Good Deal

The Place: The Breakfast House; 1817 Fruitville Road, Sarasota; (941) 366-6860. 

The Fare: Breakfast and lunch are served seven days a week in a nicely renovated, sunny yellow bungalow with hardwood floors and tables and chairs done in a palette of tropical colors. One hopes the resurrection of this pretty little house is the start of a trend along this block on the northern edge of downtown.

The Drill: Expect a bit of a wait on weekends, as this newish spot is off to a strong start, with good reason.

The Bottom Line: Breakfast is our focus. A big menu offers a wealth of options, from omelettes to French toast or pancakes to traditional bacon and eggs to shrimp and grits. Epitomizing the Good Deal here is the traditional Eggs Benedict, which at $7.95 offers not only house-baked ham and perfect poached eggs but the tastiest brightly lemony Hollandaise we’ve sampled in quite a while. It easily beats the same dish offered at twice the price in fancier surroundings. On the side with this and other egg dishes come home fries that are, for a change, perfectly seasoned to coax out every molecule of flavor. A basket of fresh fruity scones is a nice option for the table at $2.95. Now if they’d just upgrade the coffee, we’d set up camp in the parking lot.