If you are a fan of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, you may have seen Guy’s visit to Munch’s in St. Petersburg. It’s a diner that has been serving up breakfast since 1952. I was there several years ago and was back in the area, so I decided to pop in for breakfast.
I sat at the counter where I watched the food coming and going. I got a nice cup of diner coffee and looked over the menu.
I went for the two-egg breakfast. I got my eggs prepared over well because I wanted the yokes to be a little firm. It came with a bowl of grits with a lot of creamy butter mixed in. It is the perfect pairing with eggs. I also got a side of corned beef hash. It was nice and salty. I also ordered it extra crispy because I like when there is little extra crunch.
The restaurant was serving up homemade strawberry shortcake for free to everyone eating there. It was a really nice surprise. It was one half of their fresh made biscuits, which were light and fluffy. They topped it with strawberries in a sweet sauce. It paired well with the saltiness of the biscuit (from the butter they put on top while cooking). The whip cream they finished the dessert with was thick and creamy. It was totally homemade. It was a great way to end my breakfast.
I was glad I got to visit Munch’s again. They are a great place for a quick breakfast. Just one reminder I have for everyone is they only accept cash, so come prepared.
I love going to brunch on the weekends. It is a fun time to get together with friends and family and catch up on the past week events. I am always looking for new places to try out for brunch. The Rusty Pelican was one of those places that popped up on my list.
It is located on the water in Clearwater, Florida. Almost every room has a beautiful view of the water. There is no better way to enjoy brunch!
The restaurant is very large inside and can accommodate any size group. Rather than sitting in the bar area, I got a table in one of their rooms. The fireplace was going for ambiance and the sun was shinning that day. If you sat too close to the window you definitely would need to wear a pair of sunglasses.
The first thing I noticed on the brunch menu was their Bottomless Mimosas. They offered four different flavors to choose from. I was excited to try all four.
The first mimosa was my favorite, Pineapple Peach. I knew it would be my favorite even before tasting it because it was pineapple juice. The mimosa was sweet. The pineapple was the first flavor I tasted. Then when I took a second sip, this is when I noticed the peach flavor. This was for sure one of the mimosa’s I would get a second glass of.
The second mimosa was the Watermelon Fresca. This one was very light in taste and refreshing. The watermelon was front and forward. It hid the flavor of the champagne.
The third mimosa was the Apple Cider Pumpkin Spice. I thought the timing of this flavor was a bit odd. I would expect this one more in the fall. There was no pumpkin taste. It was all apple flavor with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg accents. It was not my favorite. This would have been better warmer for the holidays.
The last mimosa flavor I got to try was the Tangerine Ginger. The tangerine juice was sweet but slightly tart. Very different from a traditional orange juice mimosa. There was a hint of ginger flavor mixed in. It would have been nice if a little piece of candied ginger was included.
There were a few starters ordered for the table. The Key West Conch Fritters were amazing. It has been a while since I had conch fritters.
They were loaded with tender conch. The seasoning in the breading was sweet and salty. They were just like what I got when I visited Key West. They served the fritters with a Pina Colada dipping sauce. The coconut flavor paired well with the seasoning of the fritter. It actually enhanced the overall taste.
The other started was the Blackened Scallops. The scallops were fresh and large. The blackening seasoning was not overpowering. The meat was ender and melted in my mouth. They served the scallops with a blood orange preserve. The sweetness from the preserve married well with the sweetness of the scallops and toned down the saltiness of the blackening seasoning.
For my brunch I went for a three-egg omelet with tomato and cheese mixed in. They topped it off with slices of fresh avocado. The omelet was large and with the two starters I tried I was starting to get a little full. I had to start pacing myself.
They used a lot of cheddar cheese which contributed to making the omelet filling. The tomatoes were chopped up and added a freshness and helped break up all the cheese. I ended up eating the avocado slices by themselves.
On the side came a Tater Tot Smash. This was their version of hash browns. They came out nice and crispy. There was so much I could not finish.
I got to try their Hangover Hash as well. This hash was braised prime rib on top of the tater tot smash. Then they placed a perfectly poached egg on top, along with a homemade hollandaise sauce. This was a different type of breakfast hash for sure. The prime rib was cooked spectacularly; it just pulled apart as soon as I touched it with the fork.
The flavor was savory, and the hollandaise sauce added a creaminess. I did not try the poached egg, but I was told it was delicious. The tater tot hash added a crunch, but it also acted as a way to soak up the sauce.
