Random Taste for Thursday 6/1/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the TWENTY-FIRST of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  Shake Shack
Location:  Boca Raton
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  fountain Spr-oke (half sprite, half coke)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Shack Stack (plus Bacon)
(cheeseburger plus a crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce™, plus bacon)
Side(s):  Cheese Fries (plus Bacon)
(fries topped with special blend of cheddar and american cheese sauce, plus bacon)
Dessert:  Glades Donut Frozen Custard
(vanilla custard, the sugar monkey's glazed cake donut, peanut butter sauce and chocolate toffee)Server:   Dante (order-taker)
Website:  https://www.shakeshack.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/shakeshack/

If ever there was a reason for me to believe in destiny, finding myself at a Shake Shack for this ongoing series would suffice.  Some of you outside of the area may know of the expanding chain (that started in NY), but, as of the time of the meal, this location was one of just three in Florida (more are promised).  As to that reference to "destiny", regular readers know that I love me a higher quality burger joint ... one that isn't afraid of the bacon ... and one that takes just as much pride in its ice-cream-style desserts.  In this case, the establishment got on the radar because we were seeking the closest thing we could find locally to the best frozen custard we ever had (shout out to Kopp's in Wisconsin!), so keep on reading to see how the Troy-score shows that we weren't disappointed (and how this is now the best reviewed burger joint of them all).  

(A  bit of housekeeping:  due to publication delays, this review is being retroactively slotted to June 2017 but posted in September 2018 for a meal that was actually eaten and photographed in July 2017.)

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (it was like this:  walk in -- order your food -- and wait to be called [because everything seems to be made to order] in a pleasant enough space with big booths and a full view of the bustling kitchen ... I couldn't quite place the overall smell, until it hit me that it smelled just like the fast food restaurant known for its flame grilled burgers [which isn't a pejorative statement -- just something that makes sense since their grill is out in the open] ... one point is lost because the wifi was working in fits and starts that day, and the second one comes off the top because it was 90 degrees and we would have sat outside except management hadn't turned on the overhead fans to make it comfortable)

FOOD:           9.5/10 (here's the smartest thing ever -- they have a non-meat option [a two cheese filled portobello mushroom fried perfectly to be crispy on the outside and oozey-gooey on the inside] that they encourage meat eaters of a certain ilk [i.e. me] to stack on top of the cheeseburger, in effect exponentializing the taste, all served on a piping hot bun with other fresh toppings  ... the crinkle cut fries were appropriately crispy [at least underneath the two-cheese sauce] ... and that frozen custard dessert had chunk after chunk of peanut butter ... the [rare for this series] half point deduction is because the sandwich seemed to be missing the cherry peppers [and it's only a *half* point, because I'm not sure that I really missed them, tastewise]

SERVICE:      9/10 (the order taker was outgoing and super-smiley [especially when affirming that my request to add bacon to everything was "a good choice"], and every employee with whom we interacted before the visit was over was similarly friendly ... the one point subtraction comes from the length of time we waited for the dessert [ordered separately after the meal])

BACON:         10/10 (lookit -- they let me add it to the burger AND they let me add it to the fries [where it was big chunks and not crumbles or bits] AND they probably would have let me add it to the ice cream if I had remembered to ask them to do so ... so how could they *not* get a perfect score in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for choosing to always have at least two cheeses in the mix whenever cheesiness was on the menu [for instance, stuffed in the portobello or ladled over the fries], +3 for having the foresight to merge the meat-eaters dish with the non-meat-eaters dish to create one mega-eaters dish, +3 for highlighting the fact that pregnant girls shouldn't drink [in giant signs behind the counter as if the area was dealing with some kind of epidemic of bad-choice-making from the younger crowds] and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return [especially now that we know that one is planned for our hometown of Ft Lauderdale])

