Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

Mojo Federal Swine & Spirits – Lakeland, FL

A brand new restaurant recently opened up in downtown Lakeland called Mojo Federal Swine & Spirits. It is actually located in an old post office building.

It was really cool how they incorporated the old look of the post office into an updated chic hangout.

    

What patrons may not realize when they walk into this restaurant is it’s actually a BBQ joint. They smoke all of their own meats in the back. When they run out of a meat, then that is it for the day.

While I decided what food to try I glanced over their drink menu. They offered a red and a white sangria. They make it from scratch using wine, Sailor Jerry spiced rum, fresh raspberries, strawberries, orange and lime. They decorated the glass with a purple and white orchid. It was a beautiful presentation. Through the course of the dinner I ended up trying one of each.

The red sangria was slightly sweet. They used a dryer wine. The rum added spice as you would expect. To help prevent the sangria from getting watered down they actually froze the raspberries and strawberries.

The white sangria was very sweet. The taste actually reminded me of a rum runner rather than a sangria. It was refreshing.

They offered several BBQ starters that were ordered for the table to share. The one I was most excited to try was the Burnt Ends. These are the crispy, outside edges of their beef brisket.

These were absolutely amazing. The bark on the outside was loaded with smoky essence. The brisket fell apart as I picked it up with my fork, which shows how tender it was. The marbling of the fat throughout the brisket created a juiciness that spilled out of the meat. It simply melted in my mouth. The flavor was so strong I did not even bother putting BBQ on the pieces.

The quesadilla was perfect for sharing. The crispy shell was loaded with pulled pork, the special Mojo BBQ sauce, and both cheddar and jack cheese.

The pork was tender and very juicy; the Mojo sauce added extra flavor. The cheeses added a salty element. It did come with a side of salsa but I did not use it because the Mojo sauce was so good on it.

The fried pickles were exactly what I expected. They were pickle chips with a crispy breading. It came with a “comeback sauce” that was like an aioli. I actually enjoyed them being dipped in their different BBQ sauces.

When it comes to sauces they have five to choose from:

  • Sweet – totally sugary sweet
  • Mustard – self explanatory
  • Chipotle – had a slight pepper heat
  • Vinegar – sour and classic Carolina style
  • Mojo – a classic BBQ sauce with slight spice

Now a friend at the table ordered the Mojo Q Salad. I was able to try some of it. This salad was loaded with pulled pork, beef brisket, and chopped chicken. This salad was huge. The meats all had a great smoky taste. When covered with the Chipotle sauce it added another layer of flavor and eating it with the crunch of the romaine lettuce added a freshness.

For my dinner I ordered one of their two Meat BBQ Plates. It came with my choice of meats and sides. They offered seven different BBQ meats, which made it a hard choice. Everything sounded delicious. I went with the pulled pork shoulder and the beef brisket.

Of course I went with the pulled pork because that is my favorite BBQ meat. I also went for more brisket since those burnt ends were so delicious. The pork was super juicy and tender. There were not enough burnt edges but I still enjoyed it. The slices of brisket were amazing. They were thinly cut and the meat pulled apart with just a touch of my fork. There was just enough bark on the edges of each slice to add a salty accent.

Once I tasted the meat in its natural state I drizzled the sweet BBQ sauce on top. I really like how the sweetness worked with the smokiness. They complemented each other so well.

Now I got two sides with my dinner but there was a third that I wanted to try. The garlic cheese grits were amazing. I have had cheddar grits before but adding the garlic to them took the flavor to a different level. These were not your typical breakfast grits. They were thick and creamy and had a great savory element.

The mac and cheese reminded me of the one my mom would make. The noodles were tossed in a ton of cheese that melted into a creamy sauce. The top layer had crispy cheese and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs for added texture. It was classic comfort food.

The final side that I ordered extra was the sweet potato mash. It is not often that I see sweet potatoes on a menu, so I needed to see what these were all about. They mashed the potatoes leaving just a few chucks. Then they mixed in a little brown sugar for extra sweetness. They baked these in the oven in order to create a crispy, sugary layer on top. This way when they scoop the potatoes into the bowl, the crispy later got mixed throughout the entire serving. Normally sweet potatoes like this are served with turkey at Thanksgiving but they also go really well with BBQ.

I really enjoyed all the food and sangrias at Mojo Federal. I am planning on going back when I am in Lakeland because they have so many more things to try. Check out their entire offering at www.mojobbq.com

Enjoy!

