Salutos – Gurnee, IL

There is an Italian restaurant near my parents’ house that I have passed for almost 15 years when I visit. With each visit to see them I never made it over to Salutos. However, recently I got to try them because my sister had her rehearsal dinner there.

   

When I walked in I was greeted by a giant tree in the entryway. I was not expecting that.

I also noticed their large case of homemade desserts. After taking a glance I knew I would be in for a treat later.

We started dinner off with their homemade fresh garlic rolls. They were slightly sweet yeast rolls covered in garlic and butter.

Each table received a bowl of Salutos famous salad. What makes this salad so special is their “Secret Recipe” dressing. I completely understood why this salad is so popular. The dressing is green in color and is creamy with a slight tang. It was really addicting. I kept going back to the salad bowl for more. It turns out you can actually buy the dressing by itself so you can enjoy it at home.

Now since I was there with a large party our dinner was served buffet style. What I liked about this was that it allowed me to try several of their dishes. On the menu was:

  • Chicken Griglia
  • Shrimp Frankie
  • Spaghetti with meat sauce
  • Cheese Ravioli

It may not look pretty on my plate but each dish was delicious. The chicken was moist and seasoned really well. The shrimp came mixed with angel hair pasta. I could taste all the garlic it was sautéed in. The spaghetti with meat sauce was a staple. The flavor of the Italian seasonings in the sauce was a classic.

My favorite dish was the cheese ravioli. They make them homemade there. They were oversized. The pasta dough was light and they were stuffed with cheese. They had a sweet taste which was amazing. The sweetness balanced out the sourness from the tomatoes in the sauce. I would totally recommend this dish to everyone.

For dessert we had two choices:

  • Flourless chocolate cake
  • Carrot cake

I went for the carrot cake. The first thing I noticed was all the fresh carrots that they used in the batter. They really shined through. The cake itself was moist. The homemade cream cheese frosting was smooth, creamy, and not super sweet. On a side note, everyone who ordered the chocolate cake seemed to enjoy it. They all said it was rich.

Though my dining experience was set up differently than most customers I really felt I got to experience the best that Salutos had to offer. I would want to go back the next time I visited the area. Check out their menu at http://salutosofgurnee.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Little Savannah – Birmingham, AL

I love Sunday brunch. Just when I thought I had been to all the brunch restaurants in Birmingham I found another one. Located in the historic Forest Park area, Little Savannah offers a limited menu for the few hours that they are open on Sundays.

I sat outside on their back patio since it was a nice day. It was great at first because I was sitting under a giant umbrella. However, by the end of brunch it was so hot I was regretting sitting outside. So a little tip, sit inside during the day. Leave the outside seating for after the sun go down – at least in the summer.

I did start brunch with a mimosa. It would not be brunch without one.

For food, I started off with the BLT salad. It was perfect for sharing. It was fresh Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, crunchy bacon, and a tarragon blue cheese dressing.

It looked beautiful when it came out. However, the Romaine lettuce needed to be chopped up in order to be eaten. The dressing was amazing. It had extra flavor compared to traditional blue cheese dressings. The salad was a refreshing start to the meal.

Another dish I ordered was the avocado and tomato caprese. This was a unique take on a traditional tomato and mozzarella caprese. The two avocado halves were baked and were extremely soft. The fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil were piled on top of the avocado. Then a garnacha vinegar was drizzled on top and around the plate.

I have never had avocado baked like this before. It was very creamy but it did not have a lot of flavor. It simply added extra creaminess to the mozzarella and tomatoes. The Garnacha vinegar was not very tart as I expected. It did add a subtle taste to the dish.

The final thing I ordered were the Brussels sprouts.

I love Brussels sprouts and I thought these were supposed to be somewhat crispy. Unfortunately these were not, they were just sautéed. There was no bacon cooked with these so they needed a little salt and pepper. Once I added some sea salt and crushed pepper they were pretty good. I still prefer Brussels sprouts to be crispier, I just think they taste better prepared this way.

