We visited the 301 Diner at 3407 N HWY 301 on 12 May 2012. They have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/301-Family-Restaurant/113574495337246. Notice that it’s right across the street from the Dallas Bull.

And just up the road a bit is the Veteran’s park, complete with helicopter on display.

Me and the boys, we’re so excited! From the look on Ivo’s face, you just know he’s thinking about line dancing.

We parked next to this Can Am. These things seem to me to be the worst parts of a car combined with the worst parts of a motorcycle.

Poor Marek, it turns out, isn’t really feeling swell this morning. If I’d realized earlier, we’d have just stayed home and had cartoons for breakfast.

Me and Ivo, we’re just waiting for the line dancing to start.

The 301 is a really good place. Classic greasy-spoon country diner. The menu is full of all kinds of our favorite things.

Ivo, as you may see here, is clearly his father’s son.

Good place here, full of locals wearing baseball hats. It’s a good breakfast when people know each other when they walk in the door.

Ivo starting young with the coffee. Just like Marek did when he was that age.

And today is the day before Mother’s Day! We got Favorite Breakfast Reviewer Mom some books and made her favorite supper.

Ivo is also being very agreeable for being photographed, while Marek is less so today. So I’m taking advantage of the situation.

It’s a good thing he looks like his mother.

After all that kissy-faced goofin, we surely worked up an appetite for breakfast! (Note the Ivo Yoink move)

Good size on these pancakes.

Marek works the bacon conveyor belt. It beats sucking the juices out of the bacon and leaving the gristle, which is what he was doing for a while.

Ivo and I dug in pretty well on our side, too. Pancakes! Just what the doctor ordered after a long morning of driving 20 miles to get some pancakes.

All told, the bill was pretty reasonable. Fit nicely on a Jackson.

Ivo is up-and-coming in the paying-the-bills department. He still needs big brother assistance to close the deal, but he starts out strong.

At the end of the morning, we can tell you this about the 301 Family Restaurant. It’s a gem of a diner. It meets all our marks: Cozy, full of locals and regulars, good prices, basic and tasty chow, nice people, and a bit of history. We’d go back anytime. Even if they do play country music. We’re pleased to give the 301 Family Restaurant a Tampa Bay Breakfasts a four and a half pancake rating.

We visited The Recipe Box at 147 Bloomingdale Avenue in Brandon on 21 April 2012. They also have a nice web site at http://recipeboxdiner.com. This was our first visit, and we went at the recommendation of Tampa Bay Breakfasts fans Shawn and also Will. Will was actually supposed to join us, but our secretaries had trouble getting our schedules aligned.

This was a Very Special Event: Our third anniversary breakfast! Since 18 April 2009 we’ve been exploring the ups and downs of mom-n-pop breakfast throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, with some occasional trips to Levy/Citrus/Marion counties. Almost 100 unique breakfasts and a lot of great times. This breakfast is just Marek and Andy. Ivo’s home with Favorite Guest Reviewer Mom. Well, it’s Marek, Andy, and Bumble Bee.

The first thing I noticed when we got out of the car was this vulture on the top of the light pole. I’m not going to say that made me feel comfortable about breakfast. But we soldiered on!

Family portrait, Simpson’s Style.

First thing that happened when we got in the door was coffee. It didn’t take but a minute.

Marek asked if there was hot chocolate. Of course there was, and watch us make it in this fancy machine! I suspect that this machine also calculates tax returns and could land the Space Shuttle. If we still had a Space Shuttle.

That’s a good hot chocolate! Though from the look on Marek’s face, you’d think it was a hot lemon.

Any menu that has an item named “Officer Andy” is OK by me. I really wanted to get this just because of the name, but also I really didn’t want a ribeye steak for breakfast.

One of the many points Ayn Rand made in Atlas Shrugged was that you could always trust a company that put the owner’s name out in front, but businesses with words like “consolidated” or “amalgamated” in the name were surely places that were getting it wrong. Not that we approach breakfast from an Objectivist point of view, but every time I see the owner put his name on the menu I think back to that bit of literature class lesson.

This place is licketysplit fast. Here’s pancakes, with no time to dally. And also note, they’re Not Small. The perspective is funny on this picture, but these pancakes are the span of my hand.

Marek got the scrambled eggs and bacon. And also note that I didn’t get a picture of the counter, but we’re sitting in the high high chairs at the counter, at Marek’s request. He really likes that.

The look on Marek’s face begs for a caption competition. “And now, for my next trick!”

The bill was a bit high for what we had. Not super-expensive, but I reckon that Marek’s new thing of having hot chocolate adds a few bucks to the tab. He’s worth it!

Marek, and Bumble Bee, took the bill to pay.

