Random Taste for Thursday 2/23/17

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

 here's the SEVENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  The Diner 
Location:  Boynton Beach
Meal:  Breakfast
Drink:  Hot Chocolate
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  The Lumberjack
3 eggs (I asked for scrambled), 3 slices bacon, 2 sausage links, home fries and your choice of 2 pancakes or 1 slice of French toast or 1/2 an order of biscuits and gravy (I chose French toast)
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   in an unfortunate trend for this year, her name wasn't recorded
Website:  http://www.dinerongateway.com/index.php
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Diner/553195471392059

This is the third diner already this year (which puts us on pace to beat last year's record of visiting six of them as a part of this series) -- but there's something extra special about this one because it has the confidence to be THE diner ... not A diner ... but THE diner [as if it were THE one and only diner in the world].  It's a bit farther out of the way from home base, but family was visiting and we were taking a little road trip so we ended up here.  With just a few tweaks, it could be one of the higher ranked diners on the list ... but to see where they need to improve, check out the Troy-score below:

AMBIANCE:   7/10 (it's a great big room, with an open kitchen off to the side, and it has the hustle and bustle of a place everyone wants to be ... although with the practice of pushing tables for two around to accommodate groups, I was frustrated that they handled our group of five by throwing a chair on the side of two tables instead of giving us the comfort of a six top [so a point lost] ... and there was an odd almost militaristic procedure where the cooks would yell that the order was up and the server had to yell back "heard!" which was a definite mood interrupter [so a second point lost] ... and I just can't forgive being sat at a table that hasn't been cleaned of its stickiness [which accounts for the third point lost])

FOOD:           8/10 (they were two relatively small "infractions" [each worth a half a point deduction] -- butter that wasn't thawed when served and home fries that were giant potato pieces so much so that they lost all the good flavoring because the middles were just all potato [see photo] ... and one big "infraction" [so a full point deduction] in that my hot chocolate apparently wasn't refillable ... but let me tell you that every other part of the lumberjack breakfast was delicious -- especially the bacon [see category below])

SERVICE:      7/10 (lookit -- a host or hostess needs to understand that it is his or her job to smile ... and this was the second week in a row where the employee in that role didn't do that one bit -- and that's worth a double point deduction [host/hostesses at future establishments:  consider yourself on notice] ... as for our regular server, things went efficiently but it took her until the end of the meal to loosen up and appear personable -- likely because she was busy with the rush at the onset or maybe because she was scared she might miss yelling "heard!" back to the kitchen -- so that's the other point deduction)

BACON:         10/10 (the menu count returns 19 hits for bacon so you know it's a pretty safe bet that this diner won't disappoint -- especially when the bacon they serve is of the thick cut variety ... breakfast, lunch, dinner or on the kiddie menu -- there's plenty of opportunity to "bacon up" at this place ... plus see the first bonus comment below)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for giving a breakfast option that serves sausage AND bacon instead of sausage OR bacon, +3 for an amazing burger [not pictured] that my nephew ordered that immediately made me rethink what I chose for breakfast, +3 for those all natural jelly choices from Smucker's and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return the next time we're in the area -- 'cause that burger is calling out my name!)

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

Random Taste for Thursday 2/16/17

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

 here's the SIXTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Lester's Diner 
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade for those who don't know)
Appetizer:  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Main:  Chicken Croquettes
Side(s):  Mashed Potatoes and Spinach Escarole (instead of the broccoli I had ordered)
Dessert:  Sheet Cake
Server:   name not gotten but she had a super long braid so you'll recognize her if you go
Website:  n/a
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lestersdiner/
Sometimes you go to a diner for the atmosphere ... and sometimes you go for the food ... and in rare circumstances, you're lucky enough to do it for both.  For this particular local landmark with a Greek flavor (as so many diners are), it's the first one in that list that rang the most true for our party (family was in town, so we were a group of five showing up before the 7pm specials started [although they let us order from that menu all the same]).  The vibe was great ... the vittles not so much (although it is possible that maybe I just ordered wrong).  As for where they ended up on the Troy-score, see below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it's exactly what you want in a 24 hour diner, with an extra big room off the back from the main booths ... and you have to walk past amazing desserts on display to get there ... plus there was an outside area [although it was too chilly for it to be used that night] ... as for our group of five [again, family was visiting], we ended up in one of those big corner round tables with a circular booth that celebrities normally sit in [and see an actual celebrity sighting from that night below] ... and, as an added benefit, the big room in the back is decorated with large photos of famous people artfully presented in such a way that you can play "who's that famous silhouette?" whilst waiting for your food) 

