T.F. Onion Cafe & Deli

By: Tobin Bennison

Article Category: Restaurant Review

Considering their impressive CVs, you’d think that chefs Thomas and Caroline Mannion would be involved in something more illustrious than a modest beachside deli.

After all, those resumes are generously peppered with studies under a variety of culinary luminaries from Napa Valley to Paris. But when you delve deeper into their collective history, it’s hard to think of them cooking anywhere other than at their T.F. Onion Café & Deli in Cocoa Beach.

Indeed, the Mannion’s professional pedigree is dazzlingly distracting. Chef Caroline earned her Grande Diplome in Cuisine and Patisserie from the revered Cordon Bleu and completed her internship at the 3-star Michelin-rated Ledoyen in Paris, later working at Manhattan’s Sarabeth’s across from Central Park. Chef Thomas, who has a degree in hotel and restaurant management and the culinary arts from the New York Restaurant School in Manhattan, cut his teeth working with Daniel Boulud at his now legendary restaurant, Daniel. After studying under Thomas Keller at Napa Valley’s French Laundry during the days of its meteoric rise to worldwide fame and stints at NYC’s Montrachet and 21 Club, Thomas served as Executive Chef and General Manager of the Hotel Metro’s Metro Grill in the Empire State Building.

But when you’re welcomed by the gracious couple at T.F. Onion, it’s difficult to imagine them hidden away in the steamy warren of some million-dollar kitchen barking orders at trembling line cooks. They’re proud of their achievements, make no mistake, yet they seem to find more fulfillment in never having allowed the toughness those times demanded to envelop them completely, nor steer them away from their abiding love of sharing good food at their guests’ level. Because like their wonderful food, the Mannion’s exuberant personalities are meant to shared, and the counter that separates them from the dining room seems like a concession to traditional restaurant floor plans.

Both Thomas and Caroline know firsthand that one needn’t be an ornery megalomaniac to create magic in the kitchen. If anything, that high-and-mighty attitude is sure to detract from the food, and for the Mannions, whether rolling out mille feuille on the Champs Elysees or stirring mac n’ cheese in Brooklyn, the food always comes first. They know too that when it comes with a soulful smile and a friendly greeting, there are few things on earth more satisfying.

What better type of place to open, then, than that most democratic of eateries, the delicatessen, whose success has always hinged on the meeting of stellar cooking and the gregarious spirit of the individuals within. And what better spot to open one than in Cocoa Beach, which beachside native Caroline calls “the best place on earth.” If you’re Thomas, and you feel like perfecting the combination, dub it with a nickname you earned in Catholic school and have your signature sandwich pay homage to the landmark where you first proposed to your wife.

That sandwich, “The Brooklyn Bridge” (a stack of salami, ham, Capicola, and house-prepared turkey and roast beef with Provolone, lettuce, tomato, oil, vinegar and Italian spices), is the symbol of T.F. Onion’s excellence and generosity, and a kind of gateway into a world of tasty discovery. Every regular counts it as a favorite, and they’re unabashed about espousing all the other items’ merits.

While we tucked into our meals, the place was fairly abuzz with activity, with conversations bouncing between tables and arcing across the room to Thomas at the cutting board or to Caroline, who threw in witticisms from around the kitchen door, all to the accompaniment of Frank Sinatra’s satiny croon. No sooner had we become immediate devotees of our respective sandwiches, than we’d been recruited to the cheeseburger camp adjacent, then by the strudel and Belgian waffle aficionados behind. As one customer offered, “You can get a regular sandwich anywhere, right? But you can’t get a sandwich like that anywhere else but here.” With a refreshing disregard for stuffy decorum, samples were traded back and forth in an effort to make my introduction to T.F. Onion the most complete and memorable it could be.

Apart from some of those lingering memories (beer-battered onion rings with a creamy remoulade dipping sauce made on the spot; phenomenal, straight-from-the-broiler French onion soup; a hefty turkey club; potato salad; spicy macaroni salad, and a roasted portobello mushroom stuffed with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and Fontina cheese), T.F. Onion’s menu offers something for everyone, and many items are named after loyal regulars. There are loads of fresh salads (made with your choice of homemade dressings), soups de jour, and a daily roster of specials to contend with, to say nothing of the range of great sandwiches, all of which are served on bread baked fresh daily from American & European Pastries and Breads of Cape Canaveral.

Pick your favorite (German farmer’s white, wheat, rye, kaiser roll, and many others), add some Boar’s Head cold cuts (or some of their house-prepared meats, like roast beef, chicken, turkey and pastrami), and cheese to construct your own, or order one of their specialty creations, which come with a choice of side. There’s a BLT, a grilled chicken, a veggie burger, and a grilled vegetable wrap to round out the other options. It should come as no surprise that all of their ingredients are as fresh as can be, and everything (down to the soups and dressings) is prepared by the Mannion’s hands or by their trusted, equally talented staff — Shenell, Donnie, Julie, Geoffrey, and often, Caroline’s mother — all of whom contribute to T.F. Onion’s endearing personality.

Using only farm fresh, free-range, hormone-free eggs, T.F. Onion also prepares fabulous breakfasts — from omelets and breakfast sandwiches to crepes, and Hawaiian baked French toast, courtesy of their Sunday brunches. That Sunday brunch menu also features smoked salmon bagels, biscuits and gravy, pain du chocolat, specialty omelets, portobello mushroom and spinach quiche, and along with many others (all under $10), the rarely-found Dublin Coddle, a traditional Irish dish featuring bacon, sausage, potatoes, carrots, red onions and garlic baked in a hard cider.

Expect high standards commensurate with their distinguished credentials, but don’t be surprised when the down-to-earth Mannions refer to you by name when your order is ready. Because to them, you’re not a customer, you’re a guest at their table.

And what a table that is.

T.F. Onion Café & Deli is located on the ground floor of the Cape Royal office building in Cocoa Beach (1980 N. Atlantic Ave.; Suite 105 on the beachside of the building). The New York-style eatery is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays for their Sunday Brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In keeping with delicatessen tradition, T.F. Onion offers full deli service and loaves of their fresh-baked breads are available for purchase. Free wi-fi is available in their dining room as well. Caroline’s patisserie skills are on display in their pastry case, which offers pies, cakes, galettes, and French-inspired treats, all baked fresh daily. The Mannions also offer catering services; call ahead for an appointment to meet with them. Together, they can you help create a menu for any occasion of any size: weddings, reunions, birthdays, or business meetings. They’re well versed in a variety of culinary disciplines, including Italian, Spanish, Japanese/Asian, traditional American, French, German — just let them know what you’re looking for and they’ll make it happen within your budget. Call the Mannions at (321) 784-9400 to have lunch orders ready for pick up. Contact Zanadu Travel to find out about “Cruising with the Onions” on RCI’s Freedom of the Sea departing October 4th, 2009. During the 7-day voyage to the Caribbean, Thomas and Caroline will share some of their recipes and hold group demonstrations in one of the ship’s restaurants. A wine master will also teach classes on pairing food with wines. Call 783-6558 or 502-9420; email them at: myzanadu@cfl.rr.com

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