At this point on my trip to Key West, I had hit most of the
hot spots in the main areas, like Duval Street. Now it was time for me to venture
down to the marina area. There were several shops and restaurants around that
area that I wanted to check out.
Waterfront Brewery was one of those stops. The open walls and windows created a wonderful cross breeze through the restaurant that really helped remind me that I was on vacation.
This restaurant was perfect for the whole family. They had a large arcade in the back that was perfect for kids and the adults who are kids at heart.
They had a large selection of beers to chose from. It is a great place to try something local. I went for the Crazy Lady!
Now I had been trying conch all over the island. Waterfront Brewery offered something a little different from what I had been seeing. They created a Bahamian Red Conch chowder. This chowder reminded me of a Manhattan clam chowder with a savory broth and loaded with fresh vegetables. The chowder packed a bold taste from the cracked black pepper they added. The conch was cut up into small tender pieces.
This was a great stop for a quick bite to eat and some cold refreshments. The view is also spectacular. I would definitely go back to try something else.
I headed back to Key West because I had such a blast the last time. I made sure to hit some places I missed last time. Sandbar was one of those places. I absolutely loved this place. I ended up visiting them three separate times during my trip.
My first visit I was just getting the lay of the land. They were a sports bar first and foremost. They had so many TVs throughout the restaurant, you would never miss a minute of any game.
They also had huge open doors. It let in such a wonderful coastal cross breeze. Those open doors also allowed for the local roosters to roam around. I never got use to that, especially when they crowed in the morning.
For this first visit I started off with a local Key Lime cider. I expected it to be full of lime flavor, but it really did not. But it was still refreshing.
For food, I had to try their Stone Crab chowder. I went for it because I was not conch. I had eaten so much conch it was nice to try something different.
I loved the chunky potatoes, carrots, and sweet corn they
put in the creamy broth. The crab meat was sweet. I really wish there was more
of it in the chowder. The garlic bread they served on the side went well with
the flavor of the broth.
Since this was a sports bar, ordering some wings was a must. I went for the Joey Style wings. These wings were fried and coated with a hot buffalo sauce and bbq sauce. Then they chargrilled the wings for extra crispiness.
These wings were amazing. The skin of the wing was extra
crispy just the way I like it. The meat was juicy. Creativity in the spice
department came from blending buffalo sauce and bbq sauce. The heat and sweet
had extraordinary taste.
These wings were so good I ordered them again when I went back for another visit. They were just as good the second time. The kitchen is very consistent with hoe they prepare these.
During this second visit I also tried their queso dip with French fries. The fries were hot out of the fryer, so they were nice and crispy. The queso came out in a tortilla shell bowl. The cheese was extremely creamy. There was a slight amount of heat from the jalapenos, which created a tango across my tongue. I really enjoyed eating the queso with fries verses tortilla chips.
My third visit was because of a recommendation from my previous bartender. She was explaining that each day they had a different food special. This day was the mac and cheese with bbq pilled pork.
The mac and cheese extraordinarily creamy. The pulled pork
was loaded on top. I did not mix the pork into the mac and cheese. I just
combined the two when I took a bite. It created the perfect smoky, smooth bbq
flavor.
In addition to all the great food I ate at Sandbar, I also
enjoyed some cocktails. They have a fun assortment of Hurricanes, all at
different category strengths. It’s a fun play on the storms in Florida.
I did not make it all the way to a category 5 but I did
enjoy categories 1,2 and 3.
Category 1 – This was a blend of light rum, triple sec, and the homemade Sandbar hurricane mix.
Category 2 – This one was slightly stronger. It was the same mix as the category 1 but with a shot of Spiced rum on top.
Category 3 – Once again this was even stronger. This one combined both light and spiced rum, triple sec, and it was topped off with a dark rum floater.
All the hurricanes were fun to drink. They were nice ad
cold on a hot Florida day. They were definitely sweet so be prepared for that.
I cannot recommend Sandbar Sports Grill enough. I enjoyed every visit. The next time I visit Key West I am heading there first.
