Category: Florida

Brew Hub – Lakeland, FL

If you have ever driven on Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando you have certainly seen a giant industrial building with a big sign that says Brew Hub. I finally decided to check them out and see what they were all about.

When I walked in I was overwhelmed with the size if the tasting room. There were tables all around and a nice huge bar. I pulled up a seat and started talking with the bartender.

What makes Brew Hub different is they offer brewing machinery, space, and bottling to local craft breweries. This allows these local businesses to get their product out to the public. It is a very fascinating concept.

Brew Hub also has a pretty decent food menu filled with bar munchies. And they always have a local food truck on site serving up some of their specialties.

I looked over the beers and ciders they were offering. The Pineapple Hula caught my attention. It’s a pineapple cider that is 5% ABV. This cider was made by Ciderboys Hard Cider.

I have never had a pineapple cider. The flavor was amazing. The pineapple taste was strong but not overpowering. The citrus after tones made this cider very refreshing.

To go along with my drink I ordered the pretzels and beer cheese. The pretzel sticks came out extremely hot. They needed to cool off a little before I could eat them.

The pretzel dough was slightly sweet and it paired well dipped in the salty beer cheese. The cheese also had a slight tangy taste. It was the perfect snack to enjoy at the bar.

I had a great experience at Brew Hub. I only scratched the surface to what they offered. I joined their rewards program so I plan on going back. Plus I want to get their early enough to take the brewery tour.

Check them out on Facebook and at their website http://brewhub.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

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

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

Tanners Lakeside – Winter Haven, FL

It was a wonderful evening in Florida. There was a new restaurant that was recommended for me to try called Tanners Lakeside.

     

It is located between Lake Mary and Lake Howard in Winter Haven, Florida. Since it was such a nice evening I wanted to make sure that I sat outside. They had a great deck that was over the water.

     

I had great seats so that I could watch the boats go back and forth between the two lakes.

I also watched all the cute little turtles swimming around and popping their heads up out of the water. Luckily I did not see any alligators swimming around the deck. But I am sure they were out there.

     

I started off this wonderful evening with the chips and mango salsa. My great waitress Vanessa recommended that I try this salsa. They make the salsa fresh at the restaurant. The fresh chunks of tender mango was mixed with chopped onions and cilantro. It was sweet over all in taste with a hint of spice coming from the cilantro. I could just eat the salsa with a fork however, it did taste good with the crunchy tortilla chips.

An appetizer that was also recommended was the fried lobster. The large pieces of sweet lobster meat was hand breaded and then deep fried. It was cooked perfectly; the meat was extremely tender. They served a melted, roasted garlic butter on the side, which was savory. However, I thought the lobster tasted amazing with the fresh made cocktail sauce.

Another appetizer I tried was the blackened yellow fin tuna. The rare tuna was slightly pan seared on the outside. It was covered with a Cajun seasoning. The seasoning had a slight kick to it. They drizzled a Creole butter sauce over the thinly sliced tuna. The sauce had a mustard taste. The tuna was fresh and perfect as it melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite.

Finally for my dinner I ordered the Grouper mango. The Gulf Grouper filet was lightly blackened and pan seared. The blackened taste, which was slightly salty, complemented the sweetness from the mango salsa that they layered on top. If that was not enough, a loaded baked potato came on the side. It came with all the fillings including cheese, bacon, butter, and sour cream.

My meal was exquisite and the views were extraordinary. It was the perfect way to kickoff the weekend. I would highly recommend Tanners Lakeside. Check them out at www.tannerslakeside.com

Enjoy!

T

Ave Bar – Winter Haven, FL

There is a cute bar I found in Winter Haven, Florida called Ave Bar. It is located between Arabella’s and Bistro Pizza.

Inside you can either sit at the bar or enjoy a seat in one of their leather chairs. It is a great place to go with friends to enjoy drinks and conversation.

     

The other thing I learned about Ave Bar is that it is owned by the same company that owns Arabella’s and Bistro Pizza. So patrons can actually order food from either of those restaurants and have it delivered to the bar.

I started off my visit with a cucumber martini. This drink had an extraordinary fresh taste.  I could taste the cucumber throughout each sip. I saved the fresh slice of cucumber to eat at the end.

