There is a little hole in the wall Latin restaurant in Lakeland, Florida that is nestled in the back of a small shopping center. Tropico Latino had lots of customers coming and going. I thought I would check them out.
There were empanadas on the menu that I wanted to try. They had the traditional kind as well as a Columbian version. The Columbian version used a shell made of potato verses the traditional flour shell.
The traditional empanadas were filled with seasoned ground meat. The shell was thick and crispy that locked in the heat. They served it with a homemade pico de gallo that was full of flavor. The tomatoes, onions, and cilantro added additional flavor to the meat. It really helped make the empanada stand out.
The Empanadoas Colombianas also came out crispy. These shells kind of puffed up when they were fired. The shell did not taste like potato. These were also filled with ground meat and onion. I used the pico de gallo on this empanada too. It just added so much additional flavor.
Another South American dish they had on the menu were Arepas. Arepas are a corn cake made from ground maize dough.
The first one I tried was the Arepa Con Queso. This was a warm corn cake stuffed with shredded cheese. It was like a Latin grilled cheese. The corn cake was crispy on the outside from the grill. It has a sweet, buttery taste. Not all the cheese melted right away. So, there was a nice contrast between hot and cold.
I also tried the Arepa Con Todo. This was the same corn cakes, but these were stuffed with shredded meat and cheese. The meat was tender and had an amazing savory taste. The cheese melted from the heat and created a nice creaminess that married well with the savory meat.
There is a beautiful restaurant located at Island Gardens in Miami called The Deck. This restaurant has beautiful outside seating that overlooks a marina with exquisite boats. They have tables as well as cabana seating. There are flowers and greenery everywhere.
While waiting for our table to become available, we got a few cocktails to try. Now these are expensive cocktails than what I find at most places. And because the restaurant is in Miami, they automatically include an 18%-20% gratuity on the bill. Just keep that in mind before you order.
The first cocktail was The Islander. This tropical drink was rum, coconut sorbet, mint, pineapple juice, and lime juice. It was served in a coconut shell glass. It was definitely a vacation drink. There was a great flavor with the pineapple juice. The coconut sorbet gave the drink a creamy texture. It would be easy for this sip this drink quickly because it was so smooth. I needed to make sure I paced myself.
The other two drinks I was able to take a sip of but did not drink the whole thing. The Old Fashion was a classic cocktail that had a beautiful, dried orange on top. It was strong and should be sipped slowly.
The cocktail From St. Barths with Love was a mouthful of a drink name. It was a vodka-based drink that was blended with mango liquor, mango puree, lemon juice, and a touch of mint. The fresh mango slice was a pretty accent. This drink was sweet and full of mango flavor. It really disguised the taste of the vodka. It was a fun beach drink.
A few appetizers were passed around the table. The shrimp cocktail was a classic starter. The shrimp were jumbo in size. They served fresh horseradish on the side. The shrimp were tender, and the horseradish gave the shrimp a nice kick.
The Mediterranean Mussels were amazing. These were Manila clams in a tomato sauce. They served grilled sourdough on the side. The presentation on the wooden board was very pretty. The clams were tender, and the tomato sauce was tangy and had a great garlic taste. The sourdough bread was excellent for soaking up the extra sauce. If they had given a few more clams this could have easily been my dinner.
Another appetizer I tried was the Arugula and Prosciutto brick oven pizza. They used Pomodo Buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto di Parma. The crust was crispy and had a nice, smoky taste from the oven. The prosciutto was salty and the fresh mozzarella added a sweetness with a creamy texture. The arugula added a little pepper taste.
For my dinner I got the Oraking Salmon. The fresh salmon was pan seared in a passionfruit brown butter. They served it over roasted hearts of palm and sliced oranges. The salmon was cooked perfectly, allowing it to flak apart. The butter sauce added a richness to the fish. The vegetables were a nice addition but it was not enough of a side.
We ordered some sides to share around the table. The whipped potatoes were delicious. They were creamy and loaded with garlic butter and parmigano Reggiano cheese.
The other side was the grilled asparagus. These were jumbo stalks of asparagus tossed in a lemon vinaigrette and lemon zest. The flavor of the sauce was tangy. The asparagus was a little too thick. I ended up only eating the tips because the rest of the stalk were too chewy.
I also got to try another dish. It was the Wood Oven Roasted Cobia. Cobia has a few other names which might be a little more familiar – codfish or lemon fish might be more commonly used. It was served with a blue crab relish, roasted asparagus, and a sweet corn espuma. They placed it all on top of a pistachio crema that they creatively spread on the plate. The fish was flakey ad very mild in flavor. I loved the blue crab relish. It added a unique taste to the overall dish.
