Random Taste for Thursday 5/26/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR AMBIANCE
WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR DRINK

Establishment:  The Alchemist
Location:  in the Eucalyptus Gardens in Wilton Manors
Meal:  Sunday Brunch
Drink:  Hot Chocolate (deconstructed)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Breakfast Croissant
turkey, egg and avocado 
Side(s):  Homemade Toast
with fresh strawberry jam
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  unknown (kind of counter style)
Website:  http://www.thealchemist.cafe/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Thealchemistcands/

Nestled in the corner of a compound ... which itself is tucked away behind a super old strip mall and a nondescript big parking lot ... sits The Alchemist -- just one of several businesses sharing space in what is called the Eucalyptus Gardens which includes a few other eateries, an antiques store, an "art walk" and a farmers' market (warning:  not all nooks and corners are open every day of the week).  It's a "coffee shop PLUS" kind of place known for its freshly ground coffees (and iced coffees replete with coffee ice cubes) ... and is cutesy and trendy (enough so that some elderly folks seemed confused by the concept) with a unique hot chocolate that I simply adored.  To whit ... here's the way it scored:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it's telling that there are more pictures about the surroundings than there are of the food ... because one of the big reasons to find this little corner of the world is for the people-watching and the surroundings-watching -- where you can look every which way and see something new and interesting with every glance ... it's exactly what you want an outdoor brunch spot in sunny Ft. Lauderdale to be)
FOOD:            9/10 (who cares about the food when the hot chocolate arrives as steamed milk and a swiss roll type hunk of chocolate that you make yourself by dunking it into the mug while you wait for it to melt [the longer you wait, the more your patience is rewarded because the chocolatey-er it gets] ... but yes, the fresh strawberry jam is the perfect topping for the toasted homemade bread ... just one point lost for the croissant sandwich that could have used a bit more heft)
SERVICE:      8/10 (the person taking the order was very chatty and cheerful [although she didn't give her name] with a great line -- "take your number and go sit somewhere and look hungry" -- and every other employee along the way was similarly pleasant ... but a point lost for not providing paper receipts and a second one lost for not having a more manageable line for the rush [a good problem to have ... but one that could use a little attention])
BACON:         3/10 (not a single piece of bacon for breakfast?  I know that there's a preference toward the healthy side of things at this place, but really?  no bacon choices at all?  ... out of deference to the "crunchy" and "granola-esque" vibe, I'll grant just a few points)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that deconstructed hot chocolate [which is already a contender for best drink of the year], +3 for being full with a line of people waiting but NOT moving the sleeping cat from his [or her] perch in the sun, +3 for the coolness factor and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return -- just maybe not at the height of Sunday brunch)

TroyScore:  40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a low B (but that hot chocolate gets its own 100!)

Random Taste for Thursday 5/19/16

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

Establishment:  Shinju Japanese Buffet
Location:  Coral Springs
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Sapporo!
Round 1:  Assorted Sushi
Round 2:  Soups
egg drop, wonton
Round 3:  Cold plate
seaweed salad, calimari, shrimp cocktail, raw oysters, raw wahoo and more
Round 4:  Hot plate 
mongolian beef, bbq ribs, teriyaki salmon, shrimp tempura and fried rice
Round 5:  Soup Reprise
wonton
Round 6:  Dessert
sugar free cookies and cream ice cream and assorted sweets
Round 7:  Sake!
Server:  Me!  ('cause it was buffet style!)
Website:  http://www.sjbuffet.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shinju-Japanese-Buffet/111742585529292

For the first time in this series, it's buffet time!  And yet again this location ended up being a bit of a happy accident (which, comes to think of it, sounds like it might be the name of one of the sushi creations), because the original Japanese buffet choice was closed for renovations  Luckily, there are multiple Japanese buffets within a few miles (who knew?)!  Lookit -- no judgement about the multi-course approach to this meal.  It's a buffet.  You're *supposed* to go back again (and again [and again {and again}])!  Here's how all those trips added up:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (with plenty of seating and what seemed like endless rows of food in the middle of the space, the most amazing thing may just have been how sparkling clean the buffet area was ... and with it not being super crowded on the weeknight, it was perfect for being able to pause between rounds for conversation with good friends)
FOOD:            9/10 (admittedly, I'm not so sophisticated to truly appreciate the varieties of sushi [the plate I had was one of everything on just 1/3 of the line -- the other 2/3s went unsampled by me], but the soups were so delicious I actually went back for seconds just before dessert ... and I barely scratched the surface of all that was available ... a point lost for the cold plate [which may have been more about my choices and personal preferences about cold vs hot food])
SERVICE:      9/10 (those tasked with removing the plates so that passers-by didn't know [and judge] anyone who might have gone seven rounds in one evening were right on top of doing so ... and she who got the drinks was nice and friendly ... just a point lost for the hibachi man looking too intimidating for me to ask him to do anything [a missed opportunity for what could have been an EIGHTH round]) 
BACON:         5/10 (I have to stop going to these places that don't have a speck of bacon anywhere ... but I guess the pork in the dumplings will have to count for something)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for playing the extended dance remix of the happy birthday song on the audio for the poor customer celebrating, +3 for serving me Sapporo again [a drink from my youth that I liked because of how the "flavor used to disappear in my throat as I swallowed"], +3 for not making us feel rushed despite being one of the last tables still buffet-ing at closing time and +1 for being a place to which we will return, if only to get the hibachi action started on the next visit)

