**** (4 stars)
Very succulent pulled pork here, and several types of barbecue sauce, so you can make your own blend of sweet, tangy and spicy.
There’s a large outside dining area with picnic tables, so it’s good for groups.
Pork Shoppe
5721 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 654-1800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pork-shoppe-chicago-3
**** (4 stars)
Mr. Quick serves good reliable diner food in an old-fashioned roadside diner setting. If your group can’t decide between breakfast lunch and dinner, Mr. Quick has it covered, as they serve all three at once. The extremely extensive menu offers pretty much every diner food you can think of.
The omelets are interesting because they are served in either flat or fluffy styles, a choice I’ve never been offered before.
Corn beef hash, eggs and hashbrowns were prepared just the way I requested.
The burger was good too.
The staff are definitely into what they’re doing here, in both the front of house and behind the counter, as service was prompt and courteous, and true to its name our assortment of dishes were served pretty darned quick.
Mr. Quick
5615 W Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32808
(407) 293-0511
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mr-quick-orlando
**** (4 stars)
This is one of the better Keke’s locations, with a nice interior and excellent staff. While I usually go to Keke’s for breakfast, they have a fair variety of lunch items as well.
The Carolina Chicken wrap I tried on this visit combined fried chicken chunks, pecans, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. It was good with the accompanying spicy remoulade, which was really intended for the rather flavorless onion rings.
Keke’s Breakfast Cafe
2433 S Hiawassee Rd
Ste 130
Orlando, FL 32835
(407) 298-3684
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kekes-breakfast-cafe-orlando-7
*** (3 stars)
We tried this place for brunch on a Saturday, and it was fine. It’s an unusual cross between coffee shop and seafood bar. As a result the mussels were the best dish. They were tender and had an excellent broth and were served with nicely grilled bread.
The poached salmon salad was just so-so. The salmon what rather sturdy, as were the stems of the accompanying greens.
Service was friendly and efficient.
The Kitchen Chicago
316 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 836-1300
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-kitchen-chicago-chicago
*** (3 stars)
This simple cafe offers Vienna all beef hotdogs in the atrium of a venerable old building. It’s a nice place to stop for a bite while enjoying the ornate trim of the historic building.
Pittsfield Cafe
55 E Washington St
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 641-1806
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pittsfield-cafe-chicago
**** (4 stars)
This is a charming cafe right in downtown Windermere. I’m old enough to remember this space not only as a convenience store, but also as the post office that preceded it. So it’s odd that I’ve driven past hundreds of times, but only just finally stopped in to check it out. It definitely exceeded my expectations.
There’s counter service for freshly made pastries, coffees, and other beverages, and sit down dining in several areas: the restaurant proper, high tops in the area near the coffee bar, and covered tables outside along the porch. Each offers a different ambiance.
The comprehensive menu includes coffee shop standards with an emphasis on breakfast, and more cafe-like items including artisan sandwiches and gourmet burgers. Fish tacos and other eclectic fare round out the diverse offerings.
I opted for the BL(FG)T, which is a unique version of a BLT using fried green tomatoes. It was delicious, especially the toasted multi-grain bread. I opted to upgrade my side to a mixed green salad, which was served on the same plate. It had a nice mix of greens and an excellent blue cheese dressing.
A very fresh coconut macaroon was the perfect dessert.
Service was very friendly and attentive. I’ll definitely be back to try some of the other interesting lunch dishes, and to check out breakfast.
Dixie Cream Cafe
434 Main St
Windermere, FL 34786
(407) 217-5047
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dixie-cream-cafe-windermere
***** (5 stars)
If there is a better omelette on the face of the planet, I have yet to find it. I’ve been going here for thirty years, and even through a change in ownership and expansion into the space next door, the omelettes have remained transcendental.
My favorite is the Special Omelette, which contains bacon, green chilis and sour cream. A mound of hash browns form the base, then come the ingredients, and then a fluffy egg disc the size of a frisbee. Ask for your hash browns well done for the ultimate omelette enjoyment experience.
Haroldâs Restaurant
2440 E Thousand Oaks Blvd
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
(805) 230-3147
http://www.yelp.com/biz/harolds-restaurant-thousand-oaks
*** (3 stars)
This coffee shop has a particularly welcoming and enthusiastic staff.
They offer the usually array of breakfast and other coffee shop choices, and everything is carefully prepared and served.
The interior is a bit tired, but the friendliness of the place makes up for that.
Dan’s Family Restaurant
7300 E Colonial Dr
Orlando, FL 32807
(407) 917-6318
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dans-restaurant-orlando
**** (4 stars)
Cafe Selmarie is an interesting amalgam of pastry shop, coffee shop, and restaurant.
When you enter it looks like it’s just a pastry shop with a few small tables for enjoying your purchase or sipping a cup of coffee. But proceed to the rear, and there is a fair-sized restaurant.
The menu offers American, French, Italian, and (at least the night we visited) German food, plus other eclectic international cuisines.
We shared the Brussels sprout salad, which was good, a special leek and bacon flatbread that was phenomenal (gooey topping, crisp crust), and a special German sausage plate that was also tasty.
For dessert we selected a couple of pastries from the case out front. There’s a small wine list with many selections available by the glass.
Service was friendly and professional.
The place is kid friendly, and there were quite a few families dining the Friday night we went. An adjacent open area provides outside dining when the weather is nice, and place for the kids to run around.
If you’ve not been to Lincoln Square, it’s definitely a cute neighborhood to check out.
Cafe Selmarie
4729 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 989-5595
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-selmarie-chicago
***** (5 stars)
This bright and sunny spot is an excellent place for breakfast, with a giant, double-sided menu of everything from sweet to savory.
A standout was the wild berry crepes, fluffy crepes wrapped around mixed fresh berries without any goo weighing them down.
The applewood smoked bacon is also wonderful, thick cut and succulent.
Intelligentsia coffee is served (one of my favorites) and the chai tea lattes are huge.
Service is friendly and quick, making it a great breakfast stop.
Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe
130 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 938-9777
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wildberry-pancakes-and-cafe-chicago-2