TroyScore:  46.5 out of 50 -- aka 93, an A

Random Taste for Thursday 5/25/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the TWENTIETH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  Aruba Beach Cafe
Location:  Lauderdale By The Sea
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  coke?  water?  beer?  (oops -- I forgot to record)
Appetizer 1:  Lobster Bisque (soup of the day)
Appetizer 2:  Baked Escargot (for the table)
(tomato, garlic and pernod, served with crusty French bread)
Appetizer 3:  Seafood Quesadilla 
(flour tortilla stuffed with fish, shrimp, scallops, jack & cheddar cheese, served with guacamole)
Main:  Grilled Swordfish (special of the day)
Side(s):  House Rice AND a whole loaf of freshly baked Bimini Bread with Honey Aruba Glaze
Dessert:  Key Lime Pie
(Key West lime citrus custard pie with whipped cream. kiwi and raspberry drizzle)
Server:   receipt said Matt B (although I don't think there ever was an introduction)
Website:  http://arubabeachcafe.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/arubabeachcafe/

If you take nothing else away from this post, you should understand the call to action to hie thee hither to this establishment at your earliest convenience to score some of their homemade freshly baked Bimini Bread with Honey Aruba Glaze.  Their social media says they sometimes run out, so hie thee hither early in the day.  You can thank me later.  Also -- a quick disclaimer about this post:  due to a delay with the publication of this blog, this review is being retroactively slotted in May 2017 but posted in June 2018 for a meal that was actually eaten and photographed in July 2017 [hope you can follow that!]).  Also also -- keep on reading to see how this particular local treasure fared on the Troy-score:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (a wall of windows looks right out into the ocean -- which I'm sure is amazing during the day and maybe even special at night ... and a good sized veranda wraps around on the outside and is next to the beach and the main thoroughfare to it -- which I'm sure is good for people watching ... but as explained below, I opted for moving our group to a corner against the wall so that we could focus on the conversation and the people across the table from us, which is how I came to realize that there was a bit of an 80's hotel feel about the decor, which is why there is a point deduction)

FOOD:           8/10 (truth be told, there's a real good chance that I would have been happy making a meal just out of that homemade bread [see bonus below] ... but I was also very pleased having chosen the swordfish special, because I like me a fish that is more steak-y than flaky, as that one was, and the meal felt healthy [as opposed to some of my choices in this series] ... plus the quesadilla was packed full of goodies as you want a quesadilla to be ...  the points lost are because just about everything else felt like it was so so close to being delicious but just a touch off -- the bisque was a touch too sweet, the sides were a touch too forgettable, and even the key lime pie was a touch too tart -- a persistent enough problem that is worth the rare double point deduction for the same issue) 

SERVICE:      8/10 (we put the service to the test immediately ... as in *before* we sat down ... as in I didn't like the first table offered and wanted to pick something in the corner instead so that we weren't immediately on top of other guests as our party had lots of conversation and catching up to do -- and I'm happy to say that they gladly re-seated us quickly ... the points lost are because there wasn't much interaction during the meal and because there was definitely no urgency at the end of the evening when we were pressed to leave since the meter was running out even though we explained that fact to the staff)

BACON:         6/10 (that's one point for every time I saw it on the menu ... and that was in all the usual places [wrapped around a scallop, as a salad topping, defining a burger, as a side meat for brunch] ... but that was all rather expected and nothing all that special, which, for me [and the overall score], was disappointing) 

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for those special fishy light fixtures [see accompanying photo], +3 for that amazing glazed loaf of bread (I just can't say it enough), +3 for providing live music to amp up the atmosphere and +1 for being a place to which we will return on a night when we can maybe focus on those breathtaking views a little more)

TroyScore:  41 out of 50 -- aka 82, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 5/18/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the NINETEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  Dolce Salato Pizza & Gelato
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  (late) Lunch
Drink:  (Fountain) Coca-Cola
Appetizer 1:  Le Polpette (Italian Meatballs)
(3 tasty meatballs made in house and baked in the pizza oven with their special sauce served with Ricotta cheese and Italian toasted bread)
Appetizer 2:  Rosemary Garlic Cheese Bread
(served with special marinara sauce)
Appetizer 3:  Slice of Meat Lovers Stuffed Pie 
(italian sausage, pepperoni, ham, meatballs, mozzarella and provolone cheese)
Main:  Parma Panini
(prosciutto, fresh oviline cheese, italian basil, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil)
Side(s):  Dolce Salata (club special) with homemade blue cheese dressing
(mixed romaine hearts & spinach, ham, turkey, tomatoes, red onions & mozzarella sprinkles)
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Silvia (as in the owner Silvia)
Website:  http://www.dolce-salato.net/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/dolcesalatofla/

