Fort Myers brunch restaurants: At House of Omelets, breakfast and lunch become an experience
When Chris Vianest left his longtime food-services job to join forces with restaurateur Tony Dedaj in opening a third House of Omelets location in south Fort Myers, many had doubts. It was November 2020, deep in the throes of the pandemic.
It was a risk, however, that Vianest said has paid off far more than he ever imagined. The number of people who have discovered the breakfast-lunch spot in the same plaza as Bonefish Grill on U.S. 41 at Andrea Lane has grown to the point that there's often a wait.
Vianest’s road to becoming a managing partner began while he was selling food products to Dedaj at the original House of Omelets, which opened in 2013 on Pine Island Road in Cape Coral.
“I was always giving him advice on how to evolve, and one day he said, ‘Put up or shut up. Stop telling me how to make it better if you’re not ready to come on board,’” Vianest said.
With his food sales down drastically due to restaurant closures and cut backs due to the pandemic, he thought it was time to take a leap of faith.
House of Omelets is more than a breakfast joint, it’s a daytime dining experience. The interior of the south Fort Myers location has a modern yet warm feel with high ceilings, greenery for fresh accents and a curved breakfast counter by the entrance where seating is first come, first serve.
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Televisions aren’t tuned to morning news but cooking shows to whet diners’ appetites for what's to come.
The massive menu has everything from French toast and fruit salads to scrapple and Philly cheese steaks. Omelets, though, rule the roost.
“Omelets are like a blank canvas,” Vianest said. “You can put anything in them and enjoy them literally any time of the day.”
In this house, they begin with three real eggs cracked fresh and beaten by hand. Besides daily specials, House of Omelets’ menu lists some 30 omelet combos, many built around an array of proteins such as gyro meat, rib eye, corned beef hash, chicken Cordon Bleu, smoked salmon, lobster and more.
Guests are also welcomed to build their own omelets from a long list of vegetables, cheeses and meats, as well as egg whites and Egg Beaters.
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Vianest’s love of food and cooking began as a child and continued through his military service where he represented Fort Hood in the All Army Culinary Olympics.
Committed to mentoring his kitchen staff, he constantly encourages their creativity with breakfast specials such as tacos and cannoli-cream-stuffed waffles.
Those waffles, as well as House of Omelets' pancakes, tend to be some of the restaurant's most photographed dishes, mounded with towering piles of fruit and heaps of whipped cream among other toppings.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Vianest said, “just jazzing things up with creative extras and having lots of fun.”
Crepes are another house specialty, and they come in savory and sweet styles, with the cream-cheese-and-honey getting rave reviews.
“It’s insane how good it is,” Vianest said. “It’s this warm, soft crepe with a cheesecake-like filling topped with fresh fruit and walnuts. You just can’t get any better than that for breakfast.”
Avocado toast could be considered a simple dish at some establishments, but here it’s almost an engineering feat. A toasty base is stacked with eggs, feta, tomato, bacon and, finally, slices of avocado.
Breakfast and lunch items are served all day and include a substantial selection of salads, wraps, sandwiches, melts and burgers made from a ? pound of Angus beef.
“They are so big they are hanging off the plate,” Vianest said.
For those who don’t limit brunch to Sundays, House of Omelets serves bottomless mimosas every day with an option to substitute the orange juice in the sparkling cocktail with cranberry, peach, pineapple or any combination of juices.
House of Omelets offers its own signature blend of French-roast coffee with bags of beans for sale at the cash register. That register is a treasure trove of grab-and-go goodies including bakery products and bottles of House of Omelets' famous hot sauce.
Crafted with fresh habaneros and jalapenos, so many customers asked for the house-made sauce that Vianest now bottles it. “We go through about 10 gallons a week,” he said.
All three locations of House of Omelets have the same basic menu; however, some items are occasionally tweaked to cater to the tastes of the community. In Fort Myers, for instance, he uses red-skin instead of white potatoes for the popular home fries.
“My customers like it more, and I think they are more tender and have more flavor,” he said.
Vianest said his history as a food-service provider gives him insight into the ongoing supply issues, allowing him to stay stocked when possible and, more importantly, have a plan B to try new things and stay ahead of the curve.
It seems to be working.
“Our business has steadily increased. We continue to put out good food that looks nice, is reasonably priced, and people are all over it,” he said. “Every day I count my blessings.”
Gina Birch writes about food, wine and spirits for The News-Press and at thebirchbeat.blogspot.com. Follow her as @ginabirch on Twitter and find her on Facebook.
House of Omelets — Fort Myers
Address: 14261 S. Tamiami Trail, south Fort Myers
Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily
Call: 239-313-6476
More: the restaurant also has locations in Cape Coral and Naples; houseofomelets.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers' House of Omelets: brunch is an experience