Got a “fast food” breakfast-lunch joint for you…Bennett’s Fresh Roast in Fort Myers.

Let me flesh this out a bit for you…Bennett’s roasts its own coffee–and has a handful of breakfast and lunch items. Order/pickup at the counter. Sorry I can’t tell you “how” the joint’s tuna salad or chicken salad are…same for its scrambled egg pita round or its vegetable soup–the only items “sampled”–1/2 dozen freshly baked (honey glazed, almond coconut, cinnamon twist, boston cream, peanut butter chocolate, maple walnut) donuts that were right up there with the best that Jeff Eats has ever devoured.

Like I said a few seconds ago, I only did donuts (and most of them were “done” in the car), so I have absolutely no idea how the rest of Bennett’s food is. That said, when I was there on a recent Monday morning at 9:15am, every table was taken and there were 6 people ahead of me on line to order. Just a guess here, but based on the donuts–my money says that the breakfast and lunch items are also top-stuff.

Bennett’s Fresh Roast is open 7 days a week from 6am-3pm.

You can check menu/prices at www.bennettsfreshroast.com.

Got something that you “burger” folks might like to checkout…HiWay Burgers, 12 Southeast 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, Florida 33483, (561) 243-6460.

Two weeks ago, I and Mrs. Jeff Eats were “strolling” Atlantic Avenue…and low and behold- we spotted HiWay Burgers, a brand new “hole in the wall” fast food burger joint with a “Coming Soon” sign in its window. Looking in, there were a handful of 50′s style booths and a small counter to order at. Just so you know, this thing really is a “hole in the wall”—the menu board listed— BURGERS, FRIES, SODAS, SHAKES period. Now nothing for nothing, but based on color scheme/decor and menu– my money says that, Hiway’s owner is trying to “emulate” the hugely successful and cult favorite In-N-Out Burger chain. Now for our purposes that’s a good thing, because if my assumption is correct, then it’s a safe bet that the owner “knows” what a top-notch fast food burger joint-should be. Of course, knowing and executing are two whole different things…so, we’ll just have to see how this all plays out. I will tell you, that from my brief “peek” the joint looks really cool.

To rap this up, yesterday- I bumped into my old friend Glenn who owns several Atlantic Avenue buildings…and- he mentioned to me that HiWay Burgers had opened and that the cheesebuger, french fries and chocolate shake that he ordered were terrific. For the record, I think that Glenn knows his fast food burger “stuff” because he’s also a huge fan of Five Guys, BurgerFi and Shake Shack–but then again, he’s a Red Sox fan, so I can’t really swear for this guy!

Anyway…I’m gonna get up to HiWay Burgers in a few weeks and “taste” for myself. If you get there before I do, let me know what you think. By the way, the joint is so new that its website www.hiwayburger.com has yet to be fleshed out.

I know that some of you guys like to be kept in the “loop.” So, with that in mind…I just heard that “fast-food” hamburger chain–Jake’s Wayback Burgers which currently has 10 Connecticut–9 Delaware–13 Pennsylvania–1 Indiana–1 Massachusettes–2 Maryland–4 North Carolina–5 New York–1 Ohio is planning on opening 2 Florida joints in the next couple of months…4690 State Road 7, Coconut Creek and 8201 South Military Trail, Sarasota.

If you aren’t familar with this chain, trust me, you aren’t alone. Jeff Eats had never heard of Jake’s until last week when I gave its Long Beach, New York outlet a shot. If you want to go further, you can check www.waybackburgers.com for menu/prices/locations.

Now, you know and I know that “upscale” fast food burger joints are literally popping up on every American block. Absolutely no question in my mind, that the day of reckoning is quickly approaching–when the American public is going to tire of most of these joints and tons of franchisees are going to get wiped out. That said, until that reckoning-day arrives, there is no reason whatsoever- why I, Jeff Eats can’t eat myself into a 48 inch pair of pants and a 22″ inch shirt.