If you are a regular reader of this series, then you know there's something that happens when we set foot inside an establishment serving Italian cuisine -- we tend to feast out a little.  The only thing that kept us from filling up the table this particular time was the time of day we stopped in -- for a late late lunch.  (Quick disclaimer:  due to a delay with the publication of this blog, this review is being retroactively slotted in May 2017 but posted in May 2018 for a meal that was actually eaten and photographed in July 2017 [if you can follow that]).  As a relatively new(er) addition on the northern end of the entertainment district known as "The Drive", the authenticity all around went a long way toward earning this establishment its spot in the A list:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (small -- as in I think I counted only six tables -- but cozy, with extra outdoor seating available, this family owned business all but makes you feel as if you may be invited to join them as an honorary long lost cousin regardless of your ethnic background has authentic smells with all the good food being prepared and authentic sounds with Italian music playing in the background ... there's a point deduction only because it is a little bright and I feel it could be transformed with a little mood lighting and a second point comes off since it was rather warm the afternoon we ate -- either because we sat too close to the ovens or because the AC wasn't working at full capacity)

FOOD:           9/10 (at a place like this, the rule is that you shall know the quality of that which you are about to eat by the sauce -- and this sauce was obviously freshly made [obvious because of the bright red color of it] ... plus the meatballs were light and airy, the stuffed pizza slice was full of goodies and had a crispy crust that called for a knife to cut through it and that garlic bread was taken up a notch with the addition of the cheese AND the rosemary for an extra punch of flavor ... that panini was toasted all the way through, yet somehow was refreshingly cool -- and of course every ingredient on it was fresh ... the one and only mis-step [representing the point deduction] were tomatoes on the salad that weren't quite ripe and should not have been included and wouldn't have been missed if quality control had removed them)

SERVICE:      10/10 (when the owner herself is waiting on you, it's no surprise that she's invested in making sure that you feel welcome as soon as you set foot in the place ... but the pleasant surprise was how she went out of her way to be accommodating in letting us order just a few pieces of the special rosemary garlic cheese bread instead of a whole pie and how she properly set expectations that the single slice of meat lovers stuffed pie could take up to ten minutes to prepare -- which is, in my opinion, the proper way to handle a transaction from the perspective of your customers ...  brava, Silvia, brava!)

BACON:         9/10 (like any non-Italian, I confuse prosciutto with pancetta when it comes to thinking about the Italian version of bacon ... but prosciutto is hammy enough and scattered enough throughout their menu to earn some points in this category ... PLUS actual bacon IS on the menu as an extra topping that can be added to the pizza ... the point lost is because although bacon is on the menu, it wasn't included as an ingredient in our meat lovers slice)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that seemingly tiny bowl of salad that ended up like one of those Chinese food boxes that somehow has an endless supply, +3 for the authentic accents that all but assured you that the food would be authentic, +3 for a homemade dressing that should be bottled and sold on the side if it isn't already, and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return because we didn't even try the gelato!)

TroyScore:  46 out of 50 -- aka 92, an A

Random Taste for Thursday 5/11/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the EIGHTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  The Revenant Coffee and Eatery
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Brunch
Drink:  Herbal (Iced) Tea
Fresh Ginger, Rosemary, Lemon and Mint
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  1/2 a BLT ... and 1/2 a Breakfast Chapa
(BLT:  Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato, Mayonnaise onHomemade Chapa Bread)
(Breakfast Chapa:  Fried Eggs, Cheddar Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Avocado, Arugula, Tomato on Homemade Chappa Bread)
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Order Taker (counter service)
Website:  http://revenantcoffee.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/therevenantcoffee/

In the 2016 version of this series, we tasted a coffee shop (plus) called The Alchemist (and they won two categories in the end of year awards last December).  It turns out today's taste is a distant relative ... as in a place newly opened by an original co-founder of The Alchemist who eventually (allegedly?) left in a business dispute (oh the drama in the industry) and started up a new coffee shop (plus) not too far away.  (Disclaimer:  due to a delay with the publication on this blog, this review is being slotted in May but posted in October for a meal that was actually eaten and photographed in June [I also had drama this year]).  In light of that, and not to stoke any competitor fires, you can see how this place scored higher than the original in the Troy-score detailed below (spoiler alert:  bacon had a lot to do with it!):

