Tag: breakfast

Posted in Food

Review: JoJo’s Country Cafe in Deland, FL

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The cool, breezy morning had given way to a hot summer day by the time our grandson’s baseball game was over last Saturday. We didn’t mind the early drive to the field, but now we were hungry. A quick search of nearby restaurants on a maps app guided us around the corner to JoJo’s Country Cafe in Deltona.

As we pulled into the strip mall parking lot, we saw JoJo’s, along with the usual tattoo place, barber shop, 24 hour coin laundry, and other assorted businesses. Tucked away between some hotels and a housing addition, the strip mall had been there a while. Our initial reaction: “Sketchy.” But it got decent reviews, so why not give it a try?

JoJo’s is a typical breakfast and lunch place. The coffee was hot and strong, but only tasted average. My wife and I split “JoJo’s Platter”, which included eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, and toast. We added a pancake, too. The good was good. As I told her, “It’s hard to get breakfast wrong.”

I thought the decor was interesting. There was no rhyme or reason to the stuff hanging on the walls. There were some old photographs, a US Flag, a bible verse, some old signs, and a framed flower. A few old Uline catalogs were scattered around. I guess people like to page through those. (Actually, we did that, looking at some boxes and shipping materials.) None of the coffee mugs matched. In fact, ours advertised banks in Texas. I’ll bet they purchased these at a thrift store.

It was 10:30 on a Saturday morning, and we were the only customers there. The restaurant must be crowded on weekdays or earlier in the morning. Only one other couple wandered in for some lunch.

On a shelf behind the counter, my wife noticed large boxes of cereal. Nothing appeared on the menu, but we could have asked for a bowl of Cheerios or Raisin Bran. Neither of us have seen cereal offered at a restaurant for a while.

Overall, JoJo’s wasn’t a bad place for breakfast. The average reviewer gave it four out of five stars. That sounds about right. I doubt we’ll ever be in this neighborhood again, so I’m glad we stopped in.

Posted in Food

A donut makes a run for it

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I noticed more trash than usual out for collection day today. A lot of bike week festivities meant a few extra bags and lots of recycling this week.

After tugging the dogs away from this stray donut, I snapped a few photos, wondering what the story is here. If you look closely, you’ll also see half a bagel trying to escape from a white kitchen trash bag.

I can imagine a shrill voice saying, “You said you were going to take care of the garbage!” A hungover dad stumbles down the driveway with brunch remnants. He doesn’t even notice the donut that bounces out onto the driveway. Even if he did, I doubt he’d pick it up. You’ll notice he couldn’t be bothered to pick up last Thursday’s local merchant newspaper.

This glazed bad boy will soon discover that life on the outside is treacherous. I didn’t let my dogs near it, but deer, cats, birds, dogs, and insects will be interested. Mom will probably nail it when she backs the car out of the driveway to take the kids to school. A gentle rain will melt it into the ground.

Whether consumed or discarded, a donut’s life is brief. Mama, don’t your babies grow up to be donuts.

Posted in Moments of grace

I say, “Oat.” you say, “Meal.” Oatmeal!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Guess what I saw this morning? An oatmeal bar!

Yesterday I was out there ranting about the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday in Pensacola, Florida. That was nothing. I got up this morning, wandered down to get some coffee at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Pensacola, and saw this. An oatmeal bar!

That’s right, a steaming pot of freshly prepared oatmeal with nine optional toppings sat right there next to a pitcher of oat milk and a shaker of cinnamon. Wait a minute. Nine toppings? That’s right. Walnuts, craisins, granola, brown sugar, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, chocolate chips, and coconut flakes.

I rubbed my eyes. Yep, this was the real deal.

Free breakfast usually means a disk of sausage-like meat, rubbery scrambled eggs, juice, a waffle, mushy apples and an unripe banana, and cereal with milk. Oatmeal? Cool!

After coffee and a shower, we headed to the lobby and to get a bowl full of early morning oatmeal-goodness.

Now, I am determined to up my oatmeal game. Feel free to stop by for an amazing breakfast.