Tag: Bradenton

I went with a group of friends to a local brewery after a long day of meetings. This brewery goes by the name 3 Keys Brewing.

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They had a nice assortment of beers on tap.

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I went for one of their sour beers called Fruit Flayer. This beer was aged with raspberries in a wine barrel. Even though it was aged with raspberries it was not as sweet or tart as a Framboise Belgian beer. It was not overly sour either. It was refreshing on a hot Florida afternoon.

For my lunch I ordered something I have never seen before, a grilled cheese waffle sandwich. This sandwich litterly was two small waffles with slices of melted cheddar cheese and fresh tomato in the middle.

The waffle was slightly sweet and was crispy from being grilled up. They used a generous amount of cheese that just oozed out when I took a bite. The tomato added a little texture and helped cut some of the creaminess from the cheese.

And what goes better with a grilled cheese sandwich than a warm bowl of soup. I chose “The Soup”, that is what it’s called. It is a chicken soup with cauliflower, orange and yellow carrots, and broccoli all in a creamy Buffalo broth.

It was an interesting soup, starting with the ingredients. I normally do not see soups with cauliflower and broccoli in them. The texture of the soup was like a chili. The flavor from the Buffalo sauce that was in it was nothing like a chicken wing. It had a slight sour taste with slight heat.

This was a nice place to hang out and grab a beer. Their food menu was pretty extensive. I enjoyed my sandwich. Other people in my group got burgers, nachos, pizza, and even a homemade mac and cheese.

If you are in the Bradenton area stop by and check them out. Visit their website at www.3keysbrewing.com

Enjoy!

T

I love Italian food. When I came across a little family owned restaurant called Bella Mia I wanted to make sure I stopped in for lunch.

I was greeted so warmly as soon as I walked in. As I walked to my table I noticed a wall full of pictures. These pictures captured years of customers enjoying the food created at Bella Mia.

The waitress brought over a full plate of garlic knots. This fresh made bread was loaded with melted butter and garlic. They also covered the knots with grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. After just one bite I knew these were addicting. I had to be careful because if I ate too many knots I would not have room for the rest of my lunch.

They offered a few lunch specials in addition to their regular menu. I went for the eggplant rollitini. It came with a side of pasta and a side salad. It was a large portion, especially for lunch.

The salad was a typical side salad. I got it with blue cheese dressing.

The eggplant was fantastic. It was thin slices of tender eggplant that was loaded with Ricotta cheese filling. The pasta sauce had wonderful flavor that was slightly sweet with a tanginess.

They gave a generous portion of pasta on the side. They covered it in the same pasta sauce. It was very filling and almost too much with the eggplant dish. It was rich because of all the cheese.

Bella Mia was a great little local place to get a quick homemade Italian meal. Check them out at http://www.bellamiafl.com

Enjoy!

T

There was this little whole in the wall place I found that served up a combination of Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes – Bangkok Tokyo Restaurant.

It was the perfect place to pop in to grab some lunch with a group of people. We were greeted right away when we walked in. The staff was extremely attentive, always making sure we had everything we needed.

     

I started off with the ginger salad. It has become a staple when I go to an Asian restaurant. This salad was huge compared to the typical salad. Their ginger dressing was great, full of minced ginger that gave both a sweet and tart taste.

We got the pan fried dumplings to share with the table. The dumplings were prepared perfectly with the outside crispy but still soft enough to bite in to. The meaty filling was tender and full of savory flavor. The dumplings tasted great on their own and they were even better when I dipped them into the soy sauce that came with it. The soy sauce had a slight sweet taste.

For my main dish I ordered the Pad Kee Muo (Drunken Noodles). These were a wide, flat rice noodle, scrambled egg, onion, carrots, and bell pepper. I also got it with chicken. It was cooked in a Thai chili sauce.

The sauce was not too spicy, it added a subtle kick. The vegetables added crunch to the dish. The chicken was tender and cut into perfect size pieces. The rice noodles took on the full flavor of the sauce. This is one of the reasons I love rice noodles in Asian dishes.

The table also ordered a shrimp and crab fried rice. The rice was great, full of salty flavors. The shrimp and crab were great add-ons to the rice but not as good as with beef or pork.

When beef and pork are cooked in fried rice, they help add additional flavor, probably from the oils that come out during cooking.

I really enjoyed everything I ate at Bangkok Tokyo. Not only was the food good, it was reasonably priced and came out fast. I would definitely make another visit.  You should check them out at www.bangkoktokyoonline.com

Enjoy!

T

I was getting together with my cousin in Florida for dinner. She left it up to me to pick the place. I found an Italian restaurant called Wheat + Water. It was tucked away in a shopping center in Bradenton.

We were greeted so warmly when we walked in. It was like walking into a family home. As soon as we sat down the waiter brought over some fresh made bread. It was hot which was perfect because I could add butter and it melted into every inch of the bread. There was a crunchy crust and the inside was soft. It was ideal to snack on as I looked over the menu.

I ordered a sangria because they make it homemade. It was red wine based. There were several spices mixed in with the fresh fruit. The flavor reminded me of a mulled wine, just chilled.

We started off with two appetizers for the table. The first were the Risotto Bites. They blended risotto with Italian sausage, sweet peppers, and Pomodoro sauce. Then they are breaded and fried up. They were presented in a paper cone which was fun. It made passing them around the table much easier.

They were very crispy on the outside but when I cut into them the cheese oozed out. The sausage added a savory element. The peppers did add a slight sweetness that balanced out the saltiness from the cheese.

The other appetizer we ordered was the meatballs. This plate was huge. Unless you were making this dish your entire meal, it was definitely meant to be shared. These homemade meatballs were a blend of ground beef, veal, and Italian sausage. They were covered in a Pomodoro sauce. They included huge slices of garlic bread and enormous dollops of fresh Ricotta cheese.

The meatballs were full of flavor. Even with their size the meat was moist and tender. The bite was great just with the sauce however, when I added a little of the creamy Ricotta cheese it took the taste and texture to a new level. The garlic bread was perfect for scooping up the extra sauce and cheese. I could not let anything go to waste.

For my dinner I ordered the Sacchetti all’ Vodka. These were little dumpling like pasta that were filled with Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano cheese. They were then tossed with a vodka tomato cream sauce. There was crispy pancetta mixed throughout the sauce.

The salty cheese blend poured out of the pasta as I cut in. Since the sauce was slightly sweet it helped tone down the overall saltiness. Because of all the cheese in the pasta and the creamy sauce, this dish was rich. Had I not ordered any appetizers I probably would have been able to eat more. Nevertheless the food would not go to waste; I got a to-go-box so I could enjoy for lunch the next day.

My cousin ordered a small pizza. It was a thin crust with tons of pepperoni and sausage. I made sure to at least have a small slice so I could write about it. The pizza dough was slightly sweet. I could taste the smoky flavor because of the wood fire oven. The pepperoni was crispy and the sausage was full of herbs.

I am glad I got to pick the place for dinner since I got to try something new. You should check them out at http://wheatpluswater.com/

Enjoy!

T