Month: April 2022

Dough J’s Chicken & Donuts – Webster, FL

Florida has a lot of small towns that offer unique experiences. One of those towns is Webster, Florida. They have a large farmers market and a huge flea market. I have driven through Webster many times but never stopped because I was always driving somewhere else.

This time I decided to stop and check out a little, local shop called Dough J’s Chicken and Donuts.

They open really early in the morning, which means they sell out quickly on their donuts and pastries. By the time I got there, that is what happened. They only had a few donut choices left. So, for my next visit I need to get there sooner.

So, I decided to try some of their breakfast items. The Breakfast Bowl was the perfect layering of ingredients for easy eating. They started off with creamy grits that were topped with shredded cheese. Then they layered scrambled eggs and crumbled breakfast sausage. I loved all the layers because I could take one big spoonful and get every component. The grits were my favorite because they were so creamy. My next favorite part was the sausage. It had a great savory flavor.

I also tried the Chicken Biscuit. The biscuit was freshly made. It was flakey and had a great buttery taste. The fried chicken was juicy and crispy. It was a generous piece of chicken. It actually was hard to eat this chicken biscuit because it was too big to take a bite. Nonetheless I enjoyed it. The chicken biscuit also included a side of breakfast potatoes. These were perfect bite size pieces of potato that were fried up and seasoned. They were great with a little ketchup.

I am glad I finally stopped in Webster. Dough J’s was great for breakfast and I look forward to trying one of their donuts on the next visit.

Enjoy!

T

Siro – Orlando, FL

Inside the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida is an Italian restaurant called Siro. They call it Urban Italian because they take classic dishes and put an updated spin on it.

I was there for a large group dinner, so the restaurant put together a fixed menu for us to choose from. They did offer a good number of choices. There were a few appetizers that came out to all the tables.

The Charcuterie Board was well put together. The presentation was beautiful and made my mouth water. They offered three meats: salami, prosciutto, and soppressata. They offered three cheeses as well: brie, parmesan, and sharp cheddar. It was great to make different combinations of meat and cheese with either the stone ground mustard or berry jam. The am was my favorite because it paired perfectly with the salty meats and cheese. The jam and brie with the prosciutto was my absolute favorite combination because the brie added creaminess.

Another appetizer that came out was meatballs. These large, homemade meatballs were juicy and moist. They were covered with a fresh marinara sauce. The parmesan cheese sprinkled on top melted nicely. The meatballs were seasoned well. I would have enjoyed these as a meal with some pasta.

The calamari rings were an easy appetizer to pass around the table. They were lightly breaded and fried. They served the same freshly made marinara sauce on the side that came with the meatballs. The calamari pieces were extremely tender.

For my dinner I selected the Seared Scallops. These jumbo scallops came on top of a sweet corn risotto and pickled Fresno peppers. The scallops had a beautiful sear on the edges that created a slight crispiness. The scallops were tender and extremely sweet. The sweet corn risotto was a unique take on risotto. It did not have a strong corn taste – just a sweetness like creamed corn. The risotto was tender and cooked perfectly so it would not be mushy.

I also got to try the Seafood Pasta. They made fresh spaghetti, which helped make this dish special. They coated the spaghetti with a white wine cream sauce with lobster and shrimp. It was so creamy and rich. The lobster added a sweetness to the dish. It was crave worthy comfort food for sure.

For dessert, we were given a few options. I went for the Gelato. This was a homemade vanilla gelato. It was sweet and creamy. The fresh vanilla flavor made this dessert refreshing after such a rich dinner.

It was a great dinner at Siro to enjoy with a wonderful group of people. The meal was great and even with a pre-fixed menu the choices were excellent. I would go back again just to try their regular menu.

Check them out at the Marriott website at:

https://modules.marriott.com/hotel-restaurants/mcowc-orlando-world-center-marriott/siro-urban-italian-kitchen/5478680/home-page?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2

Enjoy!

T

Terrace Grill – Lakeland, FL

The Terrace Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Lakeland, Florida. Inside the hotel there is a restaurant that I visited many years ago. Since that visit, the restaurant and part of the hotel have been remodeled. I was able to check them out for Sunday brunch. The lobby is beautiful when you walk in. There is so much natural light. The restaurant as also beautiful. With the tall ceiling, the restaurant seems much larger than it is.

They did update their brunch menu and they now offer a bottomless Mimosa and Bloody Mary bar. It is a great setup; the waitress or waiter brings a carafe of either champagne or vodka. Then you get to make the drink to your liking.

For Bloody Mary’s, they offer a regular and spicy mix. There are the assorted vegetables that you can add to your cocktail.

I went for the Mimosas. They had several juices to choose from:

  • Orange
  • Blood Orange
  • Pineapple
  • Grapefruit
  • Cranberry
  • Apple Cider

They had an assortment of fresh fruit to accent the cocktail. It was a nice setup. I had mostly pineapple mimosas but did try the blood orange for something different.

I ordered the Terrace Frittata. The egg was mixed with asparagus, red peppers, mushrooms, and gruyere cheese. The plate was garnished with an arugula salad and a crème Fraiche. The frittata was fluffy. The vegetables they included gave the egg a nice earthy taste. The asparagus had a little crunch. The gruyere cheese melted nicely throughout the frittata. It was creamy with a combination of sweet and salty. The arugula salad was a great, fresh element to the plate. The peppery taste of the arugula complemented the sweetness from the crème Fraiche that was drizzled on top.

