St. Augustine is a magical city, filled with a rich history. From wineries to ghost tours, St. Augustine has something for everyone. Walking along the historic streets downtown, I came across a little crepe shop called Mimi’s Famous Crepes. I decided to check them out for dessert.
They had an assortment of savory and sweet crepes. Since I wanted dessert I went sweet. I ordered the Banana Cream Pie crepe. What was fun about this place is I could watch my crepe being made.
I watched as the crepe batter was poured onto the hot grill and moved around to create a perfect circle.
Once it was perfectly golden brown, it was folded and filled with a vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and crushed up vanilla wafers.
Then it was folded again a topped with a caramel drizzle, more vanilla pudding, and whipped cream.
I could not wait to try this crepe. They had a beautiful garden, so I went there to sit and enjoy my dessert.
The crepe was still warm, so the pudding melted around the bananas. This created a rich bite. The whipped cream added a cool element and the caramel sauce added extra sweetness. With the addition of the vanilla wafers for crunch, this really did taste like a Banana Cream pie. They captured this beautifully.
This crepe was so satisfying. All the ingredients went perfectly together. I would recommend everyone going to Mimi’s for a dessert crepe. You will not be disappointed.
I was so lucky that one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Brooklyn, Ferdinando’s, was open for business, while so many other restaurants were shut down. This is because they have a beautiful garden area at the back of the building.
It was a warm, summer afternoon and they had a wonderful trellis that provided shade on each of the tables. The trellis was covered in thick grapevines with fresh grapes growing on them.
To cool off I ordered some Manhattan Specials. Normally Ferdinando’s has this on tap, which tastes amazing. But because of Covid they were not able to serve it that way. So, I got bottles instead. It was cold and refreshing. For people who have never had a Manhattan Special, it is a carbonated coffee that is served ice cold.
I already had my mind set on what I would be ordering for lunch, the Arancina Special. This is an enormous rice ball that is filled with chopped meat, peas, and sauce. This mixture is then breaded and fried up. They top it off with ricotta cheese and tomato sauce. Then grated parmesan cheese was sprinkled all over.
The filling was so creamy because of the cheese. The rice was also tender. The flavor from the meat and sauce shined through. The peas added a little sweetness.
The other dish I tired was the Panelle and Potato sandwich. Panelle is chickpeas that have been mashed up like potatoes and then fried like a potato pancake. This was placed on a fresh made Italian roll. Then a potato croquette was stacked on top. Finally, a huge scoop of ricotta cheese and parmesan shreds were placed on top. This is a unique sandwich that I have never seen anywhere else. The flavor is savory and creamy. The ricotta cheese helped break up the starchiness of the panelle and croquette.
The food that Ferdinando’s serves has such a comforting feeling. The homemade nature of each dish makes me feel like I am eating at grandma’s house. It is that kind of feeling that has kept this restaurant in business since 1904.
I am a huge fan of Mead. Not many people are familiar with that mead actually is, or that it has been around for centuries. It dates back all the way to Ancient Greece long before what we know as beer and wine. So what is mead? It is fermented honey that can be blended with fruits and spices.
To my surprise there is place in Ybor City that makes their own mead – Cigar City Cider & Mead. I could not wait to check them out.
They have a huge selection of meads, ciders, and craft beers. They have chalkboards on the wall that lists everything they have available. You can tell which ones are ciders because they have apples on the sign. The meads are noted with a bee.
Cigar City offers meads in flights so I was able to taste a few of them. I went for the following three:
(1) Braggot – 8% ABV
(2) Blind Eye – 7.5% ABV
(3) San Juan Hall – 11% ABV
The Bragott was not sweet like I was expecting. It was thicker in texture but smooth. It went down easy. By the third sip I tasted the coconut that was blended in.
The Blind Eye was very sweet. This one was light in texture. I could really taste the wild flower that was in it.
The San Juan had the highest alcohol content. When I sniffed it, I could smell the hint of pepper. By the second sip the taste got spicier. As I continued drinking, the after-taste became sweeter.
It was a really fun afternoon visit. I would definitely go back not only to try additional meads but to also take one of their tours of the facility.
It was Sunday night and time for dinner. What better dinner than some homemade Italian food. It was recommended that I try Frank’s Pizza & Ristorante. Since their dining room was shut down, I had to get the food to go.
I ordered a couple of things that way there was an assortment of things to try. I got an arancini (rice ball). The size was huge and perfect for sharing. It was crispy on the outside but when I sliced in, the melted cheese just poured out. The cheese blended with the soft rice. In the middle was a great blend of chopped meat, peas, and a little marinara sauce. This filling paired with the cheese and rice made the dish filling.
I got two different calzones. One was just cheese and the other was vegetables and cheese. The cheese calzone was loaded down with cheese. It poured out when I cut into the crispy crust. You must be careful, so you do not burn your mouth. If you like cheesy dough this is the calzone to try. Dipping in in pasta sauce just helps break up the overwhelming amount of cheese.
The vegetable calzone had a few vegetables, including from broccoli rabe. The vegetables helped break up all the cheese. They added a nice texture as well. The dough they used was sweet and complemented the saltiness of the cheese.
I ordered a cup of their chicken noodle soup. There were large chunks of chicken in the soup, but the broth was more like a vegetable soup. There was a sweetness to the soup rather than a salty taste. They loaded the soup with noodles which I really liked. I do like it when soups have lots of noodles.
I did order one main pasta dish to try. I went for the gnocchi in a marinara sauce. These gnocchi were dense but still tender. The marinara sauce was slightly tangy from the tomatoes. However, that eased when I sprinkled some fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top.
I was so full after all this food. I ordered plenty so I was able to have lunch the next day. The next time I visit Frank’s I want to order a pizza. That seemed like a really popular item with the customers who kept coming in.
