Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

The New Mexicans – Everett, WA

About 30 minutes north of downtown Seattle is Everett, Washington. Everett is home to a Boeing assembly plant. It is a huge plant that you cannot miss if you drive by. Everett’s downtown area is being revamped with lots of new restaurants, hotels, and fun things to do. One of those newer restaurants is The New Mexicans.

The owners are from Hatch, New Mexico. They are bringing some great flavors from New Mexico to the chilly North West in the form of their families recipes.

  

Since Hatch, New Mexico is known for their green chile peppers, I wanted to make sure I got a dish that incorporated them. The Green Chile Stew fit the requirement.

This stew had a green chile sauce base that was loaded with chucky pork, celery, okra, carrots, corn, and potatoes. The stew was deeply flavorful. The green chiles added more heat than I anticipated. The pork was extremely tender and fell apart as I picked it up. The stew was also served with a fresh hot roll. I used this to help cut down on the heat.

The table shared a basket of freshly made Sopapillas. These were amazing and acted as a wonderful dessert.  The dough was deep fried and came out extremely hot  and had melted butter on top. The dough itself was sweet and because of the butter there was a slight saltiness. These were addicting to eat. It was the pairing of both sweet and salty that did it for me.

This was the perfect place to grab lunch. When I talked to a few of the other patrons, this place apparently has a great happy hour and breakfast menu. Looks like I will be coming back.

Check them out at http://www.thenewmexicans.com/

Enjoy!

T

Harborside – Winter Haven, FL

Central Florida is not shy of water. There are dozens of lakes all around. Recently I visited Lake Shipp in the Winter Haven area. Unfortunately when I got there one of Florida’s famous pop-up rain showers started. So since hanging outside was out of the question I decided to check out a restaurant right along the lake called Harborside.

They had a great view of the water.

As soon as I looked at the menu the red sangria called out to me. It was very classic with oranges and maraschino cherries added in. The only thing I would have changed was the ice. Now that may sound really strange but the reason for this is because they used crushed ice. So every time I took a sip a bunch of ice came with it.

The waitress brought a fresh basket of garlic bread. This bread had just come out of the oven because it was piping hot. It was soft on the inside with a slight crunch with the crust. There was a ton of garlic and butter on the outside of this bread that additional butter on the inside was not necessary. I could have eaten the entire basket myself. But I knew if I did then I would have no room for anything else.

After tasting the bread, I knew the perfect accompaniment would be a bowl of clam chowder. This was not a thick chowder. However, even though it was not thick, it was still extremely creamy. I really like that it was not thick. I felt like the flavor was more powerful. I could taste the herbs they used. The chowder was also loaded with tons of fresh clams and chunky potatoes. The clams were tender, not chewy. They added a meaty taste to the chowder.

To continue my meal I ordered the crab cake. This crab cake came out in a metal pan because they broiled it instead of frying it. This crab cake was loaded with fresh lump crabmeat. They did not use any breadcrumbs to make it. I loved this because they made this all about the crab.

There was a creaminess to the crab cake that was enhanced because it was broiled. It was amazing. it also came with a side dish of my choice. I went for the mashed potatoes. They used red potato and left the skin on. I love them prepared this way because it adds more texture to the potato. I also love red potatoes because they are sweeter.

I also wanted to make sure I wrote about the lobster roll. Now I did not order this but someone at my table did. It looked really good so I got to try a little of it. This roll was loaded with large chunks of lobster. The meat was tender and somewhat sweet.

This lobster roll did not use mayo. The lobster was just prepared with butter and lemon juice. It was served in a roll that looked slightly like a hot dog bun.

I am really glad it rained that day I visited Lake Shipp. Because of Mother nature, I was able to try a great new restaurant.  Check out their menu at www.harborsidefl.com

Enjoy!

T

400 Beach – St. Petersburg, FL

Going out to dinner with friends is a wonderful experience. When friends of mine learned I write a food blog, they made sure to pick a new restaurant for us to try. That is one of the reasons we went to 400 Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. The other reason is because it was my birthday.

It was a beautiful place with seating both inside and outside. Since it was way to hot to eat outside, we sat inside to stay nice and cool. There were tropical decorations everywhere.

  

We kicked off my birthday with cocktails. I ordered the Raspberry Cosmomosa. This was raspberry vodka, fresh lime juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. They topped it off with sparkling wine. My waitress surprised me and included a candle for my birthday.