T

Savarino’s – Columbia, TN

For 11 years there was a family owned Italian restaurant that was a fixture in Nashville. Savarino’s Cucina served up sandwiches, pizzas, homemade pastas, and pastries to locals and visitors alike. They were also featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. But in early 2017 the owners were ready to semi-retire, so they closed down the restaurant. I was one of the lucky people who did get to eat at the original restaurant a few years ago.

Now fast forward a few months, after a month long family trip to Italy, the original owner’s son decided to take up the reins and reopen as Savarino’s in Columbia, Tennessee.

    

Columbia is south of Nashville but it is in an area of Tennessee that I have noticed is starting to grow. I was thrilled when I read that this new location was finally open. During a road trip to Nashville I made sure to stop by for a bite to eat. The best thing is I got there right when they opened for the day so I did not have to wait long.

    

One of the things I had to order were their aranchinis. These homemade specialties were loaded with seasoned ground beef, peas, and carrots. You get one huge aranchini per order. They are breaded and fried up.

I cut it open as soon as it arrived to the table. I did this so that it would cool off a little.

The flavor of the meat was savory and the vegetables added extra texture. There was the perfect amount of rice that held everything together.

I also ordered their calzone. I had not ordered this before and thought I would try it out. The filling was loaded with cheese, sausage, and pepperoni.

It was extremely hot when it came to the table. Once it cooled down I got to taste the sweet dough and salty meats and cheese. I added some of the homemade pasta sauce which added the herby flavor of oregano. The outside was a little over cooked, I prefer it to be a little softer.

I also ordered a pepperoni and sausage pizza with black olives. I knew that I had already eaten a lot of food but I figured I would take this home and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. I love leftover, cold pizza.

I did enjoy a slice while it was still hot. The pepperoni were perfect bite size pieces that had all their edges crispy from the oven. The sausage had a bold flavor from the Italian spices. The taste was much more pronounced on the pizza than in the calzone. They used a generous amount of cheese that made those cheese strings when I took a bite. The dough was sweet and complemented the awesome savory pizza sauce.

I am so glad that Savarino’s is back in the game. The family legacy is in good hands with the next generation. Take a little trip south of Nashville to enjoy a little Italian comfort food.

www.facebook.com/savarinoscucina

Enjoy!

T

Prince’s Hot Chicken – Nashville, TN

Nashville is synonymous for Country Music and Hot Chicken. Over the last several years Hot Chicken has been popping up all over the country. However, it is my opinion, if you want the best you have to go where is all started. And where it all started is at Prince’s Hot Chicken.

This place got its name from Thorton Prince – the father of hot chicken. According to the history on their website, this wonderful delicacy was created in the Great Depression as a punishment to Thorton because he was not being faithful to the special woman in his life.

Princes has two locations now in Nashville, plus a food truck that will pop up at different events around town. I visited their newest location.

  

They are always busy with a constant flow of people coming in and out. The one trick I learned was to call ahead with you order. This way you will not have to wait too long when you arrive.

I was so excited to get my hands on my chicken. I ordered the quarter white with a wing. From a heat level, I ordered the medium. Do not be misled, Prince’s medium is still very hot. I still started sweating and got sniffles in my nose.

The heat does not hit you right away. It takes a few seconds and then it creeps up. The breading has awesome crunch. It really seals in the moisture of the chicken. The white meat was so juicy as soon as I bit in.

The hot chicken is served on top of two slices of white bread. This white bread acts as a sponge and soaks up all the drippings from the chicken. If you are really brave you can eat the bread. I only could have a little because it was so spicy.

Everything is a-la-cart at Prince’s. They have several sides to choose from. The French fries are a nice filler. They help calm the heat in my mouth between bites.

The special treat are the baked beans. These are not typical BBQ beans. These beans are super sweet and the sauce is extremely thick. These beans are more like a dessert because of all the brown sugar. These also helped cut down on some of the heat in my mouth.

There are many places around Nashville for hot chicken. It is extremely necessary that everyone check out Princes to experience the original. Check out their website for their location and the days they are open. http://princeshotchicken.com/

Enjoy!

T

Mr. Empanada – Tampa, FL

I was hungry for a homemade empanada. If you have never had one empanadas are a stuffed pastry that is filled with a savory or sweet filling and deep fried. I had asked some friends where they recommended I go when I was visiting Tampa. They all suggested Mr. Empanada.