In line to pay the bill. It’s a good sign when a restaurant has kid artwork taped to the counter.

And there we go. Our 95th breakfast and third year behind us!

The recipe box is a good recommendation. The service is fast. The people are friendly. The prices are moderate. The chow is tasty. We’re pleased to give The Recipe Box a Tampa Bay Breakfasts four pancake rating.

We visited the Riviera Cafe on 18 Feb 2012. Riviera is in the strip mall by Michael’s craft store, or as Marek calls it, the “arts and crabs store,” 14819 N Dale Mabry in Carrollwood. Riviera Cafe was a recommendation from Favorite Guest Reviewer Mom.

Me and Ivo, we’re bringing up the slow lane. Note the smug little grin on my little guy. He knows … pancakes. He’s going to get to hurl pancakes at strangers.

Remember when Marek would bring some little cars to breakfast so we could quietly play? He’s a big boy now so he needs big cars.

Favorite Guest Reviewer Mom and Ivo strike a pose worthy of G.Q. magazine. Look at his far-away adventure look that says, “somewhere … there’s a mountain for me to climb. And … on that mountain … is something of Dad’s … something I can break when he’s not looking …”

The menu is standard, comprehensive, but no blueberry pancakes. Our waitress, of whom we don’t have a photograph, was outstanding. Super-cheerful and understood how kids operate.

We had coffee and clinked the mugs, as is the ritual in our tribe.

Inside Riviera Cafe is clean and open. That’s an ATM on the right, which is necessary since they’re a cash-only operation. I like cash-only places. They exist just off the grid and will be the last hold outs when the world slips into Gibsonish technical dystopia.

Ivo made the rounds of people to sit with. After me, I passed him to the next table over and he went around the room like a beach ball at a Jimmy Buffet concert.

This photograph has nothing to do with breakfast. I just think my wife is pretty.

Here’s breakfast! You’ll notice right away, because you’re reading this and you probably are already familiar with our routine, that there’s what appears to be a whole can of corned beef hash on the table. This was an impulse purchase. Honestly, I really like hash but just not a lot of it. And I figured I’d introduce it to the boys. Both of whom turned their noses right up at it. Mom saying, “it looks like dog food” (say that in a mocking, nasally tone) didn’t help. More hash for me, fellas!

Favorite Guest Reviewer Mom had the French toast. Whenever I have French toast I say in a gravelly, sultry voice, “oh la la, cest bon, oui? Heh heh heh.” When she has it she says, “pass the syrup.” This is why we’ve been together for so long, because I know not to get the French toast.

Ivo had some pancakes and eggs. You can tell Mom’s on the scene by the way she’s setting him up. She forgets that we’re well-practiced at all this. It’s our ding, eh. (Say in a Jersey Shore voice)

This photograph doesn’t tell the whole story. If you look very closely at Marek’s eggs, you’ll see that he just finished dumping a quart of syrup on them. He ate them, cheerfully, and completely bypassed the pancake. Ick, says I to he and thee. Ick.

Favorite Guest Reviewer Mom and I took some moments to goof while Marek and Ivo took some moments to destroy something valuable they found in Mom’s purse.

The bill came. 22 clams for three full breakfasts, including a plate of hash. That’s a fair price for a good meal.

The brothers took on the perilous mission. That’s teamwork! Sing along with me: What’s gonna work? Teeeeeem work! Also note Ivo’s shirt. Clever, no? This was Marek’s shirt. Here’s a picture of Marek in that same shirt, on the Think Geek web site where I bought it.

They paid, they got pops! It’s a good life, being a kid. No one ever offers me a lollipop when I’m alone. I’m actually known for creeping people out. They always say hi to the kids when I’m out with them, and I always say, “If I were here alone you’d have ignored me. You should say hi to me, too.” And I look sad and move closer to them. And people seem to walk away quickly. It’s a fun game!

Can you believe I took spousal abuse for allowing this to happen after breakfast? Everyone knows it’s a Tampa Bay Breakfasts tradition!

The Riveria Cafe as a good experience. The food was just what you expect for breakfast. The coffee never ran dry. Nice, neighborhood place with good value for the dollar. I’d say this was a 3.5 on the breakfast scale, with a half-pancake bump for our waitress, whose name I now have misplaced, who was really excellent. We are pleased to rank Riviera Cafe with a Tampa Bay Breakfasts four pancake rating.

After breakfast, we dropped mom off and we went to the MD Oriental Market on Fowler.

This is a great place to go if you like to look at crabs.

Though, truth be told, this is the cheapest place in town to buy goji berries. Half the price for twice the quantity of our usual health food store.

And Marek always comes here for Hello Kitty snacks.

Just a normal day for the Tampa Bay Breakfast crew!