Random Taste for Thursday 1/28/16

[My new series for 2016 continues ... with the THIRD of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  The Fish House
Location:  Key Largo (!)
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coca-Cola (in a giant glass)
Appetizer:  New England Clam Chowder and Crabmeat Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Topped with a mixture of cheeses and sherry, then baked
Main:  Baked Stuffed Mahi Mahi (Dolphin)
Today's catch (whole fish bought from local commercial fisherman) stuffed with blue crabmeat stuffing
Side(s):  French Fries
Dessert:  Key Lime Pie
Graham cracker crust, creamy sweet tart key lime filling, topped with lightly browned meringue (the authentic Florida Keys version made daily by Chef Jose)
Server:  Catalina ("like the dressing ... or the island ... or the RV ... or the sailboat ... or the car" she said)
Website:  http://www.fishhouse.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/The-Fish-House-and-Encore-Key-Largo-Florida-Keys-408923158764/

With company in town visiting and nearly two years of southern Florida living with only having gone as far south as Key Biscayne National Park, it was time to take the drive down the Keys.  Since it was just a day trip, we made it as far as Key Largo ... and to the "freshest of fresh fish" restaurant at mile marker 102 ('cause that's how people refer to places in the Keys).  Of course, the irony was not lost that, while eating in the sunny and 71 atmosphere, coverage of winter storm Jonas was on the bar TVs.  Despite learning that mahi mahi was dolphin (that made me sad), almost everything else about the experience was great (the main exception being listed below about the service that was some odd mix of "hurry hurry" and "the Keys are laid back").  Plus, the fried oysters I took off someone else's plate in our party (that's them in the corner of my dish) reminded me pleasantly of the Green Dragon stand back home.

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it was *exactly* how you wanted a fresh fish restaurant in the Keys to look ... and to smell ... and our seat by the bar with the lights all over the ceiling and the assorted Keys tchotchkes was spot on [see photo below])
FOOD:            9/10 (point lost for plates so hot that the middle blue crab stuffing had a layer of char that had to be scraped off, but everything else was fresh [including a bit of sand in the clam chowder ... for which no points are being deducted because that's how damn fresh it was) and delicious ... and oh the key lime pie)
SERVICE:      7/10 (point lost for having to tell the server she should smile [her reply ... "I'm just tyring to get it to you fast"], and a second point lost because when she did smile, she had beautiful dimples [so we were robbed of seeing them the first half of the meal], and a third point lost because she spent time near the end talking to a busboy right in front of the table about how the server minimum wage went up on the first of the year)
BACON:         0/10 (I looked over the menu more than once and couldn't find ANY reference to bacon ... and it seemed like everything I ate could have been even better with bacon added to it ... although perhaps there are no pigs on the Keys?)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for being representative of the Keys, +3 for the fish lesson, +3 for that amazing key lime pie and +1 for being a place to return )

TroyScore:  36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a C (but only because one starts out 20 points behind on my scale when you choose to not serve bacon)

Random Taste for Thursday 1/21/16

[My new series for 2016 continues ... with the SECOND of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  Andrews Diner
Location:  barely in Wilton Manors (just over the river which serves as the border) on Andrews Ave
Meal:  Brunch
Drink:  Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
Appetizer:  not applicable
Main:  Andrews Big 3 (3 pancakes, 3 eggs and 3 meats)
Side(s):  Whole wheat toast
Dessert:  not applicable
Server:  Denise
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Andrews-Diner-120729957938009/

Lately, this place has been in the news for all the right reasons, because it's going to be featured on the Feb 5th edition of American Diner Revival on the Food Network.  With company in town and a day off from work, it was the perfect opportunity to finally stop by a diner we've driven past over and over again to get a sneak peek at what was done.  (Part of the reason we've driven past over and over again without stopping is that they have very limited hours of operation [being open for diner dinner only two nights a week], so they are almost always closed when we drive by.)  It remains to be seen whether our waitress Denise will soon be a TV star or will be left on the cutting room floor (ask her about it), but, in the family owned diner category, it was the right fit for brunch before a trip to the county fair later that day.  And speaking of family owned, my only regret is that we didn't get the owner to explain the assorted photos and stuffed animals at the register ... as I'm certain that they each had special significance to the family.