Tucked away in the corner of a shopping center sits Mr. Empanada. If I did not have the address of where to go I would never have seen this place from the street. However, based on the line of people inside, no one else had any problems finding this place.

They have a large selection of empanadas to choose from.

  

It was a hard choice but I narrowed it down to three:

  1. Beef & Cheese
  2. Italian Sausage & Cheese
  3. Buffalo Chicken & Blue Cheese

I was really excited to dig into these. They had just come out of the fryer so they needed to cool down a little.

  

I started with the beef and cheese. The tender ground beef was mixed with a ton of cheese. It was extremely creamy because of all the cheese. The beef was full of great spicy flavor. The empanada pastry was sweet and crispy. It held in the meat and cheese as I took a bite so I luckily did not make a mess.

Up next was the Italian sausage and cheese. I was not sure what the sausage would be like inside the empanada shell. They actually took the sausage out of the casing ad cooked it up in crumbles. They then covered it in melted cheese. The sausage had amazing robust flavor. It was even more flavorful than the ground beef and was very tender.

The last empanada was the Buffalo chicken and blue cheese. They took fresh chicken breast meat and shredded it till it was very fine in texture. It was tossed with blue cheese that melted once it was fried up. The cheese and chicken were covered in a tangy Buffalo wing sauce. When I took a bite it was exactly like eating a chicken wing. The empanada shell added crunch to the soft chicken and the blue cheese toned down the tang from the sauce.

I had a great experience at Mr. Empanada. I want to go back to try one of their other varieties. They also made a fresh Cuban sandwich that looked pretty good. Another good thing about Mr. Empanada is they now can ship directly to your home across the country.

Visit their website to order your empanada or check out one of their local shops http://www.mrempanada.com/

Enjoy!

T

Happy New Year 2019

Happy New Year 2019. The best wishes to everyone this new year.

Enjoy!

T

Merry Christmas 2018

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Enjoy the time with friends and family.

Enjoy!

T

City Tap – Nashville, TN

A road trip to Nashville, that is what popped into my head. I love the city and I missed it. There are so many things to do. I love walking up and down Broadway, watching all the people and mesmerized by the neon lights.

I checked out a restaurant that was a little off Broadway called City Tap. It was an easy walk. As soon as I got close to the entrance I could smell their brick oven pizza. The aroma filled the air.

The restaurant was beautiful inside.

    

I decided to sit at the high top tables in the bar area. They had a huge nice screen TV over the bar and the best view was from the table.

Since I was visiting City Tap on a Sunday I got to enjoy their brunch menu. One of their brunch offerings was a carafe of sparkling sangria.

This extremely tall carafe was filled with sparkling wine, spiced Malbec syrup, and loaded with fresh raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. It was not too sweet. The sparkling wine was more on the brut side. The fresh fruit added a lot of the sweetness. The blueberries were the sweetest I have ever had.

To go along with my sangria I ordered their Really Big Pretzel. They were NOT kidding about the size. This pretzel was 10 pounds of sweet dough.

The pretzel was soft on the inside. They had salted the outside to help balance the flavor. It came with a maple-bourbon mustard. The mustard was slightly sweet and had large mustard seeds that added texture. There was also a white ale cheddar sauce. The cheese was slightly creamy and had a little tangy aftertaste.

My server Logan recommended I try the Charred Brussels Sprouts. The sprouts were extra flakey and the leaves were crispy. I had never had sprouts quite like this before. It turns out that after they were sautéed, the brussels sprouts were then dropped in the fryer. That is how the leaves got that crispy.

There were a few pomegranate seeds on top. They added sweetness. The brussels sprouts were also tossed in a white miso sauce. It added a rich flavor. It was a little overwhelming because it was a little too much.

By this point I had finished the sangria. I wanted to try another cocktail. I went for The Whitehead Tart.

This concoction blended Papas Pilar Blonde rum, lime juice, grapefruit juice, black raspberry liqueur, and simple syrup. This drink was served in a gimlet glass which felt fancy to me. I do not get many cocktails served like this. These blended flavors were not overly sweet and slightly tart. It was actually deliciously smooth. It was also accented with a very sweet blueberry.

I ordered one last thing while I was there. I wanted to make sure I tried one of their brick oven pizzas. They offered some classic combinations like sausage and mushroom but I was intrigued to try the Prosciutto and Fig.

