Random Taste for Thursday 9/29/16

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

Establishment:  Tropics Piano Bar and Restaurant
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-cola
Appetizer:  Stuffed Mushrooms
stuffed with andouille sausage
Main:  Shrimp Bercy
jumbo shrimp dipped in flour and egg then pan sautéed in a white wine parsley lemon butter sauce served over angel hair pasta
Side(s):  Hot Cross Bun
Dessert:  Key Lime Pie
Server:  Giovanni aka "Gio"
Website:  http://www.tropicswm.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/tropicspianobar/

According to a sign by the door, this establishment is itself a historical building for the island city of Wilton Manors, and according to a lot of recent press, it's a place that is a work in progress after a recent change in ownership (the third just since we made the big move here).  And the bottom line is that there IS still work to be done ... as to how those negatives affected the score, see below:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (currently, the immediate vibe that is being throwing off is "hotel bar and restaurant" ... which isn't necessarily good or bad, but just an observation ... the lights are dimmed enough to make a person turn down the brightness on the old cell phone to avoid getting stares, and we were lucky enough to be eating during a piano playing session -- two rooms away so it wasn't overwhelming but was just nice background music ... a point is lost because the booth bankettes are too loose so that it's a luck of the draw as to whether the person behind you is one who moves around a lot and shakes the whole seat and a second point is lost because clearly some degree of updating still needs to be done)
FOOD:            7/10 (in descending order from best to worst -- the refreshing key lime pie [with sliced almonds that we first thought was coconut], then the shrimp bercy in a very light yet flavorful sauce [my first bercy, which is apparently an established french sauce], then the giant stuffed shrooms [which seemed like maybe they were frozen pre-fab and not homemade, so a point lost] and finally the rolls and spreadable whipped butter substitute [which came three in a basket for a table of two ... so we had to fight over who got the extra roll, so another point lost] ... plus, as much I liked my shrimp, they arrived with the tails on ... disguised in the breading and the dimmed light, which resulted in a final point lost)
SERVICE:      8/10 (the actual server did fine ... and the person whom we think was the owner/manager stopped by all the tables to say hello .. but a point lost for a missing host at the stand when we first arrived, and a second point lost because the owner/manager [dressed casually] didn't introduce himself as such, although we're pretty certain that's who he was ... [also see the bonus section below for one additional comment])
BACON:         6/10 (indeed, the menu has it in the usual places [burgers, salads, etc], but I didn't see it used creatively anywhere in any other dishes [I wouldn't have minded some in my bercy sauce, unless that would violate all things French] ... so just a few points off in this essential [to me] category ...)
BONUS:         6.5/10 (+3 for dealing well with a service escalation in that the other party in our group did not like the prime rib special and made it known as such, resulting in a return visit from the owner/manager guy, and +3 for, in the end, agreeing that we'd keep it on the bill because the boys would enjoy it [see photo below] and, for the first time in this series, a half point for being a place to which we *likely* return, if only because we believe in the commitment that the new management has to turning things around)

TroyScore:  35.5 out of 50 -- aka 71, a low C

Random Taste for Thursday 8/11/16

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

Establishment:  Flip Flops Dockside Eatery
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Late lunch (Early dinner?)
Drink:  Guinness (and a water)
Appetizer:  Smoked Fish Dip
served with toasted pita
Main:  Baby Back Ribs
"famous" made in-house fall off the bone pork baby back ribs
Side(s):  Fries and slaw 
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Rich
Website:  http://www.flipflopsdocksideeatery.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/flipflops.docksideeatery/

The more of these eateries I visit as a part of this ongoing series, the more I'm learning that time of day becomes a factor in the experience (which is why I'm glad I included the "meal" in the details from the start).  Today's establishment is known for getting packed for special events ... and also when the Water Taxi unloads, seeing as how it appears that walking through the dining room is the only way to get off the dock ... so visiting it in the middle of a slow afternoon in the off-season might not be exactly representative of all that it has to offer.  But all the same, to see how it hit its marks as "good" -- just not "outstanding" -- see these score details: 