AMBIANCE:   8/10 ("it's a coffee shop in a furniture store" was what we were told going in ... and, sure enough, it was indeed one dedicated space out of three-four rooms of a separate business [Cargo Furniture] ... but somebody forgot to mention that there was a separate rustic outdoor wooden seating area with views of the New River to address the fact that the coffee shop room itself is a little tiny [point lost] with only a portable air conditioner to keep the crowds comfortable [the other point lost])

FOOD:           9/10 (that chappa bread?  ... it's made on site [you can see the oven on the side of the outdoor shot below] and is deliciously toasted and tasty ... that breakfast chappa?  ... somehow it's light yet filling and super fresh with an excellent combination of bright ingredients ... the only thing keeping this from being a perfect 10 is two instances of a little too much excess -- what seemed like a whole head of lettuce on the BLT [or should  that be a bLLLLt] and a whole lot of overpowering mint in the tea)

SERVICE:      9/10 (a counter service location automatically equals limited staff interaction, but the order taker [whose name we failed to get] was friendly and efficient on a busy day with a non stop line ... the point deduction in this category comes because the tea was ordered as an iced one but was served hot instead [and that mistake *was* fixed as soon as it was mentioned] ... the location uses those old fashioned pagers, because food is made fresh to order, and the wait was lengthy -- to the point where I was about to report that mine was broken when it finally started buzzing -- but the food was worth it [and as mentioned, it was busy], so there will be no point lost)

BACON:         10/10 (being a small place focused on the drinks, they do make the most of a limited menu -- and they don't skimp on the bacon one bit -- with FOUR big pieces on that BLT and TWO more topping the other breakfast sandwich ... btw, those pieces were perfectly made and they were clearly the stars of those menu items [imho])

BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for having a resident "house" puppy dog to up the cool factor [just take a look at that face!], +3 for a direct view of a clothing optional resort on the other side of the water for some added  pleasure and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return [I can already hear the bacon calling me ...])

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

Random Taste for Thursday 5/4/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the SEVENTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  El Guanaco
Location:  Oakland Park
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Sangria (red)
Pre-Appetizer:  Warm chips and salsa
Appetizer:  Salvadoran Combination #1
(chicken tamale, sweet corn tamale, pupusa, fried yuca, salvadoran cream and cheese, pickled cabbage, red sauce and spicy salsa verde on the side)
Main:  Grilled Salvadoran Steak/Carne Asada
(served with pico de gallo)
Side(s):  Rice, black beans and sweet plantains
Side (that was supposed to be an appetizer):  Chicken Soup/ Sopa de Pollo 
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Gabriella
Website:  http://www.elguanacooaklandpark.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/www.elguanacorest.net/

Not for nothing, but eating here was a year in the making.  El Guanaco was on the list of places to try in the first set of 50 tastes based on an episode of 'Check Please' here in SoFlo on the PBS, and we even had dinner plans in May of 2016 that were changed at the last minute because they were on a Wednesday ... and this place is closed every Wednesday.  Luckily, though, it was not forgotten when it came time to find a latin inspired eatery for a Cinco de Mayo celebration for the second set of 50 tastes.  This place prides itself on both its Mexican AND Salvadoran food preparations and so despite the "holiday", we went mostly Salvadoran in our choices, and that led to the Troy-score detailed below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (there's no getting around it ... this place is on the small side -- but cute all the same ... and although it's not exactly a communal set up [see photo], your table is almost always going to hear the conversation at the tables nearby during the meal [on our night, that meant listening to a discussion on superhero movies amongst what I assumed to be a group of fleet-week boys], so a point lost because that can be a bit of a "luck of the draw" scenario when it comes to "shared ambiance")

FOOD:           9/10 (there was an overabundance of deliciousness as the size of the main dish plus the appetizers quickly upgraded this to a feast ... warm chips at the start with a dark and spicy salsa to set the mood and that extra flavorful steak with tasty rice that wasn't too sticky were the highlights ... the feeling of authenticity came from that appetizer plate which featured the traditional Salvadoran papusa ... and that chicken noodle soup that arrived late [see below] was uniquely unexpected in its size, in its preparation with a huge chunk of bone-in chicken and a mini corn on the cob smack dab in the middle of it and in its inclusion of chayote ... just half a point deduction for the fact that I wanted my papusa filling to be a little wetter or sauced or something not so dry and a second half a point deduction for the fact that the beans were 'meh'-flavored)