I love getting fresh seafood when I am near the beach in New Jersey. I was feeling like some homemade soup for dinner. That took me to Shore Fresh where they make homemade chowders and bisque’s every day.
Because of the indoor dining rules in New Jersey I had to get my order to go. That was ok by me. I was planning on eating down by the water so I could watch the boats and fishermen.
Shore Fresh has a variety of fresh caught seafood all on display. All of which would make delicious meals!
I ordered the Manhattan Clam Chowder. This is one of my favorites. They loaded up with tons on tender clams. They used lots of vegetables as well. All these ingredients worked so well in the savory broth. The chunks of potatoes were my favorite in the chowder because of all the flavor they absorbed. The clams were fantastic and could not be any fresher.
I also tried the Shrimp Bisque. This was extremely creamy. They chopped up the shrimp which made it a little easier to eat. There were a few vegetables in the bisque, but they were more of a flavor accent. They made sure to let the creamy broth stand out.
This fresh chowder and the ocean air were the perfect combination for dinner. It was a relaxing way to end a busy day. You should check them out at www.shorefreshseafood.com
There are so many Italian restaurants to choose from in Brick, New Jersey. But with the shutdown preventing restaurants from opening or allowing patrons to eat inside, I had to find a place I could get food to go. Mulberry Street was a great option.
They have a full deli with freshly made sandwiches, pasta dishes, desserts, fresh bread, and a full market to get Italian specialties. They had it all.
There was even a section of the shop where you can sample all varieties of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. That is not something that I normally see.
Their list of sandwiches was long, and it took me a few minutes to read it over. I finally decided to order the EldridgeStreet.
I got my choice of bread for this sandwich, so I went for the fresh bastone. A bastone is a traditional Italian bread. This sandwich had layers of fresh capicola, pepperoni, provolone cheese, and freshly made mozzarella. They topped it off with shredded lettuce and tomato slices. There are lots of dressings to choose to go on the sandwich, but I only got oil and vinegar. I kept it simple.
The sandwich was delicious. They were generous with all the ingredients. The meats were salty, and the cheeses balanced that out. The olive oil added a creamy texture and softened the bread slightly, which made it easier to take a bite. The tomato added some sweetness, while the lettuce added crunch.
The sandwich was very filling. It was the perfect lunch. I look forward to getting to go back to try something else.
When I was on vacation in Cocoa Beach, I passed by a cute little shop that had signs for wine tastings. I thought I would check them out and see what they had to offer.
This little boutique was set up very different from a typical winery. It was a shop that sold several types of things from jams to juices. The side of the shop that sold wine offered wines from two different wineries on the west coast of Florida.
The friendly hostess offered tastings on any bottle I wanted. This was great because these were brand new wines that I had never seen before. When deciding how to write about my experience, I decided to break it down by each winery. That allows for an easier understanding of everything I tasted.
Florida Orange Groves Winery
This winery is located in St. Petersburg, Florida. All their wines are made in Florida with 100% Florida citrus juices. Many of their wines have won awards across the state.
I started off with the fun wine called Hurricane Class 5. This is a tropical sangria wine that blends pineapple, watermelon, passion fruit, key limes, and mangos. It was sweet. It was served chilled which made it refreshing. The label has the actual image of Hurricane Andrew that hit South Florida in 1992 as a Category 5 storm.
Up next was the Key Limen. It would not be a Florida wine without some key lime. This was a true specialty with fresh key lime juice. It was both sweet and tart. If I closed my eyes, I could picture myself on Duval Street in Key West. This is a true vacation wine.
The third wine was Blueberry Blue. This blueberry wine was semi-sweet. It was full of flavor. The blueberries tasted so fresh in this wine. It was made with 100% Florida blueberries.
White Gold was next up. This was a peach wine. This was served chilled which made it refreshing and crisp. It was a subtle peach flavor. It would be perfect sipping by the pool on a hot summer afternoon.
The final wine I tried was the St. Pete Sangria. This was a red sangria. They used Florida muscadine grapes, citrus juices, and fresh raspberries. I could taste the subtle hint of the raspberries. They also added a little brandy to the wine to give it a little kick. It was a nice touch. All that was missing was some chopped up fruit.
Murielle Winery
This winery is located in Clearwater, Florida. They also make all their wines in Florida. They take their traditional wines and blend them with fresh fruit juices to create updated flavors.
The first wine I tired was the Dragon Fruit Blush. The dragon fruit was infused into a bold Shiraz. It created a unique flavor that was surprisingly sweet.
Staying with the sweetness I tried the 3 Berry next. They took the Shiraz and blended it with raspberry, blackberry, and boysenberry. This wine was lot sweeter than the previous wine. I felt like the taste of the boysenberry really shined through.
The third wine I tried was Raspberry. It was a simple name but there was nothing simple about the flavor. They took their Merlot and infused it with black raspberries. This wine was delicious. It was slightly sweet. It could easily be sipped by itself or with a nice salty cheese. I bought a bottle of this to enjoy at home.
Sticking with the true Florida them I went with the Tropical Storm as my last wine. This was a Pinot Grigio that was blended with pineapples and pears. It was not that sweet but not too dry either. One sip I could taste the pineapple and the second sip I could taste the pears. It was a unique blend. It was not chilled, but I could see it being chilled to enjoy with something salty.
So Cocoa Beach Winery is not a typical experience. It was a great way to try different wines from around the state in a relaxing environment. The owner of the shop was sweet and friendly. She was very knowledgeable about the wines she was serving. She really liked what she was doing.
If you are in the Cocoa Beach area you should check them out. Visit their website a www.cocoabeachwinery.com to see everything they have to offer.