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (point lost for limited hours of operation ... but other than that, it had just been "revived", so there's that AND we got the second best seat in the house [a booth in the corner where we could observe everything, bested only by a VIP section behind the check out station!)
FOOD:            7/10 (although I thought mine was just fine for diner food and had no complaints, there were those at our table who thought the hashbrowns they ordered could have been crispier and/or better seasoned -- but on a positive side, the omelets made with three extra large eggs they ordered were quite good and the perfect size)
SERVICE:      9/10 (super fast and super friendly and quick to tell a story, but point lost for "hovering" busboys, including one who almost cleared my plate when I still had a piece of bacon on it!)
BACON:         5/10 (yes it was on the menu in multiple places, but the waitress asked me whether I wanted "sausage or bacon" when the answer is clearly always going to be bacon ;( ... and then there was that aforementioned busboy bacon incident)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for being on television in a week or two, +3 for taking an anti-cell-phone stance at dinners and Sunday mornings [see photo below] and +3 for serving breakfast all day and for the low prices)

TroyScore:  39 out of 50 -- aka 78, a high C+

Random Taste for Thursday 1/14/16

[As predicted last week ... here is the FIRST of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR BACON

Establishment:  ROK BRGR
Location:  downtown Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  dinner
Drink:  Bacon Chocolate Manhattan
bacon infused makers | aztec chocolate bitters sweet vermouth | splash of maple syrup | served on the rocks
Appetizer:  not applicable
Main:  Drunken Pretzel Handcrafted Burger (bacon jam added!)
aged vermont cheddar | house made beer mustard fried onion rings | artisan pretzel bun
Side(s):  Loaded Tater Tots
aged cheddar | smoked bacon | sour cream
Dessert:  Reese's Peanut Butter Pie
Server:  Kimberly M
Website:  https://rokbrgr.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/rokbrgr/

In the middle of the busy Himmarshee district down by the river in the FTL, ROK BRGR (part of a corporate food conglomerate of three different restaurants all on the same block) provided outdoor seating next to the street with the lights strung across it (reminding me of Espanola Way in South Beach) ... all the better for the people watching.  (And can I just say that any time I'm down in that part of the FTL watching people, I am pleased at the mix of folks in my city ... hipsters, other old folks, a few really old folks, internationals, pretty people, people trying to get with the pretty people and the bro-society PLUS about the same variety of dogs.)  Another benefit of the outdoor seating ... it wasn't nearly as loud as the indoor seating (where Nick Jonas 'Levels' was being blared ... along with other pop 40 hits).  A downside to outdoor seating ... there was a smoke machine blowing the good food scents out over the sidewalk and into the eating area, which worked up until the point it got annoying.  But enough about the ambiance ... take a look at these photos of the edibles.  Yes, that's bacon in the (sweet sweet) Manhattan, bacon on the burger (which was delicious with its combined ingredients and juicy, but not to the point of running down to your elbows) and bacon jam (yes, I said bacon jam!) added to the burger and oozing out on to the tray in the picture.  Speaking of which, here's my unique scoring/grading scale (which will return every week):

AMBIANCE:  8/10 (points lost for music volume and excess smoke machine blowing)
FOOD:            7/10 (points lost for loaded tots falling apart, a dessert oversold in its description and the sad fact that they do not carry Coke products)
SERVICE:      10/10 (no complaints -- actually super fast delivery of the food)
BACON:         10/10 (ummm ... in the drink, on the burger [twice, counting the jam] and on the side)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for being the first one, in the series, +3 for all the love for bacon and +1 for being a place worthy of a return visit)

TroyScore:  42 out of 50 -- aka 84, a solid B

Random Taste for Thursday 1/7/16

I'm excited to announce the FIRST of a few updates to my daily randomness on this blog for the new year ...

Starting next Thursday, and running for every Thursday all year long, I'm tickled to offer up a new ongoing series called "50 Tastes of Florida".

I could pretend that I want to try my hand at reviewing restaurants ... but really I just want an excuse to eat out at least once a week.  Indeed, that is exactly the goal ... and although I promise that not every thing featured every week will be covered in bacon, I do hope to bring some delectable dishes to the weekly post ... and to offer up some "dish" about local eating establishments (and there may be a bacony thing or two ... in the vein of "know your brand".

The rules are simple ... one NEW place (at which I've never before eaten) each week, with a year end best-of wrap up on Dec 29th.  And although I expect that most places will be within the more immediate tri-county area (Broward, MiamiDade and PalmBeach), I am hoping to expand to other locations within the state as travel plans permit.

So stop back next week to see what will be the first of fifty (eventual) tastes of Florida!

COULD THE FIRST ONE BE FROM THIS BROWARD LIST?:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g34227-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida.html

COULD THE FIRST ONE BE FROM THIS MIAMI DADE LIST?:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g34438-Miami_Florida.html

COULD THE FIRST ONE BE FROM THIS PALM BEACH LIST?:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g34530-Palm_Beach_Florida.html