SERVICE:      8/10 (we were lucky to get the last table at the time we arrived which was by the front door ... sadly, our attempts to switch to a booth along the wall once one opened up and before the food had arrived were denied by our server [one point off] and there was a rather long wait for the apps [a second point off] -- so long in fact that the chicken noodle soup that should have been served early on in the meal didn't even arrive until after the main plate [the final point deduction] ... a few smiles and a bit of friendliness at the *end* of the meal earned a point back)

BACON:         7/10 (being such a fan of bacon as I am -- so much so that it gets its own category in the score calculation such that a place can go from a 100 to an 80 just by not offering it anywhere on the menu, I have grown to be sensitive to cultures that might not feature any bacony goodness ... especially if they are being authentic to the dishes from their countries ... as I don't doubt the authenticity of these Mexican and Salvadoran culinary creations, I have to award half the points just out of respect to their culture ... and then two more -- one because the papusa we chose had pork filling [the closest to bacon I had that night] and one because those beans likely had some pork product flavor influencers)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that sweet sweet sangria though, +3 for the quantity and quality of the food in the feast far outpacing the cost, +3 for that unexpected chicken noodle soup and +1 for being a place to which we will return if only because I talked myself out of getting the beef tongue steak and now I feel like I might have missed out on something)

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

Random Taste for Thursday 4/27/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the SIXTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  Dairy Belle 
Location:  Dania Beach
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  can of CocaCola
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Hamburger Steak
(with gravy, grilled onions and fries)
Side(s):  Poutine (and coleslaw)
(REAL WHITE Curd Cheese and REAL brown poutine gravy from Quebec)
Dessert:  Banana Split
(vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge, strawberry and pineapple [with] whipped cream, peanuts and three cherries)
Server:   Counter Service (so order taker's name not gotten)
Website:  http://dairybelleicecream.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dairy-Belle-Ice-Cream-143611982333390/

The first time I had Gazebo Room dressing (a Greek style condiment homemade in central PA), I was so enamored, that I drank it from the bottom of my salad and had to be stopped from taking a swig right out the bottle ... to see why that's relevant for this particular eatery "as seen locally on 'Check Please'" (so you just know it HAS to be good) and to see how that might have been a factor in the overall calculation of the Troy-score, read below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (somehow I didn't capture any pictures of the area, but luckily you can see some on their own website ... to be clear, it is exactly as it appears -- an eating establishment that catches your eye as you drive past that might remind you of an old fashioned drive in/drive up place where you'd take the family for ice cream at the end of a hot summer day ... and then the Canadian flags come into view, and you start to wonder what Canadian ice cream might taste like ... it's all picnic tables around the counter, but with a special covered patio area in the back for those tricky afternoon thunderstorms ... what was going to be a point deduction because we had to clean off our own table gets wiped out because there WAS a lady out cleaning up who was working in the back and we were eating around the side so she just didn't get to us in time ... BUT then there's another point being deducted because they had Delilah playing on the radio ... and although it's a story for another time and another place, "she" and I don't get along any more)

FOOD:           9/10 (was I happy that my little can of coke cost $1.75? -- no ... was the main dish's hamburger a little salisbury-steak-esque? -- yes ... could there have been fewer onions mixed in? -- sure ... did I care though once I got a taste of that rich brown gravy that covered everything [including the fries and the perfectly textured cheese curds] which served an additional purpose of keeping everything piping hot until the last bite? -- absolutely NOT ... let me put it this way -- I was finished with my meal and I wanted to take the container home because I didn't want to miss a single drop of that gravy ... and since I couldn't do that, I checked to make sure that no one was looking and I picked up the bowl and drank every single bit of that deliciousness ... heck, I might have even taken a scoop of that gravy instead of the strawberry topping on the old fashioned full size banana split ... so why the point deduction? -- because my tablemate got what was purported to be a Chicago dog, and as former Chicagoans, the lack of bright green relish was a slap in our faces)

