400 Beach – St. Petersburg, FL

Going out to dinner with friends is a wonderful experience. When friends of mine learned I write a food blog, they made sure to pick a new restaurant for us to try. That is one of the reasons we went to 400 Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. The other reason is because it was my birthday.

It was a beautiful place with seating both inside and outside. Since it was way to hot to eat outside, we sat inside to stay nice and cool. There were tropical decorations everywhere.

  

We kicked off my birthday with cocktails. I ordered the Raspberry Cosmomosa. This was raspberry vodka, fresh lime juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, and simple syrup. They topped it off with sparkling wine. My waitress surprised me and included a candle for my birthday.

  

After being totally embarrassed and blowing out the candle I took a sip. It was tasty. it was very sweet and I could not pick out just one flavor. All the juices and liquor worked really well together. I liked the added bubbles that the sparkling wine brought to the drink.

Since we were there with a group, we ordered tons of appetizers to share at the table. Every single one of them was amazing.

First up was the fried calamari. It was lightly battered so that the tenderness of the calamari shined through. It came drizzled with a garlic aioli and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. The cheese gave it a slight saltiness.

The grilled sea scallops were my favorite appetizer. The scallops were extremely tender, almost like butter. They were also very sweet. What made this dish stand out was the Soba noodle salad that came with it. It was cold pasta but the sauce they used was amazing. It had hints of sesame oil for a nutty taste. Even without the scallops, this would have been great.

We also ordered the Artichoke Manchego Fondue with crab meat. I thought this would be like any typical artichoke dip but I was totally wrong. The Manchego cheese was super creamy. It spread nicely on the tortilla chips. The crab added extra texture along with the artichokes but the cheese hide those flavors. This dish was all about the cheese.

400 Beach offered several options when it came to oysters. We went for the Oysters Rockefeller. They were the perfect size for everyone to get to try one. They were loaded with spinach, bacon, and a delicious Hollandaise sauce. The salty, smoky flavor from the bacon really accented the brininess from the oysters. They were cooked well, so that the oysters were not chewy.

The Seafood Louis salad was also great for sharing. This salad was loaded with shrimp, scallops, and crab on top of Romaine lettuce, sliced hard boiled eggs, sliced avocado, and tomato. They covered it in a chili lemon Louis dressing. This was a fresh tasting salad.

It was time for another cocktail before the main dishes came out. The Sunset Martini sounded perfect. It was a combination of orange juice and mango rum. They added a little Chambord to add a little extra color. This was sweet but not as sweet as my first drink. With the orange juice it reminded me of a mimosa. the added mango flavor really made this a tropical drink.

For my main dinner I ordered the jumbo shrimp. I had them grilled. they came with rice and fresh vegetables. It was a lot of food. The shrimp were grilled nicely. They were great dipped on the fresh made cocktail sauce. The rice was really just filler, nothing special. The fresh vegetables were sautéed with a little salt and pepper. The natural flavor of the vegetables really came through.

I had the best time at 400 beach. I was there with great friends, I had a wonderful waitress, and the food was fantastic. I would definitely want to go back and try one of their other dishes. Check them out at www.400beachseafood.com

Enjoy!

T

Massimo – Providence, RI

There is a great area of Providence called Federal Hill. This is a cute street that has several great bars and restaurants. This is where you will find Massimo.

Massimo is an Italian restaurant that serves ingredients that are locally sourced. It is beautiful inside with lots of reclaimed woods and natural lighting.

I was there for a big group dinner. We had the whole upstairs of the restaurant to ourselves, including a bar. It was great! Since it was a group dinner we were served buffet style. This was perfect because it allowed me to try several of the restaurants dishes.

The evening started with fried calamari. There was a great crispy crunch and the calamari was tender. I really like the fried basil leaves that were served with it. It added an herb flavor.

I enjoyed the appetizers with a Moscow Mule. The lime juice they accented the drink with went well with the calamari.

