Louis' List: Coral Rose Cafe

WSVN -- My friends know I'll drive for miles just to get a good breakfast. It is, after all, the most important meal of the day. But the truth is, aside from going to a swanky hotel, I haven't found one really good breakfast place in all of South Florida in all the years I've lived here, and trust me, I've looked. I just never looked in Hollywood, that's all.

Louis Aguirre: "So we're at the Coral Rose Cafe in Hollywood, and I've been hearing for a long time now that this place, hands down, serves the best breakfast in South Florida. We're gonna see if that's true."

OK, it doesn't look like much, but usually, the simplest of places serves the greatest food.

Louis Aguirre: "Are you the owner?"

Owner: "Yes."

Louis Aguirre: "Ahhhh, I hear many wonderful things about your restaurant."

Owner: "I know, my food is great."

Louis Aguirre: "Is it really?"

Owner: "Yes."

Now, there's only so many ways you can scramble an egg, so in my book, it's how they do the sweet stuff that really defines a truly exceptional breakfast restaurant, and a variety of freshly baked breads definitely gets high marks from me.

Louis Aguirre: "Ah, you make this here?"

Owner: "Yeah, we make this here."

Owner: "So we have mixed fruit coconut and apricot."

I go for the coconut.

Louis Aguirre: "Mmmm..."

Owner: "Good?"

Louis Aguirre: "Oh, my God! Really good, that's very good. Coconut bread. That's rock star good."

On to breakfast!

Owner: "One spinach and one with regular Canadian bacon."

OK, for the first course, I get set up with two of the five types of eggs Benedict they make here.

Louis Aguirre: "Looks like a classic eggs Benedict smothered in hollandais sauce, just like I like it. Let's give it a go."

Good, but that's not why I'm here.

Louis Aguirre: "I'm all about the pancake."

Their pancakes are legendary, and I've come prepared.

Louis Aguirre: "When I go out to breakfast, this is what I bring with me because no restaurant in Miami will serve real maple syrup. I'm serious, It's a real big pet peeve of mine.

Louis Aguirre: "So I brought mine just in case, but they say you have the real deal? OK, you know what thank you very much. Look how excited I am just because she tells me she serves real maple syrup. This is genuine affection."

OK, so I'm a syrup snob. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Restaurants in South Florida take note, don't be cheap, serve the real stuff. Come on, I'll pay for it. I don't care. I don't want to lug this around anymore.

Coral Rose makes 10 different types of pancakes.

Owner: "We have blueberry, we have apple, we have banana, we have pecans, we have coconut."

Wait, did she say the magic word?

Owner: "We have coconut."

No more calls, we got a winner folks.

Louis Aguirre: "Oh, my God! Dude, this is so good! Oh, man!"

Louis Aguirre: "Do you actually put coconut in the batter as well?"

Owner: "We put everything. Every kind of pancake we put everything inside in the batter, so there's coconut in the actual pancake and sprinkle on top."

Louis Aguirre: "Wow. Wow!"

The coconut pancake is beyond any pancake I've ever tasted. Watch me go totally ga-ga over a pancake.

Louis Aguirre: "Oh, wow! Mmmmmmm!"

Louis Aguirre: "Oh, my God, this is really good. I love you so much."

So, you know what? In the end, Lydia was right. So far it's the best breakfast I've ever had in South Florida."

Owner: "Would I lie to you? Thank you."

Louis Aguirre: "You're welcome."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Coral Rose Cafe
1840 Harrison St.
Hollywood, FL 33020-6817
(954) 925-4414