cookies and code

This morning after church, my wife and myself found ourselves looking for a place to have breakfast. I’ve reviewed a few places around the area, but I figured I’d list most of the places we thought of as a good option for breakfast:

• Blue Lemon Cafe – 1301 South Patrick Drive, Satellite Beach, FL
• Blueberry Muffin – 1130 N Highway A1A, Indialantic, FL 32903
• Breakfast at Lilly’s – 240 Highway A1a, Satellite Beach, FL
• Corey’s Bagels on the Beach – 692 E Eau Gallie Blvd, Indian Harbour Bch, FL
• Eddie’s Sunrise Diner – 55 E Nasa Blvd, Melbourne, FL
• Memaw’s Bar-B-Q – 600 E Eau Gallie Blvd, Indian Harbour Bch, FL
• Niki’s Rainbow Cafe – 570 Highway A1A, Satellite Beach, FL
• Simply Delicious – 125 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL
• Suntree Cafe – 718 S Patrick Drive, Satellite Beach, FL

I know these aren’t all the options by far, but these are the ones we’ve been to and always had good service and food. For anyone who lives in the area, what places would you recommend for breakfast?

A friend of mine has been mentioning Niki’s Rainbow Restaurant to me for some time now. I always pass by it when I’m beachside and, no matter what time of day I go by, the parking lot is always full. Make no confusion however, even though they share the shopping plaza with a few other places, Niki’s is the reason that lot is full.

So that same friend, another friend, and I all met up for lunch today at Niki’s eagerly anticipating our pending meal. The menu is a simple three page menu chocked full of choices, even for those who aren’t partial to Greek options, but my eyes shot right to the “Rainbow’s Grecian Special” section. All of the expected favorites are present, so I was worried that my choice would be really tough and I’d end up ordering more food than I probably should. That is, until I spotted the Combo Platter (~$11). The Combo Platter comes with a portion of gyro, spinach pie, 2 grape leaves, pita bread, and your choice of soup or a Greek salad; I went with the soup of the day (New England Clam Chowder). The soup came out first with a basket of yeast rolls and crackers. The rolls were nice and light and the soup was thick and hardy with big chunks of clam. Before I could even finish my soup, the meals were on the table. The gyro was topped with a generous dolip of tzatziki and was homemade. Usually tzatziki is a little too creamy for me, but the way it was made was the perfect balance of yogurt to cucumber/garlic/lemon/oil/etc. The gyro was sliced straight off of the rotisserie spit and, not surprisingly, tasted great; not too salty or seasoned and also, homemade. The spinach pie was layered, flaky pastry crust with spinach and feta and for a change actually had more spinach than cheese which I enjoyed (and also homemade). The grape leaves were different from what I expected in that they were stuffed with ground beef and rice rather than just rice, but were delicious. If you’ve read my previous reviews, I’m not a fan of grape leaves that haven’t been slow cooked or that are tough. Niki’s grape leaves were so tender, that I was able to cut them with a fork; just awesome quality (did I mention homemade?). Even the pita was out of control good, not dry and more like a flat bread, it’s the only thing that Niki’s brings in. According to our waitress, it can’t even be bought anywhere but Niki’s which has an exclusive deal with the distributor. At ~$2 for a side of the pita bread, you may find yourself with an order to take home.

Also at the table we had a gyro sandwich (~$7) with fries (~$2) and a falafel platter (~$10) which came with fries and a greek salad. The gryo sandwich was made with that great pita bread, tomato, onion, and tzatziki. The falafel was put together simliarly and the chick peas were fried locking in the moisture which was nice to see since usually falafels tend to be dry. And if all of that food wasn’t enough to get your appetite going, we also stayed to try the baklava (~$3).

Now Cedar’s makes a killer baklava and I have to say I preferred it over Niki’s. That being said it’s a different style of baklava and good in its own right. Niki’s baklava seems to be made in the traditional sense but is more doughy than flaky. It comes topped with a sweet sauce which tasted like a mixture of honey and citrus and is super tasty. I’m not saying I wouldn’t order it again, it’s just not my favorite.

If you noticed a theme, it’s because there is one … homemade food. Everything but the pita bread is made daily from scratch. In addition to all of that homemade food, our waitress was on top of everything; our drinks were always full and our food spent almost no time between the kitchen and our table. Our waitress was even kind enough take time to tell us a little about the food and the restaurant. In summary: excellent service, homemade, hot food, and a must visit. In fact, I’m going to go as far to say that Niki’s Rainbow Restaurant is now my new favorite Greek/Mediterranean restaurant in the Brevard area. Not only is the food amazing, but the work placed into each meal makes it that much better.

