ECCO, OUCH!
Ecco is now open for breakfast and lunch Friday through Monday, in a special arrangement its owner has set up with another group. Having blown my discretionary money at Busch Gardens for five days during a two-week Florida visit with the Grands and their parents, I had been waiting until the retirement check came in May 1, to give it a try.
But last Friday, I was being pulled toward a different dining experience, while strolling down Beach Blvd. on one of those gloriously hug-warming, sunny mid-mornings. ECCO’s outdoor, cloth-covered café tables, nestled under canvass umbrellas, beckoned me to stop awhile and check out their new lunch menu.
I was hungry;
and my dog Miss Farfel could wait until the first of the month for her summer hairdo; and I only had cheese polenta with spinach and a coddled egg for an early breakfast; and there was a 10% discount offer going on; and the outdoor seating made me think that maybe I woke up in a little European town by the sea. So I shamelessly took my pup’s grooming allowance and decided I needed nourishment more than Miss Farfel needed a haircut. (She did get a good bath later at Reef Dog for $10, because Mary let me do it myself.)
So below, I am unfolding some of the conversation tidbits and observations I encountered at ECCO on Beach Blvd and will let you come to your own conclusions as to where this new adventure in eating in our charmingly funky Gulfport downtown hub is most likely to end up.
Friday, April 16, 2010 11 A.M.
3 customers
1 manager, smiling and friendly
1 waitress, smiling and friendly
2 cooks, didn’t look too happy
Soft background music
Clean surroundings
stylish dishes, furnishings, and décor
Perfect day
ME: Any specials today I should know about?
Waitress: I don’t think so.
ME: What is that on the chalkboard? Something from yesterday?
Waitress: Oh, that must be today’s special.
ME: What is in the carrot cake: nuts, pineapple, or something else interesting?
Waitress: I don’t know. It is a secret.
(The young women did offer me a small bit on a lovely plate that she had dressed up with swirls of flavor and color. The carrot cake tasted like all the overly sweet carrot cakes I have had since the 60s. The cakes that I find outstanding have more butter and cream cheese in the frosting that cuts the powdered-sugar taste. And they are full of pineapple and toasted pecans, too.)
ME: What is 8 grain whole wheat rice and how is it seasoned?
Waitress: I really don’t know. I think…
Me: Haven’t the cooks given you taste samples of the menu, so you
can answer customer questions about the dishes they are serving?
Waitress: I haven’t been here very long.
ME: I have waitressed, hosted, and managed and know it is a difficult job. Sorry that you have not been given much training.
ME: What’s in the deviled crab that was served on the Crab Sampler ($9.95)?
I never tasted a devil crab like this one. Is that cabbage? What is that pasty lining? Tastes oriental.
Waitress: I don’t know.
Manager: I don’t know
Cook: I don’t know.
Manager: Why do you ask?
ME: Folks like to know what they are eating. And many folks are allergic to MSG, nuts, wheat, dairy, etc.
Manager: Tell me what you are allergic to, and I will tell you if it is in the devil
crab. I’ll go online and see what is in it devil crab.
The manager was surprised when I mentioned I have had it in Virginia where I am from.
Below is a recipe for what have gotten in the past when I order Devil Crab. ECCO’s Devil Crab is a large pasty strange-tasting, deep-fried thingy with I think cabbage in it. I really couldn’t pick out the flavors. I enjoyed the meaty, crispy crab cake and moist crab and shrimp balls that had lots of flavor and were not overcooked. And the dipping tartar sauce tasted homemade with a hint of grainy mustard, delightfully creamy and delicious.
Mrs. Gray’s Deviled Crab
1 pound jumbo lump crab meat
· 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon black pepper
· 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
· very little or no salt
· 1 tablespoon dry mustard, sifted between fingers so there are no lumps
· 1/2 stick butter, melted
· 1 egg, beaten
Preparation Instructions:
Pick meat, add seasonings and mix. Add beaten egg and melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Pack in shells and broil 8 to 10 minutes until very brown. Taste before packing meat in shells. If it tastes fairly hot when cold, it’s properly seasoned. It gets hotter as it cooks. Serves 6.
ME: Could I have my empty glass of water refilled, please?
Waitress: OH, I’ve been busy. (There were 3 customers, including myself the whole time I was there, and we all sat next to each other.)
Other Customer: I’ll have the lobster Bisque.
Waitress: We are out of that. (Their menu is very small, so being out of one of the two soups they offer during the promotion of their new lunch is not a smart marketing move. Also, customers should be told up front what the kitchen is out of, so they don’t waste everyone’s time.)
Other Customer: I’d like the breakfast Tex-Mex eggs.
Waitress: I check if they still can do that.
