Well I made it back to Rum Fish Grill sooner than I expected. I really enjoyed my last visit, so I figured I would go back and try some other dishes. Plus, I needed to see the fish in the tanks again.
I really enjoyed the Banana Colada I got last time, so I ordered it again. I love the creamy texture and the sweet taste of banana and coconut. They are a great flavor combination.
I was looking forward to trying some new dishes. I ordered the crab cakes first. They use fresh blue crab meat and mixed it with seasoning and breadcrumbs. They used a lot of crab meat that was sweet tasting. There was an Old Bay remoulade that added nice spice to the crab cake. I really love the flavor of Old Bay on seafood. There was a shaved fennel salad and arugula on the plate that also tasted great with the remoulade.
I also ordered a flatbread. This was the caprese flatbread loaded with fresh mozzarella, fresh cut tomatoes, fresh basil, prosciutto, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. The crust was extremely crispy and had a nice char from the oven. All of the toppings worked well together. The creamy cheese and the salty prosciutto were the best part.
Both of these dishes went perfect with my Banana Colada. I am glad I went back to Rum Fish Grill. This is a really good restaurant. I highly recommend them.
Tucked away in a shopping center is Marie’s, a quaint little Italian restaurant. When you walk in you are instantly greeted with the smell of fresh pasta sauce. It’s enough to make someone feel like they are walking into grandma’s kitchen.
I was excited to try their arancini, 3 huge rice balls filled with cheesy rice. Marie’s serves them with their homemade vodka sauce, rather than traditional red sauce. It was certainly a nice surprise. The crunch of the arancini was incredible while the creamy insides stayed extremely hot. I could taste hints of different cheeses in every bite. I know they classify this as an appetizer, but I am convinced that rice balls can be an entire meal.
I could not pass up the opportunity to try their mac n’ cheese. This too was classified as an appetizer so I expected a small dish; when it came out it was anything but small. The baking dish was still bubbling as it clearly just came out of the oven. A nice crispy layer of baked cheese laid on top. They used a combinations of 6 cheeses that blended together with perfection. The prosciutto added a touch of meaty saltiness that worked well with the creamy texture.
I was not planning on getting dessert since I was so full, but the waiter surprised me with homemade cannoli. That is not something to pass up. The filling was smooth and sweet. I could tell that the cannoli shell was fresh. A perfect ending to a great meal.
If you are headed to the New Jersey area make plans to stop by Marie’s for a classic Italian meal. Visit their website at: www.mariesdeli.com
Near the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach is a seafood restaurant called Rum Fish.
Inside the restaurant are these great fish tanks that are filled with an array of tropical fish. They were all different sizes and I even saw an eel hiding under some rocks. I could sit there all day just watching the fish swim back and forth. The tanks were built by the show TANKED on Animal Planet.
I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered my first happy hour cocktail, the Mango Rum Runner. This was mango rum, blackberry brandy, banana liqueur, orange and pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine. This drink definitely made me feel like I was on vacation. It was sweet, and I enjoyed how refreshing and tropical tasting it was.
This cocktail went really well with the Tuna Poke that I ordered. The tuna was marinated in a miso dressing which was sweet and salty. The tuna was tender and just melted in my mouth. I love fresh tuna. They served it on top of sliced cucumber and some arugula. The cucumbers added a crunch while the arugula added a peppery taste. They also served some crispy wontons on the side. These were great when I loaded up pieces if tuna on them. It added extra crunch to the soft tuna.
Since the tuna was so good, I also ordered the Peppercorn Tuna. This tuna was thinly sliced and seared on the outside. I could taste the pepper, but it was not overpowering. It blended well with the salty soy sauce they poured on top as well as the hot mustard. They also included arugula on this dish for extra pepper taste. They topped it off with some pickled ginger. This added a nice tangy bite in between eating the slices of tuna.
The last dish I ordered was the Crab Dip. It came out sizzling hot. They blended together creamy cream cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, and artichokes. Then they loaded it up with lump crab meat. They used a generous amount and it was extremely sweet. They served pita chips on the side. They were perfect to scoop the rich crab dip.
