The sign above is one of the first things you’ll see as you step towards Flora & Ella’s, a rather famous Cracker eatery along State Highway 80 in La Belle, Florida. They have been serving up down home chow and friendly service for many decades now. I love seeing messages like this at businesses because you know you will be treated with true Christian hospitality. The folks here are extremely nice.
The vintage equipment seen above hints at the FL restaurant’s longevity
I was very familiar with their pies, yet we had not truly dined here until last week. I was tempted to order the meat loaf with tomato sauce, but I was a good boy and called for the Vegetable Plate (shown above). I must say I was pretty darn disappointed with the result. Sadly, the days of scratch cooking at Flora and Ella’s are apparently a thing of the past. The greens and black eyes were right out of the can. THOU SHALT NOT SERVE YOUR FELLOW MAN CANNED VEGETABLES. The okra was of the pre-breaded, frozen variety (yuk!). THOU SHALT NOT SERVE HIM FROZEN OKRA. And the cornbread stuffing (served without a drop of gravy) was a dry, flavorless blob of bread and herbs. THOU SHALT NOT WITHHOLD GRAVY FROM A WEARY TRAVELER.
The servers at Flora and Ella’s wear T-shirts that state “Life is Uncertain, Eat Dessert First.” Boy, I didn’t really know how true that was until I finally gave up and pushed the veggie platter aside. I quickly turned my attention to the pie vault, which was conveniently located just a few feet from our table. You can see the wide variety of sweets offered by taking a look at the menu seen directly above. REMEMBER: THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S COCONUT CREAM PIE.
The Peanut Butter Cream sounded so fabulous, but my #1 favorite pie at Flora and Ella’s is their to-die-for Coconut Cream with its mile high meringue. As you can see below, they boxed up a full pie for us and even added a doily at the bottom for extra class and elegance. Now that’s a true Granny-style Southern touch you won’t get at your local Wal-Mart bakery.
The pies at Flora and Ella’s are very reasonable — and super deee-lish!
We carried our pie on down the road to my parents’ place on Singer Island. However, Flora and Ella’s has kindly placed a nice row of rocking chairs on their front porch just in case you need to digest a spell before continuing on your journey. So please take my advice and do stop for a slice (or a whole pie). If you’re hungry for more than that, there is a Popeye’s Fried Chicken right next door. Your meal will likely be cheaper, faster, and ultimately more satisfying.
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