Sunday morning coming down

"Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt /and the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad so I had one more for dessert" Mr. Cash

Not really, but it seems a good way to start out a Sunday morning story.

Sunday morning; the closest thing to a day off that I get theses days. A chance to sleep past 6am, an opportunity to see the outside world for a few hours. I like Sunday mornings. What started out as running a few errands turned into a tour of the old and new while travelling the length of the Heights on Nebraska - with musical accompaniment.

"...and to the confusion of our enemies" Riverboat Gamblers

First stop of the morning was to do some pet sitting for a friend that's out of town. Mission accomplished, I found myself at the corner of North Bay and Nebraska looking across the street at what could be a man tarted up for business, or could be a woman in normal clothes not wanting to sit next to the creepy guy at the bus bench 20 feet away. I guess I spent a little too long studying on the question, because the evil glare that I received from across the street belied that fact that the truth of the situation was the former. It's been quite some time since I've seen a tranny working in daylight on Nebraska.

"They picked me up off the street/ they said 'hey get off my beat'/ they spread out all my things on top of their car/ identified, detained and inspected/ that paints the picture clear... " Low and Sweet Orchestra

Time for breakfast, we headed towards the new, improved 3 Coins. Passing the rim store next to Publix, two of Tampa's finest were cuffing up a man. What he did, I'll probably never know, but I had a flashback to the 80's and being stopped a few times in the same area for WWP - walking while poor. Not that there couldn't be a more noble reason for him being detained, the memory just popped into my head.

"eggs and sausage and a side of toast coffee and a roll/ hash browns over easy
chile in a bowl /with burgers and fries / what kind of pie?" Tom Waits

3 Coins. I'd given up on this place years ago, except for when I'd get a hankering for some SOS and eggs - which isn't that often. Inspired by Rick's post, we decided to give the new, improved version a try.
We weren't dissapointed. I like the new place. It's clean, the service is attentive and friendly, and the food is remarkably good when taken in context. Sure I'm a chef, sure I can do great things with foie gras, but there is a time and a place for everything, something that my contemporaries often forget. I'm the kind of person that has to try quite a few things when first trying out a place. So with a table covered with french toast (light, crisp, flavorful), biscuits and gravy (great biscuit, flavorful sausage gravy without a trace of uncooked flour taste), a Southwest breakfast wrap (the closest thing that I've found in spirit, if not execution, to a TexMex breakfast taco since leaving Austin), some nicely seasoned, crisp home fries, and various breakfast meats I couldn't find a thing that I didn't like. Only impending middle age and an eye on my cholesterol stopped me from eating everything on the table and licking the plates.
The kitchen was weeded when we sat down, so food wasn't exactly flying out, but the wait staff kept us informed and our drinks filled while we waited. I think I've had about six cups of coffee because of the wait, but I didn't mind waiting. Then, the dam broke and food just started flying all over the restaurant. The poor servers went from trying to keep people happy to trying to keep up with all of the food, but they did it with grace and great attitudes.
My hat is off to Moe and something new in the Heights.

Quasi day off over. It was good to get out for a while.

"what do you do with a life of work?" Iggy Pop