Jake’s menu has got it all…burgers, franks, fries, onion rings, salads, milkshakes.

For the record, I did a 2-patty cheeseburger, french fries, coffee and chocolate milkshakes…the burger/fries were as good as the “best” chain stuff I’ve had in South Florida–and that includes- Five Guys, Shake Shack, BurgerFi, Elevation Burger, CG. I will tell you, the milkshakes were outrageously delicious, but the thought of a 22″ inch neck shirt is starting to scare me a bit.

Anyway…you guys are now in the “loop.”

If a 1950′s “looking” diner located in a Miami Springs pharmacy is your game…get ready to play.

Last week I had lunch at Johnny’s Soda Fountain & Luncheonette which is located in the Miami Springs Pharmacy. You can do the Googling here, but back in 1946 a guy named John Stadnik opened a drug store in Miami Springs…and like many of its brethern of the time, it had both a pharmacy and luncheonette in it. To make a long story short, the pharmacy “survived” but the luncheonette closed in 1965. Fast forward to 2010- the Miami Springs Pharmacy is still owned by the Stadnik Family– and Carol, John Stadnik’s daughter decides to “re-open” the luncheonette naming it Johnny’s Soda Fountain & Luncheonette.

So- you know what this joint is all about, the PHARMACY still has the original 1946-look…while-Johnny’s is 1950′s faux-stuff ala Johnny Rockets. For our purposes, this is a mom & pop diner—with an interesting “story” in a really cool location.

Johnny’s menu isn’t huge, but I’m sure you’ll find something to eat…handful of breakfast items–same for salads/sandwiches/burgers/hot dogs/entrees/daily specials/sundaes & shakes. Like I said a few seconds ago, I did lunch…cheeseburger, grilled chicken breast sandwich, french fries, vanilla ice cream/heath bar shake.

Now for the results…I loved the look of the whole joint. The pharmacy and luncheonette are separated by a half-wall divider. Now I know and you know (because I told you)–that the diner decor is a faux-deal, but it’s still cool and real mom & popish…if Johnny Rockets’ decor is a Bentley, Johnny’s is a really used Honda. As for the food, imagine if you made the stuff at home. I appreciate that we may get some-waaaay different results here, but I do make a real good cheeseburger and Mrs. Jeff Eats can muster up a decent enough grilled chicken breast…as for the fries, Johnny’s were ok– like mine- they came out of a frozen package. The shake wasn’t exactly in the league of a Dairy Queen’s Blizzard, but I definitely could handle 2-3 of Johnny’s a week. For the record, over the years Jeff Eats has tried to “duplicate” blizzards at home and has failed miserably.

Johnny’s Soda Fountain & Luncheonette is my kinda of a joint…I’m a sucker for black & white tiled floorr, yellow counter stools and red & white checked tablecloths.

Johnny’s is open Monday-Saturday 8am-8pm, Sunday 9am-3pm.

Got something here that I can’t exactly wrap my arms around…Sweets From Heaven & Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory.

To make a long story-short…

Yesterday, I killed some time in Boca Town Center–while Mrs. Jeff Eats roamed the mall looking for God knows what…For one solid hour I entertained myself- checking out people (most had no packages) and “thinking” about stuff like-how poorly the mall’s new food court “mix” and lay-out was–and what a goldmine the Apple Store was.

Anyway…right near the food court is an “upscale” candy store named Sweets From Heaven. I’m gonna assume that all of you guys have been to big regional malls and have seen and been in “some version” of an upscale candy store. For the record, Sweets From Heaven is a small national chain with a number of franchised locations in the United States. Not sure why, but in some malls the “store-concept” is called Sweets From Heaven and in others it’s called Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory. You can check the chain’s website www.sweetsfromheaven.com for locations/details. For our purposes, there is 1-Sweets From Heaven in Boca Raton, 1-Fuzziwig’s in Fort Myers, 1-Fuzziwig’s in Orlando.