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (with marketing stating that it's a "Key West" vibe ... and with me and mine still not getting any further south than Key Largo ... I'm going have to assume that the open air pavilion style dining room right on the water [the Intercoastal] gets it right ... with a late afternoon DJ spinning pop tunes during the meal and lots of pretty bright colors and decorations [including a chair rail made of actual flip flops], it was a welcoming place ... a point lost because the DJ's tunes seemed to all be a minimum of five years old and a second one lost for the unfortunate smell of strong boat gasoline fumes that wafted over the dining room near the end of the meal)
FOOD:            8/10 (down here, you can judge how a meal will go based on the wow factor of their smoked fish dip ... and I can say that I really really liked the toasted pita ... which is the awkward to say that the dip was good [and smoky ... and with pickled jalapeno], but not outstanding ... but let me say for sure that the ribs indeed fell right off the bone as advertised and I'm happy when a kitchen isn't afraid to put a little salt on their fries [even if senior citizens need to keep an eye out to monitor their intake] ... a point lost for an underwhelming slaw with an odd aftertaste of "old" and a second one lost for having the stout Guinness instead of the draught bottle [really, we fans would pay a little more for that experience])
SERVICE:      9/10 (our server helped portray the laid back vibe ... which worked all the way up until the point at the very end where there was a too long wait for the check to arrive ... and then for that check to be picked up despite me having the card ready to pay, hence a point lost)
BACON:         10/10 (good news -- the menu has an item on it called "bring home the bacon", so this place understands that it's one of the key food groups ... and a review of the totality of the menu shows that bacon makes multiple appearances ... even though my meal didn't have any on it [maybe that's what the fish dip needed for some extra oomph?], this place gets all ten bacon points)
BONUS:         6/10 (+3 for the special that day [full rack of ribs for the price of half a rack] and +3 for the cute, albeit *giant*, well behaved st. bernard type dog that was allowed to be seated at the table behind us)

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

Random Taste for Thursday 6/23/16

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

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed.

Establishment:  Spring Chicken
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner (although they called it Supper, 'cause they're Southern like that)
Drink:  Cherry (Coke+Sprite)
equal parts Cherries Coke and Sprite
Appetizer:  Mama's Biscuit
Our Yardbird Award-Winning Homemade Biscuit, Baked Fresh Daily (with Honey Butter and Strawberry Jam)
Main:  The Yardbird Sandwich
Award-Winning Crispy Chicken Thigh, House Pickles, Southern Sauce, Served on a Toasted Potato Bun
Side(s):  House Fries AND the "add a drumstick" option
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Kayla (although it is counter style, so she was more of just an order taker)
Website:  http://eatspringchicken.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/eatspringchicken

There are chicken places for those pinching pennies (KFC) and there are chicken places for those of a particular demographic (Popeye's and Church's).  There are chicken places for those looking to send a portion of their personal budget by way of franchise fees to bigots (yep, we have a Chick Fil A in town) ... and NOW, in southern Florida, there are chicken places inspired by local restaurants.  Such is the Spring Chicken franchise (spun off from the Yardbird), and such is the place that JUST opened up here in town.  For the first time in this series ... a score at a BRAND NEW eating establishment ... a score that breaks down as follows:

AMBIANCE:   7/10 (when we first moved to town a year and a half ago, it was a bank ... and now it's one of what will be four fast casual locations down here ... the grand opening was just a few weeks ago, and the place looks bright and beautiful, crisp and comforting... so bright, there's a point lost for not installing shades for the setting sun that hits the seating area right at meal time [I ended up wearing my sunglasses to eat] ... and a second point lost for a parking lot where the people who drew up the lines partitioning cars forgot to account for the fact that a car door has to open after it is in its spot ... and a third point lost for serving blue plate dinners on blue melamine plates as shtick, but re-using them, which seems odd in a fast casual setting)
FOOD:            7/10 (I don't think there is any dispute that the chicken itself was "quality" but it really comes down to how I *wanted* to like it much more than I actually did ... although the sandwich was tasty enough, specifically there's a point lost for honey butter served cold so it couldn't be spread on the flaky biscuits [a pet peeve of mine] ... a point lost for a breading I just didn't enjoy on that drumstick [no offense to Llewellyn, but I wanted it firmer and crispier and I got it a little soggy and overly peppered] and a point lost overall for failing the adage about how if you pay more, you're going to get a better meal)
SERVICE:      8/10 (because it's a counter service construct, our "server" was really our order taker ... and God bless her ... although she was polite and efficient, she was stuck on auto-pilot and even apologized for "listening, but not really listening" -- for which a point is deducted ... and, because we forgot to order the biscuits the first time, I went back in line and got her again and even though having just ordered a few moments before, she didn't remember we had been through the line until I brought it up when I said I didn't need another "pager" -- for which a second point is deducted)
BACON:         5/10 (it IS on the menu, but only once ... maybe it wouldn't be staying true to the place's authentic southern roots ... but I know my sandwich could have done a lot better with a little bit of bacon love)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for those award winning biscuits though, +3 for having a make-your-own-Coke machine and +3 for that sauce station in the photo replete with homemade sauces)

TroyScore:  36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a low C