Tastes Of Orlando: Breakfast

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First Watch introduces new Holiday Menu

3402 Technological Ave.

Orlando, FL 32817
(407) 823-8146

First Watch, the nation’s leading breakfast, brunch and lunch concept, has introduced its new holiday menu. In addition to three innovative seasonal entrees, the restaurant company launched a seasonal fresh juice option and debuted a surprising new shareable dish: Holey Donuts.

First Watch’s foray into shareables began with its introduction of its sweet and spicy Million Dollar Bacon, which it debuted as a seasonal item in 2017 and due to its wild popularity has since become a core menu item. The restaurant concept has experimented with seasonal shareable options since the initial success of Million Dollar Bacon.

“The concept of shareables really ties into what First Watch is all about – community. Our customers are largely friends, family members, couples and co-workers who choose to spend a meal together at First Watch, and we’re so appreciative,” said Shane Schaibly, vice president of culinary strategy for First Watch.

“We noticed our customers ordering extras like a specialty pancake or a bowl of fresh fruit to share among the table, and we recognized the untapped opportunity there. We decided to use that behavior as a chance to offer them new, seasonal options for sampling and sharing. It’s a great way to round out the First Watch experience and encourage our customers to try something new together.”

First Watch’s holiday menu is available through January 5th and includes the following dishes:

Shareable: Holey Donuts – Cinnamon sugar-dusted cake donut holes with chocolate sauce, mixed berry compote and vanilla crème anglaise for dipping.

Carnitas Breakfast Burrito – Pork carnitas, scrambled cage-free eggs, fresh seasoned potatoes, black beans, Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and fresh avocado. Wrapped in a grilled whole wheat tortilla, covered with tomatillo hollandaise and topped with lime crema, pico de gallo, house-pickled onions, fresh cilantro and Cotija cheese.

Steak & Eggs Hash – Seared flank steak, fresh seasoned potatoes, house-roasted mushrooms and onions, Mozzarella and fresh baby spinach. Topped with two cage-free eggs any style, Parmesan cream and fresh herbs. Served with Parmesan-crusted ciabatta.

Cinnamon Chip Pancake Breakfast – Two cage-free eggs any style with a cinnamon chip pancake and your choice of bacon, all-natural chicken, pork or turkey sausage.

And from the Juice Bar, you can now get Iced Chai Cider made with Fuji apple, D’Anjou pear, chai tea and cinnamon.

Prices vary by location.

First Watch specializes in award-winning, fresh breakfast, brunch and lunch made from high quality ingredients. First Watch serves its entire menu seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The restaurant also offers customers complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi Internet access.

Metro Diner

11650 University Boulevard

Orlando, FL 32817
(407) 801-9043
View Website Here

Metro Diner may not be the type of place where you’d expect contemporary culinary techniques, a commitment to creating dishes from scratch, an award winning presentation, unique recipes and imaginative twists on old classics, but it is.

It’s that type of place because they cook with heart and for the love of food.

Since the original location building’s humble beginnings in 1938 and its revival as Metro Diner in 1992, Jacksonville’s favorite place for breakfast has been serving satisfied guests for nearly 25 years.

In 2000, master chef Mark Davoli and family took over and elevated the menu to include innovative new dishes created from local ingredients. Along with culinary creativity, the Davoli family brought more than 80 years of combined restaurant experience to Metro Diner.

To this day, Metro Diner has locations in 14 states, with 29 of those locations in Florida

Known for warm, welcoming service, familiar faces and award winning food, Metro Diner is a go to eatery for locals, visitors and those just passing through town. Stop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner in select locations, and they'd love to have you.

The San Francisco Benedict with two poached eggs, Canadian bacon, sliced avocado, and tomato and home fries with cheese, peppers and onions was pretty damn good.

The Bissell Breakfast at Metro Diner with two eggs over easy, bacon, an English muffin, hash browns well done and a short stack of pancakes.

The Short Stack of Pancakes that comes with the Bissell Breakfast… You can also substitute this for a Belgium Waffle.