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a solid B

Random Taste for Thursday 5/12/16

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

Establishment:  Sage French Cafe
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Sunday Brunch
Drink:  (Complimentary!) Mimosa
Appetizer:  Fresh Croissant
Main 1:  Le Steak Anglais
Grilled tenderloin, grilled tomato, mushrooms, poached eggs, potatoes
Main 2:  Crepe Languedoc 
Sausage, garlic, apples, tomatoes, cheese
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Gregory B (but I will think of him as French Iain [sorry Iain M ... I didn't get a photo of him], because he looked like a former co-worker of mine)
Website:  http://www.sagecafe.net/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sagecafe.fortlauderdale

I know it's not usual to have multiple main dishes (although I did it recently for the Italian feast a few weeks ago), but at Sunday brunch, the rules can be loosened, aided on by the free mimosa -- which is good, because I actually liked the dish I'm calling the first main (and giving the primary photo slot) better even though I had officially ordered the second one.  Halfway through the meal, we switched plates so that I got a chance to taste half of each.  'Cause teamwork ... and Sunday brunch ... (and mimosas) ...  

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (I do like a place with the option for outdoor seating, but I also got a peek at the inside and this one [in a strip mall, as so many restaurants are in Florida] was very cute, with a piano in the corner inside that I'm sure adds a nice touch during the times when it is played ... and it was good for people watching, including an elderly gentleman customer who started doing tableside magic tricks for the staff ... however, a point has to be deducted for not changing out the dead potted plant that sat next to my seat during the whole meal [see photo below]) 
FOOD:            9/10 (the croissant was extremely flaky [although not quite as hot as I was warned it would be] ... and the crepe was clearly quality with a beefy tomato sauce that had a spicy kick as an aftertaste [which was excellent in its own right but not quite breakfasty enough for my taste] ... the steak and eggs dish was delicious and the roma tomato with pesto on top was deserving of high praise ... plus -- fresh fruit on the side ... there was not a doubt that care and pride went into each creation, and there's just one point lost for a lack of seasoning on the steak)
SERVICE:      8/10 (I often wonder if the servers at a restaurant of a certain cuisine are acting the accent the customers expect ... but this one seemed French enough, whether authentic or not ... that being said, a point is lost because I had to grab my own salt and pepper for the outside table midway through the meal [they didn't have enough for all of them], and because the server delivering the food asked our party if we were table five and, after all, as the customer, I had no way to answer her)
BACON:         3/10 (for a series of mine, you would think I'd be going to restaurants that featured more bacon dishes ... but this is yet another one where it was barely on the menu -- I'll give a few points for having Canadian Bacon on a dish I didn't order)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having a nice quality pen to be used to sign the check, another +3 for being an establishment that, after you pay that check, you actually stop and think about how you got a really great deal when considering quality and cost, and a final +3 for the busboy who made the table stop wobbling before we even realized it was wobbly in the first place [despite me being tempted to penalize him for wearing a man-bun], and a +1 for being a place to which we would return -- if only to eat at its sister location Qbar next door, which DOES have lots of bacon on its menu)

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

Random Taste for Thursday 5/5/16

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

Establishment:  Tequila Sunrise Mexican Grill
Location:  Oakland Park
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Frozen Tequila Sunrise Margarita with salted rim
Appetizer:  Chips and Salsa (and Guac)
Main:  Chicken And Steak Fajita
sauteed onions, green and red bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes with chicken and steak 
Side(s):  Tortillas, Cheese, Sour Cream and Pico de Gallo
Dessert:  Fried Ice Cream
Server:  Ali
Website:  http://tequilasunrise.us/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TequilaSunriseMexicanGrill/

Funny thing ... up until the afternoon of the day our party ate here (actually on cuatro de Mayo ... knowing full well that the post would show up on cinco), we were planning to eat at a different place (which may yet show up as one of the fifty, so I won't jinx it by naming it yet) only to find out that the other place was closed on Wednesdays (the day we were all meeting and eating).  And it's a good thing that happened, because this eating establishment ended up with one of the top three scores to date.  Here's how it got to that number:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (one of the great things about the place is that it filled up quickly, and yet it never felt crowded with it's bar, tables around it, a separate dining room area AND outdoor seating ... and it had [almost] everything you'd expect to find as decorations [except a Mexican blanket, which was a topic of the conversation at one point and so we were hoping to locate one hanging from the rafters] ... 
FOOD:            10/10 (my go-to at Mexican restaurants is the fajitas [what can I say?  I'm addicted to the sizzle] and the combo was well seasoned and extra tasty and there was enough to go around to fill FIVE tortillas ... then came the dessert, which I shared with the other three in our group [although they were restricted to just one spoonful apiece] ... I don't think a single person in our group left a morsel on their plates, which says a lot)
SERVICE:      10/10 (there's nothing but good things to say about the young woman who played the role of server ... seventeen weeks in to this series, and she's in the running for one of the best of the year so far ... she came across like she *wanted* to be there and that she *enjoyed* her job ... with a smile every step of the way, she hung back at the beginning to allow our party time to reconnect, was right on top of every step of the order taking process, stopped back just often enough during the meal, and chatted personally with our group for a few minutes at the beginning and the end of the experience without any sense of rushing)
BACON:         5/10 (this is the second Mexican restaurant in this series, and I'll say here what I said for the last one:  "it's a tricky category, as traditional authentic Mexican food is more about the fresh ingredients ... and although the menu includes many references to pork and carnitas and such, the reality is that I didn't see a single reference to bacon on the menu ... out of sensitivity to the culture and because of the high scores in all the other categories, I'll put a few points on the board") 
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 again for the hospitality the server showed, +3 for having big-sized booths that comfortably fit four adults, +3 for the alcohol and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return)

TroyScore:  45 out of 50 -- aka 90, a low A (one of only three As given to date ...)