During the crazy time of the virus shutdown, being able to write about restaurants was impossible. But food trucks were open and rolling all around town. I was excited that I got to try Got Dessert two different times.
The first time I enjoyed them was when I visited a local blueberry farm. They were offering a few blueberry themed desserts.
The blueberry mini pie was delicious. It was both sweet and tart. It was slightly warm, which made the filling even better. The crust was crispy which went well with the soft filling.
But I could not settle for only one blueberry dessert. I needed to try their blueberry sundae too. The creamy, soft serve vanilla ice cream was covered in a fresh blueberry compote. It was also sweet and sour, but the sweetness of the ice cream toned down the sour taste.
A different day I was able to check out Got Dessert at a different location. They had a completely different menu for this visit.
I tired the mini chocolate pie. The crispy pie shell was filled with a creamy chocolate pudding. It was topped with a meringue that was firm to the touch but light and fluffy to taste. It added texture to the pudding that traditional whipped cream would not have done.
I really liked that I was able to visit Got Dessert on two different occasions. They do have great desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth.
The pandemic that we have all been facing has affected every single person in one way or another. One area hit hardest has been restaurants. I have been trying to do my part by getting take out from local establishments. La Imperial Bakery is one of those local places.
This Puerto Rican restaurant was having a “Hard Times” menu with specials that I thought I would check out.
One of the items on the menu was a chicken and rice soup. The chicken broth had a great salty taste. It was filled with fresh carrots and onions, plus a ton of fresh chicken breast meat that was shredded. They served a slice of toast on the side. This was no ordinary toast. They pressed a slice of Cuban bread extremely thin until it got extra crispy and savory from the butter they added.
I also got the half Cuban special. This was a half Cuban sandwich served with a side of rice and beans. The Cuban sandwich was on the delicious, fresh Cuban bread. It was the perfect proportion of ham, pulled pork, and cheese. The rice and beans were full of flavor and the perfect accent to the sandwich.
They were also running a BOGO special on their homemade pastries. They had several to choose from.
The Guava and Cheese Pie was crispy and sweet. The filling of cream cheese and guava paste was very sweet together. The two different textures did go well together. The pastry shell was light and flakey. It reminded me of a turnover. I ended up warming it slightly in the microwave. This made the cheese a little softer and easier to eat than being cold.
The other dessert was the Cream Filled Horn. This was light and fluffy whipped cream stuffed in a crispy pastry shell. They sprinkled powdered sugar on top for added sweetness. I really liked the flavor of the cream. It was messy to eat, but totally worth it.
I am glad that I could help a local restaurant during these difficult times. I am looking forward to when everything gets back to normal and I can go to enjoy one of their many other dishes that they normally have on their menu,
Downtown 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.
The name of this truck says it all. They are all about
bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon. It was a hard choice for me of what to try, it
all looked delicious.
I went for the Fat
Tony Tater Tots. These were crispy fried tater tots that were smothered in
their homemade mac and cheese. Then they were topped with a ton of crumbled
bacon.
The mac and cheese was so creamy. They used so much cheese,
which is what made it so good. I also loved how much bacon they used. It was so
crispy. Each bite had bacon in it, adding a great crunch.
This is a Venezuelan food truck. I ordered the Arepazo
special. Arepa is a flat corn bread
that is stuffed with different meats and cheeses. The special arepa I ordered
came stuffed with pork, beef, and chicken along with gouda cheese.
The corn bread was like a shell. It was soft and had a nice
corn taste. It was a little sweet which paired well with the saltiness of the
meats. I also loved how much cheese they used. The creaminess went so well with
the corn bread.
I also got two of their empanadas. I got one pollo (chicken) and one carne (beef). Both the chicken and beef were shredded. The empanada shell was deep fried until crispy. The dough was slightly sweet. It helped hold in the heat, so each bite of the meat was hot. The meats were full of flavor from the spices they used to tenderize the meat.
The owners of this fun food truck are originally from New
Jersey. This inspired them to bring a bit of the Jersey Shore to Florida. And
when I think of the shore, I remember all the fun times I had on the boardwalk
eating French fries. So it was only fitting that I order one of their French fry
options.
The bleu cheese fries looked really yummy. They took crispy French
fries and tossed them with Buffalo wing sauce. Then they covered it in bleu
cheese sauce with extra bleu cheese crumbles. These fries tasted just like
chicken wings. The tangy vinegar taste from the wing sauce was minimized by the
creamy bleu cheese sauce.
This food truck offers up Nicaraguan cuisine. I do not remember
ever trying Nicaraguan food so I was looking forward to trying something. I
ordered the Cerdo Asado. This meal
included charbroiled pork in an achiote rub. It came with white rice, a tangy
slaw, and fried plantains. I also got a side of homemade Chimichurri sauce.