Even with all the food eaten, I still left a little room for dessert. There was no way I could eat something by myself, but I knew I could share the Key Lime Pie. The slice came out cut as a square verse a triangle. This was perfect because it allowed for less crust and more filling. The filling was slightly tart and sweet. The meringue on top was firm and had a nice browning that created a slight toasted taste. It was the perfect Florida dessert.
The food was fantastic at The Rusty Pelican. I enjoyed everything I tired. I really like the assortment of mimosas they offered. I would go back any time for brunch, and I would also like to try something off their dinner menu.
There is a really popular restaurant at Hyde Park in Tampa called Meat Market. I had some friends visiting the area, so we decided to check them out. The place was packed and the only tables that were available were in the tent at the front of the restaurant. We really wanted to try this place, so a tent was ok for us.
While we looked over the menu the waiter brought us some “popped corn”. This is not what I was thinking it would be. These were corn pieces that were some how fried up till they got a little puffy, but still crunchy. They coated the corn with a slightly spicy seasoning. It was somewhat like a corn nut.
I ordered the Seabass for my dinner. This was a beautiful piece of fish. It was on a bed of wild mushrooms and a sweet corn puree. The Seabass was flakey and light. It was seasoned perfectly with a slightly peppery taste with a hint of salt. The wild mushrooms were interesting. They had a unique texture. They were a little chewy and hard to bite. I had to cut them with my knife. They did not have that much flavor, but the corn puree added a nice sweetness to the mushrooms. The puree was also fantastic with the fish. The sweetness was a nice contrast to the pepper seasoning on the Seabass.
For a side we shared the roasted Brussel sprouts around the table. These were nice and crispy and had a wonderful accent flavor from the bacon that was cooked along side of it. I love when Brussel sprouts are this crispy, it just enhances the overall flavor and cuts back on some of the bitterness that Brussel sprouts can have.
For dessert I went for their homemade cinnamon roll. This was absolutely delicious. The dough was sweet. They loaded up each layer with cinnamon and sugar. There were a ton of sugared pecans throughout each layer as well. These added a nice crunch to the cinnamon roll.
They also topped the roll with fresh vanilla ice cream and a little caramel drizzle. As the ice cream melted the dough soaked it up and acted like a sauce. It made the dough extra moist. This dessert was very sweet, but it was great to share. And a perfect way to end the meal that was so savory.
The food was fantastic at Meat Market. The staff was very attentive and never forgot about us in the tent. Hopefully next time I will be able to eat inside. Check out their menu at www.meatmarket.net
St. Petersburg, Florida is a beautiful place. The entire city is growing quickly. There are so many places to enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During this visit to St Petersburg, I wanted to get brunch and I decided to check out a restaurant I had visited years ago called 400 Beach Seafood.
You cannot enjoy brunch without a mimosa and bloody Mary. They were not bottomless, but they were still a great price. The mimosa was made with Brut champagne and fresh orange juice. The sweetness of the juice helped cut down the sharpness of the brut. The bloody Mary was made spicy, just the way I like it. It had a wonderful horseradish flavor. It was a drastic contrast to the mimosa.
I started off with a bowl of Clam Chowder. It was extremely creamy. They loaded it up with tender, fresh clams and big chunks of potatoes. It was a good ratio of clams to potatoes. The soup was seasoned perfectly.
I also tried a little of the Island Seafood Chili. This was extremely hardy. It was thick but not like a traditional beef chili. It was more like a stew. They used a variety of seafood which was nice. Each bite had a different texture.
For my brunch meal I ordered the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict. They took an English muffin and laced a fresh crab cake on it. They then put a traditional poached egg with hollandaise sauce on top of the crab cake. They accented it with a few pieces of fresh spinach. The egg was light, and the creaminess of the yoke soaked into the crab cake, which added a rich texture to the crab meat. The crab was sweet tasting and there was a lot of it.
A potato hash came on the side. These were diced potatoes mixed with onions and peppers. There was also fresh fruit. Both were the perfect complement to the filling breakfast.
I also was able to try the Fish Tacos. These were blackened Mahi Mahi pieces topped with avocado, a fresh made mango salsa, and queso fresco. They drizzled a charred lime aioli on top. The few bites I got to try highlighted the fish. It had a great spice to it from being blackened. The mango salsa was my favorite part. It added a complementary sweetness.
I really enjoyed the dishes I got to try at 400 Beach. Even the season visit have me several surprises. This is definitely a place to would continue to come back to. I loved seeing how busy St. Petersburg was. Life has been getting back to normal and it feels great.
