Tom Sawyer's

Reviews

Name: Brenda Popritkin 
Occupation: Writer
Lives In: Pembroke Pines
Restaurant Pick: Caffe Vialetto
Reviewed: Tom Sawyer’s Restaurant

Arrived on a rainy weekday to find the restaurant hiding within an industrial strip mall. Parking seemed a bit scarce, but found a spot right up front. Once inside, I was transported to a cabin somewhere else far away from Boca: smaller than expected, quaint, and homey. Welcomed with a smile by our waitress, my friend and I placed our drink orders while we studied the large menu. American coffee (no espresso available), and freshly squeezed Florida orange juice (always surprisingly hard to find in South Florida).

To eat, she chose an egg and cheese muffin. The sandwich arrived placed simply on a large plate and disappointingly untoasted, with cold cheese and then topped with the fried egg. I ordered the veggie breakfast skillet hoping to try more than one item within one order. Despite having onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, home fries, and scrambled eggs on top, the breakfast significantly lacked seasoning and wasn’t too hot upon arrival. Everything blended together tastewise, only differentiating itself by the different textures. The buttermilk biscuit had an odd taste and consistency of cornbread. Luckily, we also ordered the cinnamon bun French toast. I wish that would have been my main breakfast: light crisp on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. The orders came out lightning fast and our waitress was on top of things refilling water and coffee as needed and checking in on us. The bill also arrived quickly and sat on our table for a while wrapped up our conversation. I never felt rushed out.

I feel the attraction to Tom Sawyer is probably about the entire experience. While the breakfast is nothing out of this world, the warm service within the cabin-like environment is a desirable change, especially within the posh surroundings of Boca.

Name: Stephen Hinkel 
Occupation: HR Director
Lives In: Boca Raton
Restaurant Pick: Tom Sawyer’s Restaurant
Reviewed: Tom Sawyer’s Restaurant

Tom Sawyer Restaurant has limited parking out front so I normally park in the back of the restaurant. As soon as I walked into the door, I was greeted and seated. Martha, a server of 15 years, gave me a warm welcome and made sure I was, first, given both the menu and the Monday Lunch Specials. After taken my order for unsweetened iced tea, I ordered chicken noodle soup; and catfish, Italian green beans, and mashed potatoes from the menu, whereas my co-worker ordered mini-cheesesteaks and french fries, lunch special. Within minutes I was served chicken noodle soup, the best I ever had since it was so fresh and chok full of chicken and vegetables; and then proceeded to enjoy my fried catfish, which was lightly battered, the way I like it, homemade mashed potatoes, and Italian green beans. The entire meal was warm, cooked, and delicious. My co-worker loved his lunch and compared his 3 mini-cheesesteaks to an 8” sub one would order elsewhere and was impressed by the quality and flavor, as it was his first time. After we were finished, Martha asked if we would also like dessert, and although I do not have a sweet tooth, I went over to the display case next to the cash register before choosing a black/white cookie, one of my favorite cookies, from the cookies, pastries, and cinnamon buns. It was very fresh as the each dessert is either homemade or delivered daily and rivaled the same black/white cookie found at local delis. In-between appetizer and dessert, Martha very attentive and always asking how we were doing and if we needed refills or anything else? She always had a smile on her face, even though the restaurant was getting busy. The total bill was $29.80 for two and both of us were full and satisfied. We did not have to wait on the check or in line to pay at the register! There is ample time for eating lunch and reminiscing at Tom Sawyer Restaurant because of the close proximity to my office (1/2 mile) and great service!

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