     

I wanted to make sure I tried something from each of the restaurants. From Arabella’s I ordered their Zuppa del Giorno (Soup of the Day). The day I was there the soup was a fresh made minestrone soup.

The vegetable broth had a great savory taste. It was loaded with fresh vegetables, including tender cannelloni beans. They also used a generous amount of pasta which ends up being my favorite part of the soup. This was a great starter to the meal.

From Bistro Pizza I ordered the Pizza alla Boscaiola. This this crust pizza was covered with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, and artichokes.

The crust was nice a crispy. The combination of veggies paired well together. The olives added saltiness, the mushrooms added an earthy taste, and the artichokes added a little crunch plus additional saltiness. The cheese added a smooth, creaminess that helped cut out some of the salt taste as well as the sweetness of the sauce. The pepperoni also added additional salt taste but it did not last long because I have a habit of picking off all the pepperoni and eating it separately.

Ave Bar was the perfect hang out spot for a Saturday night. The drinks were perfect and the food tasted wonderful. I would definitely go back again to hang out.

Check out what they are all about at www.arabellas.us/ave-bar

Enjoy!

T

Columbia Restaurant – Tampa, FL

Florida has a rich history that many visitors do not realize. Back at the turn of the 20th century, Ybor City was thriving with Cuban cigar factories. With all those factories, there was a need for restaurants to feed all those workers. The Columbia Restaurant was one of those places. It is officially known as the oldest restaurant in Florida, founded in 1905.

They have a few locations around Florida now, but I was thrilled to be getting to go to the original location in Ybor City.

The restaurant takes up an entire block (if not more). They also have a shop where you can buy everything from sauces to Spanish painted plates. You can take a little piece of Columbia home.

The restaurant inside was beautiful. It was extremely crowded but luckily I did not have to wait too long for a table.

 

While I was waiting I walked around and noticed they were decorating one of the main dining rooms for what looked like a wedding.

  

A meal at Columbia had to start off with a pitcher of homemade sangria that they make right at the table.

I took a few videos of them making the sangria, I posted those videos on my Twitter page (@GatorGirl_swamp).

  

 

Their sangrias are delicious. Theirs was the first sangria I ever tried years ago and it made me fall in love with them. I ordered the Sangria de Cava. It is their sparkling sangria.

They use Jaume Serra Cristalino Spanish Cava, brandy, and orange liquor. Plus they squeeze fresh juices in and top it with maraschino cherries.

This sangria is slightly sweet and extremely refreshing.

To accompany my sangria I ordered the Queso Fundido. It was Tetilla cheese from Galicia, Spain. It is baked in Rioja tomato sauce. In the cheese and sauce mixture were olives and capers. I was not expecting those. They were a nice salty surprise. To eat this dip they included toasted Cuban bread.

This is not your typical queso. The flavor was amazing. It was salty and creamy. It reminded me of an Italian type sauce that you could eat with pasta. The salty taste helped balance the sweetness of the sangria.

There is another item that is a must order when visiting Columbia. It is their 1905 salad. The legendary, award winning salad is made tableside just like the sangria. You can check out my videos of the salad being made on Twitter (@GatorGirl_swamp).

 

This salad has chopped up iceberg lettuce mixed with thinly sliced ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese, olives, tomatoes, and tons of Romano cheese. Then it is tossed with their famous dressing that includes Worcestershire sauce and fresh lemon juice.

  

This salad definitely needs to be shared. However, even sharing it, I still got a giant plateful. It is a filling salad. The dressing adds a sour taste but that is mellowed because of all the cheese. I love the fact that every element in this salad is chopped up. It makes it so much easier to eat.

Once you have tried this salad you will find yourself starting to crave it. I tried my best but the salad kicked my butt. I was not able to finish it. I felt so disappointed in myself.

  

There is one more part to a meal at Columbia that is a must try, their fresh Cuban bread. They make this fresh and it come to the table warm and wrapped up. Each person gets one. It has a crispy crust and a soft, sweet inside. Put butter in the bread as soon as it comes to the table. This way it has a chance to melt. Then take a bite – it’s heavenly.

Now if you tend to avoid carbs, let me just suggest that you use this visit to Columbia as your cheat day because you MUST try this bread.

I am hoping I made you hungry reading about Columbia Restaurant. They are a must visit when you are in the Tampa area. Check out their website to find all of their different locations http://www.columbiarestaurant.com/

And if you cannot make it to one of those locations, they do have a restaurant at the Tampa airport so you can get some food to go.