The pork was tender and the seasoning on it was fantastic.
It was very impactful. It reminded me almost like a blackening seasoning. I
drizzled the Chimichurri sauce over the pork and rice. The sauce added even
more flavor to the dish. It had a salty and herby taste.
The slaw was very interesting. It was very sour tasting. It reminded me of a Korean Kimchi. The fried plantains were very sweet. They were cooked up just how I like them. I enjoy ripe plantains in all cuisines, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican. They are the perfect side dish.
I was not sure what to expect when I walked up to Spontaneous
Consumption. Their name did not really hint at what they would be serving. When
I saw their sign for loaded baked potatoes they grabbed my attention. I had not
had a loaded potato in a while. Then when I saw their Philly Potato on the
n=menu I knew this is where I was going to eat.
This one pound potato was covered with tender beef steak, grilled onions and peppers, tons of cheese, sour cream, and green onions. The potato was full of flavor. The beef was tender and tasted great with the onions and peppers. It was as if I was eating a cheese steak. I liked that they used shredded cheddar cheese rather than a cheese sauce. It prevented it from being messy to eat. The sour cream just added extra creaminess. Table
There is a shopping area on the south side of Lakeland that has several little local restaurants. This is where I found Thai Oishi.
They are a
fairly small inside, so they fill up quickly. They have an extensive menu that
offers Thai dishes as well as sushi options.
I started off with two appetizers. They were small so it allowed everyone at the table to enjoy the taste. The coconut shrimp came out first. They were slightly butterflied. They were covered in coconut flakes that fried up very crispy. There was a nice sweet taste to the coconut. The sweet chili sauce for dipping was amazing. The slight hint of heat paired well with the sweetness of the coconut.
The other appetizer was the steamed dumplings. These wonton wrappers were filled with ground chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts for a slight crunch, carrots and peas. They steamed the dumplings up in a bamboo steamer.
Then they
were topped with fried garlic and scallions. A ginger soy sauce was served on
the side. The ginger added extra flavor to a generic soy sauce. The filling for
the dumplings was tender and very moist. I enjoyed them more when I dipped them
in the ginger soy sauce.
Rather than getting my usual ginger salad, I decided to change and try something else. I ordered the cucumber salad. This was fresh cucumber chopped up with tomatoes, scallions, carrots, and onions. A sweet tangy Thai dressing was drizzled on top.
The
cucumbers and tomatoes made this salad extremely fresh. The flavor of the
dressing went so well with these vegetables. It was sweeter rather than tangy.
What I
really enjoy about Asian restaurants is that their dishes can be shared family
style. That is exactly what was done on this visit.
The Thai fried rice came out first. This stir fired rice was cooked up with egg, scallions, carrots, tomato, cucumber, and broccoli. I got pork added in for extra flavor and a little protein. The flavor of the rice was delicious. There was a slight smokey taste from being cooked up. The vegetables helped make the dish filling.
The second dish was the Lad Na. This was a stir-fried rice noodle. The rice noodles were a medium thickness and it absorbed the flavor from the sauce. They loaded this dish with broccoli, carrots, and diced up chicken. The chicken was very tender. The sauce that they put on this dish had a nice garlic taste with a hint of soy sauce and ginger.
I really enjoyed my dinner at Thai Oishi. I would want to go back to try a few other dishes as well as some sushi. Check them out at www.thaioishirestaurant.com
Downtown Lakeland is seeing growth of so many new bars and restaurants. Nineteen Sixty-One is one of the newest openings. They were originally located in a smaller location in Lakeland, but popularity has allowed them to expand and open downtown. They offer up a wonderful selection of Latin influenced dishes.
I visited them on a Sunday so that I could enjoy their brunch. And what goes best with brunch, bottomless mimosas. They offer a few different flavors. I enjoyed the traditional orange juice and then a few pineapple juices.
I started off with an order of the Croquetas de Jamon. These croquetas were filled with creamy mashed potatoes and a mixture of creamy Manchego cheese and Serrano ham. They placed a guava glaze on the plate. This added a sweet element to the salty croqueta. It was the perfect balance. I loved how creamy they were. The ham gave it an overall savory flavor.
For my meal I ordered the Torrejas. This is the Spanish version of French toast. They took Cuban bread and soaked it in a custard. After pan frying the slices of bread they covered each piece with roasted pineapples and warm honey.
This was no ordinary French toast. The dish overall was sweet, almost like a dessert. Whatever was in the custard, it really gave the bread amazing flavor. It was really good by itself. The honey just added additional sweetness. The pineapple was also sweet but did add a hint of tartness because of the acidic acid found in the pineapple.
