Month: November 2018

Columbia Restaurant – Tampa, FL

Florida has a rich history that many visitors do not realize. Back at the turn of the 20th century, Ybor City was thriving with Cuban cigar factories. With all those factories, there was a need for restaurants to feed all those workers. The Columbia Restaurant was one of those places. It is officially known as the oldest restaurant in Florida, founded in 1905.

They have a few locations around Florida now, but I was thrilled to be getting to go to the original location in Ybor City.

The restaurant takes up an entire block (if not more). They also have a shop where you can buy everything from sauces to Spanish painted plates. You can take a little piece of Columbia home.

The restaurant inside was beautiful. It was extremely crowded but luckily I did not have to wait too long for a table.

 

While I was waiting I walked around and noticed they were decorating one of the main dining rooms for what looked like a wedding.

  

A meal at Columbia had to start off with a pitcher of homemade sangria that they make right at the table.

I took a few videos of them making the sangria, I posted those videos on my Twitter page (@GatorGirl_swamp).

  

 

Their sangrias are delicious. Theirs was the first sangria I ever tried years ago and it made me fall in love with them. I ordered the Sangria de Cava. It is their sparkling sangria.

They use Jaume Serra Cristalino Spanish Cava, brandy, and orange liquor. Plus they squeeze fresh juices in and top it with maraschino cherries.

This sangria is slightly sweet and extremely refreshing.

To accompany my sangria I ordered the Queso Fundido. It was Tetilla cheese from Galicia, Spain. It is baked in Rioja tomato sauce. In the cheese and sauce mixture were olives and capers. I was not expecting those. They were a nice salty surprise. To eat this dip they included toasted Cuban bread.

This is not your typical queso. The flavor was amazing. It was salty and creamy. It reminded me of an Italian type sauce that you could eat with pasta. The salty taste helped balance the sweetness of the sangria.

There is another item that is a must order when visiting Columbia. It is their 1905 salad. The legendary, award winning salad is made tableside just like the sangria. You can check out my videos of the salad being made on Twitter (@GatorGirl_swamp).

 

This salad has chopped up iceberg lettuce mixed with thinly sliced ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese, olives, tomatoes, and tons of Romano cheese. Then it is tossed with their famous dressing that includes Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon juice.

  

This salad definitely needs to be shared. However, even sharing it, I still got a giant plateful. It is a filling salad. The dressing adds a sour taste but that is mellowed because of all the cheese. I love the fact that every element in this salad is chopped up. It makes it so much easier to eat.

Once you have tried this salad you will find yourself starting to crave it. I tried my best but the salad kicked my butt. I was not able to finish it. I felt so disappointed in myself.

  

There is one more part to a meal at Columbia that is a must try, their fresh Cuban bread. They make this fresh and it come to the table warm and wrapped up. Each person gets one. It has a crispy crust and a soft, sweet inside. Put butter in the bread as soon as it comes to the table. This way it has a chance to melt. Then take a bite – it’s heavenly.

Now if you tend to avoid carbs, let me just suggest that you use this visit to Columbia as your cheat day because you MUST try this bread.

I am hoping I made you hungry reading about Columbia Restaurant. They are a must visit when you are in the Tampa area. Check out their website to find all of their different locations http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/

And if you cannot make it to one of those locations, they do have a restaurant at the Tampa airport so you can get some food to go.

Enjoy!

T

Dough – Tampa, FL

Located in the building next door to Datz is a wonderful sweets shop called Dough. They are both owned by the same company.

     

When I walked into this brightly colored and playful shop, I was greeted by the sweet smell of sugar.

Their cases are loaded with homemade treats from donuts, cupcakes, and cookies. They have a machine on the counter where they will make 12 fresh mini donuts right in front of you.

   

If you are not in the mood for donuts, then you can try one of their many homemade ice creams flavors. They are perfect for a hot Florida afternoon.

