Britt's Cafe
03/03/2006 - By SHELLEY PRESTON The Ledger
Cuban sandwich, black bean soup, chicken breast sandwich, country fried steak, three-cheese potato and bacon soup, Britt's Burg
Lunch at Britt's Cafe hums like a well-oiled machine. Servers zip between the dozen or so tables to deliver the goods: big burgers, fried fish and sandwiches stacked precariously on blue plates.
Lunch at Britt's Cafe hums like a well-oiled machine. Servers zip between the dozen or so tables to deliver the goods: big burgers, fried fish and sandwiches stacked precariously on blue plates.
"Nibbles" has brought me to many, many diners in Polk, and Britt's is one of the best. Among its attributes, the eatery, slipped into the south corner of the Oakbridge Centre in Lakeland, earned the distinction of having one of the county's best burgers in The Ledger's 2003 "Great Burger Hunt."
On Friday nights, patrons line up at the door for the restaurant's "Friday Night Fish Fry" for all-you-can-eat fluffy fried fish served with choice of potato, coleslaw and cornbread for $6.95.
On my recent visit, I tried Britt's Burger ($4.55) one of the many variations of the plain hamburger that got top honors. Besides the usual lettuce, tomato and onion, the tasty burger bulged with bacon, provolone cheese and barbecue sauce and was crowned with an onion ring. Other specialty burgers at Britt's include the Yukon Burger with Canadian bacon ($4.25) and a Blue Mountain Burger with bleu cheese ($4.45).
One of my lunch buddies ordered a special of the day, Southwest Chicken and Rice ($5.75). The ample platter came with chunks of chicken dressed with cheese and green peppers over a bed of yellow rice and black beans.
Britt's also devotes a large part of its lunch menu to salads. Those watching their figure may be deceived by the decadent salads loaded with meat, cheese and croutons. Britt's Bistro Salad ($6.25), served with balsamic dressing, was a mountain of iceberg lettuce with green pepper, tomatoes and onion, grilled chicken breast and pepperoni piled on top.
The cafe opens at 7 a.m. for the breakfast crowd clamoring for specialties such as the Italian Sausage Omelet ($4.85), breakfast skillets topped with country gravy ($5) and French Toast Croissants ($3.75). Breakfast is served until 11 a.m.
One of my few complaints is almost everything on the menu comes with cheese. Most dishes are so hearty, the ingredient is not necessary in most cases. Oh, and then there is my other pet peeve: cash only.
Britt's strengths are consistency and quality, attributes many other diners lack. Britt's gets 3 1/2 stars, half a star more than when it was last reviewed in 2001.