After a long day of traveling to get to Tampa, I was looking forward to dinner. I was excited to get seafood. I always try to eat seafood when I am in Florida. Skipper’s Smokehouse topped the selection for this evening. They have been around for over 30 years, so I know they would be a good choice.
I started off with their Cajun popcorn, which was a fun way to say fried crawfish tails. The crawfish was incredibly tender and sweet. They were lightly breaded so the crawfish took center stage. They came with a homemade tartar sauce that reminded me of a thousand island dressing. These bite size morsels were fun and easy to eat.
I ordered a bowl of their conch chowder. It was a classic style vegetable soup with conch all mixed in. It was a wonderful tomato based broth and it was loaded with fresh vegetables.
To wash down all the great flavors, I ordered a fun drink – “Swamp Juice”. I thought it was fitting on so many levels. The swamp juice was pretty much like a rum punch made with fresh juices. All that was missing was a cherry on top.
While I was there I got to enjoy some live music from a local band. They have an outside stage area where you can grab a drink and listen. They have music almost every night so you can check out their website for a complete listing.
If you are looking for a fun place for food and entertainment then Skipper’s Smokehouse is where you have to go. Visit their menu at www.skipperssmokehouse.com
Earlier this year I had written about the brunch I had at Datz. I was fortunate enough to get to go back for a second visit. This time I got to try something off their dinner menu.
I had forgotten that their menu was printed like a newspaper. My waiter said they had just changed a few things around. There were several things that sounded good. He recommended I try their Music City Chicken Tacos. They apparently are really popular.
I was very surprised when 3 tacos came out on the plate. It was a lot of food. The chicken was grilled not fried. It had some nice heat but if they were going for a “Nashville Hot Chicken” idea the chicken really needed to be fried. There was a fresh cole slaw on the top of the chicken that added crunch and creaminess. If the spice of the chicken was too much, this slaw calms that down.
Mexican rice and Mexican street corn accompanied the tacos. The rice was simple, nothing out of the ordinary. The corn was great. It was off the cob so it was easy to eat. The taste was sweet and really creamy from the cheese they sprinkled in. It was a perfect compliment to the tacos.
To wash this all down I enjoyed a strawberry mule. It was a subtle strawberry taste. It was sweet compared to a traditional mule. I loved the fresh strawberry they added on top. I saved that for the very end.
One of the things I remembered from my first visit to Datz was their assortment of desserts. I knew I wanted to try something but a slice of their cakes were way too big for me. I opted to go for a cupcake since it was slightly smaller. I went for the chocolate bourbon cupcake.
It was so pretty when it came out.
What I did not realize till I picked it up was that the chocolate on the top was a hard chocolate shell. I had to break it open to reveal the moose like cream icing.
It was layers and layers of chocolate. If you love chocolate this cupcake is for you. The cake was super moist. It was also quite light in texture. The icing was really sweet and there was a lot of it. I ended up scraping some of it off because it was so sweet. Having the cupcake was the perfect way to end the meal.
I was so glad I got to visit Datz again. I still recommend them for anyone visiting Tampa. Check them out at http://www.datztampa.com/
I went to a unique place in Nashville called The Listening Room Café. This was a restaurant where you get to enjoy a meal while listening to musicians / songwriters from the industry tell their stories. It was an interesting concept that made perfect sense in the Music City.
The day I visited I was going to see the Warren Brothers.
They are singer / songwriter siblings, Brett and Brad Warren. They have written
songs for the most famous of famous country singers.
While I waited to go into the theater area, I got myself a glass of Merlot. They have a nice bar area to sit and relax before the main attraction. I got to walk around and look at different pictures on the wall.
Inside the main area was a stage and tables all lined up facing the stage. The crowd got situated at the tables and the wait staff came over to get our drinks orders.
