Month: November 2022

Simone’s – St. Augustine, FL

There is an Italian restaurant that I found in St. Augustine that has a wood-fire oven that they do their cooking in. The thought of some wood-fire pizza really made me hungry, so I made a reservation for Simone’s.

When I looked over the menu, I was pleasantly surprised about how many things they offered.

I did get the wood-fire pizza that I was craving. I got it with fresh Italian sausage and anchovies. The pizza was cooked exceptionally well. There was the right amount of char on the crust. The dough was sweet and paired great with the salty cheese and pizza sauce. The sausage got crispy in the oven which I enjoyed. There was a nice fennel taste in the sausage. The anchovies, which are not everyone’s thing, added additional saltiness to the pizza.

Another dish I ordered was the homemade meatballs. The meatballs were a blend of veal, pork, and beef. They were covered in a Pomodoro sauce. They were placed in the wood-fire oven to get a little crispy on the outside. The parmesan cheese that was shredded on top melted and melted right away from the heat.  The meatballs were very moist, light, and fluffy with a great savory flavor.

They had arancini on the menu too. This was a pleasant surprise because not all Italian restaurants have these. These were smaller in size and there was no meat and peas on the inside. But they were really cheesy and were the perfect size for dipping in the Pomodoro sauce.

Finally, the other item I tried was their soup on the day. It was a corn chowder. It sounded good and to my surprise the waitress offered to give us a sample to make sure it was something that we wanted to order. I have never seen this at a restaurant before and I really appreciated it.

The sample did the trick, I loved it. I ordered a bowl of the chowder. It was a simple chowder but still full of complex flavors. The corn was sweet and was a perfect match for the savory nature of the broth.

Simone’s is not a large restaurant, so they fill up fast. Even if you have to wait for a table, it is well worth it. There were several pasta dishes on the menu that looked delicious. The next time I visit St. Augustine, I would go back to try something new.

Check out their website at www.simoneswoodfiredwgv.com

Enjoy!

T

Hattie B’s – Nashville, TN

I absolutely love Nashville Hot Chicken. So naturally when I was visiting Nashville, I had to get their namesake dish. There are many places I have been to plus more I haven’t even tried yet. However, since this visit was a short one, I just focused in on Hattie B’s. I have been there many times and knew they would not disappoint.

I ordered the chicken breast meal with a medium heat. Don’t let the word medium fool you, this is still pretty spicy.  I can’t do much hotter than this for right now. The chicken is fried up so that the skin and breading is extra crispy. This allows the juices to stay locked in. The heat is contained in the breading and the extra seasoning they sprinkle on top once the chicken has completed cooking. The heat hits you as soon as you take a bite. But it does cool down after that, at least until you take another bite.

During this visit I ordered a couple of extra sides to try. Normally I get the mac and cheese and this visit was no exception. It is wonderfully creamy. The cheese can help tame down the burning sensation caused by the heat of the chicken.

Another side I tried was the cheesy grits. This is a true Southern dish. Normally I get these for breakfast. They were a salty treat for lunch too. The creaminess also helped tame the heat.

The baked beans were sweet. Normally served with BBQ, it was a nice complement to the chicken. It almost acted like a dessert because of the sweetness.

The last side was the black-eyed peas. I customarily have these on New Years Day for good luck. To have them here was a surprise. They were cooked flawlessly. There was ab immensely savory flavor that was perfect with the spicy chicken.

All of these sides really helped make the hot chicken a complete meal.

If you have never tried hot chicken, Hattie B’s is the perfect place to try it. However, if hot, spicy food is not your thing it is ok., they do offer their fried chicken with no heat. The chicken is just as good that way too.

They have a couple of location and starting to open outside of Tennessee so check them out at www.hattieb.com

Enjoy!

T

Stonewood Grill – Daytona Beach, FL

It was a beautiful morning in Daytona Beach, and I felt like getting some brunch. When I searched around the area Stonewood Grill popped up, so I made a reservation.

We got a great seat by the window to over look their pretty water fountain.

We started off with two appetizers for the table. The first thing that came out was the Blue Cheese Chips. These were homemade, baked potato chips tossed with fresh Rosemary and thyme. They spread a blue cheese aioli all over the chips. Then a balsamic glaze was drizzled all over. The tanginess of the blue cheese was a true complement to the sweetness of the balsamic. The crunch of the chips were spectacular.

The Bruschetta was the other appetizer that was ordered. The crispy crostini’s were topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic. There was fresh grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. They used the same balsamic dressing and served it in a bowl. This way whatever level of saturation was wanted, it could be achieved. The tomatoes were juicy and had a slight sweet taste to them. The garlic added a nice pop. The balsamic dressing that I sprinkled on top of the tomatoes soaked into the crostini. It made it a little easier to bite in to.

I enjoyed the bruschetta so much that I ordered the Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich. The chicken was seasoned well and grilled to still hold in the juices. A slice of cheese was melted on top of the chicken before it was topped off with the bruschetta and lettuce. They toasted a hoagie roll, which added some crunch when I took a bite. The lettuce added additional texture. This all paired well with the chicken.

On the side was a tomato cucumber salad. There were red onions that were chopped up that added a little kick. An Italian dressing coated the tomatoes and cucumbers and added great flavor.

Another dish that was ordered was the Steak Bowl. The size of the bowl was perfect for brunch. The tender steak was cooked to a medium and sliced up. In the bowl they served a corn and black bean salsa. There was a slight hint of spice but the coolness of the corn and the creaminess of the beans disguised the spice pretty well.

The poblano rice was a great surprise. There was a slight heat but such a creaminess to the rice that it was almost savory. They also put their homemade pico do gallo on the side. It was fresh and tasty on its own but also tasted great mixed in with the corn and bean salsa.

The final dish that was ordered was the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I did not get to try the sandwich however, it seemed like a classic grilled chicken. It was simple but perfect for anyone wanting something familiar. Their was a generous amount of Caesar salad served on the side. It was the perfect brunch combo.

Brunch was great at Stonewood Grill. They have a nice selection of dishes for anyone’s tastebuds. Check them out at www.stonewoodgrill.com

Enjoy!

T

Grampa’s Café – Dania Beach, FL

Over 10 years ago I was on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, and I visited a breakfast joint that I had seen on the Food Network. That place was Grampa’s Café. It was an old-school diner that had a fresh bakery, where they made all kinds of sweets.

Now all these years later I was back in town and was happy to see that Grampa’s was still open. It is under new management and the entire restaurant has been remodeled. While the look is new, they still make the homemade pastries and their classic diner menu items.

I ordered a breakfast sandwich. It was bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel. I got the hashbrowns on the side. The bagel was amazing because it was so fresh. It was crispy on the outside from being toasted but still soft in the middle. The flavors coming from the everything seasoning went so well with the egg and cheese. The bacon added extra crunch and saltiness.

The other dish that was ordered was the Tuna Melt. This was a classic diner dish. The fresh tuna salad had a slice of melted cheese in between two slices of fresh bread, which was grilled on each side. The tuna salad was very creamy. It was a great comfort food. They also served French fries on the side.

I was so glad that I got to go back to Grampa’s Café. It was just as good as I remembered. They are a great place to grab a meal if you are in town. Check them out, they do get really busy at breakfast.

Visit their website at www.grampascafe.com

Enjoy!

T