If you are looking for some unique dishes then Little Savannah is a place to check out. If you are not into brunch you can visit them during the week for dinner. They serve everything from classic fried chicken to lamb shops and smoked duck. Plus they have some pretty good looking desserts. Visit their website at www.littlesavannah.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Melt – Birmingham, AL

I love food trucks. They are a symbol of entrepreneurship and creativity. Each truck has to stand out and have a hook. Melt is one of those food trucks and they specialize in grilled cheese.

What I also love seeing is when a food truck gets so popular and grows into a traditional brick and mortar location. That is exactly what happened to Melt. They opened a restaurant in the Avondale area.

Grilled cheese is my ultimate comfort food. I was excited to head over to Melt and get one. I ordered the classic grilled cheese, something simple.

It was a blend of three cheeses: cheddar, Monterey jack, and American. The use Texas toast for theirs, which is my favorite because it makes the sandwich thick. The combination of cheeses was amazing. It was ooey-gooey goodness.

Instead of getting French fries with my grilled cheese I got their cucumber salad. This was a great idea. It was refreshing. It was a combination of cucumbers and some cherry tomatoes in Greek salad dressing.

I also learned from my waitress that I could have added bacon to the sandwich for a little extra. I am thinking that I will have to try that on my next visit.

While I was there I also ordered a Moscow Mule. It surprisingly went well with the grilled cheese. They make their own ginger beer. It was so fresh it had pieces of ginger floating in the bottle. Having the freshness made the overall drink taste refreshing.

If you want grilled cheese then head over to Melt. You can visit their website at http://www.meltbham.com/. You can also follow them on Twitter @Meltbham to locate where the food truck will be.

   

Enjoy!

T

Slice – Birmingham, AL

Slice is one of my favorite restaurants to go to in Birmingham. I have written about them before in my blog but it has been a while. In honor of National Cheese Pizza Day, I figured that I should write about them again.

   

The restaurant smells wonderful when I walked in. The smell of pizza being cooked in the fire oven fills the air. I am greeted by the manager who always seems to be working when I visit. I took a seat at the bar because I think that is the best seat in the house.

If you like craft beer, Slice is perfect for you. They have a huge chalkboard filled with all the local beers they have on tap.

I love their sangrias so that is what I went for.

I chose the red because I think that goes best with pizza. This is one of my favorite sangrias because it is an equal blend of wine and fruit juices. It is neither too sweet not too dry.

What is also great about Slice is you can order pizza by the slice (except of Friday and Saturday nights). I got a classic slice of pepperoni.

They put it in the oven to warm up and get some crispy edges. The pepperoni they use is large in diameter but thin in thickness. Plus the pepperoni has a great flavor and it does not add a lot of extra grease to the pizza.

It was a great pairing and I enjoyed myself as usual. I am always recommending Slice to anyone visiting the area. Check them out at http://www.slicebirmingham.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Hot Diggity Dogs – Birmingham, AL

There is something satisfying about a hot dog. It is a comfort food that brings back fond memories of cookouts with my family. When I learned of a fairly new hot dog hot spot in Birmingham I knew I needed to check it out. Located in the Avondale area is Hot Diggity Dogs.

It is located in the same building as Fancy’s on 5th. It is located on the second floor, looking at the building head on you may not notice the side door. I actually missed it the first time I walked by.

As I was walking up the stairs I could smell the hot dogs on the grill. I sat at the counter so I could watch everything being made.

  

I looked over their options. All the hot dogs are 100% Kosher beef. I wanted a simple, plain hot dog. Nothing on it. I wanted to be able to taste the beef flavor. I also got a side of tater tots.

The hot dog bun was not typical. It was more like big slices of bread. The hot dog did have great meaty flavor. It was satisfying. The tots also hit the spot.

While I was watching them cook, I noticed they were making homemade pork rinds. That was the coolest thing I have ever watched being made. They take slices of pig skin and just dump them in the hot frying oil. Then they puff up to be airy and crunchy.

The cook was super sweet and gave me a few to try. They were really good. The flavor was smoky tasting. Even though they were fried, they were not greasy. I would recommend ordering these because they taste great and it is not something you see on a menu very often.

There was another surprise in Hot Diggity Dogs that I was not expecting. In the corner of the restaurant was a blue phone booth (a Tardis for all those Doctor Who fans out there).

