When in Florida, having fresh seafood is a must have. There is a restaurant in Orlando that has been serving up seafood since 1995 called High Tide Harry’s. When you walk into the restaurant you are automatically transported to the beach. The ceilings and walls were painted with ocean scenes. There were huge fish hanging all over. After sitting down, the waitress brought over some homemade Hush Puppies. They reminded me more of a fritter. The dough was a little sweet and soft on the inside. There was a nice crunch from the deep fryer on the outside. They served…
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In downtown Tampa, not far from the hockey arena, there is a seafood restaurant called Harpoon Harry’s Crab House. The restaurant is very large; there are tables on two levels. They have a great bar on one side of the restaurant. You can sit there and order from the full menu. I have done this a few times. On this visit I was with a big group of friends, and we decided to get a table. We started off with cocktails while we looked over the menu. I got a red sangria. It was not super sweet, so it was…
Leave a CommentThroughout my travels I have noticed crab restaurants starting to pop up. There was one that opened in Lakeland, Florida called Crafty Crab. I thought I would check them out. As soon as I walked in, I was transported to the beach. There was fishing décor everywhere. It reminded me of the seafood restaurants I visited as a kid on vacation. I ordered a few appetizers to try. The fried calamari were the first to come out. These were thick rings that were extremely tender. The breading was very crispy. They served a marinara sauce on the side. The sauce…
Leave a CommentThere 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…
Leave a CommentThere 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…
Leave a CommentMiami 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…
Leave a CommentI 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…
Leave a CommentI 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…
Leave a CommentIt’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…
Leave a CommentIf 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…
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