For dessert I ordered another cocktail. The Banana Colada sounded like the perfect way to end my meal. This drink was amazing. They blended banana rum, pineapple juice, pina colada mix, and topped it off with a dark rum floater. I could taste the banana flavor, which I loved. The other juices helped make the cocktail sweet.
I totally enjoyed everything I ordered. The food was fantastic and the drinks were fun and flavorful. I would recommend Rum Fish Grill to everyone. I plan on going back soon.
Keens Steakhouse is a famous restaurant in New York that has been around since 1885. Everyone who visits New York must go there at least once. It started as a smoking lounge. To this day there are wooden pipes lining the walls and ceiling around the restaurant. Back in the day smoking lounges were for men only but in 1905 they opened their doors to the first female patron.
While looking over then menu, the waiter brought over fresh veggies (olives, pickles, carrots, and celery) along with a homemade bleu cheese dip. This was perfect to snack on while deciding what to order.
There was an appetizer that caught my attention on the menu. It was simply thick bacon slices. I figured fresh bacon in a steakhouse was going to be amazing. And I was absolutely correct. They grilled this bacon until it was crispy. It was very meaty and not a lot of fat the way pork belly usually is. If this was not shared it could easily be someone’s meal.
I ordered a bowl of lobster bisque. The broth had a nice creamy texture. There were a few pieces of lobster meat but not a lot. I would have liked a little more meat to go along with the flavorful broth.
For my dinner I ordered the 8oz filet mignon. They prepared it to medium temperature. It was a little rarer in the middle than I would have preferred. Nonetheless, the seasoning on the steak was great, both savory and salty. The steak was juicy as well.
Since this is a traditional steakhouse all of the sides are A La Carte. So, we ordered a few for the table to share. Creamed spinach is a traditional steakhouse companion. The spinach was chopped up very fine and mixed with creamy cheese. It was almost like a spinach dip. I wished there were tortilla chips to accompany this dish.
What else goes with meat but creamy mashed potatoes. And these potatoes were extremely creamy.
The last side was the steamed asparagus topped with hollandaise sauce. The sauce was great. However, I did not enjoy the asparagus as much because it was steamed. I prefer it to be stir fried or grilled up. It adds a little more texture.
Now it was dessert time. There were classic options to choose from, but I ordered something unique. I ordered the Berry Bibble. It was partly because the name made me laugh and partly because I was interested in what this was. It was a blend of cherries and raspberries in a sauce that was topped with whipped cream. It was like a cobbler just without the crust. The fruit and sauce was sweet but extremely tart. The cream helped smooth that out.
The meal I had at Keens Steakhouse was great. The bacon was probably my favorite part. Check out all of their history at www.keens.com
I was told by a friend if I was ever visiting St. Pete Beach in Florida, I had to go to Boulevard Burgers because they had the best burgers on the beach. So when I was there a few weeks ago I made sure to stop in. That weekend I actually visited two different times.
The restaurant and bar were pretty busy both times I was there. I grabbed a seat at the bar. The staff was amazing. They waited on me right away and were attentive the entire time.
The first night I ordered The Boulevard, which is a double patty burger with American cheese. It also came with my choice of sides. I went for the French fries.
The French fries were thick cut. They were crispy but definitely needed some ketchup since they were so thick.
The cheeseburger was extremely juicy. The ground meat was tender and extremely fresh. They used two slices of American cheese, one on each patty. The cheese was so creamy and just oozed down the sides of the patty. The cheese also added extra moisture to the burger. It was the perfect blend of meat and cheese.
Later in the weekend I went back to Boulevard Burgers. I really enjoyed them, so I thought I would get another burger. I got The Boulevard again. This time I shared it and got tater tots.
The tots were crispy and had the
right amount of salt on them. The burger came out with the American cheese but
this time the cook only put the cheese on one of the patties. This made the
burger not as moist as my first one. The meat had good flavor from the
seasoning. I was just disappointed it was not oozing with cheese.