FOOD:           5/10 (if I were to follow the maxim of "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all", the only thing I'd be mentioning in this section is the homemade chicken noodle soup -- oh so fresh and flavorful as it was ... but alas, I have committed to documenting my point deductions in a fair and judicious matter -- so ... a point lost for the overall appearance of my main dish [although those croquettes were jam packed when broken up, as seen in one of the photos], a second point lost for gummy potatoes, a third point lost because I got tricked into having TWO orders of gummy potatoes [more to come about that], a fourth point lost because they ran out of my original side order and served the mushy escarole instead ... and a fifth and final point lost because that sheet cake sure did look pretty but sure was awfully dry)

SERVICE:      8/10 (it's funny in that as the evening wore on, we grew to like the waitress more and more ... but it was definitely a case of her winning us over with her sparkling and engaging personality and not so much because of her serving skills ... a point is being subtracted for her biggest error, which was letting me choose one of my two sides as mashed potatoes even though the dinner I ordered was served on top of a scoop of mashed potatoes ... I can't not blame HER for me having that double order ... a second point is lost in this category for a hostess who refused to smile)

BACON:         9/10 (one better be able to get bacon at a 24 hour diner that serves breakfast all the time along with all the other classic diner fare, and this place did not disappoint ... with 18 references to it on the Facebook version of the menu, that's half a point for each call-out to bacon on whichever menu item it might appear ... including an entry under the section MEAT called "bacon sandwich")

BONUS:         6/10 (+3 for the Jackie Mason sighting [captured below] and +3 for being open 24 hours)

TroyScore:  38 out of 50 -- aka 76, a C

Random Taste for Thursday 2/9/17

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

 here's the FIFTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  LaSpada's 
Location:  Lauderdale By The Sea
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coke Zero in a bottle
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  12 inch Monster with double meatHam, Turkey, Roast Beef and Cheese Combo with all the toppings:  Tomatoes, Lettuce, Onions, Pickles, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Oil & Vinegar, Oregano, Salt and Pepper
Side(s):  Salt and Vinegar kettle chips
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   there was the meat guy ... and the toppings guy ... and the money taker boy ... and it was such a production that we kind of missed all of their individual names, so maybe we'll just refer to them as if they were each a LaSpada
Website:  http://www.laspadashoagies.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/LaSpadas-Original-Hoagies/111764352193418


Were it not for a lack of bacon on the menu, this local chain of sandwich shops (six of them in the area) would have been the highest taste to date ... AND would have been the top scoring location ever.  As it is, it's going to be the new top DELI on the list ... and it's going to at least crack the highest scoring baker's dozen of all the tastes reviewed so far.  It's not *only* the fact that there was a meat tossing event (meats were sliced fresh and tossed down an assembly line to be caught by the other employer directly in the hoagie-in-progress) NOR is it *only* because they promote a Pennsylvania taste (admittedly, I might be biased).  For all of the reasons, check out the Troy-score tabulation below:

AMBIANCE:   9.5/10 (just a few blocks from the beach ... we were able to walk there *with* two seniors in tow ... this place was in a little strip mall [as everything in Florida seems to be] and was a-bustlin' with activity, which made us feel like we had definitely chosen a popular eatery ... the only problem is that it was sooo busy that the few seats up front at the tables were a little trashed [kind of the previous customers' faults, admittedly] that would normally be a point deducted, but an employee did come out and clean up as soon as the rush ended, so it's only [the rare] half a point that will be lost)

FOOD:           10/10 (with the meats sliced *as you order* to guarantee the "bestest" of tastes and then served up on on a freshly baked Italian roll [from a local authentically Italian bakery, according to their website], but only after first being stuffed full of a perfect combination of all the toppings [as captured in the photographic evidence], these are.  the.  most.  AMAZING.  sandwiches! ... I couldn't stop talking about them the whole time I was eating them, and as someone who usually gets scared of having to make decisions about what items to add or subtract in an assembly line setting like this, I was exceptionally happy to have made the decision to make no decisions and to take it all ... and I can report that, like I do when I report on a quality burger or quality bbq, this was a multi-napkin meal with all the right kind of messiness as we dove in to the quality sandwiches)

