In many ways, The Breakfast Company memorializes the late George Soublis, the man that founded El Greco in 1990. “When he passed away, we knew we wanted to get back into the business as a tribute to the family legacy,” says grandson Dimitri Syros. That legacy includes some of Soublis’ unwritten rules: large portions, plentiful flavor and doting family-style service that reinforces endearing traits about Greek families. And his hard-hugging, hardworking and hard-bantering family brings that same ethos to breakfast and lunch staples at their Bradenton diner. In the El Greco items that make a triumphant return, Soublis’ rules are writ large. The famous Greek salad comes with a whole vegetable farm, including seasonal greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, bell peppers, pepperoncini, kalamata olives and sliced beets. Topped with what can reasonably be called a brick of feta cheese and lightly doused in El Greco’s original dressing, the salad already eats like a meal before adding chicken, gyro meat or stuffed grape leaves.
Other El Greco goodies include a gyro now served on house-made pita bread like Soublis used to make early on. It comes served with an outsized ramekin of garlicky tzatziki sauce that the restaurant also sells to go. The avgolemono soup might be the only iteration of the Greek staple within 100 miles that goes as far as it does with the lemon. Comforting, rich and tangy, one customer loves it so much she takes a cup home several times a week. “She calls it her hug at the end of the night,” says Patti Corcoran, who runs the restaurant with her twin sister Terri Syros (both daughters of Soublis).
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
But the triumphant return of these dishes hardly characterizes the full scope of what The Breakfast Company offers: Breakfast and baked goods are where the family really makes its statement. The California omelet, which weighs about as much as a starter log, comes stuffed with grilled chicken breast, smoked bacon, baby spinach and Swiss cheese. Then, an entire Hass avocado is sliced and placed on top. Sliced tomatoes and a honking, griddle-toasted buttermilk biscuit come on the side, making this a meal that can easily be split between two full-grown adults. “I remember once when we tried to raise the prices at El Greco and Daddy started making the chicken entrée with a half-chicken in protest,” says Corcoran of the preoccupation with plus-size portions.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
The Florida French Toast, created by Dimitri, is an inspired bit of breakfast candy. Slices of brioche crusted with crushed, crunchy cereal get the French treatment, but are topped with fruit (mango slices, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries in this case), homemade whipped cream, a tangy citrus glaze and shredded coconut. Compared to the omelet, the toast feels a little lighter though is still filling, and a hint of marzipan flavor suffuses the whole sweet affair.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN
Finally, we come to what could rightly be considered the new restaurant’s signature item, a baked treat that takes the Soublis aesthetic almost to the point of parody: cinnamon rolls. Cartoonishly big, the rolls were the pet project of Corcoran, who arrives as early as 3am to bake them fresh daily. Any of the flavors will do, but when ordering a baked good the size of a bean bag, the maple bacon roll seems most appropriate. As an added dash of ridiculous, the rolls come doused in extra icing when ordered.
At the back of the restaurant is a large wooden table separate from all the others. “Pappou’s Table” is for large parties, but it’s also where Terri, Patti, Dimitri and the rest of the family gather after hours to connect. The table is strong, able to support the full weight of a dozen oversize plates of food. “Daddy always used to say, ‘Let me love you with my food,’” says Syros, and if that’s the formula, then The Breakfast Company loves its guests a lot. SRQ
The Breakfast Company, 7246 55th Ave. E, Bradenton, 941-201-6002.