The second night I was there they were having a chicken wing special. So I ordered a couple of wings in medium Buffalo sauce. I made sure to get them well done and extra wet.
The wings were plump and full of
meat. They were crispy when I took a bite. The sauce was very tangy with a hint
of spice. It was a really nice surprise to be able to get wings. These would be
perfect for an afternoon of watching football.
The burgers are really good at Boulevard
Burgers. It was definitely worth the visit. If you are hungry for a burger,
this is certainly a place I would recommend.
St. Petersburg has many fun beach bars to check out. Toasted Monkey is one of those. Thy have the main bar in the front and the actual beach bar in the back.
The day I visited it was cold, so sitting outside at the beach bar was out of the question. Yes, it does get cold in Florida. I stayed nice and warm inside enjoying a cocktail.
While there I also ordered a few starters to snack on. The calamari was a given to me. We were so close to the water I knew it would be fresh. The calamari was breaded and fried. It came out crispy and tender with a hint of pepper. I did not even need to use the marinara sauce on the side. The flavor from the pepper and the salt I added was enough.
I also ordered the zucchini sticks. This was zucchini that were cut into stripes, breaded, and deep fried. The zucchini was fresh and tender, and the breading was crispy. It was a light breading, not taking away the texture of the zucchini. There was a nice salty taste to the breading. They also sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top that added extra flavor.
Toasted Monkey was a fun little
local place to hit in St. Petersburg. The staff was friendly and there seemed
to be a lot of locals who visited. I would want to go back on a warmer day to
check out their beach bar.
La Segunda is an institution in Tampa. The bakery has been operating since 1915, making fresh breads and pastries. I went to visit their restaurant and grab something to eat.
There was a lot to choose from. They had pastry cases full of pure happiness. I did get three desserts to go so that I could enjoy them at home later. They had so many things to choose from it was a hard choice for me.
I finally decided on the carrot
cake, the cheese danish, and the guava cheese turnover.
The carrot cake was extremely moist. The spice in the cake was great, it tasted like nutmeg. The cream cheese frosting was sweet and creamy. It paired well with the spice in the cake. There was also a lot of sweet raisins mixed throughout the cake. It was perfect with a cold glass of milk.
The guava cheese turnover was my favorite. The flakey pastry was moist and held in the filling nicely. The sweet cream cheese paired well with the semi-sweet and tart guava jam.
The cheese danish was huge. It is good to share because one person could not eat all of it. The cheese filling was creamy and super sweet. They used a generous amount that made the danish heavy in weight. The dough they used for the pastry was light and flakey.
I ordered the Media Noche. It is the ingredients of a Cuban sandwich on a special bread called Medianoche (a sweet, eggy bread). The bread was loaded with marinated pork, smoked ham, Genoa salami, swiss cheese, crunchy dill pickles, and a special sauce. I had the sandwich pressed so that it would warm up the fillings and make the outside of the bread crispy.
The pork was my favorite part of the sandwich. The shredded pork was tender and juicy. It was full of flavor from the Mojo marinade. The special sauce did have mustard in it but I could not make out the other ingredients, but it did help tie all the components together.
I loved all the pastries and the
sandwich that I got at La Segunda. I can see why they have been around for over
a century.
Downtown Lakeland does a fun food truck rally the second Thursday of every month. They close the main streets down and different food trucks line the streets around Munn Park. It is a fun way to get to experience all the local food trucks in one spot.
So over the course of a few months I have made my way to
downtown to experience a few of those trucks. I thought this would be a great
write up to talk about each truck I tried. The Lakeland food truck rally is a
fun time for the whole family.
The name of this truck says it all. They are all about
bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon. It was a hard choice for me of what to try, it
all looked delicious.
I went for the Fat
Tony Tater Tots. These were crispy fried tater tots that were smothered in
their homemade mac and cheese. Then they were topped with a ton of crumbled
bacon.