  

After being totally embarrassed and blowing out the candle I took a sip. It was tasty. it was very sweet and I could not pick out just one flavor. All the juices and liquor worked really well together. I liked the added bubbles that the sparkling wine brought to the drink.

Since we were there with a group, we ordered tons of appetizers to share at the table. Every single one of them was amazing.

First up was the fried calamari. It was lightly battered so that the tenderness of the calamari shined through. It came drizzled with a garlic aioli and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. The cheese gave it a slight saltiness.

The grilled sea scallops were my favorite appetizer. The scallops were extremely tender, almost like butter. They were also very sweet. What made this dish stand out was the Soba noodle salad that came with it. It was cold pasta but the sauce they used was amazing. It had hints of sesame oil for a nutty taste. Even without the scallops, this would have been great.

We also ordered the Artichoke Manchego Fondue with crab meat. I thought this would be like any typical artichoke dip but I was totally wrong. The Manchego cheese was super creamy. It spread nicely on the tortilla chips. The crab added extra texture along with the artichokes but the cheese hide those flavors. This dish was all about the cheese.

400 Beach offered several options when it came to oysters. We went for the Oysters Rockefeller. They were the perfect size for everyone to get to try one. They were loaded with spinach, bacon, and a delicious Hollandaise sauce. The salty, smoky flavor from the bacon really accented the brininess from the oysters. They were cooked well, so that the oysters were not chewy.

The Seafood Louis salad was also great for sharing. This salad was loaded with shrimp, scallops, and crab on top of Romaine lettuce, sliced hard boiled eggs, sliced avocado, and tomato. They covered it in a chili lemon Louis dressing. This was a fresh tasting salad.

It was time for another cocktail before the main dishes came out. The Sunset Martini sounded perfect. It was a combination of orange juice and mango rum. They added a little Chambord to add a little extra color. This was sweet but not as sweet as my first drink. With the orange juice it reminded me of a mimosa. the added mango flavor really made this a tropical drink.

For my main dinner I ordered the jumbo shrimp. I had them grilled. they came with rice and fresh vegetables. It was a lot of food. The shrimp were grilled nicely. They were great dipped on the fresh made cocktail sauce. The rice was really just filler, nothing special. The fresh vegetables were sautéed with a little salt and pepper. The natural flavor of the vegetables really came through.

I had the best time at 400 beach. I was there with great friends, I had a wonderful waitress, and the food was fantastic. I would definitely want to go back and try one of their other dishes. Check them out at www.400beachseafood.com

Enjoy!

T

Massimo – Providence, RI

There is a great area of Providence called Federal Hill. This is a cute street that has several great bars and restaurants. This is where you will find Massimo.

Massimo is an Italian restaurant that serves ingredients that are locally sourced. It is beautiful inside with lots of reclaimed woods and natural lighting.

I was there for a big group dinner. We had the whole upstairs of the restaurant to ourselves, including a bar. It was great! Since it was a group dinner we were served buffet style. This was perfect because it allowed me to try several of the restaurants dishes.

The evening started with fried calamari. There was a great crispy crunch and the calamari was tender. I really like the fried basil leaves that were served with it. It added an herb flavor.

I enjoyed the appetizers with a Moscow Mule. The lime juice they accented the drink with went well with the calamari.

After a few munchies it was time to find a seat. I could smell all the food getting set up on the buffet. The food certainly does not look pretty on my plate but it all really tasted great.

The chicken piccata had great lemony zing. The chicken was cut thinly and was able to still remain moist.

The eggplant parmesan had multiple layers of soft, tender eggplant. Massimo’s homemade pasta sauce complemented the sweetness of the eggplant.

The pesto rigatoni had a wonderful earthly flavor. The rigatoni was cooked a perfect al dente.

The Caesar salad was pretty standard. I just knew I could not have an Italian meal without having some salad.

For sides dishes they offered a great roasted potato that was loaded with Italian seasonings. And fresh green beans sautéed in garlic.

Now this was a lot of food for dinner. Luckily I did not over eat. So I saved room for dessert. They offered cannoli and tiramisu.

The cannoli had a great crispy shell. and was over stuffed with creamy filling. The outside edges were covered in crushed pistachios.

The tiramisu was amazing. The ladyfingers were soaked in coffee that kept the entire dessert very moist. The custard filling was light and fluffy. It was the right amount of sweetness to complement the bitter coffee. This was one of the best tiramisu’s I have ever had.