Niki’s Rainbow Restaurant is located at 570 Highway A1A, Satellite Beach, FL.

When I first moved to Brevard, I wondered what it would be like living near the coast and, of course being a crazed foodie, what would I think of as the quintessential eatery after a few years. After living in the area a few years now the answer to that question stares me in the face every time I pass one of Long Doggers’ locations. Long Doggers is what my wife and I consider a solid place for lunch. We usually hit up the Post Road location, but the South Patrick and Indialantic locations are also really great. No matter which location you hit up, the atmosphere reflects the lay back, beach going lifestyle of the coast with a definite focus on surfing.

One of the best parts of Long Doggers is its simple and fresh menu. This time around we ordered the Regular Dog Day Platter (~$4) and the Dolphin Reuben (~$8), a sweet tea (~$2), and a water. The Dog Day Platter comes with your choice of regular or foot long hotdog (+$1), a pickle, coleslaw, and a choice of side; we opted for the onion rings. The Dolphin Reuben is a generously portioned Mahi fillet served in a white bun with sauerkraut and thousand-island dressing along side coleslaw and a pickle. As always our meals came out hot and were delicious. As an added plus, Long Doggers’ seafood options are just great; I especially enjoy the Grilled Tuna Sandwich seared rare (~$8). We haven’t tried the entrees before, but I’ve heard good things about them as well.

As with most places we frequent, the staff is attentive and accommodating. They’ve always got some type of surfing video running on the TV and have outdoor and indoor seating available. If you’re looking for a reliable place for casual eats, look no further than Long Doggers. You’ll find lots of locals and tasty food; hell, it’s such a staple you’ll probably find yourself buying a t-shirt after a couple visits.

Long Doggers in North Melbourne is located at 2870 Post Rd, Melbourne, FL.

Every now and then, the healthy side of me is placed into submission while the side of me that needs good old greasy, fried food takes over. It’s been a few weeks now and my body is started to revolt, so I figured I’d have one last hurrah before getting back into the swing of cooking at home. Over the last few months, signs for Little Phillies have been popping up on the mainland and beach-side, so I figured cheesesteaks would be a good choice to finish out my feeding frenzy.

Little Phillies’ is located where Kimberly Plaza used to be, from what my wife tells me, hidden in a small plaza North of 7-Eleven and south of the Pineda Causeway on A1A. This new location is quite the step up from the lunch cart that the owner was running prior to opening the restaurant. From what the guy working the counter told us, on busy days, they were selling 200 cheesesteaks road-side and the volume was just too much for the Amaco next to Oasis Shaved Iced, so they opened the new place. Even though I didn’t get a chance to swing by the cart, Little Phillies keeps the back to basics feel and does it well.

The group ended up splitting two of the large Authenticate Cheesesteaks (~$9 each) with an order of fries (~$2) and onion rings (~$3) and a couple of sodas (~$2 each). Each cheesesteak comes stocked with chopped ribeye and the option to add grilled onions, bell pepper (~$0.50), or mushroom (~$0.75) as well as your choice of cheese (provolone, american, or cheesewiz). The fries and onion rings were not at all greasy, were served hot, and tasted great. The cheesesteaks were served hot and are definitely big enough to split. If you have a larger appetite, they offer an X-Large size (~$11) as well as a 1 lb. of steak option (~$12). Chicken and buffalo chicken cheesesteak options are also available along with a slew of subs and fried sides. We didn’t try dessert, but Italian ice and cheesecake bites are also available.

The staff is friendly and the joint can definitely make a good cheesesteak. If you’re looking to try out a recent addition to the Brevard casual dining scene, look no further than Little Phillies. Sometimes restaurants can get complicated with all they try to do to attract customers when all they really need to do is focus on the food. +1 for Little Phillies for getting it right.

Little Phillies is located at 190 Highway A1A, Satellite Beach, FL.

