Lenny's Restaurant in Clearwater, Florida: Best Breakfast in Town

We had heard of, but never visited, Lenny's, a restaurant on U.S. Highway 19, in Clearwater. It was a treat when we finally went!

Ceiling tiles are painted with snaky jokes. Budget breakfasts illustrated by caricatures are named after members of the owners' family, such as Gladys, Toula and Judy. A big black fuzzy spider on a string tied to the restroom door bounces up and down, making a public joke of a private moment. Along with a sharp sense of humor, the proprietors provide a homey feel that acquaints customers with their family. Family portraits, especially of the children, baseball memorabilia and paraphernalia adorn the walls (this is the spring-time home of the Phillies), kitschy knickknacks, and has-been celebrity photographs decorate the restaurant.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a bigger breakfast and lunch variety anywhere, with dozens of options and total flexibility regarding substitutions. The Brooklyn Trifecta, featuring a potato knish, cheese blintzes and potato pancake with sour cream and applesauce, is a carb-addict treat.

Today is the lovely Joan's birthday and we decided to have brunch at Lenny's, even though it was a 45 minute drive from our home. We arrived at about 9:30 A.M., hungry and, I, desperate for coffee. We were seated immediately and, before one could even ask, our waitress was pouring the first of many cups of coffee and placing before each of us, a basket of fresh Danish rolls. The whiff of cinnamon attacked me; there were also a fruit Danish, a cream-cheese filled treat, a chocolate brownie and something else that I couldn't identify. All of this was before we were handed a huge menu, the dimensions of a tabloid newspaper and a content that rivals a classified section.

The center pages of the menu are filled with "cutsie" suggestions named after relatives. While Lenny's serves both breakfast and lunch, we opted for the breakfast side of the menu. There are eggs, waffles, pancakes and such, although by then, I was getting satiated by the Danish and my third cup of coffee! Joan and I ordered identical dishes, possibly because we had lived together so long. We ordered corned beef hash topped with poached eggs. The waitress then kept giving us choices: hash brown potatoes? Sure. Sliced tomatoes? (No, thanks), Sautéed Onions on the potatoes? (Why not!). Toast, bagel, fruit squares, or all of them? Bagels, please and cream cheese. And could I have a little more coffee?

The next 45 minutes were very quiet as Joan and I ate and ate until ready to burst. Our very attendant waitress took time off from her coffee-cup-refilling duties, to bring us plastic bags with which to take home the remaining Danish and cakes; we added to another bag, a whole bagel that had been left untouched.

The cost for this feast, which will satisfy our hunger needs for the rest of the day, was under $20.00, and well worth every penny.

Next time, for I assume that I will be hungry again, eventually, I will go for the think-sliced bacon and eggs, or the salami and egg pancake style omelet or the corned beef-egg pancake omelet or . . . the choices are endless. A glance around the dining room was evidence that Lenny's is the place to go in Clearwater for the best breakfast in town.