I enjoyed everything I tried at Massimo’s. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a place to have a party or large group dinner. I would also go back for a regular meal. Check out their menu at http://massimori.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Rosalina – Providence, RI

The last time I visited Providence I enjoyed a great Irish Pub. This visit I thought I would check out one of the many Italian restaurants. It was a hard choice to make but I narrowed it down to Rosalina. The menu looked fantastic.

Rosalina’s is not far from the convention center. It is a cute restaurant that is not too big on the inside. I would recommend making a reservation. As soon as I walked in I could smell the homemade bread baking in their ovens.

My waiter was very energetic and extremely friendly. He did make a few suggestions on the menu. He brought over a nice basket of the fresh baked bread. The smell of the butter and garlic was intoxicating.

The bread had a crunch to it. The texture reminded me of pita chips. It had a buttery taste that was almost savory in my mouth. I also really enjoyed the crunch. However, the funny thing about the bread was the waiter said the chef cooked it a little too long. It actually was not supposed to be crunchy. It was suppose to be soft. Well I thought it was a great “mistake”. Hopefully by allowing me to try it, they can add a new item to the menu.

For my cocktail I ordered the Limonata. The perfect cocktail starts with perfect ingredients. So this certainly fit the bill.

They used muddled lemons, simple syrup, limoncello, citrus vodka, and topped with San Pellegrino limonata Italian soda. An interesting part of this cocktail was the limoncello. It turns out at Rosalina they make their own. This alone made me happy I ordered this drink. After taking a sip it reminded me of a lemon drop martini. It was slightly sweet, slightly tart, and very refreshing.

Ordering something to share with the table was a must. The waiter recommended the antipasto. When it came out he was not kidding, this plate of meats, cheese, and tomatoes were huge.

There were some awesome items on this plate. The meats included Prosciutto de Parma, and Sopp Resata. These were extremely fresh meats. They were tender to bite into and full of flavor. For cheese, they included Burrata cheese that was tremendously creamy. They had two types of salty olives – Calvestrano and Kalamata. They had a few roasted peppers and a ton of fresh cherry tomatoes. These tomatoes were the star of this plate. These were the sweetest and juiciest cherry tomatoes I have ever had. And when the juices combined with the balsamic vinegar and oregano on top enhanced the flavor even more.

The offered two types of gnocchi on the menu. One had a creamy sauce and the other had mussels in a wine sauce. It was a tough choice but I chose the version with the mussels because that is not normally something I see. This dish was called Gnocchi Vongole.

Their fresh potato gnocchi was sautéed with white wine, roasted garlic, butter, and cherry tomatoes. They used fresh Little-Neck Clams that were drenched in the wonderful sauce. The gnocchi was surprisingly light and fluffy. They tasted so good in the buttery wine sauce. the butter flavor enhanced the gnocchi.

The clams were cooked to perfection. They were super easy to get out of the shells. The meat was tender, not at all chewy. They also were amazing with the butter wine sauce. I felt that the garlic in the sauce enhanced the flavor of the clams. The perfect pairing.

My meal was fantastic at Rosalina. I will definitely go back to try something else. Check out their Italian dishes at http://www.rosalina-ri.com/

Enjoy!

T

Taco Diner – Irving, TX

There is a casual Mexican restaurant that has been serving the Dallas area called Taco Diner. They have been creating authentic Mexico City dishes for 20 years.

I was in town for a quick trip and needed to get a quick bite so I decided to check them out. The inside of the restaurant was very bright with all the natural light coming in through the windows. I could tell they loved the color green because it was everywhere.

As soon as I sat down I was greeted with a basket of fresh tortilla chips. They included a well made roasted tomato salsa and another green salsa that reminded me of a salsa verde.

For my meal I ordered the Al Pastor tacos.

This was 3 fresh made corn tortillas filled with chopped chicken that was marinated in tres chiles. This marinade added an abundance of flavor to the chicken. It was also extremely moist and pulled apart because it was so tender.

It came with grilled pineapple on the side. I put that on the chicken and it added a great sweet and tangy component to the saltiness of the chicken. I have never had pineapple on a taco before but it worked beautifully.

If the tacos were not enough, they also included an avocado salad and a side of roasted corn elote. The avocado salad could have been added to the tacos. It would have added a creamy and crunchy element. I ended up just eating it by itself.

The roasted corn was extremely tangy. Normally the Mexican corn I get is creamy, this was very different. It was interesting but I still prefer the more traditional taste.

If you are looking for a quick, fresh take on Mexican dishes, check out Taco Diner. They have several locations around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Find them at http://tacodinerrestaurants.com/

Enjoy!

T