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Hands
Across the Gulf (Eastside)Iris's
GrillJust
across from the library and
just across the Gulf from Rockport,
Texas by
Rufus St. Claire |
Finding
a casual restaurant in Florida is easy. Finding one with down-home charm isn’t.
Iris's Grill is just a few blocks from the water and a few blocks from
downtown Dunedin. It’s also a literal “stone’s throw” off the Fred Marquis Pinellas
Trail – a bike trail built on the roadbed of a long defunct railroad.
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Iris's Grill
Photo
by John Troesser, April 2012 |
Walk this way. Actually, Iris'
is to the right.
Photo by John Troesser, April 2012 |
| It’s been here since
the mid 1970s and it’s the kind of place people get nostalgic about. Even people
too young to understand the word nostalgia feel the gentle pull of Iris's Grill.
It’s funky – as in “pleasantly unconventional” but not to the point where you
worry about any funk getting in your food. The place is as clean as the proverbial
bean. |
"She
likes to brag that her boyfriend is a male model for JC Penney."
Photo
by John Troesser, April 2012 |
| The new visitor may
detect a bit of whimsy - even before they are seated. The hostess (she’s been
there for years) is a little short on personality, but the waitresses more than
make up for her haughty demeanor (she likes to brag that her boyfriend is a male
model for J.C. Penney). |
|
Ordering "off" the
menu is strongly discouraged.
Whimsical
Painting by Don Moon
Photo
by John Troesser, April 2012 |
|
Whimsical Revolutionaries -
another by Don Moon
Photo
by John Troesser, April 2012 |
The original art
work throughout the dining area was painted by a former patron (now deceased)
who was friends with the owner. His name was Don Moon and he was from Connecticut.
The oil painting of the man digging clams – that’s a self portrait. The one of
the bride? That’s Don’s wife who died 30 years before him.
Is there an
Iris? Maybe there is – maybe there isn’t. One doesn’t feel the need to ask. It’s
like the “Alice” of Arlo Guthrie’s song. It just doesn’t matter. Iris doesn’t
live here anymore – or maybe she does.
The waitresses are friendly in the
way waitresses used to be friendly and you feel that they each have a story on
how they came to work here. They are that rare breed who wouldn’t bridle at being
called a waitress – but might if they were lumped into that genderless category
of “waitstaff.”
I once had my hand playfully slapped on Valentine’s Day when I admitted that my
wife and I were there as regular customers and not because of the occasion.
It’s
that kind of place. |
 |
| Iris'
is in the same direction. Signs on the Bike Trail
Photo
by John Troesser, April 2012 |
Breakfast is served
all day and if you get there between the traditional breakfast hours and lunch
– you might become part of the exchange between staff and customers. If the subject
is interesting enough, the cook might even get involved. My last visit had a man
at the next table giving out a recipe for pineapple-tequila layer cake – complete
with an interesting story about the man who had invented it.
Service is
prompt but in-between orders, the newspaper provides sparks for igniting group
conversation. Controversial subjects are ignored (as an unspoken rule). Sometimes
the birthdays of celebrities are read aloud – with people loudly protesting the
alleged ages or asking “Who the heck is that?”
It’s especially cozy at
Iris’ if you happen to be a Toronto Blue Jay fan. Even the hostess changes into
her (abbreviated) “uniform” when the team is in town for Spring training.
June
3, 2012
©
John Troesser
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