Enjoy!

T

Dough – Tampa, FL

Located in the building next door to Datz is a wonderful sweets shop called Dough. They are both owned by the same company.

     

When I walked into this brightly colored and playful shop, I was greeted by the sweet smell of sugar.

Their cases are loaded with homemade treats from donuts, cupcakes, and cookies. They have a machine on the counter where they will make 12 fresh mini donuts right in front of you.

   

If you are not in the mood for donuts, then you can try one of their many homemade ice creams flavors. They are perfect for a hot Florida afternoon.

Since I had just finished a big breakfast I was not hungry for a donut just yet, so I grabbed one to go. Which donut to try was a hard choice but I went for their vanilla cake donut topped with chocolate frosting.

When I ate it later in the afternoon it was heavenly. The cake dough was sweet and moist. The chocolate icing was smooth and creamy. When the cake and the icing combined together it was a dream come true. This was the perfect donut. They put the perfect amount of icing on top so that each bite had both icing and cake.

If you have a sweet tooth then a stop at Dough would be a must. Check them out at: http://bestdoughnuts.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

 

 

Datz – Tampa, FL

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Having breakfast at Datz proves that statement to be absolutely true. Based on the crowd of customers that I saw, they all felt the same way.

  

While looking over the menu of creative breakfast dishes, I ordered a Prickly Pear Mimosa. This was a unique take on a mimosa. They used mandarin-tangerine puree, prickly pear, and champagne. On top it is garnished with candied prickly pear. I enjoyed the sweetness of this mimosa. But be warned the candied prickly pear is extremely sweet.

For breakfast I ordered the Biscuits and Crazy. It is their take on the southern classic. They make a homemade cheddar biscuit and cover it with a creamy sausage gravy. It also comes with a side of bacon, eggs, and tri-colored potatoes.

The biscuit was very crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I could taste all the cheddar that was mixed throughout. The gravy was creamy and had some heat. It was from the sausage as well as the red pepper that was chopped up in the gravy. It paired perfectly with the cheesy biscuit.

I got my eggs scrambled and they were pretty standard; however, I elevated the taste when I broke up some of the bacon and mixed it in with my eggs. The bacon was on the sweet side compared to a typical salty bacon. They were also thick meaty slices which was great.

I wanted to make sure I gave a call out to makers of a few ingredients to this delicious breakfast.

  • The sausage that is used in the gravy comes from a company is Kuttawa, Kentucky called Broadbent. Upon researching them I uncovered that they have been in business for almost 50 years. You can order your own sausage to be delivered at home through their website: http://www.broadbenthams.com/
  • The bacon is from a company called Nueskes in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. After researching them, I found that they have been smoking bacon for 3 generations. You can order bacon for yourself at: www.nueskes.com

The potatoes were unique. They were a combination of Yukon potatoes, purple potatoes, and sweet potatoes. The entire side ended up being sweet because of the sweet potatoes. It was a nice change from a typical sautéed potato that you get with a breakfast.

Datz is more than just a breakfast place. They have a full menu of burgers, salads, and sandwiches. Plus you need to save room for dessert. They have a large assortment of rainbow macaroon, cupcakes, and huge cakes. You can eat them there or take them to go.

   

I had a fun visit and plan on going back to try one of their cheeseburgers. Take a look at their complete menu at http://www.datztampa.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

TooJay’s – Lake Mary, FL

I love deli’s that offer a variety of soups and sandwiches. I have visited so many throughout all of my travels. I had never heard of TooJay’s before but a friend highly recommended them. Sure enough they had all the classics on the menu from potato knishes to pastrami sandwiches.

     

I started with a cup of the homemade matzo ball soup. It was raining outside so I thought this would be perfect comfort food. The matzo ball was light and fluffy. It had herbs mixed throughout which is not normally something I see. It added an extra savory flavor. The fresh chicken broth was loaded with carrots and onions. It was the best way to start the meal on this dreary day.

For my lunch I ordered the ultimate comfort food — Shepherd’s Pie. This delicious dish came out in a personal size casserole dish. They used fresh ground beef that was tossed in a great savory brown gravy. It was loaded with corn, peas, and carrots.

