Creative Arts Cafe in Lake Helen, FL

I had breakfast at a restaurant in Lake Helen called Creative Arts Cafe. The building was apparently some kind of youth art/theater school at some point, but was converted into a restaurant when that wasn't successful.

I had the Ultimate Greek Breakfast. It was scrambled eggs with ham, feta, tomatoes, and peppers. It was pretty tasty, although the cubes of feta on top of the eggs were half melted and had a very non-feta look to them. Hashed browns were served on as a side. They looked well seasoned but needed salt.

My food at Creative Arts Cafe was good enough. Not the best breakfast I've ever had, nor was it the worst. 

Lucky Dill in St. Petersburg, FL

I was in St. Pete a few weeks ago and was looking to find breakfast somewhere downtown. We were told by a police officer that the only place in the area that would be open on a Sunday morning serving some sort of breakfast was a Starbucks. That was a disappointing answer, but food is food, so we started walking in the direction of the Starbucks. On the very next block, we came across a restaurant that was very much open for breakfast called the Lucky Dill. Most likely a much better choice than Starbucks...

Lucky Dill was a NY Style deli during the day, serving typical deli-type foods like huge pastrami sandwiches. The breakfast menu included several different breakfast meals as well as omelets and sandwiches. I had a meal called the Manhattan Morning. This included two scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, grits, and bacon for just under $5. The breakfast was simple yet good, and definitely much better than one of those pre-packaged breakfast wraps that are served at Starbucks!

 

Bad Burger in East Village, NY

Another NYC food post! I had lunch at a restaurant called Bad Burger while up there. Bad Burger had a large selection of burgers on the menu, along with breakfast served all day. I actually did not eat breakfast on this particular day, so I knew which menu I'd be ordering from.

I had the Huevos Rancheros, consisting of a large tortilla topped with scrambled eggs, black beans, home fries, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. It was a huge amount of food and was very tasty. Pretty much everything on the plate was flavored very well, with the possible exception of the sour cream since it tasted like plain sour cream (as it should).

With the nature of travel, chances are that I will never return to Bad Burger. If I did live in New York though, I would consider coming back for another plate of these huevos rancheros...

Osteen Diner in Osteen, FL

Osteen Diner is one of the few restaurants in the small town of Osteen, FL. Before a Wal-Mart shopping center opened nearby, the diner was perhaps the only real sit-down restaurant in Osteen.

The Osteen Diner is a cross between a classic diner and a Cracker Barrel (only better). It has that porch out front just like a Cracker Barrel, only the Osteen Diner has the southern comfort food chain beat with their chicken coop in the parking lot. The whole restaurant has a southern feel, and this southern theme is also apparent with some of their menu items.

I had breakfast on this visit to the Osteen Diner. I kept it simple and ordered two scrambled eggs. I had a choice of grits or home fries as a side, and I went with grits. A biscuit was also served on the side. The eggs and grits both were good, as they should be with a simple dish like I ordered. I've had better biscuits elsewhere though.

The Osteen Diner may not be fine dining, but anywhere that has a chicken coop in their parking lot is worth a visit!

The Deck Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, FL

While down in Fort Lauderdale for a weekend, I had breakfast in a restaurant called The Deck.It was connected to a hotel and had a very nice view of the ocean.

Walking in, we were greeted by this wooden pirate. The wooden pirate then proceeded to tell us a joke: Where does Captain Hook do all his shopping? At second hand shops! Who knew wooden pirates had a sense of humor...

Once seated, we had an almost unobstructed view of the ocean. It was very nice.

 

There were several breakfast combinations on the menu that consisted of eggs, potatoes, and meats. All of us ordered different combinations, and they were all served to the table looking exactly like this regardless of what they were supposed to consist of. I take it this means no matter which breakfast you order, you will get scrambled eggs, home fries, three strips of bacon, two sausages, and a side of bread. Nothing was too far away from what the combinations should have been and most of the plates had more meats than the meal should have came with, so nobody complained.

The Deck had a nice view of the ocean and decent breakfasts, but just don't expect to be served what you order...

Green Owl Restaurant in Delray Beach, FL

I like to consider myself well traveled throughout the state of Florida, but one city that I had never been to was Delray Beach. For some reason I always went further north or south of Delray and never actually stopped to explore rather than driving through. On a recent morning, I decided to change that and was actually surprised by Delray. The city's downtown was much larger than I was expecting, filled with shops, historic hotels, and countless restaurants. The decision was made to have breakfast at one of these restaurants called the Green Owl.

The Green Owl had a sort of a retro diner look on the inside and outdoor seating on the sidewalk out front. We choose to eat outdoors. For food, I had the One Egg Special. This breakfast came with a scrambled egg, strip of bacon, and two pancakes. Everything on the plate was tasty, although I would have preferred actual butter for my pancakes rather than the margarine that was served. Real butter is always better!

Belmont Diner in Elmont, NY

Belmont Diner is located in Elmont on Long Island, right across the street from the Belmont Racetrack. I ate breakfast here about a week before the Belmont Stakes...

Inside, there were plenty of horse racing themed paraphernalia...

A huge plate of whole wheat toast was served first.

Soon followed by my Spinach & Feta Omelet with homefries. This was a good omelet with plenty of fillings. The potatoes were also really flavorful, with no need to add salt or ketchup. With most of the nearby diners being insanely overpriced for what the food is, this breakfast was really affordable and the food was above average!

Skyline Diner in New Hyde Park, NY

There's not much of a skyline near Skyline Diner in New Hyde Park on Long Island, but lets not get hung up on restaurant names. While up in New York, I had a late night dinner/early breakfast at this diner. Two scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast for $4 wasn't a bad deal at an overpriced diner...

Free IKEA Breakfast

Every so often, the IKEA store in Orlando puts advertisements in the mail or newspaper for a free weekend breakfast at their restaurant. On one of these occasions, I decided to go get my free breakfast. It consisted of a plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a cup of coffee. They advertised bacon as part of their free breakfasts, but apparently that wasn't happening on the day I visited.

Little did I know, free IKEA breakfasts are nothing new. They actually give out free breakfast Monday thru Friday and normally charge on weekends. Perhaps a visit during the week would come with bacon.

On the way out of the store, I stopped off and ate one of IKEA's cinnamon rolls. No complaints here.

Toojay's Western Skillet

I ate at the Toojays in Altamonte Springs, FL for breakfast. I ordered a Western Skillet, which consisted of potato pancakes topped with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and scallions. The Western Skillet normally comes with ham, but I wasn't in a porky mood that day. From how this dish was described on the menu, I was expecting a lot more potato pancake and less egg. Regardless, I ate it all and enjoyed it.

The Western Skillet also came with two slices of Toojay's wonderful rye toast. Even when compared to more authentic Jewish Deli style restaurants, Toojay's definitely makes the best rye bread that I've tasted in the area.