I started with the Dolly Sangria. I can only assume this was named after country music legend, Dolly Parton. This sangria used white wine, cocchi torino (a Vermouth), and cocchi Americano (an aromatized sweet wine). With all the ingredients this was a sweet sangria. They did not put any fruit in this, but it was refreshing on its own.
They started bringing out the food. They served it all family style. We had no problem passing everything around the table. I started off with the Caesar salad. It was a classic salad. They chopped up their lettuce well, which made it easier to eat.
The other starter was a homemade buffalo chicken dip. The chicken was shredded and tossed completely in the sauce. It had an awesome tang to it and had a creamy texture. They served it with tortilla chips which added a nice crunch. However, I enjoyed eating the chicken by itself.
Before the main dishes came out I orders a different cocktail to try. I went for the Carly’s “Hide the Wine Sangria”. This was red wine with a blended with lime, lemon, orange, and peach juices. Despite all the juices, this sangria was not as sweet as I expected.
The main dishes started coming out. I got to enjoy pulled pork along with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts.
The pork did not have BBQ sauce on it. A few people asked
for some on the side. I decided to enjoy it plain. The pork was moist and had a
great smoky flavor. There were also some nice pieces of bark mixed throughout
the meat.
The roasted potatoes were tender red potatoes. The
seasoning they cooked them in was savory, while the potatoes themselves were
sweet. The brussels sprouts were charred well to create a smoky taste as well.
While we were eating the Warren Brothers came out. They stared telling stories about where they were from and how they got started in the business.
Between the stories they played some of the songs that they helped create. One of the last songs they sang was “Red Solo Cup”. I was surprised to learn that they were the ones that wrote that song. It was fun hearing everyone in the audience start singing.
While we were listening to their stories, the desserts came out. It was a plate of assorted cheesecakes. The cheesecake was creamy and had a great taste. The plain was my favorite because all I could taste was the cake. The other ones that had toppings were good too, just overpowered by the toppings.
At the end of the show the Warren Brothers took pictures with every person in the audience. They were the nicest people.
The Listening Room Café was a fun experience that I would
go back to. Every show would be a different experience. I have never seen a
venue like this before in any of my travels.
The final stop on my food tour in Nashville was a dessert
stop. After all the savory and salty foods, I got to enjoy it was time for
something sweet.
Tempered is a local café that serves up chocolate, sandwiches, and freshly made coffee. They had lots of homemade chocolate to choose from.
I got to sample their chocolate covered pretzels. The salty pretzel rods were dipped in creamy milk chocolate. The chocolate was smooth and melted instantly in my mouth.
They had so many truffles to choose from. It was a tough choice. There was milk, dark, and white chocolates. I focused on the filling flavors rather than the outside chocolate.
I went for the following:
Lemon Lavender: This is a trendy flavor. I tasted the lavender right away. The lemon was more of a subtle accent.
VanillaCream: This was my favorite because it was a simple, classic flavor of vanilla.
BourbonPraline: I could taste just a slight
hint of bourbon flavor. The praline was more on the top of the truffle in the
form of the sugar accent.
I made sure to get a cappuccino while I was there too. It helped add to the enjoyment of the chocolate.
This was the perfect end to a wonderful food tour.
Germantown is such a great area. I only hit a few spots but there are so many
more places to try.
Continuing my Germantown food tour brought me to Saint Stephen. This restaurant had an outside courtyard all set up with picnic tables. Since it was a pretty afternoon that is where the group sat.
They started us off with one of their cocktails – CumberlandBlues. This was their version of a Moscow Mule. They used a mint and cucumber vodka as the base. It was sweet and refreshing.
The first thing they brought out was a salad. This was a fresh salad loaded with celery, kidney beans, and avocado. It was a unique blend of ingredients tossed with a Balsamic vinaigrette. The celery added crunch and the beans and avocado added two different types of creaminess.
The next food item that got passed around the table was the mac and cheese. This was a true southern, homemade treat. It was extremely creamy, blended with several different cheeses. This was the ultimate comfort food. I could have eaten the whole pan, but I did have to share it with the table.
