Cotillion Southern Cafe

Last weekend's trip to Florida yielded a few surprises; some good and some not so good.  But one of the best was happening upon one of the most charming little restaurants one could hope to encounter.  My mother lives in what I like to call the middle of nowhere Florida which basically means she's over an hour from an airport.  In the big cities of the northeast, you can really get almost anything.  But try as we might, an authentic southern breakfast is hard to come by.  My sister put her husband on the task of finding her a real southern biscuits and gravy breakfast and his research found Cotillion Southern Cafe in Wildwood, FL.  Saturday morning we went with the expectation of a good greasy spoon, southern style.  What we found was total southern charm and ridiculously good food.

As soon as we pulled up outside the restaurant, we knew this was not the greasy spoon we were expecting.  Maybe it was the lovely white rocking chairs outside...

The restaurent is adorned with memorabilia of the historic space in which it resides and the southern roots of the owners.  The building is a bank from the early 1900s.

The eclectic collection of china on which you are served your food is beautiful and full of history (the plate above was made in occupied Japan during WWI).

Every breakfast begins with homemade biscuits and pear preserves that will fill your dreams.

Any restaurant that serves fried green tomatoes and remoulade as part of the breakfast menu is A-OK in my book.

 

I had the cock-a-doodle-doo sandwich which was a fried egg, bacon and scallion cream cheese sandwich.  The bacon was smokey goodness and while I wouldn't usually think of scallion cream cheese on an egg sandwich, this was the perfect combination.

My sister had the required order of biscuits and gravy with a side of cheese grits (which they call Georgia ice cream) and she declared it one of the best versions of this dish she has ever had.

 

My brother in law ordered the buttermilk waffles topped with fried chicken.   This is a traditional southern combination and quite a plateful of food.

If you find yourself even remotely near this place, I highly recommend seeking it out.  It was all hospitable and southern charm with one of the best breakfasts you could ask for.