SERVICE:      9/10 (it's a counter service type of place, where you order and they call your ticket number to go claim your food so there's not too much interaction with employees ... but the order taker was efficient and the aforementioned lady-of-the-tables stepped in when I approached a condiment station with a worried look on my face because I didn't know how to use the plastic utensil dispenser ... just a point lost because no one directed me around the corner to that area [although it could be that they have so many regulars that they just assumed everyone is already "in the know" about the layout])

BACON:         7/10 (for a dollar, the menu lets you add bacon to anything ... but with only one dish for which it was the main thing [a BLT, naturally], it's just not right to give too high a score in this particular category ... although if they find a way to "bacon up" those poutine choices [bacon gravy anyone?], then I am more than willing to retroactively raise the score in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for hearing the accents on the customers that serve as an endorsement of the authenticity of the dishes, +3 for having Galvaude and Guidelle on the menu [not that I knew what they were, but all signs point to them being very authentic Quebecian dishes], +3 for us having the perfect timing to arrive when there weren't any long lines and to get in to order the banana split after the meal before a family of a dozen got out of their cars and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return, with visitors in tow, because EVERYONE should have a taste of that gravy)

TroyScore:  44 out of 50 -- aka 88, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 4/20/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the FIFTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

Establishment:  Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza 
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Late Lunch
Drink:  bottle of CocaCola
Appetizer:  Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese, small order (2)
(large meatballs slowly cooked in our tomato sauce)
Main:  Philly Cheesesteak Pizza
(thinly sliced top round, marinated & served with our caramelized onions)
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Carrie
Website:  https://acfp.com/location/fort-lauderdale/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthonyscoalfiredpizza/

It only took five tries, but we finally found an Italian place that makes it into the A category -- although there's slight trickery involved.  We're a little behind this year, so this visit happened on April 27 and it's being slotted into the April 20 post but the score jumped ten points based on something it decided to do in June which I discovered when I wrote the post in early July.  If that's confusing to you -- no worries.  Just know that you the people are warned upon entry that the crust is only well done ('cause coal fired oven) and that all the details of how the original AND revised Troy-scores are calculated below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (our meal took place at an odd time -- in between the normal lunch rush and prior to the senior citizen supper hour, so the overall effect was that we were the only customers at one point ... that being said, it seemed like a place that could handle a bustling crowd, what with its outside patio seating, its open dining room full of tables and large open windows all around and its bar along the back wall for a slightly different experience ... plus the location is in a relatively recently built strip mall so everything still looks shiny and new ... just a point deduction because the layout allows for a take out order line where people waiting to get food to take home and eat pass the time watching YOU eat YOUR food)

FOOD:           8/10 (when you got a good thing, you got a good thing ... and Anthony has got himself at least two really good things -- MEATBALLS that are light and airy but dialed back in flavor a touch to let the SAUCE have the spotlight with its just right kick of spices that do not overwhelm and that make it almost downright drinkable ... I made sure that any extra was promptly placed on that pizza ... which could have used a more measured hand with the onion component [a point off] and which had the tasty crunchy base that was promised, making it more disappointing that the bread that came with the meatballs was a bit limp [the second point off])

SERVICE:      8/10 (our server was friendly and efficient and did exactly what you would want a server to do ... smile, take your order, check in after it's been delivered, provide take out boxes for anything you can't finish and take care of your payment ... that's exactly what happened ... just a one point deduction because of an oddity in that the pizza was ready before the main salad dish ordered by my tablemate and for a slightly longer wait at the end when it came to taking care of the check)

BACON:         5/10* (could it be that the special ovens can't handle bacon, despite there being options for those delicious meatballs and tons of sausage as toppings for just about every menu item ... luckily, there is a choice for prosciutto, so we can award half the points in this category as a consolation ... but I do have to wonder why Anthony doesn't like bacon ... *NOTE:  since the visit, it turns out that Anthony's launched a Bacon and Bourbon happy hour every Wednesday for the summer, which means this score can be upgraded to a full 10!)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having a good mix of music playing but having the last song we heard on our way out be a ditty by Frank himself [if you can't figure out the last name, then you needn't bother stopping by], +3 for quality authentic super-flavorful not-just-lunch-meat roast beef and the best shredded mozzarella on the side of that aforementioned salad [see pic below], +3 for teaching a little geography on the chalkboards above the kitchen area featuring its other national locations [including past home states of PA and IL], and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return, where I just might order sauce with a side of sauce!)

