Downtown Chattanooga has really grown and redeveloped over the last several years. They have so many restaurants and bars to choose from. If you are wanting good pizza, then Community Pie is a must visit.
They have many pizza options to choose from, pus you can create your own. All their pizzas are cooked in their wood fire ovens.
During my visit I ordered the Little Italy pizza. This pie included Italian sausage, pepperoni, fresh Ricotta cheese, Calabrian chiles, fresh garlic, basil, and pecorino Romano cheese.
The crust had a great crunch and charr on it because of the fire oven. It added a slight smoky taste. This is the best way to have pizza cooked. The sausage had a fantastic fennel taste to it. The pepperoni was extra crispy because of the oven too. I loved crispy pepperoni. The Ricotta cheese added a creaminess to the pizza; it also helped calm the spiciness that came from the Calabrian chiles. The chilies were smoky and spicy and packed a punch of heat.
This was a delicious pizza. The one thing I wanted to note about their red pizza sauce, it does contain bacon. It adds a great flavor but obviously would not be suitable for Vegans and Vegetarians. They do have other sauce options.
If you are in Chattanooga and get hungry, stop by Community Pie.
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 refreshing. They had a nice amount of fruit mixed within to give it a natural sweetness.
We ordered almost every appetizer that was on the menu. We just passed them around the table so that everyone could have a taste. The Coconut Shrimp came out first. These shrimp were butterflied which allowed them to be a little crisper once they were fried. The coconut flavor shined through and had a nice sweetness. They served a pineapple red chili agave on the side for dipping. I love how pineapple and coconut blend so well together. It creates such a tropical flavor that is perfect when combined with shrimp.
The next thin out was the Tater Kegs. These sounded interesting. These were homemade tater tots made with mashed potatoes, chives, bacon, and cheddar cheese. They were formed into large tot shapes, breaded, and deep fried. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. There was a great bacon flavor in the potato and the cheddar cheese made the inside extra creamy. They served a chipotle aioli on the side to dip. That aioli made the flavor of the tots more like a twice baked potato.
The Crab Cake was just one. This one was slightly harder to share. We each cut off a little piece to try. They mixed a large amount a blue crab meat with different herbs and seasonings. The mojo aioli added a little tangy taste, but I really felt the sweet crab cake was good on its own.
Conch Fritters are a must have at a Florida seafood restaurant. These fritters were packed with fresh, tender Bahamian conch. These were also crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. These really stayed hot until I cut them open to cool off. The Cajun mayo added a little head. I really liked how much conch they had in these.
The Truffle Mac & Cheese was a super-rich dish. They blended gruyere cheese with breadcrumbs and white truffle oil. The breadcrumbs gave it texture on top of the creaminess from the cheese.
The last appetizer that came out was the Shrimp Cocktail. This was very traditional, nothing out of the ordinary. The shrimp were jumbo in size and the cocktail sauce has a great tanginess to it.
After all of these appetizers, I ordered something a little lighter for my main dish. I got the Tuna Tataki. This was thinly sliced yellow fin tuna that was coasted with a sesame crust. They covered the tuna in a delicious pineapple ginger teriyaki sauce. A sriracha aioli was drizzled on top. This added a little heat. There was a seaweed salad on the side. The seaweed tasted great with the teriyaki sauce, it acted almost like a dressing. The tuna was extremely fresh and melted in my mouth. This is definitely a must order for anyone who loves fresh tuna.
I also got to try a little of the Grouper Shrimp & Grits. This dish had a lot going on. In addition to the flakey grouper and shrimp, there was grilled andouille sausage. The grits were in the form of a cheddar grit cake, which was very cheesy. There was a spicy tomato reduction on top. This did not add too much spiciness. There were also vegetables on the side. I really thought the grouper was the best part of the dish. The sausage was a nice surprise too, which had great flavor.
