Diet or no diet everyone needs to try some food from Lenny's. I was meeting a friend here for breakfast and she picked out this little restaurant. When I pulled up quarter til' nine in the morning and the parking lot was full I knew I was in for a treat. After battling it out with a few other cars and pedestrians just to find my parking spot in the back of the lot I was happily greeted at the door. A man who took the time to say hello to me through a sea of people waiting for seats. When I told him that my friend was going to be late he said that I should sit at the counter and get a drink. Who's going to say no to that when by the looks of this line you would think you're about to go on the new Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios. (If you haven't waited in that line before I suggest you bring an ipad with the movie Titanic on it.)
Anyways, back to breakfast. I'm seated at a very old style diner bar and greeted by a woman who is anxious to get me my first beverage. She rushed by and says "whatcha want to drink darlin' I'll be right back with it". When she returns with my drink and a menu she informs me that the special of the day is Banana Nut Bread French Toast. Ummm if it weren't for having to do a review I would have handed her back the menu and said "BRING IT", but for the sake of the review I figured I should at least glance at the menu. Plus how rude would it have been if I didn't at least attempt to wait for my friend. I take this precious time to talk with Joanne (my server) and I asked her about some of the items on the menu. Joanne informs me of at least seven different menu items that she swears is to die for. Items such as the Redneck Benedict, Portabella Mushroom Benedict, Pumpkin Pancakes (seriously... pumpkin pancakes!), The Kitchen Sink, Biscuits and Gravy and the list goes on and on. All of it sounds amazing, but I had to know what Scrapple was. "Joanne, what is this on the menu... Scrapple?" Joanne gets a funny smirk on her face and she says "Well I've never tried it myself, but a customer once told me that it's everything that's left of the pig after they make hotdogs." After picking my jaw up off the floor and swallowing that little bit of vomit that came up I decided that was the best description of what I don't ever want to eat in my life. Thanks Joanne I'll let you know what I want once I get my appetite back.
While I was waiting on my friend I started to take some pictures of the atmosphere. This restaurant is home of the Phillie fans and any other baseball memorabilia that you can imagine. They also have a sense of humor when it comes to decorating. Things like clocks on the wall that tell the times for other countries and cities. Clearwater being the correct time while Largo time is an hour early. I'm assuming that's because people in Largo always seemed to be late to things. Then they have a clock that has Iraq for the name, this clock is all torn up and burnt as if a bomb hit it. Then there's the menu which has a section of ladies names and a description of their meals. Like the lady Nicola which includes 3 slices of French toast made with Belgian Raisin Rounds. Love the concept. My favorite was the section "For the VERY young at heart 55 & older (7 forms of ID required)" Too funny. From top to bottom this place has character and I can see why so many people stand outside in the long line just to eat here.
Once my friend arrived she and I decided to order family style. She ordered something that we both wanted and so did I. She ended up getting the Nicola with a Little Cliff (biscuits & gravy) while I of course ordered the Banana Nut French Toast and a side of Canadian Bacon (which I usually don't like, but today was an exception). When the meal came I found it easier to just piece together my meal on one plate and take a picture for you. The BNFT was moist and sweet with plenty of nuts. It was a little hearty for my taste, but I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. Then I tried the original Belgian Raisin Round French Toast which was the perfect consistency of sweet and french toast like. Neither toasts needed a syrup or butter (nor did my thighs). I had a small bite of the biscuits and gravy and I have to say I thought they were perfect. My friend felt that they weren't as spicy or peppery as she would have liked. Overall I felt the food was good. I can't say it was amazing, but it's probably because we mainly had bread products with lots of sugar and we should have tried one of the Eggs Benedict. There's always next time and I will say that based on the service and atmosphere alone there will definitely be a next time.
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