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Too Close to Home?

Susie's Too may be a bit too much like eating at grandma's

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I’m not sure who first thought to add “too” to a restaurant’s name for subsequently opened little sister eateries, but it’s no longer cute. Maybe the first café to tack on the three-letter adverb thought it was a sweet, if obvious touch. Can’t think of a name for your new restaurant? The word “too” can help! However, now “too”s are popping up all over the place. There’s even one in the King’s Lake Plaza on Davis Road in Naples carved in bright red plastic above Susie’s Too café.

Though the name isn’t charming, virtually everything else about this little eatery is. From the menu packed with comfort food classics (there’s an entire section devoted to “country breakfasts”) to the interior replete with the grandmotherly cow paraphernalia, Susie’s Too feels a little bit like going home for breakfast. That is to say it has both the ups and downs of a family breakfast, and that means a quaint setting and simple, sometimes a bit bland, homey food.

The front window of Susie's Too advertises home cooking and Budweiser. That's about what you should expect from this simple but sweet restaurant.

Photo by SARAH FELDBERG

The front window of Susie's Too advertises home cooking and Budweiser. That's about what you should expect from this simple but sweet restaurant.

The omelet list seems a bit confused, ranging between the simple – ham and cheese ($6.95), tomato and Swiss ($6.50) – and the more courageous like the Neptune with crab, spinach and Swiss ($7.25). Neither end of the spectrum quite fit my fancy, nor did the calypso French toast ($7.25) with bananas and coconut (fresh or dried, I wondered) or kielbasa skillet ($7.50).

Despite offering an ample selection of breakfasts and an equal list of lunches, nothing on the menu at Susie’s Too sung out the “me, me, pick me” that often draws me to certain dishes. Simply, nothing really caught my eye. I decided to bite the bullet and ordered up a vegetarian omelet ($6.95) along side potatoes and wheat toast. My dining companion picked two eggs with potatoes and a biscuit ($4.75).

My omelet was more or less as I’d expected. Stuffed with fresh veggies, it loomed over the circles of tasty and clearly home made home fries, but lacked any seasoning. I salted, peppered and hot sauced generously to add a bit of flavor to the substantial but fairly bland breakfast. It’s hard to mess up two eggs, and my friend’s breakfast seemed to satisfy him without leaving an impression. His biscuit was similarly good, but forgettable.

What Susie’s Too lacked in impressive eats, it somewhat made up for in atmosphere and price. The black and white cow-print tables, the chalkboard specials and friendly, no nonsense service were café perfect. A large sign on the wall near our table read “Cows may come and cows may go, but the bull in this place goes on forever.” It’s just that kind of sweet and salty attitude that makes Susie’s Too an appealing country spot. And the bill, scribbled illegibly onto an old-fashioned lined paper ticket, came to a mere $16 plus change before tip. You can’t argue with that.

Want to go? Susie's Too, 4884 Davis Blvd., Naples. 239.774.1148

Comments

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ahh... one of my many breakfast spots. susie's is a little better than average from what i remember and the cow motif was cool. what up naples!

Posted by spitzer33 on October 15, 2007 at 12:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)



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