Finally, it was time for dessert. We only ordered one and we hared it around the table since we all had eaten so much already. We asked our server what the best dessert was, and the Banana Pudding was recommended. They served the pudding in a mason jar. It was layered with caramelized bananas, creamy vanilla pudding, and vanilla bean whip cream. The bananas were amazing. I could have eaten just a bowl of these. They were soft and sweet. The whip cream was also a nice touch; since it was freshly made it was light and fluffy.
Everything I tried at Harpoon Harry’s Crab House was amazing. They have so many things to choose from, including a full sushi menu. They get busy so try to make a reservation. If that is not possible just put your name on the list and head over to the bar for a cocktail while you wait. Check out their menu at www.harpoonharryscrabhousetampa.com
Not far from the Colorado Rockies baseball stadium in Denver is a restaurant called The Original.
When I walked in, I was surprised by the style of restaurant. It was an updated take on an old school diner. There were old nick-nacks everywhere. They had a malt-shop like bar that you could sit at. It was totally retro.
Their menu also fit that classic diner theme. I started off with a cup of Matzo Ball Soup. This chicken broth had caramelized onions and seasoning throughout. There was one giant matzo ball that was light and fluffy. The broth needed a little more salt because it was slightly bland. Once I added salt and pepper to my liking, the soup got better. I enjoyed the texture of the matzo ball as it soaked up the broth.
For my dinner I ordered a sandwich. This was no ordinary sandwich, this was The GOAT. It was a combination grilled cheese ad BLT (GCBLT). They used thick slices of Texas Toast to make the grilled cheese; then they loaded it up with crispy bacon, juicy slices of tomato, and crispy lettuce.
The sandwich was much bigger than I expected. The bread had a great crunch from the grill. The cheese was gooey and wrapped around the bacon. There was almost too much bread based on the other ingredients. There was a comforting feeling with eating this sandwich.
They also served a side of shoe-string French fries. They were crispy and tasted so good dipped in ketchup. Something so simple was so satisfying.
Sticking with the diner theme, for dessert I ordered a milkshake. But this was no ordinary milk shake. They offered several “adult’ milkshakes. I ordered the Knight Rider. This blended Kahlua, crème de cacao, chocolate ice cream, and Oreo cookie crumbs. Tis milkshake was delicious. It was easy to drink through a straw even with the cookie crumbles. The Kahlua was not overwhelming. The chocolate flavor shined through. It was the perfect ending to my dinner.
The Original was a fun find in Denver. Luckily when I visited the baseball team had an away game. If they were in town, I am sure it would have been difficult to get a table without a reservation.
There is a great area in downtown Denver called Larimer Square that is filled with shops and restaurants. At the corner of the block, I came across a Mexican restaurant called Tamayo. I thought I would check them out for dinner.
As soon as I walked through the door, I noticed their beautiful bar. It was so colorful. It really was a showstopper, not to mention all the choices of liquor they offered.
The waitress brought over some fresh tortilla chips and a homemade salsa. The salsa had a slight roasted flavor to it. There was no heat, it was pretty mild. It was a nice little snack.
I did not feel like anything too big for dinner. I saw tortilla soup on the menu and decided to order that. It was a creamy broth that was loaded with pulled chicken. There were a few vegetables throughout, including nice pieces of avocado. On top they put a scoop of crema fresca panela cheese. It was very creamy and added even more creaminess to the soup. The flavor was mild and did not overpower the soup. The tortilla stripes they included added a little crunch.
I did get two small sides to go along with my soup. The Mexican rice was very traditional. I was simple but had nice seasoning.
The black beans were seasoned and the sauce they came in was also loaded with flavor. I added some rice to the beans and sauce. The sauce soaked up nicely in the rice. The two flavors paired perfectly.
It was a great, quick dinner at Tamayo. There was a nice authentic taste to the food. The atmosphere was really great for groups of people. And they have a nice happy hour. Check them out at www.EatTamayo.com
