We visited Darrell and Sharon’s Park Street Diner at 4131 Park Street North in St. Pete on 7 January 2012. This was our fist visit to Darrell and Sharon’s and our first breakfast of the new year.

I bet you’re wondering how we get started for a Tampa Bay Breakfast. The very first thing we do is pack the Pancake Celica like it’s a clown car in a Shriner’s parade.

It’s a gloomy day in Tampa Bay. For our shivering friends north of the 45th parallel, this is what the Dead-o-Winter looks like for us. We’re wearing jackets. Not to rub it in or anything.

Folks who don’t live around here have to pay good money at a zoo to see a white ibis. We just wait until they show up in our front yards.

Today we’re way on the other side of the bay visiting Darrell and Sharon’s Park Street Diner and along the way we found our old friend Aleshea, Poet of Breakfast, in town for a quick visit.

Marek brought every character from Cars. Aleshea was so impressed she pulled out her camera.

Yes, that’s Dyneco Lightning, The King, Normal Lightning, Some Unnamed Car from the big race, and Doc Hudson.

By this time, thank goodness, we had coffee for me, tea for Aleshea, and hot chocolate for Marek. The folks working at Darrell and Sharon’s were really nice and offered us high chairs and booster seats. We politely declined: Marek’s big enough and Ivo’s got to learn some time.

Darrell and Sharon’s is small and cozy inside.

I just take these pictures with my mobile phone. Nothing fancy. Sometimes they turn out good. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes a mistake is worth sharing. Like this one of Aleshea’s hand morphing into an enormous claw. In case you’re wondering, that didn’t actually happen. But cool picture.

Us coffee and tea drinkers all had a good “cheers” and a lovely start to a great morning. Breakfast is always better with friends.

The menu has some classics. We love places that serve “Artery Cloggers” and “Eggs Bubba-Dict.” That’s a sign of character, fun, and good cooking, in our opinion.

Here’s little Ivo with a coffee creamer. He managed to gnaw right through it.

Just like he did back in May 2011 when we last had breakfast with Aleshea.

This is a posed shot. I asked Aleshea to re-do for the camera. Because she thought this was honey and poured into her tea, and then says, “I wonder if that’s actually syrup.” Aleshea: Poet, singer, playwright, actress, teacher … and now, goofball.

Breakfast came like a freight train. This is Marek, arguing with me about how he doesn’t want those potatoes on his plate. His cred is shot, though, because he’s wearing his shirt backwards. What can I say, on dad-mornings he gets to dress himself completely unsupervised.

Some nice blueberry pancakes here. Powdered sugar is a nice touch.

No problem at all working the shovel over here. Marek approves of the eggs.

We actually did let Ivo have more than just creamers. He also ate his way through several pats of butter before I caught him doing it. Then he moved on to my pancakes.

Man-sized boy right there. He doesn’t even know he’s small.

Marek’s all done with his eggs and bacon and he is NOT touching those potatoes, so now, apparently, he’s just sitting here telling jokes and then laughing at them. He’s four, so the jokes are pretty much, “look! It’s a blueberry daddy! Hahahahhahahahahahahahaaa!”

Gratuitous cute shot with little actual breakfast merit.

The check weighed in at around $22 for the four of us. Not bad for a morning’s breakfast.

Will Ivo pay the bill? He’s interested.

But Marek’s ready.

And off we go to perform the transaction. So far, he hasn’t figured out to add a Marek Tax to this part. I figure by the end of the year he’ll be doing that.

While we were there the place filled up. Marek’s an old pro and can always find the register. Not shown here is Ivo, who is wandering table to table, asking, “am I cute?”

After breakfast we sat and chatted for a while. Here’s Aleshea talking about can you believe I put this ketchup in my tea thinking it was honey?

Heading out. Marek dragging his bag of cars. Notice his awesome fireman boots! Also, we’re overdue for the shout out to Aleshea’s play being run at freeFall Theater this year. Check out http://freefalltheatre.com/show_pages/riptied.html and see why we’re such big fans of Aleshea!

On the way home we stopped at the park. We actually went to the playground, though it would be interesting to just take pictures at park signs and never get to go in and play.

Another great breakfast day in Florida. Thanks, Aleshea, for joining us! Good chow, friendly people, lots of locals getting “the usual.” Clearly a good, local, mom-n-pop place, just like we like ’em. We’re pleased to give Darrell and Sharon’s Park Street Diner a Tampa Bay Breakfasts Four Pancake Rating.