Since I had just finished a big breakfast I was not hungry for a donut just yet, so I grabbed one to go. Which donut to try was a hard choice but I went for their vanilla cake donut topped with chocolate frosting.

When I ate it later in the afternoon it was heavenly. The cake dough was sweet and moist. The chocolate icing was smooth and creamy. When the cake and the icing combined together it was a dream come true. This was the perfect donut. They put the perfect amount of icing on top so that each bite had both icing and cake.

If you have a sweet tooth then a stop at Dough would be a must. Check them out at: http://bestdoughnuts.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

 

 

Datz – Tampa, FL

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Having breakfast at Datz proves that statement to be absolutely true. Based on the crowd of customers that I saw, they all felt the same way.

  

While looking over the menu of creative breakfast dishes, I ordered a Prickly Pear Mimosa. This was a unique take on a mimosa. They used mandarin-tangerine puree, prickly pear, and champagne. On top it is garnished with candied prickly pear. I enjoyed the sweetness of this mimosa. But be warned the candied prickly pear is extremely sweet.

For breakfast I ordered the Biscuits and Crazy. It is their take on the southern classic. They make a homemade cheddar biscuit and cover it with a creamy sausage gravy. It also comes with a side of bacon, eggs, and tri-colored potatoes.

The biscuit was very crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I could taste all the cheddar that was mixed throughout. The gravy was creamy and had some heat. It was from the sausage as well as the red pepper that was chopped up in the gravy. It paired perfectly with the cheesy biscuit.

I got my eggs scrambled and they were pretty standard; however, I elevated the taste when I broke up some of the bacon and mixed it in with my eggs. The bacon was on the sweet side compared to a typical salty bacon. They were also thick meaty slices which was great.

I wanted to make sure I gave a call out to makers of a few ingredients to this delicious breakfast.

  • The sausage that is used in the gravy comes from a company is Kuttawa, Kentucky called Broadbent. Upon researching them I uncovered that they have been in business for almost 50 years. You can order your own sausage to be delivered at home through their website: http://www.broadbenthams.com/
  • The bacon is from a company called Nueskes in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. After researching them, I found that they have been smoking bacon for 3 generations. You can order bacon for yourself at: www.nueskes.com

The potatoes were unique. They were a combination of Yukon potatoes, purple potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The entire side ended up being sweet because of the sweet potatoes. It was a nice change from a typical sautéed potato that you get with a breakfast.

Datz is more than just a breakfast place. They have a full menu of burgers, salads, and sandwiches. Plus you need to save room for dessert. They have a large assortment of rainbow macaroon, cupcakes, and huge cakes. You can eat them there or take them to go.

   

I had a fun visit and plan on going back to try one of their cheeseburgers. Take a look at their complete menu at http://www.datztampa.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Boat Basin Cafe – New York, NY

I was meeting a friend of mine in New York for dinner and she made the recommendation to try Boat Basin Cafe. It is located near Riverside Park on the Upper West Side.

     

It is not an easy place to get to if you are not familiar with the area. It is actually underneath the road on 79th Street.

     

Once I found it I was impressed by its view of the Hudson River looking into New Jersey. An interesting fact about the Marina by the restaurant, it is where they shot some scenes from the movie You Got Mail with Tom Hanks.

     

It was time to order a cocktail. They are suppose to have a great rose sangria but they had run out for the day. So I went for a red sangria instead. It was good, nothing too special about it; it had a nice spice flavor to it.

One of the specials for the day were Aranchini. These Sicilian rice balls were loaded with fresh ground meat, peas, and carrots that were tossed in a pasta sauce. Then the mixture was covered with tender rice, breaded, and deep fried.

There was a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top. They put the pasta sauce on the side which was good. It allowed the aranchini to stay crispy. I simply dipped each bite in the sauce before I ate it. The inside meat filling was very flavorful and it was accented with the taste of the pasta sauce.

I also shared the chicken nachos with my friend. The portion size was huge so it is definitely a must share. The nachos were loaded with creamy queso, fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro. The chicken was chopped up well so that it was easy to pick up with the chips.