Before we ordered dessert, we were entertained by a flame dancer. It was amazing how she could twist and turn while holding poles on fire. It was great entertainment.
For dessert I got something light, since I had eaten so much throughout the evening. I figured the sorbet would be perfect. It was chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla. They were very creamy. It did start to melt pretty quickly in the Florida heat.
The dining experience at The Deck was nice. It is a pretty expensive restaurant. And if you are going with a group of people just know that they will not break up the bill base don what you order, so plan accordingly. Check out their menu at www.islandgardens.com
Miami has so many options when it comes to restaurants. It comes down to what you might be hungry for or what you can get a reservation for. The group I was with wanted to go to Truluck’s. I have visited one of their locations in Texas years ago, so I knew I was in for a great meal.
I started off with ordering a bottle of wine to enjoy with the meal. I got a Merlot from Alexander Valley Vineyards. It went well with everything I ate. It had a great, smooth taste.
We ordered several appetizers to share around the table. When in Miami, getting Stone Crab Claws is a must. It is a sustainable food source. The meat is extremely sweet and very different from other crab claws.
I was excited to try the Crab Louie Cocktail. They used jumbo lump crabmeat and tossed it in a remoulade sauce. It is like the crab version of a chicken salad. The crab meat was extremely sweet. It complemented the slightly tangy taste of the remoulade.
Another appetizer that was shared around the table was the Salt & Pepper Calamari. The tender pieces of calamari were breaded and fried up to be crispy. On the plate they threw in a few vegetables like peppers, which they quickly fried to make crispy as well. There were two dipping sauces they included on the side – a sweet Vietnamese chili sauce and a special made mustard. The calamari were tender and had a great crispy texture. I really enjoyed it with the chili sauce. It was my favorite.
The final appetizer that was shared around the table was the Prime Meatballs. These meatballs were a blend of prime chuck, brisket, and short ribs. They were cooked in a BBQ sauce. The sauce was sweet and tangy. The meatballs were moist. The seasoning they mixed in with the meat created a savory flavor. Cooking them with a BBQ sauce was a great choice.
I love Lobster Bisque so I made sure to order a cup. It was a creamy bisque that had only a few pieces of lobster meat. I really wish it had a little more. The bisque had the accent flavor of horseradish and a creaminess from the goat cheese.
For my dinner I ordered the Miso Glazed Seabass. It came with a crab fried rice and a chilled cucumber slaw on top. The seabass was flakey and moist. The glaze was sweet and went perfectly with the seabass. The cucumber slaw added a nice crunch. The crab fried rice could have used a little more crab. The pieces were sparce. The flavor of the rice was not as salty as I had expected with fried rice. It was missing something to send it over the edge. I would have preferred something different to pair with the seabass.
The table did order some roasted broccoli. This was much better with the fish. They used large florets of the broccoli and it had a great char on it from roasting.
I also got to try the Hawaiian Ahi Tuna. It came in a tamari wine sauce. The tuna was sesame crusted. It added crunch to the soft texture of the tuna. The tuna was extremely fresh. It just melted in my mouth. They paired the tuna with parmesan mashed potatoes. The potatoes were really creamy and I enjoyed them. However, I thought it was an odd pairing with the tuna. I would have thought the fried rice would have paired better.
For dessert I got to try some Baked Alaska. It had been years since I had this dessert. There was a small blue flame on top of the meringue when it arrived at the table. There was a nice char on the meringue – just like a toasted marshmallow. The Neapolitan ice cream was very creamy and was melting quickly.
The food was good at Truluck’s even though there were a few odd pairings. I really enjoyed the appetizers. They are great for sharing. Check out their website at www.trulucks.com to see where the closest location is to you.
I have written about Texas Cattle Company previously. It is a fantastic steakhouse, and I was looking forward to going back for another visit. The restaurant was very crowded, so I was glad I had a reservation.
We wasted no time ordering. We started with bleu cheese potato chips to munch on. These homemade chips were extra crispy. They were covered in a bleu cheese sauce. There were also big chunks of actual bleu cheese. I oved the tangy flavor from the cheese.
All meals come with their chopped salad. There is a homemade dressing, that is like an Italian dressing, that the salad is tossed in. I love that they chopped up the lettuce. It makes it much easier to eat. It is extremely fresh, and you can get as many refills as you want. It easily could be a meal.
