. No, we are not nutcases. Well, maybe Marek a little bit, but I’m perfectly sane.

So what about The Dome Grill? This Dome is to breakfast what Brunelleschi’s Dome is to free-standing stone domes in the Northern Italian Renaissance. It’s rock-solid and it sets a standard for others to follow. It’s different in that it’s not in Florence and was not built using the cantilever method. All four of us for about 24 clams. Great chow. Neat location. This is a fine Tampa Bay Breakfast. We’re pleased to give The Dome four and a half pancakes.

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Aleshea says that we also need to try that place across the street …

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The Brunchery

Gobbler’s Eatery

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It’s New Year’s Eve! Marek’s visiting his grandparents in Inglis for the weekend, so we’re taking a road trip for breakfast this morning. Marek packed provisions, like a good little boyscout.

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We got stopped by a train on our way out of Tampa. Check out this cherry Mustang in front of us! That’s one sweet ride! Of course, me, Marek, and the pancake-mobile could take him in the quarter-mile, but let’s keep it friendly, folks. We’re just going for breakfast.

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Marek got to choose the music for the ride. As you can see here, he was greatly torn between the latest Marylin Manson and the local musician collection “Amasura,” put out by the Withlacoochee Area Residents. He ended up choosing acoustic songs about the river. He said, but dad, we’re going to the Nature Coast. We’ve gotta set the right mood!

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We crossed the Withlacoochee and rolled into Inglis right at 0900. That’s the famished hour for Pancake Professionals like us!

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We visited Gobbler’s Eatery at 14 Highway 19 North on 31 December 2009. This was, obviously, our last breakfast of the year. Gobbler’s has a web site at http://www.gobblerseatery.com/. We’ve been to Gobbler’s a bunch of times. If you count when this restaurant was first opened as the Riverland Cafe back twenty-some years ago, I’ve been there probably 50 times in all my natural born life.

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“Camouflage” is a primary color, just like red, green, and blue. These doors hit the TBB checkbox for unique feature! And yes, the latrines are detached. Makes you think twice about having to “go” if it’s raining out!

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Inside you’ll find a very warm and homey place. Comfortable in every sense. Almost by definition it’s full of regulars; Inglis isn’t very big and, frankly, there’s not much to draw folks in from out of town. Just like at Hickory Island, we were a little disappointed that we didn’t know more people, but we did know some. When we left we already knew more.

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This was a special breakfast for us. Not only is it our last breakfast of the year, but we had a celebrity guest! All year long, folks have been asking me, “who is Steve?” Steve’s a fellow in Yankeetown we’ve known for years. He’s one of those rare individuals who understands just how Important a Breakfast can be. It’s about gosh-darned time we have him as a guest reviewer.

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After such a long ride in the car, Marek was, I’ll admit, a little cooped-up feeling. While we waited for breakfast, all he wanted to do was play.

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And play.

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And then breakfast came. That’s Steve’s son James with us also. James is the bartender at VFW post 8698, where I used to be a member until we moved to Tampa and I joined post 424. If you go to the VFW and see James, tell him you know him from Tampa Bay Breakfasts — and make sure to give him a big tip!

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When the pancakes landed, Mighty Marek was there with the speed of toast popping! This picture doesn’t lie; he actually made a little sonic boom, he moved so fast!

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When was the last time you took a group picture with Your breakfast? If you haven’t lately, you should make a point of it.

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Marek wasted no time putting the hurt on these quality pancakes.

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He puts pepper on pancakes. I figure, hey, you’re a grown man, Marek. You can make your own decisions. Whacko.

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This is a pretty good spread for the price. We even got a biscuit, in case our friend Doug Dame of Biscuit Fame is reading. And while not pictured here, the coffee was dark like the unchanged oil of an old mudding truck, bitter like battery acid. In other words, just the way we like it.

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When we were done, Marek paid the bill.

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And can you believe it? There’s a box of toys back there! Marek got a little airplane to take home! Now THAT’s a nice touch.

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Marek always gets the girls. Heck, he can recite the sensual poetry of Pablo Neruda AND he can bench press 250 pounds. He’s a dream!

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When it was all done, all we could say was, this was a fine way to wrap up a year of Pancake Pondering. We’ve had breakfasts all over the Tampa Bay area, in Hernando, Citrus, and Levy counties, and even in Germany. We’ve had some good ones and some bad ones. And this was a good one. Price for four was around 25 clams. Breakfast was large and good. Coffee bottomless. Unique place full of locals. And it’s in my hometown. Thanks, Steve and James for being part of our last 2009 breakfast!

We’re pleased to give Gobbler’s Eatery a Tampa Bay Breakfast rating of four and a half pancakes. Have a great new year!

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Now that the official part is done, when we left Gobblers we went to The End of the Road to play for a little while. A true Pancake Professional knows when to eat and he knows when to play!

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