This thin crust pizza did not have traditional pizza sauce on it. There was a layer of stilton blue cheese and fontina with parma prosciutto on top. There were swirls of orange-fig jam all around the cheese. Piled in the center was arugula and shaved parmesan cheese.

With all the cheeses and prosciutto on this pizza there was a salt, savory taste. The arugula added an earthy flavor with a hint of pepper. The orange-fig jam was a welcomed sweet note to the pizza. This sweetness actually pulled the entire flavor profile together. It was a sweet/savory delight.

I ended up being at City Tap for a few hours. I really enjoyed my visit. I would definitely want to go back because Logan (my server) was telling me about all the daily specials that they have each week.

If you are interested in getting away from the crowds on Broadway check out City Tap. You can view all their food and cocktail menus at http://www.nashville.citytap.com/

Enjoy!

T

The Honeysuckle – Franklin, TN

I had written in a previous post about how much Franklin, Tennessee is growing. New hotels are going up everywhere. Hotels bring new restaurants. Now Franklin has their fair share of chain restaurants but they also have several locally owned establishments. The Honeysuckle is one of those local places.

The interior of this restaurant is beautiful. There was reclaimed wood and shiplap all over the walls. If Chip and Joanna Gaines walked through the door they would be in heaven.

    

The bar was breathtaking. They had what looked like old in ceiling tiles as a backsplash. My assumption is they were not really antique tin tiles but they still looked great. The center piece of the bar was the wall of whiskey and bourbons. They even had a rolling library style ladder for the bartenders to get up and down.

Since I was there during happy hour I was able to get a glass of wine, a pinto grigio.

I also had tome to order something off of their happy hour food menu. Since I was in Nashville I had to try their Nashville Hot Chicken Bites. The chicken also came with duck fat fries. It was surprisingly a lot of food for a happy hour dish.

The Hot Chicken was stupendous. The breading on the chicken was extra crispy and it sealed in all the juices. The heat came after I bit into the chicken. Just when I thought the chicken was not going to be that spicy BAM, it hit me. It was a nice kick of heat but it did not linger.

The French fries were a great add on. They were fresh cut that still had the skin on them. Frying them in duck fat added a little extra flavor to me. And I thought they were extra crispy.

I was really enjoying the atmosphere at the bar. The bartenders were extremely personable. While I was talking with them I ordered a Moscow Mule. It was refreshing, especially with the fresh lime juice they used.

While I was hanging out I took a glance at their regular menu. I had the munchies and wanted to try something else. I was drawn to the Deviled Eggs 5 Ways on the starters portion of the menu.

They served up five different eggs with five different toppings. I had never seen deviled eggs prepared this way before.

Way 1: Orange Tobiko

First, tobiko is Japanese for flying fish roe. You would normally see this on sushi. I like tobiko on sushi but I did not care for it on top of the egg. It added a little too much of a fishy taste.

Way 2: Pimento Cheese

Pimento cheese had a slight tart taste to it. I felt it complemented the sweet, creaminess of the egg.

Way 3: Bacon Jam

This was my favorite topping. The jam was sweet and it had a tremendous smoky bacon flavor. This jam added texture to the smooth egg filling. When I took a bite it was the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

Way 4: Pickles

These chopped up slices of very tangy pickles added so much crunch to the bite. Even through the tanginess I could still taste a hint of sweetness.

Way 5: Chow-Chow

What exactly is chow-chow?  It is a pickled relish made up of cabbage, peppers, onions, and a bunch of brining spices. It is common to find this all over Tennessee. The chow-chow added a sour component to the egg, plus some crunch. It was the kind of sour that made me pucker my lips.

This was a fun plate to eat. It was creative and full of flavor combinations that I would not have expected. You could share this but I would recommend you order one per person so that everyone can experience it.

The Honeysuckle offers a wide variety of food. They have fresh steaks that smelled wonderful when they passed me. Plus there was an array of poultry, pork, and fish. They also have fresh oysters that they shuck at their special oyster bar.

They got really busy when I was there so I would recommend having a reservation. Check out their menu at www.thehoneysuckle.com

Enjoy!

T

Wild Ginger – Franklin, TN

I get to travel a lot and I have been to so many fun places. My absolute favorite place is Nashville, Tennessee. There are so many fun things to do, whether it’s listening to country music, catching a hockey game, or eating at one of the many, many restaurants around town.