I came to brunch with family so there was a variety of dishes ordered. I did not try these dishes, but I did make sure to take pictures and ask everyone how they liked what they ordered.

The first dish I wanted to talk about was the Lake Mirror Benny. This is their take on the classic brunch dish, eggs benedict. Their twist on this was using a toasted brioche bun rather than an English muffin. The brioche bun added sweetness to each bite. They used applewood smoked bacon that was cooked perfectly to have a crispness. They placed the perfectly poached egg on top with a creamy hollandaise sauce. The hollandaise sauce has a decadent creamy flavor.

The Open Face Sammy was a unique breakfast sandwich.  They started with a base of toasted sourdough bread. They layered prosciutto, gruyere cheese, arugula, and béchamel (béchamel is a sauce made of flour, milk, and butter). Then they placed a sunny side up egg on top. This sandwich was a blend of creamy and salty with all the ingredients. The runny yoke from the egg added a richness to the already creamy texture from the gruyere cheese and béchamel. The sourdough added a slight tanginess.

Another dish that was ordered was the Open Face Patty Melt. This burger patty was a combination of ground short rib and brisket. The patty that was cooked to a perfect medium, was topped with gruyere cheese, sautéed shallots, mushrooms, a house sauce, and of course a sunny side up egg. All of this was placed on a slice of marble rye bread. The patty was juicy and tender. The way the cheese melted on the meat created a wonderful texture. The shallots and mushrooms helped create a savory flavor.

There was a non-breakfast dish that was ordered by two people at the table. This was the Fish Tacos. The soft taco shells were filled with a battered, flakey fish. They topped the fish with shredded cabbage and grilled onions and peppers. Crispy French fries came of the side. The tacos were filling but both people thought the fish could have used a little spice. It was a little bland for them. Once they got some hot sauce to sprinkle on top, they were perfectly happy.

Brunch was amazing a Terrace Grille. The staff was wonderful and took great care in making sure everything was perfect. I would highly recommend visiting. They do change up some of their dishes seasonally, so check out their menu at www.terracegrillelakeland.com

Enjoy!

T

Soy Bistro – Brentwood, TN

There is a Korean restaurant in Brentwood, TN that is hidden in between a bunch of building. I had driven past Soy Bistro many times without realizing it was there. I wasn’t until I was watching Diners, Drive-ins, And Dives and they featured the restaurant that I realized where they were located.

The next time I visited Brentwood, I made sure to stop by. They had just opened for lunch and there was already a line out the door. Inside it is kind of small, there are not that many tables. Luckily by the time I ordered a table had opened up.

Their menu is on colorful boards as you walk in. Since there was a line, it gave me a chance to look over all the boards. There were so many dishes that sounded good.

The starter that was shared around the table was the Chicken Dumplings. These dumplings were deep fired so the dough puffed up and got crispy. The chicken on the inside was like a ground chicken that was mixed with a variety of spices. I definitely tasted some ginger and lemongrass. It had a refreshing taste. They served a Thai chili dipping sauce that was amazing. It was slightly spicy and full of sweetness. It accented the chicken well by enhancing the flavor of the seasoning. The crispy texture of the dumpling dough allowed me to hold it for dipping in the sauce.

The main dish that was featured on Triple D was the Hot Chicken. This was a Korean dish that paid tribute to the Hot Chicken that Nashville is famous for. The chicken was cooked three different ways, it was steamed, then chargrilled and finished off with a pan sear. It was at this point those Korean spices were added in, coating every piece of chicken. They placed the chicken on top of a house made cole slaw.

The chicken was spicy; the spice flavor was distinctly Korean to me. Korean heat is a long, slow build up that has an impactful punch. It was hotter than some of the hot chicken I have had around town. It was also nice that their chicken was not breaded because it made this dish even more special.

I also ordered the Teriyaki Udon Noodle Bowl. I love Udon noodles. They are a thicker noodle compared to a thin Singapore noodle or a traditional Chinese lo mein noodle. The noodles were cooked Hibachi style with carrots, onions, broccoli, scallions, and edamame.  I could have added chicken to the bowl, but I decided to keep it just the vegetables and noodles.

They served the teriyaki sauce on the side. This was good because it allowed me to customize how salty I wanted to make the dish. Even without the sauce the noodles and vegetables had a smokey taste from the wok it was cooked in. The noodles soaked up the flavor of the teriyaki sauce, which was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

There was one more dish that was ordered, the Gochujang Chicken. This was a pan seared chicken in a gochujang sauce. Gochujang is a sweet and spicy sauce that is bold and full of umami flavor (umami meaning savory). They put the chicken over rice and then an over-easy egg was placed on top of the chicken.

To me this was the Korean version of the hangover burger because they included an egg. The yoke from the egg added a rich, creaminess to the chicken. The flavor of the gochujang sauce was amazing. It really had a bold, unique taste to it. I did not eat a lot of this dish because someone else had ordered it, but I was grateful I got to try it.

Soy Bistro was amazing. I want to come back to try so many of their other dishes. I did get to see Guy Fieri autograph on the wall before walking out the door. If you want to check out their episode, check it out at

https://m.facebook.com/DDD/videos/hot-chicken-at-soy-bistro-from-ddd/992665847986052/?__so__=permalink&__rv__=related_videos&locale=ne_NP&_rdr

I highly recommend you check them out. They are worth the short drive from Nashville to get to Brentwood. Visit their website at www.soybistro.com

Enjoy!

T