The mac and cheese was so creamy. They used so much cheese,
which is what made it so good. I also loved how much bacon they used. It was so
crispy. Each bite had bacon in it, adding a great crunch.
This is a Venezuelan food truck. I ordered the Arepazo
special. Arepa is a flat corn bread
that is stuffed with different meats and cheeses. The special arepa I ordered
came stuffed with pork, beef, and chicken along with gouda cheese.
The corn bread was like a shell. It was soft and had a nice
corn taste. It was a little sweet which paired well with the saltiness of the
meats. I also loved how much cheese they used. The creaminess went so well with
the corn bread.
I also got two of their empanadas. I got one pollo (chicken) and one carne (beef). Both the chicken and beef were shredded. The empanada shell was deep fried until crispy. The dough was slightly sweet. It helped hold in the heat, so each bite of the meat was hot. The meats were full of flavor from the spices they used to tenderize the meat.
The owners of this fun food truck are originally from New
Jersey. This inspired them to bring a bit of the Jersey Shore to Florida. And
when I think of the shore, I remember all the fun times I had on the boardwalk
eating French fries. So it was only fitting that I order one of their French fry
options.
The bleu cheese fries looked really yummy. They took crispy French
fries and tossed them with Buffalo wing sauce. Then they covered it in bleu
cheese sauce with extra bleu cheese crumbles. These fries tasted just like
chicken wings. The tangy vinegar taste from the wing sauce was minimized by the
creamy bleu cheese sauce.
This food truck offers up Nicaraguan cuisine. I do not remember
ever trying Nicaraguan food so I was looking forward to trying something. I
ordered the Cerdo Asado. This meal
included charbroiled pork in an achiote rub. It came with white rice, a tangy
slaw, and fried plantains. I also got a side of homemade Chimichurri sauce.
The pork was tender and the seasoning on it was fantastic.
It was very impactful. It reminded me almost like a blackening seasoning. I
drizzled the Chimichurri sauce over the pork and rice. The sauce added even
more flavor to the dish. It had a salty and herby taste.
The slaw was very interesting. It was very sour tasting. It reminded me of a Korean Kimchi. The fried plantains were very sweet. They were cooked up just how I like them. I enjoy ripe plantains in all cuisines, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican. They are the perfect side dish.
I was not sure what to expect when I walked up to Spontaneous
Consumption. Their name did not really hint at what they would be serving. When
I saw their sign for loaded baked potatoes they grabbed my attention. I had not
had a loaded potato in a while. Then when I saw their Philly Potato on the
n=menu I knew this is where I was going to eat.
This one pound potato was covered with tender beef steak, grilled onions and peppers, tons of cheese, sour cream, and green onions. The potato was full of flavor. The beef was tender and tasted great with the onions and peppers. It was as if I was eating a cheese steak. I liked that they used shredded cheddar cheese rather than a cheese sauce. It prevented it from being messy to eat. The sour cream just added extra creaminess. Table
I was staying in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York recently and it was dinner time. I took a walk around the area to see what I could find. I came across a small Italian restaurant called Zia Maria.
I popped in to see if they had a table and good for me they did.
It was a cute little restaurant inside. It was perfect for me to get a quick
dinner for myself.
I saw they had arancini on the menu. Naturally I had to try these. Four little rice balls came out with a homemade pasta sauce.
They were crunchy on the outside. Inside the tender rice was covered with creamy cheese. There was no meat or peas in the middle of the arancini. I was a little disappointed by that but they were still good. I did love how much cheese they used. The homemade pasta sauce was full of flavor.
The served up freshly made bread. It was light and fluffy. It was perfect to scoop up the extra sauce on my plate from the arancini.
For my dinner I got the Gnocchi Alla Bolognese. The portion size was huge.
On top was melted mozzarella cheese. It was nice and crispy from the oven. The gnocchi were tender. It was covered in a traditional beef ragu sauce. The meat in the sauce added a heartiness to the dish. This was a very filling dinner.
Zia Maria was a great neighborhood restaurant that was perfect for a quick dinner. Check them out at www.ziamarianyc.com