The other item they bring to all the tables are homemade cheese bread. These are fluffy dinner rolls that are topped with a ton of cheddar cheese. Then they are baked, and the cheese gets melted and crispy. They are delicious. You cannot eat just one. It is very easy to fill up on these rolls.
For dinner I ordered the bone in pork chop. This pork chop was extremely thick. The chef was able to cook it perfectly. It was very juicy. The savory flavor was spectacular. Although the pork chop was thick, the meat was tender. It was so big I was not able to finish all the meat, so I got a to-go box to enjoy it for lunch the next day.
I got the mashed potatoes as my side. These were sweet, red potatoes. They were extremely creamy with a few chunks of potatoes throughout. It was the perfect accompaniment to the pork chop.
The food lived up to the expectations I had from my last visit. I still recommend a visit to Texas Cattle Company. Visit their website at www.TexasCattleCompany.net
I have been to Datz in Tampa a few times. Their food is great, and they are always busy. Whenever people come to visit the area, Datz is a fun place to bring them too.
This last visit we were there in between breakfast and lunch. I felt more like breakfast, so I ordered the Datz Good Hash. This is homemade corned beef. It was big chunks of tender beef. It was not as crispy as I like it but that could be because of how large the pieces were.
They piled shredded hash browns on top of the corned beef. My two over-well eggs were placed on top of the hash browns. It gave me the option to eat each item separately or cut through and eat it all together.
The fresh toast was great with a little strawberry jam. This added a sweet element to the overall salty dish. I got a side of their grits. This southern breakfast staple was blended with cream cheese and cheddar cheese. That made the grits very rich. They are also thicker than traditional grits because of all the cheese. They too were salty so breaking it up with bites of the jam toast was perfect.
We tried an appetizer of Mac Bites that we shared around the table. They took their bacon-jalapeno mac and cheese and fried it up. They had a nice crispy breading on the outside. Inside the mac and cheese was gooey. There was a slight hint of heat because of the chopped-up pieces of jalapeno. They served a firecracker dipping sauce on the side. This added a little more heat along with a slight sweetness.
The main attraction of the visit to Datz was their Double D burger. Now I did not order this but someone at the table did. This is two burger patties made with beef brisket and short ribs. Then they melted Swiss and American cheese over the patties. They layered it with all the fixings you typically get on a burger. But what makes this burger so unique and special is that the bun for this burger is two full sized glazed donuts.
This thing was massive when it came to the table. Plus, it came with a side of homemade potato chips with blue cheese. It looked very messy to eat but in no time this burger was devoured.
The blend of salty and sweet from the donuts all married well together. It is not for everyone; however, it does give Datz something special to look forward to.
The food was great at Datz once again. I highly recommend checking them out if you are in Tampa. Visit their website at www.datztampa.com
It’s Sunday and it is time for another brunch. This time I visited McGrath’s Irish Pub for something a little different. Located on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch, I was looking forward to checking them out.
To my surprise they offered several different drink specials. The bottomless mimosas was what hooked me; and it was such a great value at $10.00. They had several different juice options which is my favorite. I got to try four of the flavors.
The first flavor I tried was the Peach. It used a great peach puree that was full of flavor. They included a dried peach as a garnish. It was a little sweeter than a typical mimosa.
The second mimosa I tried was the Strawberry. This had spot on fresh strawberry flavor from the puree they used. It was refreshing. All that was missing was sliced fresh strawberries.
The third flavor was Raspberry. This was tart to taste. It actually made my lips pucker just a little. I thought I would enjoy this one a little more, but it was not as full of fruity flavor like I had hoped.
The last mimosa was Pineapple. I saved this for last since this is my favorite juice. The pineapple juice was not as sweet as I am used to. It was a little tart but not like the raspberry. The pineapple juice shined through the brut champagne they used to make the mimosas.
I did order some small dishes to enjoy with my mimosas. Since I was at an Irish Pub, I made sure to order the Scotch Eggs. I have not head these in a while. Scotch Eggs are hard boiled eggs that are covered with ground sausage, lightly breaded, and then fried. The outside was crispy with the inside sausage layer being tender and moist.
When sliced open the creaminess from the egg yoke offered a contrast from the crispy outside breading. The sausage had a great flavor of fennel. It came with a side of Pale Ale honey mustard. It did not have an overall taste of the ale, but there was a sweet and sour nature to the sauce. It went well with the taste of the sausage.
I also ordered the French Onion Shire Dip. This was a cold dip that had lots of chopped up onions. The dip was extremely creamy. They served this with potato chips and crudité vegetables. It was a great snacking dish that was easy to share.
