Portside Galley

- By T. Bennison


By T. Bennison
With the approach of January 1st comes that bane of all human beings: the New Year’s Resolution. We still have plenty of time to gear up for that moment when we all put blood to paper, forswear all bad habits, and resolve to adopt better ones in hopes of improving our lives. I myself will fulfill a long-held (and longer ignored) promise to eat more breakfast...and yes, I’ll stop smoking, too.

Everyone tells me it’s the most important meal of the day; CNN tells me, my mother tells me, and the back of the Corn Flakes box tells me. But I find it hard to stuff grub in my mouth first thing in the morning. I’d rather fast till Noon, the better to enjoy my hard-earned lunch.

You see, breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, but for so many of us, the most difficult to prepare. It takes all our strength to wipe the sleep from our eyes and adapt to the idea of walking about in a responsibly Capitalist fashion. Prepare breakfast? It’s a wonder our teeth even get brushed.

You’ve at least decided to leave the breakfast preparation to someone else, and that’s a step in the right direction. Who you’ll actually want to prepare it for you is another story altogether. You’re in a mad rus h? Denny’s will suffice. You want seven types of syrup? IHOP fits the bill. You have a hankering for rubber egg disks? McDonald’s is your man. They all serve their purpose, but they rattle that sensitive morning mood. If you’re like me, you want to be eased into activity. You want a place with a relaxed vibe, gentle, caring waitresses, and a good old-fashioned home-cooked meal to carry you through those first crucial hours of the day. What you want is Portside Galley in Cape Canaveral.

Portside Galley hearkens back to the neighborhood diner of yesteryear, where your waitress called you “honey” because she saw you at your grouchiest on a daily basis and still thought you were one. It’s where your coffee cup was filled without you even noticing it getting low, and your eggs were cooked so miraculously well, no place in your travels from Fairbanks to Kalamazoo ever seemed to get it right.
Located at the eastern end of George King Blvd. away from the buzz around Glen Cheek, Portside Galley is a haven for both the seasoned breakfaster and those newly resolved to ingest the meal. A recent visit to the Galley revealed a bustling, but un-crammed scene. I was cranky enough as it was from the previous night’s revelry, and grew crankier when I pulled into the full parking lot. But the spacious Galley has room enough for everyone, whether in the secluded alcove to the side, up at the ample counter, or in the many window booths and tables in the main area. Though waiting for a table wasn’t an issue, I’m confident that if we did have to wait, it wouldn’t be long before we were seated, so efficiently is the place run.

Though this was the first time I’d been inside, it was not my first acquaintance with the Galley. Many morning shifts were fuelled by their excellent scrambled egg sandwiches and biscuit and gravy plates supplied by our boss when I worked nearby two years back. I knew I could expect a great meal, but time had paled the memory, and I had forgotten just how good the food was.

I ordered a biscuit and the sausage and cheese omelette ($4.75) and my companion ordered the Keilbasa, two over easy eggs, and toast and grits ($5.25). One bite of the lightly flaky biscuit will reveal why their biscuits and sausage gravy ($3.75) is one of the most popular dishes on the menu, and the three-egg omelette was outstanding. Diced sausage links and cheese were nestled between its thin, crepe-like folds in an ideal meat-to-cheese ratio and the accompanying homefries (hash browns are also available) were chunky and perfectly spiced. Other varieties of omelette include the vegetarian, several styles mixed with cheese (the Western, a ham, and a bacon), and an ever-changing daily special omelette.

The smoky Keilbasa, sliced length-wise and sauteed, was plump and delicious, and when mixed with the glistening yolk of the eggs and smooth grits, it took on new levels of scrumptiousness. Along with items like corned beef hash and two eggs ($4.25), French toast, pancakes, and the chicken fried steak ($5.75, served with gravy and two eggs), their everyday egg specials are a great deal. Some mention should be made of the coffee: usually a passable beverage at best. The Galley’s brew is strong enough to stand apart from others, and stands up to several cupfuls.

With long time owner Christine Smith at the helm, the Galley navigates through those sensitive morning moods effortlessly, helped along by a cordial, dedicated waitstaff who’ve worked there for years, and the many regulars - stevedores, delivery drivers, tourists, and locals alike - greet them like long lost friends.
Put together, all these ingredients make the Galley our new favorite eatery, and if their breakfasts are any indication of their lunches, we’ll be back soon. A full range of home-style items are available: hamburgers, melts, hot and cold sandwiches, and a highly-popular grilled or blackened Grouper sandwich, all of which are available in larger, “deluxe” versions. Specials like pot roast, meat loaf, and homemade soups bolster salads and a range of seafood and steak platters served with three sides (choose between fries, mash, green beans, corn, fried okra, mac n’ cheese, apple sauce, slaw, or tomatoes).
If the New Year begins begins as planned, I’ll jog daily to the Galley, enjoy a hearty meal, write home weekly, and refrain from lighting up a smoke on the way out.

Portside Galley (101 George King Blvd. in Port Canaveral; 868-0018) is Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On weekdays, breakfast is served until Noon and is available all day Saturdays and Sundays. Check the board for their daily breakfast and lunch specials.