EJ’s Bayfront Cafe, Naples/Marco Island, Florida

Friday was our last day in Marco Island. Joyce was taking a late afternoon flight home, and Nancy and I were headed to Fort Myers for a couple of nights before our trip home. We decided — actually I decided — to skip our usual exit meal at the excellent Rumba Cafe in Naples in favor of a waterside restaurant. We looked at Yelp and the top-rated waterside lunch place was EJ’s, so off to EJ’s we went. And I can see why the food at EJ’s is top-rated.

Yelp, on the other hand, is a snare to the unwary. Yelp can be useful, but their algorithms stink. Their “best barbecue” searches include places that don’t even serve barbecue, as per here. Also unreliable is their definition of “waterside.” EJ’s is in fact within 200 yards of water, but it is “canal-vicinity” rather than “waterside” or”bayfront”. Just about everything in Naples is within 200 yards of water, but you can’t see the water while dining at EJ’s. The view is of the walls of a new office/residential complex.

Not to be daunted, we sat after a reasonable wait, and our server, who was very nice, did all the server things (menus, water, drinks?, etc.) and took our orders.

Nancy had a vegetable omelet, which looked terrific, as you can see:

Joyce had a bagel with lox and all of the fixin’s, as they used to say at Roy Rogers.

And I had corned beef hash with two eggs over easy with their cheesy hash browns and toast. The menu bragged about their biscuits, so I added a biscuit.

Everyone was pleased. The food arrived hot, which is a great thing for breakfast.  My corned beef hash tasted good, and my eggs weren’t too overcooked.   The cheesy hash brown casserole had a wonderful crust, and I should warn you, it could become addictive. The biscuit was pretty good, not Sunshine Biscuit Kitchen good, but good, and the toast was fine. 

The expansion of EJ’s outside has put a lot of pressure on the kitchen, especially considering the current labor shortage.  It’s probably best for a leisurely brunch with friends. Mimosas and Bloody Marys graced most of the tables and, I suppose, added to the generally relaxed and friendly atmosphere. And the bill was reasonable by Naples’ lofty standards:  $20.33 each excluding tip. Our server earned a generous tip.

The food is good at EJ’s and I can see why they’re top-rated by Yelp. While I can’t forgive Yelp for the waterside part — I mean there are “mountainside”restaurants in Florida, and the highest point in Florida is on the downslope of a low hill in Alabama — I do recommend EJ’s for a leisurely breakfast.

***

And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box.  Or bookmark us and check in from time to time.  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event). And stick around for news, all manner of recipes, hotel reviews, the odd book or movie review, and occasional fine arts and architecture commentary.  Comments, questions, and suggestions of places to eat or stories to cover are very welcome.  And check out our Instagram page, johntannerbbq.