This was a nice spot to pop in for drinks and a few bites to eat. I would check them out again to see what was on their non-brunch menu.
If you are a fan of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives, you may have seen Guy’s visit to Munch’s in St. Petersburg. It’s a diner that has been serving up breakfast since 1952. I was there several years ago and was back in the area, so I decided to pop in for breakfast.
I sat at the counter where I watched the food coming and going. I got a nice cup of diner coffee and looked over the menu.
I went for the two-egg breakfast. I got my eggs prepared over well because I wanted the yokes to be a little firm. It came with a bowl of grits with a lot of creamy butter mixed in. It is the perfect pairing with eggs. I also got a side of corned beef hash. It was nice and salty. I also ordered it extra crispy because I like when there is little extra crunch.
The restaurant was serving up homemade strawberry shortcake for free to everyone eating there. It was a really nice surprise. It was one half of their fresh made biscuits, which were light and fluffy. They topped it with strawberries in a sweet sauce. It paired well with the saltiness of the biscuit (from the butter they put on top while cooking). The whip cream they finished the dessert with was thick and creamy. It was totally homemade. It was a great way to end my breakfast.
I was glad I got to visit Munch’s again. They are a great place for a quick breakfast. Just one reminder I have for everyone is they only accept cash, so come prepared.
I love going to brunch on the weekends. It is a fun time to get together with friends and family and catch up on the past week events. I am always looking for new places to try out for brunch. The Rusty Pelican was one of those places that popped up on my list.
It is located on the water in Clearwater, Florida. Almost every room has a beautiful view of the water. There is no better way to enjoy brunch!
The restaurant is very large inside and can accommodate any size group. Rather than sitting in the bar area, I got a table in one of their rooms. The fireplace was going for ambiance and the sun was shinning that day. If you sat too close to the window you definitely would need to wear a pair of sunglasses.
The first thing I noticed on the brunch menu was their Bottomless Mimosas. They offered four different flavors to choose from. I was excited to try all four.
The first mimosa was my favorite, Pineapple Peach. I knew it would be my favorite even before tasting it because it was pineapple juice. The mimosa was sweet. The pineapple was the first flavor I tasted. Then when I took a second sip, this is when I noticed the peach flavor. This was for sure one of the mimosa’s I would get a second glass of.
The second mimosa was the Watermelon Fresca. This one was very light in taste and refreshing. The watermelon was front and forward. It hid the flavor of the champagne.
The third mimosa was the Apple Cider Pumpkin Spice. I thought the timing of this flavor was a bit odd. I would expect this one more in the fall. There was no pumpkin taste. It was all apple flavor with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg accents. It was not my favorite. This would have been better warmer for the holidays.
The last mimosa flavor I got to try was the Tangerine Ginger. The tangerine juice was sweet but slightly tart. Very different from a traditional orange juice mimosa. There was a hint of ginger flavor mixed in. It would have been nice if a little piece of candied ginger was included.
There were a few starters ordered for the table. The Key West Conch Fritters were amazing. It has been a while since I had conch fritters.
They were loaded with tender conch. The seasoning in the breading was sweet and salty. They were just like what I got when I visited Key West. They served the fritters with a Pina Colada dipping sauce. The coconut flavor paired well with the seasoning of the fritter. It actually enhanced the overall taste.
The other started was the Blackened Scallops. The scallops were fresh and large. The blackening seasoning was not overpowering. The meat was ender and melted in my mouth. They served the scallops with a blood orange preserve. The sweetness from the preserve married well with the sweetness of the scallops and toned down the saltiness of the blackening seasoning.
For my brunch I went for a three-egg omelet with tomato and cheese mixed in. They topped it off with slices of fresh avocado. The omelet was large and with the two starters I tried I was starting to get a little full. I had to start pacing myself.
They used a lot of cheddar cheese which contributed to making the omelet filling. The tomatoes were chopped up and added a freshness and helped break up all the cheese. I ended up eating the avocado slices by themselves.
On the side came a Tater Tot Smash. This was their version of hash browns. They came out nice and crispy. There was so much I could not finish.
I got to try their Hangover Hash as well. This hash was braised prime rib on top of the tater tot smash. Then they placed a perfectly poached egg on top, along with a homemade hollandaise sauce. This was a different type of breakfast hash for sure. The prime rib was cooked spectacularly; it just pulled apart as soon as I touched it with the fork.
The flavor was savory, and the hollandaise sauce added a creaminess. I did not try the poached egg, but I was told it was delicious. The tater tot hash added a crunch, but it also acted as a way to soak up the sauce.