The serving size was pretty big so you could share this with someone if you wanted to.
They have a great brunch menu that has traditional breakfast items as well as some hearty options. One dish that looked good was the Nashville hot chicken. Many people were ordering this. I would be curious to try it and see how close it was to actual Nashville hot chicken.
I really enjoyed my brunch at Nineteen Sixty-One. I would definitely
go back. I would also like to check out their roof top bar.
If you heard there was a deli that served up freshly made bagels, cannoli, and pork roll sandwiches, where would you expect to find this place? In New York or New Jersey perhaps? Well I found this deli in Lakeland, Florida. Uncle Nick’s is owned by a family that is originally from New York.
It is a great neighborhood place that sells everything from sausages and cold cuts to pastries. They bring in cookies from an Italian bakery in New Jersey.
They even have cheesecake from Juniors in New York City. Since I have been to the actual Juniors location I was excited to see this treat.
Since I was there around breakfast time I decided to get a pork roll sandwich on a homemade Kaiser roll. They toasted up the roll and fried the pork roll until it was nice and crispy. They placed it on top of a fresh fried egg and cheese. It was a great sandwich, especially since it was freshly made. The layered slices of the salty pork roll tasted so well with the creamy American cheese. The fried egg helped make this sandwich filling. It was just like what I have gotten in New Jersey.
I did visit Uncle Nick’s a second time for breakfast a few weeks later. This time I got the pork roll sandwich on one of their homemade bagels. I chose the Cheesy Everything bagel. It has a great crispy outside because of the melted cheese. It also had a great savory flavor of garlic that paired so well with the salty pork roll. This time I also had ketchup added to the sandwich. I did not have this last time. Apparently, this is the proper way to enjoy a pork roll sandwich. To my surprise, the ketchup tasted well with all elements of the sandwich, including the fried egg.
This deli is a great find in Lakeland. They are a great place to grab something to eat, either there or to go. The entire staff is friendly and welcoming. They treat you like family as soon as you walk in. Check them out at www.unclenicksbagels.com
Lakeland is located in Central Florida in between Tampa and Orlando. It is home to many lakes, hence the name. Downtown you will find Lake Mirror, breweries, cigar bars, food trucks, craft shops, and so many other great things to see and do.
The Terrace Hotel is one of those places that is a must visit in downtown Lakeland. It is a hotel from 1924 that has been restored to its former glory.
Located inside the hotel is the Terrace Grille. They serve a nice Sunday brunch.
Naturally I started off with a mimosa. If you have read my blog before, anytime I have brunch, having a mimosa is a must.
There were several items on the menu that peaked my interest, including a quiche. I was feeling like pancakes so I ordered their classic breakfast because it came with pancakes.
I got my eggs scrambled with a side of crispy bacon. The pancakes were the perfect petite size. I tried them before I put maple syrup on them. They were very sweet. I have never tasted a batter like this before. Adding butter to them put a salty complement to the taste. I put a little maple syrup on some bites to add even more sweetness.
This was a really nice place to have brunch with friends. Whether you are staying at the hotel or not, the Terrace Grille is a great spot to get a bite to eat.
Italian food is very comforting with all the cheeses and sauces that cover everything from pastas to meats. After a busy day, I was in the mood for some comfort food. I thought that Palace Italian Restaurant would satisfy that mood.
I had never actually eaten inside the restaurant. In the past I have gotten take out. This time I wanted to eat there. They have amazing murals painted on the walls, many are of famous landmarks around Italy.
Once I sat down my waitress brought over some homemade bread. This was a flat bread that was topped with butter, garlic salt, and Italian seasonings. They also served it with a side of olive oil / chili oil mixture. This gave it a little heat. I preferred the bread by itself because of the great seasoning that it had.
The tortellini soup was the homemade soup of the day when I visited. They change it up every day. The soup was a great chicken broth base that was filled with vegetables, sausage crumbles, and large tortellini. It was a very filling soup; there was a nice comfort feeling to it.
For an appetizer I got the calamari fritti. These fresh calamari were breaded and fried up. The breading was light and crunchy. The calamari were extremely tender. They tasted amazing with the homemade marinara sauce that was served on the side. The bread absorbed the sauce well without making it soggy.
For my dinner I got the Chicken Sorrento. They served a huge chicken breast that was topped with sautéed eggplant, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese. They covered everything with a plum tomato sauce and fresh leaves of basil.
The chicken was tender and still moist. The eggplant was still slightly firm which made it easy to cut. The prosciutto added a nice salty taste to the chicken, while the cheese added a creaminess.
