Breakfast at Home

On the first of July we had what might be our last official Tampa Bay Breakfast. At home.

Here’s how Marek starts his Sundays now. All bleary-teenager-looking.

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On the other hand, Ivo is a spring-loaded bundle of morning fun.

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Ivo volunteered to cook for us.

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First, he put all the ingredients in a bowl …

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… And started mixing. Turns out, adding a stuffed animal to the concoction gives you good viscosity.

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Bacon in the oven. Best way to make bacon in any quantity and/or in a small kitchen with limited stovetop space. Ivo’s a rolling health-code violation, though. Cooking while wiping his nose with his hand and all.

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I made supper last night. Baked potatoes. This was on purpose, so we’d have leftover taters for the home fries.

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3 year old with a knife. Handling it very nicely, I’d like to point out. No severed fingers made it into our breakfast.

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While the egg-to-shell ratio was slightly out of tolerance, Ivo’s little fingers handled the egg cracking very nicely.

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Here’s how all the moving parts start coming together. Ivo’s going to be one heckofa great line cook one day.

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I highly recommend this stove-top griddle. Good for pancakes when you’re trying to impress your family with how good you make pancakes.

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Special batch of blueberry pancakes for dad!

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Of all the dining rooms in all the diners of the world, this one’s our favorite. Here’s where the deepest memories are made.

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Marek, digging in. “These are the best home fries ever, dad!” and “I LOVE this breakfast, dad!”

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Ivo, getting his breakfast all mommed-up. (I mean, seriously, we just watched this boy use an 8″ French knife to dice a whole potato, and mom is cutting his scrambled eggs!)

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Me, Tampa Bay’s Dad of Breakfast, with my favorite Thomas the Train coffee cup, thrift-store dishes we bought 18 years ago, bottle of honey from a local family I know, surrounded by the good stuff (and I’m not talking about the chow (though that’s good, too!)).

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Marek announces: “I’m done.”

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This, our dear readers, is likely to be our last official Tampa Bay Breakfast. That’s not a promise, as the boys may want to pick it back up at some point, but as of today they’re consistent in their desire to just stay home on the weekends. And I’ve decided I’m going to let them.

It’s been a great five-year journey through Tampa Bay, and we’ve been pleased to share this slice of childhood and our love of breakfast and our hometown. Thank you to all the great breakfast spots in the Bay Area and thank you to our readers and fans for the support, encouragement, and conversations over the years.

With love and perfect pancakes,

Andy, Marek, and Ivo.

3 thoughts on “Breakfast at Home

  1. Wolfgang Ressel

    Hey Andy,
    always liked to read your reports and last time we visited Tampa, it was a great help to find a good breakfast!!
    So thumbs up from me and have a great time!!

    Reply
  2. Anand Mehta

    Twas mucho fun reading your breakky blog. Please keep it running as a repository of good Tampa Bay breakfast chow joints. I’ll be using it for my 2 girls so that mommy can sleep in or go for yoga.

    Reply

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