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

Random Taste for Thursday 4/6/17

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

 here's the THIRTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Rendez-vous Bakery and Bistro 
Location:  Oakland Park
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coke (in a can) with a slice of Lemon (on the glass)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Poulet Cordon Bleu Panini
(Breaded chicken, ham, swiss cheese, mustard a la ancienne spread)
Side(s):  Bag o chips
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   We didn't get his name ... 'cause he kind of abandoned us (see more below)
Website:  http://rdvbakery.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RDVBakery/

Counting the original 50 Tastes from 2016, in 62 meals at (mostly) SoFlo eating establishments, we've never ever eaten at a place that scored a D.  Sadly, number 63 was that place -- and all because it was the worst service we experienced since this all started (in that category, we've never ever given less than a 7 ... until now).  To share in our disappointment, see below for this record-breaking (in all the worst ways) Troy-score:    

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (giving credit where credit is due -- the place is pretty darn cute ... from the outside where it kind of looks like a fancy barn in the countryside to the different sections inside where it seems like they might have expanded over time to a patio area for outdoor bistro-ing ... and you might be able to see it in the accompanying photo, but the pièce de résistance is the pastry bin and dessert cooler underneath the shingles that serve to transport the indoor customer to a market booth in the old country).

FOOD:           9/10 (it was lunchtime in a bistro, and I chose chips instead of salad or fries [the latter of which I could have gotten for a four dollar upcharge -- so I'm guessing that maybe they call in the night shift for extra help when that side gets chosen during the day?], so I guess I can't complain too too much about the bag of chips thrown on the plate ... but I'm still going to deduct a point for the financial disincentive regarding the "french" fries ... as for the panini, though, it was perfectly crispy on the outside and perfectly gooey on the inside, and those chicken tenders made it perfectly meaty for a healthy hearty lunch)

SERVICE:      2/10 (there was a sign on the door when we arrived that said something to the effect that the management was hiring servers, and I have to hope that the one we got on our lunch visit was either so brand new that he hadn't completed training yet OR that he was waiting to leave employment as soon as his replacement was hired ... of course, it might have been that he was just super chill and super laid back or super not into lunch shifts, but he was a super disappointment ... our order was taken and our food was delivered after a bit of a lengthy wait, so the bare minimum expectations were met [hence the 2 points in this category] -- but the food took forever to arrive and we were ignored at the end of the meal ... after saying he'd return with the check, we waited a good 15-20 minutes while he did side-work in front of us and ignored us, prompting us to get up and say how "we'd really like to leave but we'd also like to pay first" ... our "honey badger don't care" waiter was so ingrained in not caring, that it was only when we made a small scene in front of the other diners [of which there were only two or three other tables, so it wasn't that things were crazy busy or anything] that the other server on staff that day helped us get a check so we could pay and leave) 

BACON:         6/10 (bacon appeared to be on the lunch menu three times in various dishes -- a hot sandwich, a panini and a pasta dish ... but can you imagine how much better my Poulet Cordon Bleu Panini would have tasted if I could have added bacon [although I probably would have been shocked at the upcharge based on how they calculated the cost of dropping some potato pieces in the fryer ...])

BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for acknowledging that maybe we should have focused on the bakery and dessert items ... or come for dinner instead of lunch, +3 for the guests with whom we shared this experience [the long lost nephew and the mother were both in town and joined in on this meal], and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return because surely better servers have been hired by now and this low score can be redeemed in the future)

TroyScore:  34 out of 50 -- aka 68, a D