What I learned was this Tardis was the secret entrance to a speakeasy called The Marble Ring. You needed to call using the phone inside the booth to see if you would be allowed in.

If you are lucky enough another door will open to let you in. I was not lucky that night, so I could not go in. Looks like I have to try again.

If you are craving a hot dog, then head to Hot Diggity Dogs. Visit their website at http://hotdiggitydogsbham.com/

Enjoy!

T

The Floridian – Treasure Island, FL

There is a restaurant in Treasure Island, Florida, not far from Tampa, that has been serving up Cuban sandwiches since 1993. They have won several awards including being voted “Best Cuban Sandwich in Tampa Bay”. At the suggestion of some great friends, we went to The Floridian to see what they were all about.

It is a small place that has a few tables inside and a large patio so customers can eat outside. That is where we ended up sitting.

Ordering is simple, just go up to the counter and tell them what you want. They make everything right there in front of you.

  

I was lucky enough to get a picture with the guys making my sandwich.

The Cuban sandwich had all the necessary ingredients: sliced ham, spiced pork, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, and pickles. It was served on a toasted roll with mustard and mayo. The bread was extremely fresh and toasted perfectly. It had great crunch when I took a bite. Since the sandwich was warm, the meat was warm and it slightly melted the cheese. The flavors of the meats worked extremely well together. The mustard and mayo was mixed together for a creamier texture. I am not a mustard fan but the way they prepared the mixture made me fall in love with mustard.

I have had several Cuban sandwiches in and out of Florida and I agree with all the reports – this was the best I ever had. And as you can see from the picture, my friend Hunter agrees with me.

The Floridian has several other things on their menu besides Cuban sandwiches. The black beans and rice looked really tasty. I tried an item called a stuffed potato. I was very curious what this was.

It was a simple item, mashed potatoes that were stuffed with spiced beef. It was then lightly breaded and fried. It reminded me of croquettes that I have had before but instead of ham and cheese it was the spiced beef.

  

I really enjoyed this dish. The taste of the meat was amazing and was not too spicy. It was simple but it pack a lot of flavor. An order only came with one potato ball but I could have eaten a few more. I would highly recommend this item.

The Floridian is a great place and I am so glad my friends took me here. I will definitely stop by again when I am in the area. Check them out at http://www.floridianrestaurant.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

 

Beverly’s Restaurant – St. Pete Beach, FL

Before spending the day at the beach it is important to start off with a good breakfast. Beverly’s has been serving up hearty breakfasts since 1989.

It is a simple place that had people lined up outside waiting for a table, including myself.

They serve all the classic diner dishes. I went for a simple breakfast, eggs, grits, bacon, and toast. I got my eggs scrambled and mixed in the crunchy bacon. The grits were ok but I needed to add butter to them to make them a little creamier and saltier.

I did not get the homefries but I heard they were pretty popular. I was able to try a few off of my friend’s plate. They had great flavor from the seasoning they used. It tasted like they used a little chili powder and paprika.

Watching what the other customers were ordering it appeared that the pancakes and waffles were pretty popular. The pancakes were huge, practically the size of the whole plate they arrived on. The waffles came with tons of whipped cream on top, plus you can add chocolate chips.

The menu also includes several deli sandwiches that sounded good. However, you have to get there early because they are only open till 2:00pm.

Check them out at http://beverlysotb.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

 

Casa Fiesta – Fultondale, AL

I was recently in the Fultondale, Alabama area around lunchtime. There is this Mexican restaurant called Casa Fiesta that always has a line to get in. I decided to finally check them out.

I was greeted as soon as I walked in. The staff was extremely friendly and very attentive. They had some unique décor around the restaurant, including a fish tank right at the front door.

  

My favorite decoration was the Mayan calendar that was metal and made into a wall lamp.

They had many great option to choose from on the menu. I wish I was there for happy hour because they have $3 margaritas! The waiter greeted the table with chips and salsa. Their chips were great because they were thin, which is what I prefer. Their salsa was slightly spicy and the tomatoes and green chilies were pureed very fine. Eating this became pretty addicting and if I was not careful I would fill up on the chips and salsa and not have room for lunch.