Even though we ordered enough food to be stuffed, I had to get the Spicy Honey Chicken Biscuit at Metro Diner made with a fried chicken tender with spicy honey on a biscuit. Simple and Glorious.

We really enjoyed Metro Diner in Orlando… I thought it was pretty good food for a chain, and we will definitely be back to try some other items like Fried Chicken and Waffles..or how about a Beef Pot Pie?

Metro Diner is open on Monday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday they are open from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, and Sunday they are open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Se7en Bites

617 Primrose Dr,

Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 203-0727
View Website Here

Se7en Bites is the brainchild of Chef Trina Gregory-Propst and has steadily become a hit among locals.

From the humble beginnings of the original location at 207 N. Primrose Drive, this bakery and savory eats spot has kept its commitment to quality eats that are reminiscent of a forgotten age of Southern hospitality.

In May of 2016, Se7en Bites opened up shop in a larger building, just up the road from the original location. The new spot at 617 N. Primrose Drive is a 3,500 square foot space with plenty of room to dine inside and also includes an outdoor patio area with picnic tables and umbrellas to enjoy the beautiful Florida weather.

This new space also makes them one of the largest independent, full service bakeries in the Orlando area. With the added space, half of the inside has been made into a complete hot kitchen and a pastry kitchen, so Chef Trina and her team can make even more of their delicious food and treats, like the Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie that put Se7en Bites on the foodie map...and helped to give Chef Trina her nickname…”The Pie Lady”

The bakery is full service with bread, doughnuts, fritters, bagels and muffins, cakes, pies, tarts, cookies and moon pies, as well as whatever special creation they whip up. The kitchen menu has items for breakfast or lunch on the weekdays with special menus for brunch on the weekends complete with beer-mimosa specials.

With a focus on Southern fare, the breakfast menu is full of savory dishes like biscuits and gravy, grits, savory ham bread pudding, buttermilk biscuits topped in a variety of ways and eggs any way you can imagine. Lunch offerings consist of a Southern Cuban, quiche of the day, meatloaf sandwich, grilled pimento and cheese sandwich and a 5 cheese mac & cheese just to name a few...and everything is made from scratch.

Tastes Of Orlando stopped by recently for a Saturday brunch and it was pretty damn tasty!

This was part of the always changing brunch menu. It's a gigantic Fajita Burrito packed full of potatoes, eggs, fajita chicken, peppers & onions, cheese and is drizzled with hollandaise and avocado crema. Delicious.

At Se7en Bites, Southern cooking is at the core, just with a little more flair. These Buttermilk biscuits are topped with a creamy thyme sausage gravy and served with bacon, an over easy egg and a side of addictive cheddar chive grits.

Of course you have to grab some sweets to take with you to eat later on if you are full from your meal. Cookie Bars, Fudge Bars, Pies, Moon Pies, or how about a made from scratch Oatmeal Cream Pie? I’ll take 2 of everything...Thanks!

Se7en Bites is closed on Monday’s but from Tuesday through Friday they are open from 7:30am until 3:30pm. Saturday and Sunday they are open for brunch from 9:00am until 3:00pm.

They carry a full line of Abita beer and offer Blackberry Sangria and Orange Blossom Mimosas on the weekends. Stop on by and let them fill your pie hole.

Dan's Restaurant

7300 E Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32807
(407) 207- 8001

View Facebook Page Here

Adding to the list of really good restaurants that dot Colonial Drive on Orlando’s East Side is Dan's Restaurant. It’s one of those places that unless you try it out, you will never know what you are missing.

I admit, that I live on the east side, and it has taken me quite some time to finally stop by and check them out. Finally one Saturday morning, after my wife was asking why we don't have some type of basic simple cafe type of place with great breakfast items close to us?….I perked up and said...Actually I have heard good things about Dan’s Restaurant and they apparently have really good breakfast served all day...and best of all, it’s right around the corner.

Dan’s is family owned and operated, and has been serving great food in Orlando for over 30 years. The menu offers fresh home cooked food and has unique daily lunch specials, and they claim to have some of the best breakfast in Orlando.