It was a perfect night to have dinner outside. Not only was the view of the sunset wonderful but I had awesome company. We also visited at the perfect time because Boat Basin Cafe is only open seasonally. So if you are in the city before it gets too cold check them out.

www.boatbasincafe.com

Enjoy!

T

Croton – New York, NY

Sometime restaurants in NYC can be misleading in their size. I experienced this first hand. I walked into Croton for dinner and noticed that the restaurant itself was small inside (typical for a New York place). But to my surprise, they had a basement area which is where they offered their weekly happy hour.

     

I had to go hang out at the basement bar. I ordered a red sangria since it was there on happy hour special (which is lucky for me since those are one of my favorites). There was a hint of spice to the sangria. It was just missing the accent of fruit.

They had an eclectic offering of food to choose from. I ordered the Scotch Eggs. It had been a long time since I got to enjoy this dish.

These hard boiled eggs were covered with a thin layer of seasoned sausage. They had a thin layer of breading as well. This allowed the outside to be crunchy. They were cooked perfectly because the sausage was still moist and the egg was soft. They served a chipotle aioli on the side but it tasted more like a mustard. It tasted really good with the sausage and egg.

I also got to try the Croquette. The mashed potatoes had prosciutto mixed within. Then they were lightly breaded and fried.

There was a crunch from the breading but the mashed potatoes were creamy and soft. There was also an extremely sweet taste to the potatoes. The prosciutto did not add much saltiness.

Who could pass up Truffle Fries? I couldn’t! The table next to me ordered them and they smelt so good when they came out. So I ordered them. They were actually garlic truffle fries. The garlic aroma complemented the earthy smell of the truffles.

These dishes I ordered were small so I saved room for dessert. I went for the apple tart with cinnamon ice cream.

The tart pastry was crispy on the outside and gooey inside with sweet, tender apples. The cinnamon ice cream was full on cinnamon flavor. It had a natural taste to it, not that artificial cinnamon taste. The ice cream was tremendously creamy. The taste made it the perfect fall dessert.

I am so glad I checked out the unexpected basement at Croton. They had some great munchies and of course happy hour drinks. Check them out at www.crotonnyc.com

Enjoy!

T

Dos Caminos – New York, NY

If you are in the area of Madison Park in NYC and you are looking for a quick place to get lunch, check out Dos Caminos.

They have a really fun look inside with colorful wall art; beautiful wooden chandeliers, plus a fully stocked bar for many cocktail options.

     

     

The first thing I started with was the fresh made guacamole. This  is one of the things Dos Caminos is known for. The fresh avocados are mashed in a molcajete (a mortar and pestle made of stone). Then fresh, chopped onions and fresh cilantro are added. The guacamole was extremely creamy and still had a few chunks of avocado throughout. The tomatoes added a little sweetness from the juice. The fresh cilantro added a little peppery spice. It was perfectly paired with tortilla chips.

To also go along with the chips they offered three kinds of salsa.

(1) Green Chili – this was my favorite. It had a slight tangy taste.

(2) Roasted Pepper – I could taste the smokiness from the peppers actually being roasted.

(3) Tomato – this would be considered a more traditional salsa except it was on the runny side and there were no chunks of tomato; it had the consistency of a juice.

I ordered the Sopa de Tortilla for my lunch. This soup was made with a spicy roasted tomato broth that was creamy and thick. It was loaded with grilled chicken, pasilla negro chiles, avocado, and queso menonita.

It was topped off with crunchy strips of tortillas. The soup had a great flavor with only a slight amount of heat. I wish a little more of the chicken was included. It was very tender.

I saw on the menu that one of the sides they offered was Mexican Street corn. They offered it on or off the cob. I went for it off the cob. I figured it would be easier to eat. The corn was sweet, which was complemented by the tangy mayo/sour cream sauce. The coija cheese was sprinkled on top of the corn. This too added a slight tangy flavor.