Nashville has exploded with growth over the last several years. The suburbs are also booming. One of those areas is Franklin, Tennessee. I had just arrived in town after a long drive. I was hungry and I remembered that there was a great Asian fusion restaurant called Wild Ginger not far from my hotel.

    

The restaurant has a modern design with touches of freshness. The freshness comes from all the greenery that adorns the walls. The entryway is breathtaking.

  

They have a great patio that is perfect for outside seating when it’s warm out.

One of the other things I noticed as soon as I walked in was their wall of awards. They have been winning food awards for years. No wonder they have been around for a while and why they were so busy.

I was originally going to eat there. However, since I had just gotten into town, I thought it would be better for me to get the food to go and eat at the hotel as I settled in.

I started off with the Tokyo Gyoza (dumplings). These pork and vegetable gyoza were pan fried so that the outside edges were crispy. The pork had a tremendous amount of flavor. They included a dipping sauce that was a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a few sesame seeds. The gyoza was great plain, but the sauce just added extra salty flavor.

The Wild Ginger fried rice was another must order. I got it with chicken. The chicken was lightly coated with flour so that when it was pan fried it becomes a little crispy. It was cooked on the side and then added to the rice. This made it perfect because the chicken was still crispy.

There was no fried egg in this fried rice, which was a little bit of a bummer for me because I do like egg in my rice. However, they loaded up the rice with onions, scallions, green peppers, and bean sprouts. The onions and scallions added a little extra flavor to the rice. The peppers and bean sprouts added crunch to the rice.

I also made sure to order a few pieces of sushi off the menu. I went for the Eel Nigari and the Spicy Tuna Maki. Each order came with two pieces so it was perfect. For a little explanation on these, Nigiri is a slice of the fish in top of rice with a little wasabi. Maki is a sushi roll that is wrapped with a seaweed wrapper on the outside.

The Eel Nigiri was spectacular. The eel was extremely flakey and tender when I took a bite. There was the right amount of the sweet eel sauce on top. In case you have never had eel before, this fish is actually cooked, it is not served raw the way tuna and salmon are.

The Spicy Tuna Maki were huge in size. I was not expecting them to be like that. The tuna was pureed together to create more of a paste. There was a nice heat with the tuna. The white rice that was inside the roll helped cool down the overall spice. The seaweed wrapper did make it hard to bite the roll. After I took a bite, it ended up falling apart. So I had to finish it with my chopsticks.

The food was amazing from Wild Ginger. Even as take out my meal was flavorful and still hot by the time I got it back to the hotel. They offer happy hour all week with food and drink specials. Depending on the time of day I would recommend a reservation. And don’t plan on visiting on Sunday because they are closed.

Check out their menu on their website at http://www.dinewildginger.com/

Enjoy!

T

Lansdowne Road – New York, NY

So I found myself  in New York for Thursday night football. I wanted to go somewhere to watch the game and get some great food. My friend, who lives up there, recommended I check out Lansdowne Road.

This Irish pub is located in the Hell’s Kitchen area. There are tons of tv’s all around the place, which was perfect for watching the game.

The place was packed when I got there. I ordered a drink and had to stand for a while waiting for a seat to open up. Luckily after about 15 minutes I was able to grab a seat at the bar. It is a pretty cool bar too. They have a strip of ice running along the bar that you can sit your glass on. It helps to keep it cool. Just be careful so you don’t spill.

I started off ordering the pretzels with beer cheese. There were two homemade, jumbo size pretzels. The dough was soft and sweet.  The salt coating the outside complemented the sweetness of the dough. The beer cheese was really creamy. I was constantly dipping my pretzel. There is something comforting about the combination of dough and cheese.

While I was there I had to try their chicken wings. Apparently they are world famous and it was called out on their menu. It was a mouthful to order the “Scruffy Duffy World Famous Hell’s Kitchen Chicken Wings”.

I ordered the traditional style wings with the combination of the medium sauce and garlic Parmesan sauce. I also made sure to order them well done. I really like it when chicken wings are crispy when they come out.

These wings were cooked to perfection. They were extra crispy and there was an awesome crunch when I took a bite. Plus the chicken itself was juicy. The flavor combination of the sauces was amazing. The garlic Parmesan added a salty taste and the medium added a slight amount of heat.

Lansdowne Road had a great atmosphere. Even if you are not into sports you can still have a fun time. Plus the food was great too! Check them out at www.lansdowneroadnyc.com

Enjoy!

T