Waitress: No, the breakfast cook has left. (Come on, you have three costumers!
He wants scrambled eggs with chorizo, potatoes, veggies, ground beef, bacon and toast. The lunch cook can’t whip this up? Maybe your business is serving breakfast at lunch time, too. Folks get up late and want a brunch menu on the weekends. Think out of the box, please. It was soooo slow that they could have made an exception for the customer, who was just told he couldn’t have the lobster bisque that is suppose to be served on the lunch menu.)
…and then there’s Stella’s. Too many chiefs and not enough indians. The chiefs could learn from their one really good indian. Classic example of messing with a good thing. They should have left well enough alone. Food’s ok now but not what it was when it first opened. I wish them well and hope they get their groove back.
Wait ’til you try the new Domonic’s. Better try it soon as it may wither more quickly than the usual Gulfport business. Then again, the combination of sterile/bland interior, disorganized staff, mediocre chow and surly owners may be just what you are looking for.
The good news is that the long wait for whatever you end up with provides an excellent vantage point from which to view the orbits of the empty flamingo trolley.
Failure begets failure.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience Ardvark. I’ve been to the new Dominic’s twice. Once to eat in and once for take out. I thought it was good both times. I do wish they had draught beer tho.
I personally have not had breakfast or lunch at Ecco’s, but felt the need to respond in defense to Stella’s. Sorry mtober, I eat breakfast at Stella’s at least 4 times a week and have lunch there occasionally as well. I love the chiefs, not sure what indian you are talking about, but the food is always good, the atmosphere is so enjoyable, and they all make me feel like part of a family. Stella’s did not only win us over with good food, great prices, but it is that small town welcoming from all the chiefs at Stella’s. I do hope mtober, you give them another chance, and to the girls at Stella’s keep up the good work.
@ Sam- I still go to Stella’s and like it. However, I don’t find that it is as good as it was when Joanne, Teresa, Barbara and Jeannie first opened it. Two moms, 2 dtrs and a cook and a waiter that really cared. I think Joanne leaving was a loss as was Frank’s leaving. I hate to say it but whoever is cooking breakfast now doesn’t come close to Frank. My perception is that the two additional partners just added confusion and chaos and friendly they are not. Slamming your hand on the service window and demanding, ” I need bread now!” just doesn’t seem to fit into the character of the place. The indian I speak of is Mike, the waiter. Quite frankly I think he IS Stella’s and the one that really makes them shine! What did he get for his efforts? Apparently less hours. My perception is that they have 5 bosses and no one is really in charge. Does a little place like that need so many people running the show? And on top of it a cook, dishwasher and 2 or 3 waiters. I fear that they will not succeed and if there was ever a place I want to see succeed it is Stella’s and I hope they do. Please Stella’s prove me wrong!!;-)
Some friends recently told me that one of the new owners of Dominics told them that there “are alot of toothless derelicts in Gulfport”. Note to Dominics….those kind of comments aren’t going to win you any friends no matter how good your food is. That attitude carries across in your demeanor and service. So in light of experiences both Aardvark and Big Dog have relayed coupled with the most recent comments, I think I’ll spend my money at the other Gulfport restaurants that are a little more appreciateive of Gulfportians. There is a reason that the likes of Back Fin Blue, O’Maddies, Peg’s, and Pia’s are mainstays here. They serve good food at reasonable/equitable prices, provide good service and they are kind and respectful to their customers!!
Oh my goodnees, I left Habana Cafe out of the list above. Clearly another Gulfport mainstay!!
Ecco is history..Dominic’s soon to follow? When in downtown Gulfport; eat quickly, before they put the yellow tag on the door. Is Roman Garden still in business? How would anyone know?
They seem to be open again with new management. Previous bills, even when Roman Gardens is the name on the bill, are not being taken seriously. “Take a number,” is their current policy. I hate to see anyone fail, but how long can that go on in a small town?
Rob, good point and unfortunate as that is a fabulous location. Too bad that some of our mainstays can’t step in and take it over. A good restauranteur (sp) / businessperson surely could make a go of it.
Come on Mtober – I know you love Stella’s too – lets not put them in the same category as Ecco’s or Dominics. They have this way of making me feel a part of them family. Donna a new addition to Stella’s compliments them all very well. To Mama T, her daughter Jeannie and Barbara, keep up the good work, many Gulfportians love you all. I personally hope they stay around for many years to come.
Went to Stella’s today and had a wonderful quiche for breakfast and met the new server that came over from Sal’s. She is delightful! Things seem to be coming full circle now that it’s back to Mama T and Jeannie and Barbara in the driver’s seat!;-) Yeah!!!
Looking forward to Tangelo’s going in next door to Stella’s. They will be a good addition.