For breakfast you have a huge selection of eggs any style, omelets, pancakes, waffles, sausage biscuits and gravy and what the restaurant has become known for… Skillets. The skillets are basically a concoction of various breakfast items all mixed together in a cast iron skillet and topped with cheese, or gravy or pretty much whatever you want. For dinner and lunch they have Meatloaf, Pot Roast, Chicken Fried Steak, Roast Pork, and a variety of subs, like the famous Steak and Onion Sub.

Inside of Dan’s Restaurant you really feel like you’ve found a great greasy spoon divey type of place, but not in a bad way. It feels very inviting and comforting inside. It's the sort of place you feel like you have been missing in your life.

I ordered the Super Combo with 2 eggs any style, a half order of biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns and bacon. This was great old fashioned breakfast that really hit the spot with agood portions and a down home flavor.

My wife decided on the Corned Beef Hash Skillet with massive amounts of corned beef hash topped with scrambled eggs and cheese. It was very delicious and very filling. The neat thing about the skillets at Dan’s is that you can really order one any way you want it or top it off anyway you want to.

The service at Dan’s Restaurant was very fast and always made sure we had plenty of coffee and water. The food was really good, and I would say one of the better places for breakfast in Orlando. Don't judge a book, or in this case a restaurant by it's cover, you may miss out on some great eats. Dan's Restaurant is the greasy spoon you have been looking for.

Beachwalk Resort

2602 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd.
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
(954) 266-0147
View Website Here

In the past couple of years, and especially in 2015, the strip of road that runs up and down Hollywood beach and Hallandale beach has been undergoing major renovations.

Hollywood beach has always been a great beach town with an awesome boardwalk that stretches 2.5 miles, but the area has always needed some upgrades in regards to lodging and dining to truly make it a relevant and exciting beach town that could compete with the likes of Miami’s infamous South Beach.

There have been a few new resorts that have opened in the area this past year, like Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville resort and a few others, but none of them are bringing the style and class that the all new Beachwalk Resort is offering.

After opening its doors on May 1, 2015, Beachwalk Resort is offering guests an unparalleled experience that is on par with what you might find in South Beach. The resort has breathtaking beach and city views, with access to a private beach club at the new Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails, and they even offer complimentary shuttle service to major hotspots in the area.

Rising 33 stories above the water, just one short block from the beach, the Beachwalk Resort lies at the very center of the most iconic recreational, residential, shopping, dining, and entertainment paradise on earth. One part land, one part sea, the Beachwalk Resort offers leisure travelers the Best of Both Worlds.

Located on the Intracoastal Waterway between Miami Beach to the south and Ft. Lauderdale to the north on Hallandale Beach Boulevard, the resort is one easy block away from the beach. This was one of the views from our balcony.

Our one bedroom /one bath suite was 738 square feet and had access to the oversized balcony that features stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway and the downtown skyline. The balcony adjoins both the master bedroom and living room in every suite. The master bedroom features a king bed and additional sleeping is available in the sectional sofa.

This is truly a state of the art fully equipped kitchen. You will not find micro refrigerators and useless kitchen equipment at Beachwalk Resort. All appliances are stainless steel, and the cabinets are fully stocked with cooking utensils and dishes.

All suites feature contemporary Italian furnishings, floor to ceiling windows and a spacious living room with access to the over sized balcony.

Yes, even the bathrooms here have a designer element. Our bathroom was very spacious and offered room for everyone to get ready with no crowding.

Upon arrival, you're greeted with a sleek and sophisticated lobby, reminiscent of world traveling. The interior is by Italian design Pininfarina, and it's complemented by curated works of art from the personal art collection of the developer, Jorge M. Perez, the CEO and founder of The Related Group. If you are an automotive enthusiast such as myself, then you are familiar with the name Pininfarina. They are an independent Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy founded in 1930. Pininfarina was employed by a wide variety of automobile manufactures such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, FIAT, GM, Lancia, and Maserati, to name a few to design vehicles.