Even with all the food eaten, I still left a little room for dessert. There was no way I could eat something by myself, but I knew I could share the Key Lime Pie. The slice came out cut as a square verse a triangle. This was perfect because it allowed for less crust and more filling. The filling was slightly tart and sweet. The meringue on top was firm and had a nice browning that created a slight toasted taste. It was the perfect Florida dessert.
The food was fantastic at The Rusty Pelican. I enjoyed everything I tired. I really like the assortment of mimosas they offered. I would go back any time for brunch, and I would also like to try something off their dinner menu.
There is a really popular restaurant at Hyde Park in Tampa called Meat Market. I had some friends visiting the area, so we decided to check them out. The place was packed and the only tables that were available were in the tent at the front of the restaurant. We really wanted to try this place, so a tent was ok for us.
While we looked over the menu the waiter brought us some “popped corn”. This is not what I was thinking it would be. These were corn pieces that were some how fried up till they got a little puffy, but still crunchy. They coated the corn with a slightly spicy seasoning. It was somewhat like a corn nut.
I ordered the Seabass for my dinner. This was a beautiful piece of fish. It was on a bed of wild mushrooms and a sweet corn puree. The Seabass was flakey and light. It was seasoned perfectly with a slightly peppery taste with a hint of salt. The wild mushrooms were interesting. They had a unique texture. They were a little chewy and hard to bite. I had to cut them with my knife. They did not have that much flavor, but the corn puree added a nice sweetness to the mushrooms. The puree was also fantastic with the fish. The sweetness was a nice contrast to the pepper seasoning on the Seabass.
For a side we shared the roasted Brussel sprouts around the table. These were nice and crispy and had a wonderful accent flavor from the bacon that was cooked along side of it. I love when Brussel sprouts are this crispy, it just enhances the overall flavor and cuts back on some of the bitterness that Brussel sprouts can have.
For dessert I went for their homemade cinnamon roll. This was absolutely delicious. The dough was sweet. They loaded up each layer with cinnamon and sugar. There were a ton of sugared pecans throughout each layer as well. These added a nice crunch to the cinnamon roll.
They also topped the roll with fresh vanilla ice cream and a little caramel drizzle. As the ice cream melted the dough soaked it up and acted like a sauce. It made the dough extra moist. This dessert was very sweet, but it was great to share. And a perfect way to end the meal that was so savory.
The food was fantastic at Meat Market. The staff was very attentive and never forgot about us in the tent. Hopefully next time I will be able to eat inside. Check out their menu at www.meatmarket.net
St. Petersburg, Florida is a beautiful place. The entire city is growing quickly. There are so many places to enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During this visit to St Petersburg, I wanted to get brunch and I decided to check out a restaurant I had visited years ago called 400 Beach Seafood.
You cannot enjoy brunch without a mimosa and bloody Mary. They were not bottomless, but they were still a great price. The mimosa was made with Brut champagne and fresh orange juice. The sweetness of the juice helped cut down the sharpness of the brut. The bloody Mary was made spicy, just the way I like it. It had a wonderful horseradish flavor. It was a drastic contrast to the mimosa.
I started off with a bowl of Clam Chowder. It was extremely creamy. They loaded it up with tender, fresh clams and big chunks of potatoes. It was a good ratio of clams to potatoes. The soup was seasoned perfectly.
I also tried a little of the Island Seafood Chili. This was extremely hardy. It was thick but not like a traditional beef chili. It was more like a stew. They used a variety of seafood which was nice. Each bite had a different texture.
For my brunch meal I ordered the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict. They took an English muffin and laced a fresh crab cake on it. They then put a traditional poached egg with hollandaise sauce on top of the crab cake. They accented it with a few pieces of fresh spinach. The egg was light, and the creaminess of the yoke soaked into the crab cake, which added a rich texture to the crab meat. The crab was sweet tasting and there was a lot of it.
A potato hash came on the side. These were diced potatoes mixed with onions and peppers. There was also fresh fruit. Both were the perfect complement to the filling breakfast.
I also was able to try the Fish Tacos. These were blackened Mahi Mahi pieces topped with avocado, a fresh made mango salsa, and queso fresco. They drizzled a charred lime aioli on top. The few bites I got to try highlighted the fish. It had a great spice to it from being blackened. The mango salsa was my favorite part. It added a complementary sweetness.
I really enjoyed the dishes I got to try at 400 Beach. Even the season visit have me several surprises. This is definitely a place to would continue to come back to. I loved seeing how busy St. Petersburg was. Life has been getting back to normal and it feels great.