After a few munchies it was time to find a seat. I could smell all the food getting set up on the buffet. The food certainly does not look pretty on my plate but it all really tasted great.

The chicken piccata had great lemony zing. The chicken was cut thinly and was able to still remain moist.

The eggplant parmesan had multiple layers of soft, tender eggplant. Massimo’s homemade pasta sauce complemented the sweetness of the eggplant.

The pesto rigatoni had a wonderful earthly flavor. The rigatoni was cooked a perfect al dente.

The Caesar salad was pretty standard. I just knew I could not have an Italian meal without having some salad.

For sides dishes they offered a great roasted potato that was loaded with Italian seasonings. And fresh green beans sautéed in garlic.

Now this was a lot of food for dinner. Luckily I did not over eat. So I saved room for dessert. They offered cannoli and tiramisu.

The cannoli had a great crispy shell. and was over stuffed with creamy filling. The outside edges were covered in crushed pistachios.

The tiramisu was amazing. The ladyfingers were soaked in coffee that kept the entire dessert very moist. The custard filling was light and fluffy. It was the right amount of sweetness to complement the bitter coffee. This was one of the best tiramisu’s I have ever had.

I enjoyed everything I tried at Massimo’s. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a place to have a party or large group dinner. I would also go back for a regular meal. Check out their menu at http://massimori.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Rosalina – Providence, RI

The last time I visited Providence I enjoyed a great Irish Pub. This visit I thought I would check out one of the many Italian restaurants. It was a hard choice to make but I narrowed it down to Rosalina. The menu looked fantastic.

Rosalina’s is not far from the convention center. It is a cute restaurant that is not too big on the inside. I would recommend making a reservation. As soon as I walked in I could smell the homemade bread baking in their ovens.

My waiter was very energetic and extremely friendly. He did make a few suggestions on the menu. He brought over a nice basket of the fresh baked bread. The smell of the butter and garlic was intoxicating.

The bread had a crunch to it. The texture reminded me of pita chips. It had a buttery taste that was almost savory in my mouth. I also really enjoyed the crunch. However, the funny thing about the bread was the waiter said the chef cooked it a little too long. It actually was not supposed to be crunchy. It was suppose to be soft. Well I thought it was a great “mistake”. Hopefully by allowing me to try it, they can add a new item to the menu.

For my cocktail I ordered the Limonata. The perfect cocktail starts with perfect ingredients. So this certainly fit the bill.

They used muddled lemons, simple syrup, limoncello, citrus vodka, and topped with San Pellegrino limonata Italian soda. An interesting part of this cocktail was the limoncello. It turns out at Rosalina they make their own. This alone made me happy I ordered this drink. After taking a sip it reminded me of a lemon drop martini. It was slightly sweet, slightly tart, and very refreshing.

Ordering something to share with the table was a must. The waiter recommended the antipasto. When it came out he was not kidding, this plate of meats, cheese, and tomatoes were huge.

There were some awesome items on this plate. The meats included Prosciutto de Parma, and Sopp Resata. These were extremely fresh meats. They were tender to bite into and full of flavor. For cheese, they included Burrata cheese that was tremendously creamy. They had two types of salty olives – Calvestrano and Kalamata. They had a few roasted peppers and a ton of fresh cherry tomatoes. These tomatoes were the star of this plate. These were the sweetest and juiciest cherry tomatoes I have ever had. And when the juices combined with the balsamic vinegar and oregano on top enhanced the flavor even more.

The offered two types of gnocchi on the menu. One had a creamy sauce and the other had mussels in a wine sauce. It was a tough choice but I chose the version with the mussels because that is not normally something I see. This dish was called Gnocchi Vongole.

Their fresh potato gnocchi was sautéed with white wine, roasted garlic, butter, and cherry tomatoes. They used fresh Little-Neck Clams that were drenched in the wonderful sauce. The gnocchi was surprisingly light and fluffy. They tasted so good in the buttery wine sauce. the butter flavor enhanced the gnocchi.

