Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

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

National Coffee Day

Today is National Coffee Day. I decided to celebrate at my favorite Bucee’s. You can make your own coffee there with your choice of flavors, creams, and topping. I love my coffee with Cold Stone Creamery coffee cream and a little whipped cream.

If you have never been to a Bucee’s then you must make time to visit. You will not be disappointed in all they have to offer.

www.buc-ees.com

Enjoy!

T

National Pancake Day

It’s National Pancake Day. It is a great way to start the morning. Lucky for me, the executive lounge inside the Renaissance Downtown Phoenix hotel had a pancake machine.

This is a really cool, automated machine. Simply wave your hand in front of the sensor and the pancake making process starts.

The batter is dispensed onto a little conveyer belt.

Then the pancake moves down the belt, getting cooked on both sides.

It comes out at the end, crispy on both sides.

I put some butter on it right away so it would melt on top. The batter was sweet and hit the spot. It was impossible not to make and eat just one.

www.marriott.com

Enjoy!

T

Mr. & Mrs. Crab – Lakeland, FL

I had seen a sign for a new seafood restaurant that opened up that I knew I wanted to try. It’s called Mr. and Mrs. Crab. They have cute statues that welcome you to the restaurant. They were just calling me to take a picture.

The inside of the restaurant is filled with different ocean creatures.

The place was packed. It seemed like everyone in town had the same idea. When I first got there I was planning on getting crab for dinner. But after looking over the menu I had my sights set on crawfish. It had been a while since I had a good crawfish boil.

My giant bag came out loaded with a pound of crawfish, corn on the cob, and potatoes.

It was so hot I had to untie the bag to let some of the heat out before I could put it on my tray.

I got my crawfish with a medium spice level. For my seasoning I went with the Mr. and Mrs. Crab special. It is a blend of all three of their seasonings: Cajun, lemon pepper, and garlic butter. I also ordered an extra ear of corn because I figured it would taste great with all the seasoning.

I put on my gloves and bib and dove in. The seasoning was amazing. The butter made it have a creamy texture, the garlic was savory, and the Cajun seasoning was salty and a little hot. The crawfish were great in size. They offered up a lot of tail meat. It was pretty easy to crack them open. Several if the claws had a lot of meat too. The potato helped soak up the extra sauce on the tray. The corn was sweet and was a great combination with the salty taste from the seasoning.

I also tried the New England Clam Chowder. It had some Old Bay sprinkled on top. It had a nice creamy texture. There was the perfect ratio of clams to potatoes.

We ordered the Cajun fries for the table to share. The seasoning they put on added extra interest rather than just plain salt.

The Fish and Chips were also ordered. They brought out two large pieces of fish. The batter was fried up to be really crispy. The fish was light and flakey. There was also a nice crunch as you bite into the fish because of the batter. On the side there were waffle sweet potato fries. These were a nice sweet complement to the saltiness from the battered fish. It was a lot of food.

Mr. and Mrs. Crab had great seafood dishes. I really enjoyed my crawfish. I look forward to going back and trying one of their other dishes.

Check out their different locations at www.mmcseafood.com

Enjoy!

T

Truluck’s – Miami Beach, FL

I was back visiting Miami. The city was electric as usual. The traffic did seem to be a lot heavier than the last time. It is probably all of the people moving to Florida. While there I decided to head back to Truluck’s and share the experience with another group of people.

The restaurant is still dimly lit but now they have menus that light up. This definitely helps. We ordered a bottle of Piattelli – Malbec for the table. This was a rich wine that had a smoothness to it.

The wine went marvelously with the meatball appetizer that was ordered. The meatballs were a blend of three meats: prime chuck, brisket, and short rib. There is a subtle BBQ sauce on top of the meatballs. The meats were blended together wonderfully and were juicy. The BBQ sauce added a great, tangy taste.

We ordered some Parmesan Yeast Rolls for the table. These are made fresh when ordered. They sprinkle a little Maldon Sea salt on top. The bread was sweet, and that sweetness was accentuated by the sea salt. When butter melted on the inside it created a creamy texture.

Another great appetizer was the calamari. These were fried up along with some vegetables that included carrots and peppers. They were sprinkled with salt and pepper. They served two dipping sauces on the side: a mustard and a sweet Vietnamese chili sauce. I loved the chili sauce. It had a slight amount of heat and the sweet taste was exceptional. I did not even bother trying the mustard sauce.

For my dinner I ordered the Norwegian Salmon. The salmon was seared perfectly with great seasoning that accented the flavor of the salmon. The salmon was flakey and moist. It came with fresh asparagus that was cooked till the stalks were nice and tender.

I was able to try the Sesame Seared Tuna. The tuna was rare on the inside with just a light layer being seared. It was the best way to serve this beautiful piece of fish. They served parmesan mashed potatoes on the side. They were extremely creamy. There was a Tamari reduction on the plate that added extra flavor to the tuna.

The New England Sea Scallops were colossal in size. There was an amazing piccata sauce over the scallops and the parmesan mashed potatoes. The sauce is what made this dish so delicious.

The last dish that was ordered at the table was the 7oz filet. It was barrel cut and cooked perfectly to lock in the juices. They served a clove of roasted garlic on the side. It was so creamy when pulled out and enhanced the flavor of the steak.

For dessert we ordered the Key Lime Pie. This is the perfect Florida dessert. The graham cracker crust was filled with the tart key lime filling. They topped it off with a sweet, whipped cream. It was an excellent blend of sweet and sour.

The meal was amazing at Truluck’s. I would recommend everyone check them out. Check out their locations at www.trulucks.com

Enjoy!

T

Henry’s Tavern – Denver, CO

It’s National Beer Lover’s Day. Whether you like IPA’s, Lagers, or even Sour Beers, today is a reason to celebrate.

I decided to make Henry’s Tavern in Denver, Colorado my celebration spot. They are a large sports bar with plenty of seats for everyone.

For my beer, I wanted to make sure I got something local. I ordered the New Belgium Brewing Dominga Mimosa Sour. It is brewed in Ft. Collins, Colorado. It had a great citrus taste to it and a nice tangy bite at the end. I love sour beers; they are so unique.

To help wash down the beer I ordered the Country Fried Calamari. The crispy fried calamari were served with a chipotle cocktail sauce and a grilled jalapeno bacon tartar sauce. Both sauces were amazing. The cocktail sauce had a great heat. It was my favorite.

I also ordered the Wild Arugula Pizza. The crispy crust was loaded with roasted tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pesto, shaved parmesan, prosciutto, and arugula. There were so many flavors on this pizza. There was a nice salty taste because of the cheese and prosciutto. This was complemented by the peppery taste from the arugula.

This was a great place to grab a bite to eat and grab a beer. Sit at the bar and you will get even better service.

Check them out at www.henrystavern.com

Enjoy!

T