‘Watts for Dinner’: In a world of ‘no substitutions,’ Doreen’s says, ‘no problem’

Our next dining destination is Doreen's Cup of Joe on Marco Island. We’re fortunate to have so many great breakfast places on Marco Island. And this is one of the best.

I asked for the biscuit sandwich ($16, with my modifications). It comes with sausage or bacon, the cheese of your choice, and eggs your way. I traded the biscuit for an everything bagel, asked for sausage AND bacon and for my egg to be fried and served with American cheese. For my side, hash browns.

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The server quickly agreed to my every request and the sandwich was delivered exactly as I ordered it. And it was marvelous. Bravo!

The sausage patties appeared to be handmade and not manufactured. And there was a freshness to them that you don’t get just anywhere. Doreen’s website says the patties are all-natural with no preservatives and come from Bradley’s Country Store in Tallahassee, a small family-owned farm.  

The bacon was thick-cut and cooked to perfection. Not too hard. Not too soft. And that’s hard to do, based on previous experiences and restaurants not to be named.

The eggs, according to the website, are Eggland’s Best cage-free brown.

I loved everything about this sandwich. Especially the ease in which they agreed to make it for me. In a world of “no substitutions,” Doreen’s says, “no problem.”

My dining companion had the two eggs option, served with your choice of meat, your choice of hash browns or grits and the bread of your choosing ($12.50). He added American cheese to the eggs, picked hash browns and toast.   

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Even though his food was in a different format than mine, he had all the same quality ingredients. And he enjoyed it immensely.

We also shared some pumpkin cheesecake pancakes ($13). You get three pumpkin-flavored pancakes covered in a house made cream cheese sauce and nutmeg. Amazing! Pancakes have come so far in 2021. Can’t wait to see what the new year brings. And hopefully not another COVID variant.

We also took home some dishes from the lunch menu for later. I asked for the Corn Flakes chicken sandwich ($16). It’s a crispy fried chicken breast coated with the namesake batter and served with bacon, honey mustard, lettuce and tomato on ciabatta bread. You can have fries or sweet potato fries. I picked the latter. This meal was top notch, even after being reheated.

My dining companion brough home the turkey breast and brie sandwich ($15.50). It features oven fresh roasted turkey breast, cheese, Granny Smith apple slices and raspberry jelly on a flaky croissant. This unique dish also won high praise.     

From service to surroundings to quality, Doreen’s offers it all.  Every now and again, you hear me say “I highly recommend this dish.” For this visit, I can say, “I highly recommend this entire restaurant.” Happy eating!

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This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all reviewed dishes online at marconews.com.

If you go

Doreen's Cup of Joe

• 267 N Collier Blvd, Marco Island
• 239-394-2600
• doreenscupofjoe.com