As if the chicken and eggplant were not enough, this dish
also came with a side of spaghetti tossed in their fresh marinara sauce. I
tried it while I was there but naturally I could not finish it. It went
straight to the doggie bag so that I could eat it for lunch the next day.
I also was able to try my friend’s dinner. He got the Veal Saltimbocca. The thinly sliced veal was topped with sautéed prosciutto, spinach, and fontina cheese. Then it was covered in a white wine sauce.
The sauce was extremely creamy and had an amazing flavor. They also put the same sauce on a side of spaghetti. The veal was very tender. The spinach added an earthy taste while the prosciutto added saltiness and texture. I am really glad I got to try this.
The dinner portions are large at Palace Italian Restaurant.
They can easily be shared almost family style. The flavors were wonderful. Next
time I visit I want to make sure I try one of their pizzas.
There is a great neighborhood bar in Lakeland, Florida called 716 Burgers & Brew. This bar is tucked away off the main road, in between neighborhoods and golf courses. This is the type of place where all the locals go to hang out. Everyone knows each other.
If you are a Buffalo Bills fan (or any team from Buffalo) this is the perfect hangout for you. See the owners of the bar, Bo and Lisa, are from Buffalo. This is why it is called 716 – it is the area code for Buffalo. I think it is a clever name and really helps it stand out from all those chains out there.
Keeping with the Buffalo theme, their happy hour is offered from 3:11-7:16. Again, these are both area codes for Buffalo.
To enjoy the football games on TV, I ordered a few things off their menu. I started with the chili cheese fries.
The crispy fries were covered with salty chili that was loaded with beans. Then smothered on top was melted nacho cheese. I love it when cheese fries use liquid cheese. It makes the fries so much better because every bite is covered in cheese. What put these fries over the top was the crispy pieces of bacon that were sprinkled all over.
To wash down these fries, I enjoyed some new Malibu Rum cocktails. They came in cans but I drank mine over ice. They were really refreshing. I tried two flavors:
(1) Pineapple
(2) Strawberry Kiwi
When halftime for the game rolled around it was time to order some chicken wings. I was able to et them naked and extra crispy. I like my wings to be cooked well done so the skin is crispy. I ordered all flats (also another one of my personal preferences). They cost a little extra but that is typical. I got two different flavors:
(1) Bourbon BBQ
(2) Traditional Buffalo Hot sauce
The Bourbon BBQ sauce was nice and sweet. It almost reminded me of a Thai chili sauce, only a little darker and thicker.
I could not go to a Buffalo bar without getting traditional Buffalo wings. I got them hot because I like a little heat. It had a great ting as I ate them.
716 is a fun and friendly place to check out. Their food was great and the menu is much larger than a typical bar. I definitely plan on checking them out again. You should make a stop to 716 to watch a football game or on a Wednesday to check out karaoke night.
Follow them on Facebook at 716burgersandbrew because their website is still being built.
I did not expect to find a little piece of New Orleans in downtown Lakeland, Florida, but that I what I found with Harry’s. I was given a big “Crescent City” welcome when I walked through the door. I took a seat at the bar which was clearly the hot spot.
I started off with one of Harry’s signature cocktails. They had several options that sounded good but I went for the “Big Easy”. It was a combination of spiced rum, whiskey, amaretto, banana liquor, Midori, and pineapple juice. It was sweet and the flavors of banana and pineapple are what shinned through.
I glanced over the entire menu and they had all the classic dishes you would find in New Orleans: gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish Étouffée. I saw the boudin balls and knew I had to start with these. For those not familiar with this dish, boudin balls are ground sausage, rice, and Cajun seasonings rolled up in breadcrumbs and fried. These were delicious. The Cajun spice was perfect; they had nice heat that was calmed with the homemade remoulade dipping sauce.
I was going to get another traditional dish, however, I changed my mind when I read about the Crab and Eggplant Napoleon on the menu. I have never seen this dish before. The slices of eggplant were covered in panko breadcrumbs and layered with fresh lump crabmeat. Then it was topped with a creamy parmesan basil sauce.
Each component was perfect on their own. The eggplant was thinly sliced and only dusted with the breadcrumbs so that there was a slight crunch. The crabmeat was sweet and moist, extremely fresh. Now to combine both with that decadent cream sauce, the taste was magnificent. Because of the cream sauce the dish is a little rich, so I would recommend sharing this with someone.
The other callout that I had to make about Harry’s is their fresh, homemade bread. It is light and fluffy on the inside with a crispy crust. It comes out hot which makes it tasty. Be sure to try their garlic butter too. Smother the butter on the bread while it is still hot. You will not be disappointed.
Harry’s has a few locations around central Florida. Find a location at www.hookedonharrys.com