Beachwalk Resort has a fitness center with a view so you can maintain your workout routine while on vacation. This is a fully equipped fitness center with over 1,000 square feet of space that offers machines, free weights, and gorgeous views of the infinity pool.

Speaking of that infinity pool, Beachwalk Resort has an infinity edge pool that overlooks the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway and Hallandale Beach. The pool area is conducive to spending an hour or an afternoon lounging poolside on a chaise lounge, or in a cabana for a more intimate experience.

Whether the mood calls for dining in, at the resort's Beachwalk Bistro & Market, on the beach or elsewhere, guests are given a variety of culinary options. Chef Jaime Magana, who cross trained in Amsterdam at La Rive, a two Michelin star-rated restaurant, offers over 15 years of experience at Beachwalk Resort as the executive chef. He's in charge of all F&B on property offering a fresh, seasonal menu, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. For those wanting a quick to-go item, the bistro offers a variety of freshly made sandwiches, salads and refreshments.

A simple but elegant breakfast offering at Beachwalk Bistro.

English muffin and toast served with real butter and gourmet jams at Beachwalk Bistro.

Families and couples alike will discover that the Beachwalk Resort offers a vacation experience wholly distinct from the other resort choices in the area. As the newest resort in the Hallandale-Hollywood Beach area, the Beachwalk Resort offers sophisticated European inspired design, spacious, home-like suites complete with fully equipped kitchens and in-unit washers and dryers, amenities, complimentary access to Hyde Beach Kitchen + Cocktails, plus easy air and driving access for all domestic and international travelers.

Guests will also enjoy the proximity to South Florida’s world renowned shopping, dining, entertainment, casino and racing attractions. The location, midway along South Florida’s Broward-Miami Dade oceanfront corridor and just a block from the beach, means every guest can enjoy more vacation for the money. But what really sets Beachwalk Resort apart is how they cater to each individual with a uniquely proactive brand of service designed to anticipate and fulfill the needs of every guest.

Beachwalk Resort is not only a perfect location to enjoy all that South Florida has to offer but also provides the perfect venue to get closer to the people that matter most to you. Whether you are staying with your entire family, a group of dear friends, or your significant other, Beachwalk Resort allows you to spend quality time. Relax on the beach with your friends, enjoy an intimate dinner, or take a shopping trip... the choice is yours. By the end of your stay, you’ll leave feeling closer than ever.

The 33 story resort offers 216 divisible suites with wrap around balconies that have inspiring views of the Intracoastal Waterway. The resort is professionally managed by Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, known for their upscale independent hotels and resorts.

Right now, the resort is offering a Suite Winter Escape package that starts as low as $199.00. For a limited time, luxury suites at Beachwalk Resort are being offered at a great discount that Includes complimentary "American Breakfast for Two" for Each Day of Your Stay.

For more info call: (954) 266-0147 or email: reservations@beachwalkresortfl.com

McCoy's Oceanfront

1200 N Ocean Blvd.
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
(954) 782-0100

View Website Here

In addition to being a really fun and unique resort style hotel, the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort and Spa also has some pretty good food on tap at McCoy’s Oceanfront restaurant.

McCoy’s is known for its contemporary presentations of seasonal, local and sustainable ingredients with a focus on Florida seafood that is served in a casual ocean view setting. The beachfront restaurant and lounge pays homage to its Prohibition-era namesake with a classic cocktail menu featuring fresh pressed juices and dark spirits that channel McCoy’s rum-running days. If old fashioned cocktails aren't your thing, McCoy’s also offers an extensive wine list and a nice selection of beers.

The menu stays true to what you would expect a South Florida oceanside restaurant to offer with a great selection of seafood entrees. Some of those entrees include Florida Pompano, Crispy Skin Florida Snapper, Blackened Salmon, and a Five Spice Grilled Tuna. For you non seafood lovers, they also have a wonderful Sauteed Short Rib, Pork Paillard and Farro Risotto among other offerings.

McCoy’s is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At breakfast you can order a la carte off the menu, or you can opt for the buffet. The buffet is full of wonderful choices and is not your average continental breakfast. Home fries, eggs and omelets cooked to order, applewood smoked bacon, sausage egg and cheese stuffed biscuits and buttermilk pancakes are just a few of the selections.

