Here we go again for the 3rd year ... a brand new set of tastes for 2018 ...
here's the EIGHTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA
(coming to you on sequential Thursdays. All. Year. Long.)!
Establishment: Honeybee Sweetery
Location: Ft. Lauderdale
Meal: Lunch
Drink: Hot Chocolate (plus an amaretto cookie)
Appetizer: n/a
Main: Royal Great Britain Panini
turkey, beef pastrami and muenster cheese PLUS bacon on a Rosemary Schiacciata
Side(s): bag o chips and a macadamia nut cookie
Dessert: strawberry shortcake (European style)
Server: Emilia
Website: https://www.honeybeesweetery.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Honeybee-Sweetery/271830559917400
Not only do we get our first A of this year (the latest in the year of the three we've done so far), but this adorable "sweetery" is also going down in the record books as the BEST coffee shop of those in which we've eaten in all three years. To see why you should make it a point to stop by (make note of their hours) for a coffee, or a sandwich, or a dessert (or all three), check out their Troy-score below:
AMBIANCE: 9/10 (be prepared for bright yellow -- lots and lots of bright yellow -- 'cause it is EVERYwhere ... and not necessarily in a bad way, seeing as how this little place managed to ooze happiness ... so much so that even the font on the little handwritten placards identifying products seemed happy to me ... the knick-knacks and bee decorations can be a bit overwhelming, but I can all but guarantee that you'll still be finding things you missed the first time you looked around the room ... if there's one complaint [and there IS just one point being deducted in this category], it's that this shop might benefit from a Coco Chanel moment of looking in the mirror and maybe taking one thing off [I recommend some of the mannequins, which can be a bit creepy no matter how brightly they are dressed])
FOOD: 10/10 ("do what you do, and do it well" sure goes a long long way ... and whether that meant expanding the bread options to include a delicious rosemary schiacciata [which I googled afterwards to learn was a Tuscan flatbread] ... using only quality deli cuts of meat ... creating cleverly named meat-n-cheese combinations [although you can still make your own combos] ... serving the foamy hot chocolate with a little amaretto biscuit ... giving the customer a freshly baked cookie as a side ... wrapping up the desserts so they could easily be taken to go ... this place did it all and did it well)
SERVICE: 10/10 (walking in and looking around, you may think that all the bee paraphernalia is the star ... or the food ... or the drinks ... but here's the simple truth -- the best thing about eating here may just be Emilia ... sure, she's super-friendly, but it's her ability to properly set expectations ["that sandwich will take a few extra minutes" or "the desserts are European style so they aren't as sweet"], her attention to detail and her skill at being able to put herself in the customers' shoes [knowing to apologize when the store music system went down and it got awfully quiet since we were the last customers of the day] ... all that made us feel like she was a family member determined to make sure we got to enjoy that which she [or actually her father in the back] lovingly prepared for us)
BACON: 10/10 (is there ever a more pleasant thing to read at a sandwich shop than "add bacon to a 6" sandwich for $1.00/add bacon to a 12" sandwich for $2.00"? ... and, of course, since they offer breakfast all day long, bacon shows up in many a sandwich on that side of the menu [one of which was ordered by my tablemate and is pictured below, and yes, that's bacon AND sausage surrounding the egg] ... speaking of photos, the main one is proof that you get your full dollars' worth when they line up so many strips on top of the panini innards)
BONUS: 7/10 (+3 for the giant bee that can only make you smile [see selfie shot], +3 for the sign on the door as you exit that thanks you for being an amazing customer, and +1 for being a place to which we will return -- maybe even every time we make the trip out to the Old Time Pottery down the road [which is pretty darn often])
TroyScore: 46 out of 50 -- aka 92, an A
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