Recently I picked up an order from a local pizza place and paid with my credit card. When I came in my food was waiting for me, ahead of schedule, and the girl at the counter treated me well, so I left a tip on the receipt. The next day when I got home, I was looking over the pending charges on my card and saw that the charge from the restaurant was more than what I paid. I called up my credit card company to ask about the charge and I learned something new. If a restaurant offers their patrons the ability to tip on their credit card, the restaurant will typically request an authorization on the card for the cost of the bill + a 20% gratuity. When the manager closes out the batch for the night, the cost of the bill + the actual gratuity is then charged to card. I guess the authorization for the tip is a safe guard that the wait/bus/host staff have the potential to get something out of the check as well.

Maybe I’m dense but I never knew that eateries did this since I usually see the charge after the authorization. I’m a firm believer in tipping, but I always like to check my card activity to make sure that people don’t take advantage. Learn something new every day.

My wife and I stopped by Oasis Shaved Ice this evening and the owners told us that they are going to be extending their hours until 9:00 PM daily with the exception of 10:00 PM on Fridays. For anyone who has driven by after 8:30 PM on a weekday looking for a snack, this is great news! If you haven’t had an opportunity to swing by and give them a try then take the time support a great local business.

When I took my latest job, the president of the company, Doug, took me out to lunch to say welcome. As a force of habit, I got to talking about food. I was excited to find he was just as much of a “foodie” as I am. He kept raving about a former ice cream stand turned into sandwich shop called Rolli’s. I asked around about the place and didn’t hear too much else about it, so I was held off on giving it a try. Boy was that a dumb move. The other day my wife surprised me and took me to Rolli’s before my trip to Oregon. On a side note, she has officially won the wife of the year award (which not surprisingly, she wins every year).

Pulling up to Rolli’s I have to admit, I was a little hesitant. I haven’t had much luck with the sandwich stands in the past but, as always, you can’t complain until you give it a shot, right? After some time looking over the menu, we decided to order the Rolli Original Pork Sandwich (~$6), the Rolli Cheese Steak (~$6), a cup of fries (~$3), and a 24 oz drink (~$2). Doug raved about the pork sandwich so I had to try it. For the Rolli’s Original and Jr. Pork Sandwich, they slice tender, seasoned pork tenderloin onto an egg bun with grilled onions, provolone cheese, and mayo. The flavor behind the sandwich is a little salty at first, but wow, what a great taste; the pork is so tender it melts in your mouth, no matter how big a bite you take. As for the cheese steak, I was really happy to peek over and see them chop and grill a nice rib-eye with onions. The mixture made its way onto a hoagie roll filled with provolone and mayo; we could have done w/o the mayo, but it was good none the less. The fries were skin-on potatoes cooked in what tasted like peanut oil. I would have liked it if they were a little thicker, but worth the order if you like fries. As far as the drinks go, make sure to order the large (24oz) or you’ll have to pay for refills.

Overall, Rolli’s worked out to be a great pick, so thanks to Doug for the suggestion. Every now and then you need a good, reliable place to get a great sandwich and Rolli’s is that place. If you’ve ever passed Rolli’s on your way to the Melbourne mall, don’t waste your time on the crappy food court, turn back around for a great meal.

Rolli’s is located at 620 W New Haven Ave, Melbourne, FL 32901.

NOTE : Keep in mind that Rolli’s only has a 3 or 4 tables and limited parking, so if there is a lunch rush, be ready to take their great food to go.

Well, it’s been a crazy month or so since I’ve posted, but a lot has happened on the Brevard restaurant scene. Here are a few of the tidbits that have crossed my path:

• Islamorada Restaurant, our local Suntree Cuban joint, recently closed for renovation and re-opened as Cocomo’s Grill, a not so Cuban but more island inspired style restaurant. After stopping by for lunch (review to come one day), I found out that the place is under new ownership and has a new wait staff. I think they’ve retained some of the cooking staff since many of the dishes on the menu are from Islamorada’s original menu, but unfortunately tostones did not make it back onto the menu; I also didn’t see any of that amazing key lime butter or panitos on the table. The new menu looks good however, so I’m not that discouraged.
• In crazy, all of Brevard’s restaurants are catching on fire news, Meg O’Malley’s Irish Pub, located in downtown Melbourne, had a fire break out on their rear patio. Smoke damage extended to the building costling about $150K in damages. Here’s the write up on the event for those who are interested.
• Dinners2U, the latest local craze in delivered and prepared meals for the Melbourne area, is doing so well that in the next 6 months, the goal is to open a new location in Viera off of Murrell Road. This is great news for the Suntree area since delivery is not available in our area. I want to order a few more times from Dinners2U before I write them up, but so far it’s home cooked meals for a descent prices (considering all of the food you get with your order). Here’s more info for the curious.
• Leaning Tower of Pizza Restaurant is celebrating 25 years of serving the Melbourne area. They’re running spaghetti and slice specials for the month; buy one of either and get one of the same for $0.25. Leaning Tower is a great establishment and deserves all of the praise that it receives. Swing by, check it out, and show your support for a staple of the city.
• A little birdy told me that the owners of Island Pasta Company downtown have purchased, or are in the process of purchasing, Chowders on US1 in Suntree. From what it sounds like, Chowders will remain a seafood restaurant but look for a new name and menu in the future. Not sure when that future will be, but I’m excited to hear something new will come from that spot. They’ve got a great view and I’d love to go back.
• Cantina Dos Amigos is now back open after being previously closed due to fire. Looks like business is back to normal.