Now, I may be giving you guys too much credit here, but I don’t think so… but, when you saw these “candy stores” which look like amusement parks/candy factories– loaded with bulk candy and kids’ novelty items- didn’t you say to yourselves, “Boy! I wish I was a kid, but man, this stuff costs a fortune.” Well, if you didn’t…I did—and as I walked around the store I couldn’t believe the prices that this joint was getting for the most basic of candies.

Now, if I recall my basic PS 179 math, there are 16 ounces to a pound. To be perfectly honest with you. I don’t recall the exact “brands” or exact ” $-amounts” but Sweets From Heaven was hitting up customers for something like $7.95–$14.95 lb. Like I said a few seconds ago, the brands may not be exactly the same, but I kinda think that I know what, M & M–Twizzler Licorice–Good & Plenty candies look like. Now, nothing for nothing, but on many standard candies- guys like Walmart, Target, Costco are fetching something like 23-30 cents per oz. I’m gonna let you guys do the math. By the way, this morning before writing this piece I checked my cupboard and visited a Walmart and Costco to make sure I wasn’t talking out of my hat.

Now, I know that businesses like Sweets From Heaven rely on “impulse buying.” It just seems to me, that there is impulse buying and then there is IMPULSE BUYING.

Like I said at the top of this discussion, Got something here that I can’t exactly wrap my arms around.

Lily’s Cafe is a “mom & pop” neighborhood diner that does breakfast/lunch Tuesday-Friday 7am-3pm, Saturday-Sunday 8am-2pm, closed on Monday. You can check menu/prices at www.lilycafefl.com. The site also has a handful of pictures which will “tell” you as to exactly what you are getting into here. Not really sure how to explain this, but there are mom & pop diners and then again, there are MOM & POP diners. For the record, Lily’s Cafe is a MOM & POP…remember- those movies from the 30s and 40s where some kids would yell, “hey, let’s put on a show”?

Anyway…Lily’s is a fabulous joint, imagine your mom and your aunts making and serving the stuff. For you wiseguys out there, my mom was a tremendous cook and my aunts though not in her league also got the job done. Just to go off on a tangent for a minute–when I see restaurant signs/menus boasting “home cooked” food, my mind always says whose “home.” All I know, is that back in Brooklyn in the 50s and 60s I had a friend Michael R. whose mother was the worse cook maybe in the world, well at least Brooklyn—I guess that’s why Michael R. use to “run away” from home so often.

I recently ate at Lily’s…the menu isn’t huge-but there is enough breakfast stuff, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, pies/muffins–so nobody’s gonna go without eating. I tried the french toast, western omelet, chicken salad wrap, patty melt (burger, swiss cheese, grilled onions–on rye toast), french fries. Trust me here, everything was delicious. If I had to put the stuff in-pecking order…the french toast was terrific, the omelet-wrap-melt were also terrific but not as terrific as the french toast was, the french fries were good but weren’t terrific. Now if memory serves me correctly, my mom’s french toast didn”t come close to Lily’s, same for her chicken salad (mom use to add chopped dill pickle to the mix, never really liked that!)–mom never made western omelets- but she did make a mean scrambled eggs with American cheese/ham, her patty melt was as good as the one Lily’s dished up, Lily’s and mom’s french fries were a total tossup (too bad Nathan’s wasn’t my mom or dad or whatever!).

The final result, “assuming” that there really is a Lily back in the kitchen–Lilymom, I’m home from college!!

Lily’s Cafe is a homerun!

Let me start off by saying, thank GOD that Royal Scoop Homemade Ice Cream is in Bonita Springs and not by house in Boca Raton. I’m telling you, if this fast-food ice cream/soup-salad-sandwich joint was anywhere even close—I’d weigh something like 385 lbs.

