There’s Got To Be A Morning After

this article was printed in the September issue of the SWFL Parrot.

Welcome back y’all. Another month has come and gone and it’s time to chronicle another crawl in this barfly’s life. This month however I’m trying something a little different. The scarecrow, lion, tin man, and I have decided to venture away from the Jager-brick road for four tires, a round of wedge and two cans of Sunoco racing fuel. Yes that’s a NASCAR reference for those of you who don’t follow the only real sport left, after all the final championship race is coming up at Homestead later this month (anyone who’s going, e-mail me a cell number and we’ll hook up in the RV lot for pre-race Surfer on Acids!).
Besides having a great selection of bars in the greater Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area, this section of heaven is also blessed with some great places to get breakfast. Breakfast seems to me to be a natural extension of a good bar crawl. I realize sometimes it needs to be an “open all-nighter” like Denny’s for the 3AM slam or the obligatory Waffle House visit out on Jones Loop. If you think about it there are literally hundreds of places for breakfast around here… heck we have two Bob Evans’s and two Waffle Houses! There’s a great Perkin’s, an IHOP, a Cracker Barrel, and Mel’s just to name a few…but I’m going to focus on a few out of the way places where you might be able to get something a little different.
Step 1) Elena’s in Punta Gorda. It’s located on the right hand side next to where the Scotty’s used to be… how’s that for redneck directions? Elena’s is open 7 days a week and has always been a favorite of mine. Charley took its toll on this little breakfast spot and they were closed for renovations for quite the while…I for one missed it tremendously. It did come back bigger and better than ever though!
You will usually be greeted by Elena at the door and ushered to your seat to enjoy one of the county’s largest selections for breakfast. My personal favorite has to be the breakfast quesadilla. Coming originally from up north, a quesadilla for breakfast you would not see…but it has become a Sat. morning craving for me. It’s definitely a breakfast that eats like a dinner. It usually lasts me through until the late happy hour if I manage to eat the entire thing!
Step 2) Nancy’s Place just off Tarpon Blvd in Port Charlotte. This is my “during the week” place. I’ve always loved this little hideaway because they open bright and early and they are close to my house… plus they have grilled polish sausage as a breakfast option. Mmmm, now who wouldn’t want that to kick off the day! Another of my favorite things about Nancy’s is that it’s got that little diner feel to it. The servers are all as friendly as any bartender and they have their own set of regulars. The walls are covered with signatures of patrons and they strongly promote their love of the Tennessee Volunteers… ya gotta love ole Rocky Top! Stop in and enjoy this little beauty.
Step 3) Sweet’s Diner. Sweet’s is a relatively new place located just north of Boomers a couple doors up from the Philadelphian, home of the only cheesesteak I have found that rivals South Philly since moving down here. They are a quaint little place with a friendly crew and some great service, but what got Sweet’s on my list is the fact that they are one of the few places I’ve found that has creamed dried beef on the menu. Now if I could get them to add scrapple to the menu, I’d be set. I’m wondering how many of you know what scrapple is???? (no Jodi it’s not a board game with letter tiles). Try it out and tell Steve Sweet I said hello and keep up the good work.
Step 4) Olde World Restaurant in North Port. This is one of my Sunday morning favorites when I want to get a good omelet. It’s more of the after church crowd which usually isn’t my speed, since Sunday is recovery day for me, but I love the portions and the service with a smile that I always get there. The wide range of selection has something for everyone and it’s a great way to kick start a football Sunday.
Step 5) Tropical Spice Grille located on the right hand side of the Tamiami Trail in Englewood in the Cornerstone Shopping Center. I must confess, this isn’t someplace I would have tried without some help from our loyal readers. Dawn and Dave Carpenter e-mailed me at dave@swflparrot.com to suggest I try it out. I’m soooo glad they did. They recommended the Island Eggs Benedict or the Great Bay French Toast. I went with the Toast and it was outstanding. Vanilla flavored Cuban style French toast topped with pineapple and macadamia nuts and whipped cream! How can you go wrong there? It was truly a great find and makes me love my job here at the Parrot! Dawn, I will e-mail you back when I have a chance to go there for happy hour. I am dying to try the jerk chicken. I haven’t had good jerk chicken since Jamaica! I’m betting that they do it up right!
Step 6) Home again.
I’m not sure how I like doing a breakfast crawl instead of a bar crawl… next month I will be back at my “normal” thing. I’m sure I missed a lot of good breakfast places as there is one on every corner. I don’t know if I’ll ever do another column on food since bars are so much more fun, but feel free to send me any requests and I’ll stop in…especially if you know one that has scrapple! Next month I’m thinking of going back to Punta Gorda in a better mood…stay tuned!!!
Now it’s back to the Jager-brick road headed for the Emerald City to see the wizard! See ya next month, toodles!