So that’s about all for now. I have some reviews for some Brevard classics coming down the pipe as well as some new establishments with some great potential. Talk to you soon.

As we were walking around the historic district in St. Augustine, the aromas from the candy stores and ice cream shops are pretty intoxicating. We set out on a goal to find a peanut encrusted caramel apple as well as some mint chocolate chip ice cream in one of those fresh waffle cones. We stopped by a few stores but the prices were pretty high, averaging ~$8 per item. That was a little high for us so we kept hunting and found Kilwin’s Chocolates. As you look into the windows you can see people making the waffle cones and there are tables for candy making (maybe in the mornings?). The shop is small but the line was out the door; if there one thing I’ve come to trust when I travel is to look for where the most people are eating, usually you’ll end up with some form of “good eats” (hopefully Alton Brown won’t sue me for using that). We got a huge caramel green apple covered in chopped peanuts (~$6) and a fresh waffle cone filled with mint chocolate chunk ice cream (~$4). Considering what you pay at places like Cold Stone, we figured it was a good compromise on price. The sweets turned out great too, so it was a nice treat for the afternoon. I know Kilwin’s is a national chain, and there are a couple in the historic district, but we really enjoyed it. Guess I have to break my rules every now and then, forgive me :’(

Kilwin’s Chocolates is located at 140 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida.

Last weekend, we went up to St. Augustine to visit some family and see the historic district. We had a great time and when lunch time came around we were starved. My brother said he had heard of a good pizza place on St. George Street called Pizza Time, so we decided to give it a shot. Most of the restaurants in the area seemed to be geared towards tourists, so our hope was that Pizza Time would be different.

I have to give it to the owner of Pizza Time, he’s a smart business man. The shop is small and people are routed in through the front door to stand directly in line in front of prepared pizzas, stromboli’s, calzones, and garlic knots. The food is presented nicely (and looks appetizing) and the shop is lined in murals and pictures advertising its Brooklyn, New York style of food. As you order you wait in line for your food to be heated unless you get a whole pie, in which they’ll bring it to your table. By the time your food is ready and you pay, you find out they accept cash ONLY, but no fears, there is an ATM right next to the cash register for your convenience. This is an all to common tactic for tourist heavy establishments in Florida no matter the theme, the owner gets a kickback as well as the ATM company. We ordered a slice of cheese (~$2.50), a sausage parmigiana roll (~$5) which came with a side of sauce, and a couple of fountain drinks (~$2 each). The slice was sizable, really greasy, and by no means the New York style pizza I’ve come to know; someone should tell them that just because you can make a big pizza, it doesn’t make it authentic. The sausage roll didn’t have much sausage in it, but for the price didn’t taste that bad. The sauce was flavorful but really salty, so I didn’t find myself using it much. We also tried the garlic knots, but as with everything else, they failed to stand out.

As we were leaving, we noticed the man we saw on our way in (that told us “Oh this place has the best pizza in all of town”) was getting free slices from the manager. He was also standing outside (at least as long as we were there) telling other people Pizza Time had the best pizza he’d ever eaten. Hmm … I’ll let you draw your own conclusion, but props to whoever came up with that idea. In any case, Pizza Time was what you can expect from your typical touristy pizza place. Nothing stands out and you have to be conscience that you have enough cash on you to eat. That being said, the staff was courteous and we didn’t have trouble getting a table. I’d give the experience a “meh”.

Pizza Time is located at 124 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida.