In about a month, the Ham and Eggery, the kitschy, barnlike breakfast spot open 24 hours in
North Miami Beach will close its doors after 47 years.
New Times named it the best breakfast joint in 1992, and not much has changed since. There are nearly two dozen omelet options, and a variety of classic southern breakfasts -- everything from biscuits and sausage grave to creamed chipped beef -- all on the cheap. Burgers are served during the daytime and if they're famous for anything it's the waffle or French toast sandwich, with eggs and bacon sandwiched in between the breakfast starch.
Owner Akbar Malik says he's retiring and selling the property. One interested buyer, he adds, is a dollar store. The changeover might not be a huge stretch for the restaurant, which has always been filled with a variety of bric-a-brac.
A Pac-Man machine, which I dropped at least three dollars into on a recent visit, sits next to a poster promoting the "Return of Bruno" starring Bruce Willis when he had a full head of hair. It's thick too, with only a hint of receding hairline. Vintage. The best service here is always had at the counter, where you're close to the pot of American coffee (it is not a sin, mi amigos), a variety of Eisenhower-era looking cook books and a scale model of Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine.
No word on any sort of closing party, and the outlook for one is negative. The biggest loss here might be that Miami is losing an establishment that's generally old. We're still a young city, and one that's too eager to bull doze our past in favor of modern stucco or glass buildings.
The people who stop in for a meal while commuting between Miami-Dade and Broward counties will likely be bummed. The same could be said for the drunkards in need of something to soak up a long night of drinking.
Me? I'm trying to figure out a way to buy the griddle and install it in my apartment.
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