Tucked away in a shopping center is Marie’s, a quaint little Italian restaurant. When you walk in you are instantly greeted with the smell of fresh pasta sauce. It’s enough to make someone feel like they are walking into grandma’s kitchen. I was excited to try their arancini, 3 huge rice balls filled with cheesy rice. Marie’s serves them with their homemade vodka sauce, rather than traditional red sauce. It was certainly a nice surprise. The crunch of the arancini was incredible while the creamy insides stayed extremely hot. I could taste hints of different cheeses in every bite. I…
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Near the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach is a seafood restaurant called Rum Fish. Inside the restaurant are these great fish tanks that are filled with an array of tropical fish. They were all different sizes and I even saw an eel hiding under some rocks. I could sit there all day just watching the fish swim back and forth. The tanks were built by the show TANKED on Animal Planet. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered my first happy hour cocktail, the Mango Rum Runner. This was mango rum, blackberry brandy, banana liqueur, orange and…
Leave a CommentI hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. Enjoy! T
Leave a CommentKeens Steakhouse is a famous restaurant in New York that has been around since 1885. Everyone who visits New York must go there at least once. It started as a smoking lounge. To this day there are wooden pipes lining the walls and ceiling around the restaurant. Back in the day smoking lounges were for men only but in 1905 they opened their doors to the first female patron. While looking over then menu, the waiter brought over fresh veggies (olives, pickles, carrots, and celery) along with a homemade bleu cheese dip. This was perfect to snack on while deciding…
Leave a CommentI was told by a friend if I was ever visiting St. Pete Beach in Florida, I had to go to Boulevard Burgers because they had the best burgers on the beach. So when I was there a few weeks ago I made sure to stop in. That weekend I actually visited two different times. The restaurant and bar were pretty busy both times I was there. I grabbed a seat at the bar. The staff was amazing. They waited on me right away and were attentive the entire time. The first night I ordered The Boulevard, which is a…
Leave a CommentSt. Petersburg has many fun beach bars to check out. Toasted Monkey is one of those. Thy have the main bar in the front and the actual beach bar in the back. The day I visited it was cold, so sitting outside at the beach bar was out of the question. Yes, it does get cold in Florida. I stayed nice and warm inside enjoying a cocktail. While there I also ordered a few starters to snack on. The calamari was a given to me. We were so close to the water I knew it would be fresh. The calamari…
Leave a CommentLa Segunda is an institution in Tampa. The bakery has been operating since 1915, making fresh breads and pastries. I went to visit their restaurant and grab something to eat. There was a lot to choose from. They had pastry cases full of pure happiness. I did get three desserts to go so that I could enjoy them at home later. They had so many things to choose from it was a hard choice for me. I finally decided on the carrot cake, the cheese danish, and the guava cheese turnover. The carrot cake was extremely moist. The spice in…
Leave a CommentDowntown Lakeland does a fun food truck rally the second Thursday of every month. They close the main streets down and different food trucks line the streets around Munn Park. It is a fun way to get to experience all the local food trucks in one spot. So over the course of a few months I have made my way to downtown to experience a few of those trucks. I thought this would be a great write up to talk about each truck I tried. The Lakeland food truck rally is a fun time for the whole family. Enjoy! T…
Leave a CommentI was staying in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York recently and it was dinner time. I took a walk around the area to see what I could find. I came across a small Italian restaurant called Zia Maria. I popped in to see if they had a table and good for me they did. It was a cute little restaurant inside. It was perfect for me to get a quick dinner for myself. I saw they had arancini on the menu. Naturally I had to try these. Four little rice balls came out with a homemade pasta sauce. They…
Leave a CommentI hope everyone has a lucky day! Enjoy! T
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