We’re headed south on Dale Mabry. It’s a beautiful morning. If you look closely at this picture on the left, you’ll see people just like us, up early for the race. Running a 5k and searching for delicious pancakes are both athletic events.
We visited Al’s Nuevo Cafe at 3301 S Dale Mabry Hwy on 17 July 2011.
If only these photographs could convey the movement and sound coming from Marek. Alas, there is no such technology that exists today that can make these poor, still pictures move and talk. ‘Cause if there were, you’d hear Marek stating loudly and vehemently that “this place is DISGUSTING” and “pancakes are DISGUSTING” and so on. I think perhaps Marek isn’t very happy this morning.
The “Nuevo” ought to give it away. Al’s is a Cuban place. They have pancakes, bacon, eggs, and also morning Cuban sandwiches on the menu.
Al’s could actually pass as a reasonable sports bar. In fact, the reason we’ve never stopped in here is because when I drive by in the afternoons I can see the bar and TV through the windows from the road. It was just a fluke that I noticed cars in the morning one day.
Whenever we’re in a Cuban place, I always like to have the cafe con leche. It didn’t disappoint.
Pretty pancake for kids. They took time on this. And Marek, as you can see here, is saying, without even looking at it, “it’s DISGUSTING!” He’s a real charmer this morning.
My Neuvo Special sandwich, on the other hand, is simply fabulous. Eggs, chorizo, peppers. Really delicious!
Secret dad tip for you new fathers out there: Ignore the tantrum and it goes away. Quietly, without any fanfare, Marek just picked up the syrup.
And dug in. And that was the last we heard about things being disgusting.
Turns out, these pancakes are pretty good.
For two breakfasts the bill was just eleven clams. Not bad on the price.
We’re all cleaned up. We’re thinking about wrapping it up and heading out. Me and Ivo, we’re just having a quiet moment. We’re talking about the Beat Poets again. I mentioned that I’m a Ginsberg fan.
And Ivo, who is learning about these things in a dear, sweet, baby way, grabbed me gently by the hair, slammed my face into the table, and informed me that Kerouac is the best Beat Poet. Kids these days!
This is him giving me a piece of his mind.
Thank goodness this nice lady came along and saved me!
Back in the car, after the slammings of heads and the disgustings and all the challenges that come with dad taking two boys out to breakfast, we’re still all friends.
On the way home we stopped at the market for some vegetables. Ivo wanted some watermelon. Turns out that he likes watermelon just as well if it’s made out of paper as if it’s made out of melon.
We had a very nice time at Al’s Nuevo Cafe. The people were quite friendly, the food was good, the atmosphere was nice, if a little sports-bar-esque, and the price was right. Al’s is certainly worth a visit if you’re in South Tampa. We’re happy to give Al’s Nuevo Cafe a Tampa Bay Breakfast four pancake rating.
