Random Taste for Thursday 3/1/18

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

 

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 12/22/16

[My ongoing series for 2016 ends tonight ... with the FIFTIETH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA (as has come to you on sequential Thursdays.  All.  Year.  Long.)!]

Establishment:  Stork's Cafe Bakery
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Fountain Coke
Appetizer:  Bowl of Chicken Rosemary Soup
homemade from scratch
Main:  1/2 a Chicken Caesar Wrap
tender roasted chicken breast, grated asiago cheese, crunchy croutons, and romaine with caesar dressing
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  Monster SnickerDoodle Cookie
Server:   name not gotten at this counter service location
Website:  http://storksbakery.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Storks-Bakery-Coffee-House-117411221611581/

What a year it's been!  Back on January 14th I posted the FIRST ... and tonight I post the FIFTIETH in the "tastes of Florida" series!  Next week, I'll wrap up properly (including a few "best of" acknowledgements) ... so without getting ahead of myself, below is a well known local establishment that is big on being a coffee shop, a bakery, a caterer AND a spot for lunch (all day lunch, seeing as how they are open until midnight seven days a week).  To see how the final entry in the series registered on the Troy-score scale, read below:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (it's a cute and cozy place ... with an outdoor patio for more seating options that you get to share with a few of the little little birdies [and there's no sign saying you can't feed them, so we did] ... but a point lost for a tiny ordering area [I can't imagine the confusion when the place is super busy] and a second point lost for the crap shoot of those who might be your patio-mates [including a lady who was on the phone cancelling her evening plans because she was feeling ill and feeling contagious ... and another who used the available ashtray despite being just a table away from us who were eating])
FOOD:            8/10 (without a doubt, the soup was the star ... and you knew it was homemade by the occasional rosemary sprig you had to politely discard from your mouth ... but it was clearly made with love as it tasted so lovely ... less impressive was the wrap, which looked to have been pre-made -- either for efficiency for the special of the day OR because someone had ordered the other half prior to my arrival [so a point lost] and a second point lost for watered down fountain soda [a pet peeve of mine for places that are behind on their calibration maintenance])
SERVICE:      8/10 (being a counter location, there's not a lot of interaction with the serving staff, and although they were effective and efficient, they didn't "wow" with any style that would bring me back just to see them smiling on the other side of the counter ... so a point lost for being mostly unmemorable, and a second point lost for the confusion that I mentioned earlier with the layout [we weren't sure if we were next, or if there was a line, or where to go to place our order])
BACON:         6/10 (from the menu posted online, I found bacon on two wraps and a salad ... which just isn't enough to score highly on this part of the evaluation ... I'd have liked to have seen it more creatively used OR to have seen just more of it)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for how that giant snickerdoodle reminding me of holidays past with my surrogate grandmother, +3 for the rest of the dessert case that tempted us greatly as we left the establishment, +3 for so so many options on the pretty chalkboards from which to choose and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return, likely with family when they come to visit)

TroyScore:  40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a B (but barely)

Random Taste for Thursday 5/26/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR AMBIANCE
WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR DRINK

Establishment:  The Alchemist
Location:  in the Eucalyptus Gardens in Wilton Manors
Meal:  Sunday Brunch
Drink:  Hot Chocolate (deconstructed)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Breakfast Croissant
turkey, egg and avocado 
Side(s):  Homemade Toast
with fresh strawberry jam
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  unknown (kind of counter style)
Website:  http://www.thealchemist.cafe/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Thealchemistcands/

Nestled in the corner of a compound ... which itself is tucked away behind a super old strip mall and a nondescript big parking lot ... sits The Alchemist -- just one of several businesses sharing space in what is called the Eucalyptus Gardens which includes a few other eateries, an antiques store, an "art walk" and a farmers' market (warning:  not all nooks and corners are open every day of the week).  It's a "coffee shop PLUS" kind of place known for its freshly ground coffees (and iced coffees replete with coffee ice cubes) ... and is cutesy and trendy (enough so that some elderly folks seemed confused by the concept) with a unique hot chocolate that I simply adored.  To whit ... here's the way it scored:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it's telling that there are more pictures about the surroundings than there are of the food ... because one of the big reasons to find this little corner of the world is for the people-watching and the surroundings-watching -- where you can look every which way and see something new and interesting with every glance ... it's exactly what you want an outdoor brunch spot in sunny Ft. Lauderdale to be)
FOOD:            9/10 (who cares about the food when the hot chocolate arrives as steamed milk and a swiss roll type hunk of chocolate that you make yourself by dunking it into the mug while you wait for it to melt [the longer you wait, the more your patience is rewarded because the chocolatey-er it gets] ... but yes, the fresh strawberry jam is the perfect topping for the toasted homemade bread ... just one point lost for the croissant sandwich that could have used a bit more heft)
SERVICE:      8/10 (the person taking the order was very chatty and cheerful [although she didn't give her name] with a great line -- "take your number and go sit somewhere and look hungry" -- and every other employee along the way was similarly pleasant ... but a point lost for not providing paper receipts and a second one lost for not having a more manageable line for the rush [a good problem to have ... but one that could use a little attention])
BACON:         3/10 (not a single piece of bacon for breakfast?  I know that there's a preference toward the healthy side of things at this place, but really?  no bacon choices at all?  ... out of deference to the "crunchy" and "granola-esque" vibe, I'll grant just a few points)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that deconstructed hot chocolate [which is already a contender for best drink of the year], +3 for being full with a line of people waiting but NOT moving the sleeping cat from his [or her] perch in the sun, +3 for the coolness factor and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return -- just maybe not at the height of Sunday brunch)

TroyScore:  40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a low B (but that hot chocolate gets its own 100!)