Naturally it was topped with creamy mashed potatoes. What made this Shepherd’s Pie stand out was that they melted Muenster cheese on top of the potatoes. It added extra creaminess. It was filling and amazing.

Now a visit to a deli would not be complete without a stop at the dessert counter. They had two cases full of fresh baked goods. There was everything from cakes and pastries to cookies.

     

Since I was full from my lunch I could not eat any dessert right there. But I did make sure to buy something for later. They had just brought out a whole tray of fresh black and white cookies.

I decided to but a whole container to take home. These were soft cake like cookies that were loaded with a sweet, hard coasting of white icing and a soft layer of creamy chocolate icing. They were perfect and you cannot eat just one.

     

I really enjoyed TooJay’s and glad I was introduced to them. They have a few other things I wanted to try on the menu including the stuffed cabbage. They have a couple of other locations around Florida so check them out at www.toojays.com

Enjoy!

T

Stonewood Grill – Ormond Beach, FL

When visiting the beach on the East Coast of Florida, fresh seafood is a must have. I was recently there with some friends from work and we decided to check out Stonewood Grill in Ormond Beach.

They are in a perfect location, just across the street from the beach. When I got out of the car I could feel the ocean breeze. They have great outside seating. It would have been perfect if it was not raining that day.

Since I was there with a group, we all decided that we would order a few appetizers to share. While we were all trying to agree on what to order, our waitress brought out a basket of fresh breads. This basket was not filled with ordinary bread, they had cranberry rolls and fresh baked pretzel bread.

As soon as I laid eyes on the pretzel bread I knew I needed to grab it quickly while it was still hot. It was lightly covered in salt. The pretzel dough was super soft and very sweet. I could have eaten an entire basket of just this. The only other item that would have made this outstanding would have been beer cheese for dipping.

The first appetizer to come out were the Bleu Cheese Chips.  These were homemade, fresh cut potato chips. These were just like the ones my dad would make when I was younger. On top of these chips were bleu cheese crumbles; a balsamic vinegar reduction that drizzled across the chips. There was also a bleu cheese aioli that was poured on top.

There were a few accents of Rosemary and Thyme. Those were just for appearances because it did not add anything to the taste.  The tanginess of the balsamic and the bleu cheese kind of canceled each other out. Not one overpowered the other. The bleu cheese aioli kept everything calm. The chips added great crunch.

The other appetizer we got was the BLT & E Crab Stack. This was basically a salad that was piled up into cylindrical layers of color.

There were layers of lettuce, ripe tomato slices, hard boiled egg slices, chopped up bacon, and topped off with layers of tender lump crab meat. Drizzled all over the layers was a homemade remoulade, basil pesto, and a balsamic vinegar reduction.  This was an amazing salad. It ended up being a little harder to share. We had to cut the lettuce and tomato in order for everyone to have a little. This would have been perfect for one person to order as a salad prior to their meal. There was no need to have to share it.

For my main dish I ordered the Ginger Lime Salmon. This fresh filet of salmon was covered in a ginger lime marinade and then grilled over oak wood. The salmon was placed on top of a fresh Asian slaw.

The crispy slaw was made up of cabbage, carrots, and snap peas and then covered in a sesame ginger dressing. The dressing was full of flavor and I just wish they added more to the plate.

The salmon was cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy and took on the flavor from the grill. The fish was flaky and moist. It tasted great with the bite from the ginger.

It was time for dessert. We all agreed to get a few to share around the table. The Pumpkin Cheesecake was a sleeper. I did not expect this to taste so good. I figured it would be overly seasoned like other pumpkin items out there. The cheesecake was super creamy and the pumpkin added a flavor just like pumpkin pie.

The Lemoncello Cake was another amazing choice. The white cake was fluffy and soft. There was sweet cream in between each layer of the cake. On the top was a layer of lemon pudding. The lemon added the right amount of tartness that was calmed by the sweetness of the cream.

The last dessert we ordered was the Chocolate Bread Pudding. Chocolate was mixed throughout to create a chocolate bread. Then it was baked and covered with an amazing vanilla sauce. It was served with a deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream. They also accented it with a chocolate wafer-like cookie.

All of these desserts were amazing. Actually everything about the meal was amazing. They have 9 locations across the State of Florida, so I would recommend seeing if there is one near you. See their menu at www.stonewoodgrill.com

Enjoy!

T