Late Breakfast/The Good Life in South Beach

On the morning that we had planned to attend the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Laurie, Dawn and I got off to a slow start.  Consequently, it was much closer to the lunch hour than it was to breakfast by the time we’d wandered across Biscayne Bay to Miami Beach.  We really wanted breakfast…not lunch…and the good news was that Dawn Marie knew a place right on Ocean Drive that would fulfill our needs!  

This is the ‘dining room’ of The Front Porch Café, which is located at the “Z Ocean Hotel” right across from South Beach.  We only had to wait a few minutes for a table, much less time than it took to find a parking place…

This is an interior photo of the dining area for the restaurant.  It sits up on a terrace overlooking Ocean Drive and the park adjacent to South Beach itself.  The view was nice and the weather was cooperative…not too hot and/or muggy.

I don’t take too many photos… Laurie does most of the serious work when it comes to photographs for this blog site.  However, I did take this picture of Dawn Marie and Laurie just before our breakfast was served.  I am a lucky guy!

Dawn fought an urge to splurge and then she ordered this chocolate lovers muffin for a starter… ($3.75)

For those with a more healthy outlook, one could have ordered a “Front Porch Flip”, a healthy shake made from non-fat yogurt, banana, fresh squeezed orange juice, strawberries and a touch of honey…supplemented with soy based vanilla protein powder! ($4.95)  Better yet, how about a “Green Flip”, made with spinach, broccoli, strawberry, banana, soy milk and bee pollen…again supplemented with soy based vanilla protein powder… ($6.95)

I would skip breakfast if my only option was the “Green Flip”!  Where is this restaurant really…California?! 

Dawn backed up that muffin with a Chicken Satay Omelette. ($11.75) This Asian inspired omelette contains fresh basil, grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese and satay sauce made with ground peanuts, red curry paste, coconut milk, cilantro and lime.  It was very nice indeed!

For me at least, the most unlikely omelette on the menu had to be the pear, prosciutto and bleu cheese creation. ($11.95) I just don’t get it…eggs and pears?

OK…I admit it!  I did jump out there and order something really different, at least by my standards.  I ordered the Green Eggs Scramble with sausage. ($11.79) There were 3 eggs scrambled with pepper jack cheese and the house pesto, which they make using pine nuts, fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes.  I had a choice of fruit, potatoes, dressed garden greens or tomatoes as my accompaniment.  As you can see, I chose the fried breakfast potatoes.

Well, I didn’t make the best choice…at least for me.  For my taste, limited though it can be, the pesto just overwhelmed the scrambled eggs…as well as the pepper jack cheese for that matter.  For potatoes, I prefer hash browns, crispy and without onions…oops!  I ate the eggs and made a sandwich with the sausage patties…a limited Midwestern palate for sure!

I’d have been much better off with the Front Porch Breakfast Pizza…which I did consider. ($10.95) The restaurant tops it's fresh baked pizza crust with their sweet tomato basil sauce, speck (smoked prosciutto), a fried egg, fresh basil, mozzarella, cheddar and shaved parmesan.

Laurie paid it safe…and it was indeed safe to say that she enjoyed her breakfast more than I did.  She ordered the Front Porch Eggs Benedict…with the usual 2 eggs poached on an English muffin with Canadian bacon and Hollandaise Sauce. ($11.95) She chose the fruit as her accompaniment…and it was very fresh and perfectly ripened. (Doesn’t it aggravate you when the fruit is as hard as rocks?!)

The Front Porch Café also serves lunch and dinner… There is plenty of variety built into the menu for either meal.  There are appetizers, pizzas, (including the “Pizza from Hell for $8.75), and a long list of sandwiches and wraps ranging in price from $7.95 to $12.95.  At night you can drop $34.00 for a nice steak or a veal chop.  Of note for South Beach regulars, there is a nice hotel bar right next to the restaurant.    

The South Beach atmosphere at The Front Porch Cafe was perfect!  While I may not have chosen well for my taste, this is a fun place to eat with a very interesting menu which indeed matches the setting.  The restaurant is open 7 days a week from 7:30 AM until 11 PM.  It is located in the Z Ocean Hotel at 1458 Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.  Phone: 305-531-8300.  Website: www.frontporchoceandrive.com.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by and sharing breakfast with us!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave