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 6/1/17

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

 here's the TWENTY-FIRST of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Shake Shack
Location:  Boca Raton
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  fountain Spr-oke (half sprite, half coke)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Shack Stack (plus Bacon)
(cheeseburger plus a crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce™, plus bacon)
Side(s):  Cheese Fries (plus Bacon)
(fries topped with special blend of cheddar and american cheese sauce, plus bacon)
Dessert:  Glades Donut Frozen Custard
(vanilla custard, the sugar monkey's glazed cake donut, peanut butter sauce and chocolate toffee)Server:   Dante (order-taker)
Website:  https://www.shakeshack.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/shakeshack/

If ever there was a reason for me to believe in destiny, finding myself at a Shake Shack for this ongoing series would suffice.  Some of you outside of the area may know of the expanding chain (that started in NY), but, as of the time of the meal, this location was one of just three in Florida (more are promised).  As to that reference to "destiny", regular readers know that I love me a higher quality burger joint ... one that isn't afraid of the bacon ... and one that takes just as much pride in its ice-cream-style desserts.  In this case, the establishment got on the radar because we were seeking the closest thing we could find locally to the best frozen custard we ever had (shout out to Kopp's in Wisconsin!), so keep on reading to see how the Troy-score shows that we weren't disappointed (and how this is now the best reviewed burger joint of them all).  

(A  bit of housekeeping:  due to publication delays, this review is being retroactively slotted to June 2017 but posted in September 2018 for a meal that was actually eaten and photographed in July 2017.)

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (it was like this:  walk in -- order your food -- and wait to be called [because everything seems to be made to order] in a pleasant enough space with big booths and a full view of the bustling kitchen ... I couldn't quite place the overall smell, until it hit me that it smelled just like the fast food restaurant known for its flame grilled burgers [which isn't a pejorative statement -- just something that makes sense since their grill is out in the open] ... one point is lost because the wifi was working in fits and starts that day, and the second one comes off the top because it was 90 degrees and we would have sat outside except management hadn't turned on the overhead fans to make it comfortable)

FOOD:           9.5/10 (here's the smartest thing ever -- they have a non-meat option [a two cheese filled portobello mushroom fried perfectly to be crispy on the outside and oozey-gooey on the inside] that they encourage meat eaters of a certain ilk [i.e. me] to stack on top of the cheeseburger, in effect exponentializing the taste, all served on a piping hot bun with other fresh toppings  ... the crinkle cut fries were appropriately crispy [at least underneath the two-cheese sauce] ... and that frozen custard dessert had chunk after chunk of peanut butter ... the [rare for this series] half point deduction is because the sandwich seemed to be missing the cherry peppers [and it's only a *half* point, because I'm not sure that I really missed them, tastewise]

SERVICE:      9/10 (the order taker was outgoing and super-smiley [especially when affirming that my request to add bacon to everything was "a good choice"], and every employee with whom we interacted before the visit was over was similarly friendly ... the one point subtraction comes from the length of time we waited for the dessert [ordered separately after the meal])

BACON:         10/10 (lookit -- they let me add it to the burger AND they let me add it to the fries [where it was big chunks and not crumbles or bits] AND they probably would have let me add it to the ice cream if I had remembered to ask them to do so ... so how could they *not* get a perfect score in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for choosing to always have at least two cheeses in the mix whenever cheesiness was on the menu [for instance, stuffed in the portobello or ladled over the fries], +3 for having the foresight to merge the meat-eaters dish with the non-meat-eaters dish to create one mega-eaters dish, +3 for highlighting the fact that pregnant girls shouldn't drink [in giant signs behind the counter as if the area was dealing with some kind of epidemic of bad-choice-making from the younger crowds] and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return [especially now that we know that one is planned for our hometown of Ft Lauderdale])

TroyScore:  46.5 out of 50 -- aka 93, an A

Random Taste for Thursday 5/18/17

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

 here's the NINETEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Dolce Salato Pizza & Gelato
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  (late) Lunch
Drink:  (Fountain) Coca-Cola
Appetizer 1:  Le Polpette (Italian Meatballs)
(3 tasty meatballs made in house and baked in the pizza oven with their special sauce served with Ricotta cheese and Italian toasted bread)
Appetizer 2:  Rosemary Garlic Cheese Bread
(served with special marinara sauce)
Appetizer 3:  Slice of Meat Lovers Stuffed Pie 
(italian sausage, pepperoni, ham, meatballs, mozzarella and provolone cheese)
Main:  Parma Panini
(prosciutto, fresh oviline cheese, italian basil, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil)
Side(s):  Dolce Salata (club special) with homemade blue cheese dressing
(mixed romaine hearts & spinach, ham, turkey, tomatoes, red onions & mozzarella sprinkles)
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Silvia (as in the owner Silvia)
Website:  http://www.dolce-salato.net/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/dolcesalatofla/