Dos Caminos was a nice place to grab lunch. I would be interested to see what their dinner menu looked like. Visit their website at www.doscaminos.com

Enjoy!

T

Trademark – New York, NY

Once again I found myself visiting New York City.  What I love most about New York is the food scene. There are so many kinds of restaurants, from the hole in the wall neighborhood bars to high end, reservations required a year in advance, restaurants. There is something for everyone.

Not far from my hotel was a cute bar/restaurant called Trademark. You are greeted by a doorway full of ivy.

When you walk through the door there is a small bar and counter which I could only assume was for take out orders or quick bites.

As I walked further into the restaurant I was memorized by all the decorations along the walls. There were different types of candles and candle holders that had the romantic lighting reflecting across all the mirrors.

They also had this beautiful white subway tiles lining the walls and ceiling. The crisp white color glowed at the reflection of the lights and candles.

     

They even had these strange little wooden statues hanging on the wall.

They were offering a few specials on the menu the night I was there. Their meat and cheese tray sounded like a great starter. They offered fresh made slices of pepperoni and salami. They toasted up some crispy and buttery crostini. They offered an assortment of different olives (be careful – they were not pitted) and sweet white raisins (these complemented the salty meat). The star of this tray was the fresh made mozzarella cheese. The cheese was soft and creamy. There was a slight saltiness to the cheese, but it was not overwhelming.  It was also delicious with the sweet white raisins.

For my dinner I ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese. They offered two portion sizes. I went for the smaller portion. The tender pasta was tossed in the meaty Bolognese sauce that had a rich, hearty taste. They sprinkled fresh grana padano cheese over the paste. Grana padano is very similar to Parmigiano Reggiano.

Right in the center of this pasta was a dollop of fresh, soft Ricotta cheese. The smooth texture of the cheese mixed perfectly with the meat sauce to create an even creamier sauce for the pasta. It was rich in taste but because I got the smaller portion I was able to each the entire bowl of pasta without feeling overly full.

The food was so fresh at Trademark I enjoyed both things I ordered. They had a few other menu items that sounded wonderful, I would want to head back to try them. See what they are all about on their website www.trademarktaste.com

Enjoy!

T

TooJay’s – Lake Mary, FL

I love deli’s that offer a variety of soups and sandwiches. I have visited so many throughout all of my travels. I had never heard of TooJay’s before but a friend highly recommended them. Sure enough they had all the classics on the menu from potato knishes to pastrami sandwiches.

     

I started with a cup of the homemade matzo ball soup. It was raining outside so I thought this would be perfect comfort food. The matzo ball was light and fluffy. It had herbs mixed throughout which is not normally something I see. It added an extra savory flavor. The fresh chicken broth was loaded with carrots and onions. It was the best way to start the meal on this dreary day.

For my lunch I ordered the ultimate comfort food — Shepherd’s Pie. This delicious dish came out in a personal size casserole dish. They used fresh ground beef that was tossed in a great savory brown gravy. It was loaded with corn, peas, and carrots.

Naturally it was topped with creamy mashed potatoes. What made this Shepherd’s Pie stand out was that they melted Muenster cheese on top of the potatoes. It added extra creaminess. It was filling and amazing.

Now a visit to a deli would not be complete without a stop at the dessert counter. They had two cases full of fresh baked goods. There was everything from cakes and pastries to cookies.

     

Since I was full from my lunch I could not eat any dessert right there. But I did make sure to buy something for later. They had just brought out a whole tray of fresh black and white cookies.

I decided to but a whole container to take home. These were soft cake like cookies that were loaded with a sweet, hard coasting of white icing and a soft layer of creamy chocolate icing. They were perfect and you cannot eat just one.

     

I really enjoyed TooJay’s and glad I was introduced to them. They have a few other things I wanted to try on the menu including the stuffed cabbage. They have a couple of other locations around Florida so check them out at www.toojays.com

Enjoy!

T