Royal Scoop has been around since 1979. Real simple concept…order/pickup at the counter, some of the most amazingly delicious homemade ice cream and yogurt going…as a kicker, the joint also has a menu of soups-salads-sandwiches. At this stage of the discussion, feel free to abandon me and check Royal Scoop’s details at www.royalscoop.com.

A recent outing had me forcing myself to try…espresso chip, mocha caramel crunch, cherry vanilla, pistachio–in addition knowing that you guys would ask, I also “sampled” the joint’s tuna-chicken salads and a grilled American cheese with bacon/white toast. Like I said before, the ice cream is amazingly delicious—the kicker here, Royal Scoop’s tuna-chicken salads and grilled cheese were also very good (which is kinda unusual for an ice cream joint–think Swenson’s, Friendly’s, Dairy Queen, Jahn’s and you may appreciate my thinking on this).

Royal Scoop is open Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday noon-10pm.

I don’t know about you, but I try my best to eat-healthy (wink-wink!)…so- when I recently came across a handful of newspaper/magazine articles which described the benefits of eating dark chocolate—I was a thrilled camper.

So- for all of you health nuts out there, I got an absolutely amazing joint for you to try…Chocolates by Mr. Roberts in Boca Raton… a “hole in the wall” shop that makes some of the most delicious chocolates that I have ever eaten.

A recent outing had me “doing” pieces of English Toffee Dark, Dark Pecan Bark, Dark Nut Crunch…

Now, based on my research, dark chocolate is supposedly the “healthy” chocolate, so I guess the Milk Nut Crunch and English Toffee Milk that I also tried “didn’t” do me any good…oh well!

Anyway…If you want to chow down on fabulous and I do mean fabulous- home-made chocolates, get yourself over to Chocolates by Mr.Roberts.

You can check products/prices at www.chocolatesbymrroberts.com.

By the way, the joint has been around for something like 30 years.

Chocolates by Mr. Roberts is open Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:30pm, Saturday 9:30am-5pm, closed on Sunday.

The Over Easy Cafe–”mom & pop” diner located in Oakland Park.

Let me start by saying, that everyone has an Over Easy Cafe…

It maybe called- George’s in Brooklyn, Tom Sawyer’s in Boca, Good Egg in Tucson, or Cozy Corner in Chicago—that small, neighborhood, formica table/booth joint (the grill is right behind the counter seating) that you go to—for breakfast/lunch. Absolutely impossible to get a count, but I’ll betcha that there are literally thousands of these mom & pop owned/operated restaurants in America.

You know the drill…menus- loaded with breakfast stuff, sandwiches, salads, burgers, dinner specials, desserts. Nothing gourmet (whatever gourmet means) seemingly happens at the -Over Easy Cafes of the world—Just decent food, pleasant waitresses, loads of coffee, endless conversation.

Like most of you, I absolutely love these kind of joints.

For the record, I have eaten 3 breakfasts and 1 lunch at the Over Easy Cafe. Can’t recall ever having had- a bad western, pancake, cheeseburger, chicken salad on toasted rye. You can check menu/prices at www.theovereasy.com.

Over Easy Cafe is open Monday-Friday 6am-3pm, Saturday 6am-1pm, Sunday 7am-1pm.

One final item for you…Over Easy Cafe makes some of the best home-made pies that this Brooklyn boy has ever tasted. Try the dutch-apple and I’ll betcha a buck, that the next time you’re in Costco- you’ll think twice about bringing home that 20 pounder (well it feels like it’s 20 lbs) that they have in the baked goods area.

Real simple—”hole in the wall” fast food joint that makes amazing Philadelphia style- soft pretzels.

You guys do know, don’t you?–that Philadelphia, among-other things is famous for its cheesesteaks and pretzels. Well! You don’t have to drive (give or take) 1,000 miles to find out what the pretzel part of the equation is all about.

Just for the record, I love mine with mustard.

You can check www.phillypretzelheaven.com for menu/prices.

The joint is open Monday-Friday 8am-5:30pm, Saturday 8am-4pm, Sunday 9-2pm.