McCoy’s prides itself on custom cocktails and the Giggle Water with Crop Organic cucumber vodka and fresh lemonade pictured left, and the Alderman’s Mule with New Amsterdam vodka, fresh lime juice and ginger beer were pretty tasty libations.

The Fried Green Tomato Mozzarella is stacked with thick slices of mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes and fried green tomatoes with pesto and a balsamic glaze.

Spicy Tuna Tartar is an elegant display of fresh and spicy tuna with avocado, wakame and wontons for dipping.

You can't go to Pompano Beach and not get the namesake fish. The Florida Pompano at McCoy's is flour dusted and Fried and served with Yukon potatoes, lemon white wine butter sauce and baby arugula. The taste and preparation of this fish was simply amazing.

The Braised Short Rib with caramelized fennel mash and oyster mushroom haricot verts with a horseradish cream sauce is an outstanding dish. The short rib itself was wonderful, but just as impressive was the caramelized fennel mash.

Whether you want lunch or dinner, McCoy's has you covered. The Avocado Turkey Burger served on a honey wheat bun with ground turkey and an avocado puree was a delicious choice with plenty of flavor.

If you're not sure about what to have for dessert, try the Best Of Both Worlds with a chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, creme brulee and a raspberry coulis. Very light, and very good.

McCoy’s is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have featured Chef Specials throughout the year, as well as a daily Happy Hour from 5 to 7pm. Live entertainment often continues throughout the weekend, ranging from an island tropical vibe to mainstream music.

903 Mills Market Cafe

903 S. Mills Ave.

Orlando, FL 32806

(407) 898-4392

View Website Here

Sometimes, as a food blogger, I’d like to think that I know just about everywhere there is to eat in Orlando and the surrounding areas. Sometimes though, places that are in my own backyard, or just around the corner from me go unnoticed. Such is the case with 903 Mills Market. If my sister had not mentioned it to me, I would have kept on passing this lovely gem up.

I am very thankful that I do in fact know all about 903 Mills Market now, because aside of being a really quaint neighborhood eatery, this place has some seriously good eats.

Located at the intersection of Gore and Mills, in Dulaney Park just south of downtown, 903 Mills Market really is in a neighborhood. If you don't look twice you may unwillingly pass this fine establishment. It's a favorite of all of the locals, and those in the know with a good craft beer selection in bottles or draught, wines, mimosas on the weekends and of course lots of wonderful food.

You can get everything from breakfast to dinner here with a wide selection of salads, soups, wraps, sandwiches and flatbreads. Some of the popular menu items are the “Grateful Bread” that is described as “Thanksgiving dinner in your hand”, with roasted turkey, bleu cheese stuffing, red onions & cranberry aioli on fresh multigrain wheat. Another favorite is “Mike’s Open-Faced Meatloaf” with homemade meatloaf on a pressed Cuban roll with mayo then covered with cole slaw.

We opted for the Hummus Platter with homemade roasted garlic hummus served with toasted pita points for a starter, and it was a really good and flavorful hummus.

I chose the Full Monte Cristo for my sandwich, and it was an amazing treat. Hot ham and turkey with Swiss and white American cheese with cranberry mayo is sandwiched on french toast sprinkled with powdered sugar.

My wife chose the Falafel Wrap with Falafel, baby spinach, onion, hummus and tzatztki in a wheat wrap. This was a very tasty wrap.

My sister chose the 903 BLT with a side of the soup of the day, which was a cheesy potato soup. The 903 BLT is classic with a twist, in that it has crispy salami.

All of the food was wonderful as well as the view and setting of this slightly hidden gem in Orlando. At 903 Mills they strive to be more than just a restaurant...as the website says “We’re your lazy Sunday afternoon, your last minute breakfast when you're late for work, your comfort food. We’re the home cooked meal when the oven is on the fritz, or the buffet at your dinner party. We are your neighbors. Seriously, most of us live right around the corner”.