The clams were cooked to perfection. They were super easy to get out of the shells. The meat was tender, not at all chewy. They also were amazing with the butter wine sauce. I felt that the garlic in the sauce enhanced the flavor of the clams. The perfect pairing.

My meal was fantastic at Rosalina. I will definitely go back to try something else. Check out their Italian dishes at http://www.rosalina-ri.com/

Enjoy!

T

Taco Diner – Irving, TX

There is a casual Mexican restaurant that has been serving the Dallas area called Taco Diner. They have been creating authentic Mexico City dishes for 20 years.

I was in town for a quick trip and needed to get a quick bite so I decided to check them out. The inside of the restaurant was very bright with all the natural light coming in through the windows. I could tell they loved the color green because it was everywhere.

As soon as I sat down I was greeted with a basket of fresh tortilla chips. They included a well made roasted tomato salsa and another green salsa that reminded me of a salsa verde.

For my meal I ordered the Al Pastor tacos.

This was 3 fresh made corn tortillas filled with chopped chicken that was marinated in tres chiles. This marinade added an abundance of flavor to the chicken. It was also extremely moist and pulled apart because it was so tender.

It came with grilled pineapple on the side. I put that on the chicken and it added a great sweet and tangy component to the saltiness of the chicken. I have never had pineapple on a taco before but it worked beautifully.

If the tacos were not enough, they also included an avocado salad and a side of roasted corn elote. The avocado salad could have been added to the tacos. It would have added a creamy and crunchy element. I ended up just eating it by itself.

The roasted corn was extremely tangy. Normally the Mexican corn I get is creamy, this was very different. It was interesting but I still prefer the more traditional taste.

If you are looking for a quick, fresh take on Mexican dishes, check out Taco Diner. They have several locations around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Find them at http://tacodinerrestaurants.com/

Enjoy!

T

Taco Lu – Jacksonville Beach, FL

I was visiting Jacksonville Beach, Florida and a good friend told me I had to visit her favorite Mexican restaurant, Taco Lu.

This family owned establishment has been serving up homemade tacos and Mexican specialties since 2008. I was reading about how they started and it is an awesome story about taking risks and being an entrepreneur.

  

The décor is very colorful. There are sugar skulls everywhere. There is beautiful artwork hanging on the walls. It is a cheerful and fun environment that makes eating there a positive experience.

  

  

I had to start off with chips, salsa, and queso. The salsa was fresh with nice chunks of fresh tomato. There was just a slight heat, nothing too overpowering. The queso was extremely creamy. it was not too thick, meaning when you dip a chip in the chip does not break. And speaking of the chips, they were thin and light. They had the right amount of salt sprinkled on them.

Taco Lu offers all the traditional types of tacos. However, what makes them so popular are the unique flavors and combinations of tacos they have. My friend recommended I try the cheeseburger taco because it is her favorite.

This taco truly had all the components of a cheeseburger. There was ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, chopped up pickles, and drizzled with mustard. When I took a bite I could have sworn I was eating a cheeseburger. The flavor was spot on, what sold me on this was the mustard. it was delicious. The tacos are all sold a la carte so you can get as many as you want.

Rather than get a second taco I went for a side of the Mexican street corn. It was off the cob so it was easier to eat. The sweet corn was covered with cotija cheese, a chipotle crema, and fresh lime juice.

The taste was amazing. The cheese and crema added a slight tanginess to the sweet corn. I enjoyed eating this off the cob because it was less messy. I highly recommend trying this side over a more traditional side of beans.

I really enjoyed my visit to Taco Lu. There was a constant crowd of people my entire time there. I am so glad my friend gave me this recommendation. Check out their menu at http://www.tacolu.com/ And as they say on their website “See You @ the Lu”

Enjoy!

T