The last dish out is something unique to Saint Stephen. It is their fried chicken skins. They basically have taken the best part of fried chicken and made a dish out of it. The seasoning on the breading had a slight peppery taste. There was an awesome crispiness to each piece. These are totally unhealthy but definitely something worth indulging on.
We got one last cocktail before leaving. They brought out their Big Bad Chef. This is their version of an Old Fashioned. The taste was just a little smokier because of the ingredients. They used a smoked simple syrup, a burnt orange, and Corsiar bourbon. This is from a local distillery in Nashville.
This was another fun stop on the tour. I want to go back and try a few more items off their menu. Check them out at www.saintstephennash.com
While hanging out at Bearded Iris Brewing, there was a special delivery from 312 Pizza in Germantown. They serve up local Chicago pizza because the owners are originally from there.
Today they brought over their Hot Chicken pizza. The hot chicken topping is a nod to the chicken dish made famous in Nashville. The chicken had a great heat that was calmed down from the creamy cheese that was melted on top. The crust was crispy with a slight sweetness.
It was a great atmosphere to get to enjoy this pizza. The next time I am in Nashville I would want to stop by the actual restaurant to see what all they have to offer.
The second stop on my food tour of Germantown, In Nashville, was Bearded Iris Brewing. This is a local cult brewery that is known for their IPA’s.
They have a very artsy feel on the inside. There are several interesting pieces of art hanging on the walls made by local artist. Many of them were for sale.
I got my hand stamped after I got carded, so I was ready to go.
I ordered a glass of the Mood Ring. This was a double IPA. It had a light hoppy taste that was supposed to have essences of pineapple. However, I did not taste any pineapple. The beer was still refreshing and went well with the pizza they were serving from a local pizza restaurant.
Bearded Iris had a fun atmosphere. It was a perfect place to hang out with friends. Check them out at www.beardedirisbrewing.com
I had a fun trip to Nashville, Tennessee recently. I got to
experience a couple of new places in the Germantown area on a walking food
tour. Germantown is one of the many areas in Nashville that has seen a resurgence
over the last several years.
The first stop that I made on my food tour was to Butchertown Hall. This is a BBQ joint that has an upscale, rustic vibe.
It’s beautifully decorated inside and you can smell the smokers as soon as you walk in. Because I was with this food tour, we had special tables set up on their outside patio. It was a fantastic private experience.
Before we started eating, we were greeted by their sous chef, David; he explained to us what we would be tasting and drinking, plus how the meat was prepared. This little talk, while it seems simple, really helped enhance the entire experience.
We started off with some house made cocktails. The first was a Margarita. This did not taste like your run of the mill margarita. They used fresh lime juice and combier along with tequila. It tasted extremely fresh and did not have that overly sweet, sugary flavor.
The second cocktail that they provided us was a Foxglove. This was vodka, fresh grapefruit juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and a touch of sage. This drink had a sweet, tart taste because of all the acidic juices. It also was refreshing. It really paired well with the smoky BBQ.
The brisket was fantastic. It was the best brisket I have ever had. It was so tender it fell apart as soon as I picked it up with a fork. It was also extremely juicy. I did not use any BBQ sauce on the meat because of how juicy it was and because of the intense smoky flavor. It also had a great outer layer of bark.
The other BBQ they served was their pulled pork. They drizzled a mustard on top. It was a sweet mustard that complemented the tangy BBQ sauce and smoky taste. The pork was not as juicy as the brisket, but it was still moist, and had plenty of bark throughout. They also served soft tortilla shells on the side. I thought this was really interesting. I was able to make a pulled pork taco.
The side dishes they served with the BBQ were their roasted brussels sprouts. They were roasted in a mini cast iron pan, so it allowed them to get crispier. The slight bitterness was calmed down because of the smokiness that came from the roasting. It was the perfect side for the BBQ.
The food tour made a great decision to have us stop at the
Butchertown Hall first. There is a lot more to try on the regular menu. I would
definitely want to go back to enjoy some additional dishes.
