When I first arrived in Florida decades ago, I’d never heard of biscuits and gravy. I soon found out it was a Southern thing — and apparently it still is.

Just for grins, I checked the menus of several diners in and around my hometown in Rockland County, N.Y., in search of biscuits and gravy … Nope. Nada. Not even biscuits. Which, to my way of thinking, is a good thing.

I’ll add here that, although I’ve tasted biscuits and gravy over the years, I’ve never taken to it. It screams cholesterol gut-bomb. So why, you ask, and am I featuring it in Friday Food Fight? Good question. Let’s see.

Our two contestants are just a few blocks apart in St. Pete — Central Diner and Dads’ Kitchen. We decided to hit both on the same Tuesday morning. They proved to be a study in contrast.

CENTRAL DINER

We easily found a nearby parking spot on Central Avenue at 10:45. This heritage restaurant, which dates back nearly 50 years, has retro vibe, right down to a couple of cooks working the griddle just inside the door. The long, narrow space has four-top booths on both sides and a few tables.

A pre-teen boy and what must’ve been his grandfather were engaged in an animated conversation — a heartening sight. Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” played on the sound system, at medium volume.

I ordered Biscuits and Gravy ($11) with two eggs scrambled, and coffee.

Appearance

The meal came out in four minutes — fast, even by diner standards. I was quickly reminded that biscuits-and-gravy is not a photogenic dish. Pieces of sausage were visible in the beige stuff.

Taste and Texture

Biscuits fluffy. Gravy appropriately thick, but not overly so, and appropriately salty, but not overly so. I appreciated the sizeable bits of sausage, which added some meaty zip.

I forgot to order my scrambled eggs soft, and they came out the opposite of that. I could even see brown marks. My bad. I ate about a third of the portion. I had more biscuits-and-gravy to eat.

DAD’S KITCHEN

We drove a mile-and-a-half west on Central and lucked into a parking spot near the diner, which has been open since February. People were eating at picnic tables under rainbow umbrellas on the sidewalk. We chose to sit inside, where the walls were covered with clever, black-and-white art. (We touched; it was real.)

At 11:30, Dad’s enjoyed a mini-rush. Problem was: only one server — for inside and out, which led to a fairly long wait. I can’t fault Josh, though. He was hustlin’, man, even broke into a trot a few times, all the while maintaining a cheery (and apologetic) manner.

Here’s where I pause to mention a moment of serendipity: “How Will I Know” was playing over the system. I like the tune well enough, but twice in an hour?

I ordered Biscuits & Gravy ($19.50) with two eggs over easy and bacon (which I asked to be cooked medium), and a coffee.

Appearance

Similar to that of Central Diner, but with enticing eggs and charred bacon.

Taste and Texture

The gravy was thicker and a smidge saltier than the competition’s, with similar sausage bits. Biscuits were up to standard. The fried eggs were perfect and played well with the gravy.

The bacon was not cooked as I ordered, so I left it alone.

And the Winner of the Brawl Over Biscuits and Gravy Is …

Central Diner.

It’s a challenge rating a dish you’re not favorably disposed toward. This FFF fieldwork did not change my opinion of biscuits and gravy. I don’t hate it, but it’s not something I’d order outside of a professional context — which is to say, probably never again. My guess is that if you’re a B&G fan, both of these versions would been A-OK.

After five decades, Central Diner has its service game locked down. It seemed to me that Dad’s, open for four months, is still working out some of the kinks.