TroyScore:  45 out of 50 -- aka 90, an A

Random Taste for Thursday 4/13/17

And so it continues ... a brand new set of tastes for 2017 ...

 here's the FOURTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

(coming to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed.

Establishment:  Sublime Restaurant and Bar 
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Grapefruit Mule
(tyler's of london gin, giffard pamplemousse, fresh grapefruit juice, ginger beer)
Appetizer 1:  Polenta Herb Fries
Appetizer 2:  Soup of the Day
(potato corn chowder)
Appetizer 3:  Pretzel Dip Medley
(soft pretzel, roasted tomato hummus, caramelized onion dip, key lime mustard)
Main:  Mushroom Ravioli
(housemade, filled with cashew cream, slow-roasted tomato butter sauce, basil)
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  Chocolate Nirvana
(chocolate cake, kahlua butter creme, dark chocolate ganache)
Server:   Jennifer
Website:  http://www.sublimerestaurant.com/home.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sublimerestaurant/

In light of all of the pictures previously posted in this series that were meat-focused -- not to mention the fact that there is a whole category worth 20% of the overall score dedicated to the presence of bacon in the meal or on the menu -- one might be surprised that tonight's Taste is a VEGAN restaurant.  First, it might just represent a glimpse into the future, as I will one day be at the very least a vegetarian, what with how confident I feel that we are living in apocalypse adjacent times (whether zombie, armageddon or a second term of Trump) during which I will not be able to kill animals for food myself in order to survive.  Or maybe it was just that a college friend was in town who had dietary restrictions and it was the proper host-move to find an eating establishment that honored such requests.  Regardless of the reason, see how the Troy-score came together below: 

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (after so many strip mall restaurants [a regular thing down here in Florida], it was nice to set foot inside a large building dedicated to a number of different nooks and niches to enjoy a quality meal -- from the separate dining room with the waterfall windows [see photo] to the bar area with its row of booths [you know I love me a booth] to what I can only assume is a private dining room for all the celebrities that give testimonials on the website ... plus there's a great big parking lot in the back that abuts one of the many Ft Lauderdale waterways replete with ducks who probably know that they'll never be slathered in an orange sauce for hanging out nearby)

FOOD:           9/10 (as a well documented carnivore, the question was really one of "would a meat-eater miss the meat in the meal"  -- and the answer was a semi-resounding "not so much!" ... admittedly, I chose my menu items very carefully [you can't go wrong with ravioli!] so as not to have to evaluate meat-substitutions [although shout out to the sublime picatta ordered by my tablemate and pictured below, which served its purpose well enough] ... and I enjoyed every bite I put in my mouth -- from those polenta fries to that amazing dessert ... the one point deduction is just for a general comment that sometimes it felt like the emphasis was on finding a textural substitute over a flavorful one)

SERVICE:      9/10 (our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and either knew the answer to my tablemate's questions or returned with the information if she didn't AND she willingly became photographer when we asked her to capture our college reunion in a photo ... the only reason that there is a single point deduction is because her attention to our experience seemed to wane slightly toward the end of the evening -- perhaps because she got busier or maybe because we were taking our time with the meal seeing as how we were catching up after a twenty year lag in face to face interactions)

BACON:         5/10 (oh the dilemma ... how exactly does one provide a score in the bacon category for an eating establishment that clearly wants all pigs to live free from any future bacon status? ...  we're going to do so by splitting the difference and awarding half the points in recognition of its mission statement that puts 100% of its profits to support animal welfare ... or, if nothing else, you can consider those five to be guilt points)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having that aforementioned key lime mustard sauce, which was both a nice nod to soflo living and indicative of how seriously they take their mission statement seeing as how they believe that bees should be able to keep their own honey, +3 for those pretzels though -- as I could have made a whole meal of just them and their sauces, +3 for not being afraid to pipe a nearly subliminal message style song about washing your hands into the restrooms [you had to be there], and +1 for being a place to which we will return the next time someone visits with a similar culinary POV [we've already returned once to purchase a gift certificate for a housewarming gift for just such a friend])

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