Since I was there for lunch I went for something off of the lunch menu. Usually the portions are a little smaller. But that was not the case here; the portions were still huge. I got the beef burrito and it was stuffed with flavorful ground beef. They were very generous with the amount of meat they used. The sauce that was poured on top tasted a lot like their salsa. The only disappointing thing was that there was no cheese on the inside of the burrito.

The burrito came with the traditional Mexican sides of refried beans and rice. The rice had a ton of flavor and it had lima beans mixed in. I have never had that before. The refried beans were extremely creamy. I enjoyed eating these with the extra tortilla chips that were at the table.

There are lots of Mexican restaurants around Birmingham. The hard part is narrowing them down to the best ones. If you are in the Fultondale area, then Casa Fiesta should be on your list. They also have two other locations around town.

Check out their menu at http://www.casafiestamexican.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

Fancy’s on 5th – Birmingham, AL

The Avondale area of Birmingham is booming. It is one of the hot spots every weekend. Fancy’s on 5th was the place to be on the evening I visited.

They have called Avondale home for a year and a half. It is an amazing old building with brick walls and reclaimed wood everywhere. They have a beautiful reclaimed wood sign that bares their name on the wall.

I noticed there were several octopus decorations around the restaurant, including the bathrooms. I asked my bartender Megan what that was all about. It turns out that the octopus is the mascot of the restaurant named “Octavius”. There us a neon purple one above the bar and one hanging from the ceiling above a big corner table.

  

It was a mad house inside the evening I was there because the Travel Channel was there filming for an upcoming show. My bartender was participating in the filming. She was not 100% sure which show it was going to be on but she thought it was Food Paradise.

It was so interesting watching them do the filming. They started out filming outside with a plate of food.

    

Then they moved inside by the bar with another plate of food.

  

Finally one of the crew members attached a Go-Pro camera to a plate and walked it around the restaurant filming everyone inside.

It was a wild experience and so much fun to get to see it all up close and personal.

Now I did not just go to Fancy’s to sit and watch the filming. I was there to enjoy some great food and cocktails. While I decided what food to order I got a cocktail called the Peachy Pig. This was a bourbon based drink with white peach puree, bacon syrup, Peychaud, and orange bitters. In order to get the orange bitters in the drink the bartender lite the orange rind with a lighter until there was a pop and then dropped it in the drink. Apparently by doing this technique it is supposed to enhance the flavor. I could taste mostly the bourbon in this cocktail. The peach puree added only a slight sweetness. I thought the bacon syrup would come through but I really did not taste any of it.

To start with food, the scallops were highly recommended to me by some other guests. They were large in size and were pan seared. They sat on top of a corn maque choux.

The sear was perfect on the scallops, which were tender and sweet. The corn mixture made it even sweeter. It was like a creamed corn.

By this point it was time for another cocktail. Megan was really great at creating unique elaborate drinks so I let her chose a drink for me. She prepared for me the Boulevardier. This is a whiskey based cocktail made with sweet vermouth, Campari, and orange bitters. The orange bitters were added the exact same way to this drink as the previous. I was actually able to capture this on camera this time.

  

She served it in that classic looking 1960s champagne glass. This was a strong drink. It was a good thing I had some food on my stomach, otherwise I would have been in trouble.

  

The next food item on my list was the Mexican street corn. It was a whole corn on the cob that was on a stick.

The corn had been grilled and was covered with red peppers and cheese. The cheese made it a little salty but the corn was extremely sweet. It was amazing.

Since it was served on a stick it was pretty easy to eat and not very messy.

The final drink of the evening that Megan made me was the Sazerac. This drink originated in New Orleans. It started off with the glass being sprayed with Absinthe. Then it was a mixture of whiskey and Peychauds bitters.

  

This drink was even stronger than the last. It was the Absinthe that gave the drink some bite after each sip. I am glad I tried the drink but I do not think I could handle it again.

I had a blast at Fancy’s. The food and drinks were great. The staff was extremely friendly. I am looking forward to seeing them on the Travel Channel. Check them out at http://www.fancyson5th.com/

Enjoy!

T