It’s us three boys today: Andy, Marek, and Ivo. Ivo appears here in the Parenting Magazine-recommended sack-o-taters hold.
We re-visited The Front Porch in Dunnellon at 12039 North Florida Avenue in Dunnellon on 4 June 2011. We’ve been here bunches of times, most recently back in November 2010. We’ve always loved The Front Porch as a classic example of a well-run small-town diner.
They have a kids’ menu. Even so, Marek says, hey, can I get some help here? I’m only four. I can’t read!
Our very nice waitress was able to help him out.
The Front Porch tables surely come with a dizzying array of condiments, including two types of salt, just in case.
As you might guess from a standard-issue Tampa Bay Breakfast, out came the cars. That’d be Doc Hudson in the foreground. You may remember him from the movie Cars. Marek can recite it from memory. So can I. But I can ALSO recite Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Marek can not. And Ivo, bless him, he can’t recite anything at all.
Even Ivo got to play some cars!
But only after getting training on how to play with cars correctly.
Marek is a calm and patient teacher.
And I’m the Empress of India.
Of course, we had coffee. This is classic diner coffee. Hot, black, and bottomless.
When you ask for a high chair in this place, you’ve got to be sure you’re very clear on what you mean.
We got Baby Ivo’s food factory moving. Here’s a delicious spoonful of baby goop being jammed into his bottomless maw.
We’re all about conveying a sense of wonder in our food writing here at Tampa Bay Breakfasts.
We got a massive breakfast delivery! Marek likes dining with me because I hand him a knife and wish him well in his life. Much like I imagine I’ll do when he’s 18 and I release him into the wilderness to fend for himself.
These are some big pancakes. At least 7.5 inches in diameter. A radius of 3.75 inches. An area of 3.75*3.14 = 11.78 square inches. They were at least a quarter inch deep, giving a volume of 11.78 * .25 = almost three cubic inches. There were two, with a total of 6 cubic inches of delicious. Check my math!
Marek didn’t want pancakes, but he DID graciously volunteer to take care of that whipped cream for Ivo.
Ivo had his first ever own full pancake. He enjoyed the blueberry eyes. Presumably because they were blueberries, not because they were representations of actual human or mouse eyeballs that he was imagining actually consuming, because that would be creepy.
In fact, both boys were quite happy with this breakfast. As folks with kids know, getting everyone happy at the same time is a trick skill, and it never lasts.
Marek took this picture. He’s pretty good with that camera!
We all paused for a good dose of breakfast java. Ivo’s is con leche, natch.
The bill came. That was a lot of chow for about $11 bucks.
Marek paid the bill!
And he even brought the change. Check out the folks on the left watching him. The dining area was quite impressed with Marek’s mad skillz.
Consistently great chow here. Folks even remembered us, and almost everyone is a regular. Price is right and it’s always a lot of fun. We’re pleased to confirm The Front Porch’s Tampa Bay Breakfasts rating of four and a half pancakes.