SERVICE:      10/10 (it was service with a smile ...from *everyone* on the assembly line .. PLUS a show [the aforementioned meat tossing incident] even though there was a line almost out the door so the pressure had to be on ... and you know what, you wouldn't have known that they were backed up because as you worked your way down the line, the employee on the other side of the counter [see photo] at each stage made you feel like he was yours and yours alone)

BACON:         6/10 (how can there not be a single reference to bacon on the menu?  how can bacon not be a bonus topping on the hoagies?  how can bacon not even be an option for the salads?  how can I not have even noticed that bacon wasn't a part of the experience until writing this post?  ... easy -- it's because the food was just that amazing, so I'm going to break precedent and split the difference and give half the points in this category anyway [what?  it's my rules, so I can bend them for the right reasons ... and I get to pick what the right reasons are] ... plus an extra point for all the ham that IS on the menu ... 'cause, you know, that's a pig product)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for the tossing [and the catching] of the meat, +3 for the call back to Pennsylvania eatin', +3 for having me in so much of a good food haze that we completely forgot to stop at the nearby ice cream store for dessert as we had originally intended and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return [we shall Subway no more!]

TroyScore:  45.5 out of 50 -- aka 91, an A

Random Taste for Thursday 2/2/17

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

 here's the FOURTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Diner By-The-Sea
Location:  Lauderdale By The Sea
Meal:  Brunch
Drink:  Hot Chocolate
Appetizer:  English Muffin
Main:  Famous 2-2-2
2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon or sausage [I chose bacon, of course], 2 golden pancakes or toast [I chose pancakes]
Side(s):  Home Fries
Dessert:  Miniature slice of watermelon
Server:   unknown but completely my fault because I got her name (and made her say it twice because it was unique) yet I didn't add it to my notes
Website:  http://dinerbytheseainc.com/diner/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Diner-by-the-Sea-161662490517465/

It's the first diner of the new year ... and if the distribution is anything like last year, that means that more will be featured soon enough because a full 10% of the tastes from 2016 were in diners.  But first up is this little charmer (more about that below) within walking distance of the beach.  The good news is that they scored in the top half of the six diners featured ... and to see how it all came about on the Troy-score, check below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (let's put it this way -- if you are an employee at this place, you better get along with your co-workers, because it is tiny ... and by tiny, I mean four or five small booths and a dozen stools or so and that's about it ... that being said, cozy can be cute, and there's something about being so close to the grill that you can watch your food getting prepared to perform your own quality control check ... and when we were there, it quickly became clear that the majority of customers knew most of the guests in a Cheers-y kind of way ... just a point deducted for the stools being slightly too close to each other -- in a budget airlines kind of way)

FOOD:           8/10 (hot and fresh with crispy "pressed" bacon and well flavored [and textured] home fries perked up my breakfast [see a bonus shot of the corned beef hash morning meal that my tablemate ate] ... if there was an area for improvement, it would be the pancakes -- as you can see from the photo, my "2" were really one big one and one baby one [so a point lost] ... I also was disappointed that my hot chocolate wasn't creamed as happens at the other diners at which I've eaten [the second lost point])

SERVICE:      8/10 (here's the truth -- the end was better than the beginning ... because, as previously explained, this place is so tiny that you can't hide anything ... so on *our* visit, we knew that our server was frazzled because the other server who was working the booths wasn't moving fast enough that morning [so a point lost for us knowing all that diner drama in the first place] ... and eventually we were able to get her to smile and be personable enough to learn that she was selling all her things and moving to Canada, but the early going was just too painful for us to watch [which explains the second lost point])

BACON:         8/10 (as happy as I was to see bacon all over the breakfast menu [as it always should be], I was dissuaded from placing my usual order an extra side of of bacon by the price of $4.50 for three slices [a point dedcuted] ... which also means that my expectations were pretty high for the 2 slices that came with my 2-2-2 meal ... and while it was good and crispy, it wasn't as amazing as I had built it up to be, possibly from the "pressing" of it ... [the second point deducted]) 

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for squeezing us in on the last two open spots in the joint, +3 for there being absolutely NO wasted space in the place at all, +3 for getting to use the full bottle of syrup like a big boy, and +1 for being a place to which we will return -- although likely at lunch in order to try out *that* menu)

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