Summer doesn’t officially begin until next week, but it’s already summer-hot, so we may as well say it’s here.
Which is just fine because First Watch’s summer menu specials are also available now. And as I do every three months, I headed to First Watch to have a sample, humming a little Vivaldi along the way.
I started by sipping the Watermelon Wake-up, a cool and refreshing drink that also had pineapple and lime juice and a fragrant sprig of mint.
Next I had the Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos, which had braised beef and scrambled eggs in soft tortillas fashioned out of wheat and corn (really delicious) with chive cream, avocado chunks, melted cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses and a sprinkling of cotija cheese. It was served with a side of black beans, which I don’t think were meant to be scooped into the tacos but that’s what I did with them – and I’d do it again. It was such a fetching presentation that a woman in the next booth turned around to ask me what it was. In other times I might have offered one to her, but thanks to the pandemic I kept them for myself.
Not that I needed the food because I was also offered a taste of the Elote Mexican Street Corn Hash entree, which had potatoes, sweet corn and chorizo all hashed together and nestled under two beautifully cooked sunnyside-up eggs. It was garnished with avocado slices and accompanied by a couple of those yummy wheat-and-corn blend tortillas.
So I was pretty much spent by the time my server dropped off the Bananas Foster French Toast and I could manage only a taste. But what a taste. The toast was fashioned out of hand-braided challah bread and dipped in a custard batter. It was smothered in a gooey caramel sauce and topped with pecans and banana slices. It’s an entree and dessert all in one.
As I rediscover with each new season, the quality was all first-rate. The Florida-based company’s tagline – “Yeah, it’s fresh” – really does say it all.
Can’t wait for fall.
First Watch has several locations throughout Central Florida. I visited the one at Mills Park, 1414 N. Mills Ave., Orlando. It is open for breakfast and lunch daily.