If you are a regular reader of this series, then you know there's something that happens when we set foot inside an establishment serving Italian cuisine -- we tend to feast out a little.  The only thing that kept us from filling up the table this particular time was the time of day we stopped in -- for a late late lunch.  (Quick disclaimer:  due to a delay with the publication of this blog, this review is being retroactively slotted in May 2017 but posted in May 2018 for a meal that was actually eaten and photographed in July 2017 [if you can follow that]).  As a relatively new(er) addition on the northern end of the entertainment district known as "The Drive", the authenticity all around went a long way toward earning this establishment its spot in the A list:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (small -- as in I think I counted only six tables -- but cozy, with extra outdoor seating available, this family owned business all but makes you feel as if you may be invited to join them as an honorary long lost cousin regardless of your ethnic background has authentic smells with all the good food being prepared and authentic sounds with Italian music playing in the background ... there's a point deduction only because it is a little bright and I feel it could be transformed with a little mood lighting and a second point comes off since it was rather warm the afternoon we ate -- either because we sat too close to the ovens or because the AC wasn't working at full capacity)

FOOD:           9/10 (at a place like this, the rule is that you shall know the quality of that which you are about to eat by the sauce -- and this sauce was obviously freshly made [obvious because of the bright red color of it] ... plus the meatballs were light and airy, the stuffed pizza slice was full of goodies and had a crispy crust that called for a knife to cut through it and that garlic bread was taken up a notch with the addition of the cheese AND the rosemary for an extra punch of flavor ... that panini was toasted all the way through, yet somehow was refreshingly cool -- and of course every ingredient on it was fresh ... the one and only mis-step [representing the point deduction] were tomatoes on the salad that weren't quite ripe and should not have been included and wouldn't have been missed if quality control had removed them)

SERVICE:      10/10 (when the owner herself is waiting on you, it's no surprise that she's invested in making sure that you feel welcome as soon as you set foot in the place ... but the pleasant surprise was how she went out of her way to be accommodating in letting us order just a few pieces of the special rosemary garlic cheese bread instead of a whole pie and how she properly set expectations that the single slice of meat lovers stuffed pie could take up to ten minutes to prepare -- which is, in my opinion, the proper way to handle a transaction from the perspective of your customers ...  brava, Silvia, brava!)

BACON:         9/10 (like any non-Italian, I confuse prosciutto with pancetta when it comes to thinking about the Italian version of bacon ... but prosciutto is hammy enough and scattered enough throughout their menu to earn some points in this category ... PLUS actual bacon IS on the menu as an extra topping that can be added to the pizza ... the point lost is because although bacon is on the menu, it wasn't included as an ingredient in our meat lovers slice)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that seemingly tiny bowl of salad that ended up like one of those Chinese food boxes that somehow has an endless supply, +3 for the authentic accents that all but assured you that the food would be authentic, +3 for a homemade dressing that should be bottled and sold on the side if it isn't already, and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return because we didn't even try the gelato!)

TroyScore:  46 out of 50 -- aka 92, an A

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 3/16/17

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

 here's the TENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Farmers' Market Restaurant 
Location:  Florida City
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  (Pitcher!) of Coca-Cola Classic
Appetizer:  Fried Zucchini
Main:  Fried Fish Fingers
(Fresh catch ... which that day was dolphin fish)
Side(s):  Steak Fries and Cole Slaw
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Karlene
Website:  n/a
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/floridacityfarmersmarketrestaurant/

This year, we are well on our way to beating last year's record number of diners in this series, and I'm happy to say that tonight I get to feature the highest scoring diner of the four so far this year, and the second highest of the ten diners since we started the very first taste so many months ago.  It might have been because family was in town ... or maybe it was excitement over the experience of the excursion at the national park from which we had just taken a break for lunch ... or maybe it was all because of Karlene ... but see how the Troy-score of only the second A so far this year came together below: 

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (I mean this in the best way possible ... but it didn't take me long to think of this place as the location in a Stephen King movie where all the surviving townfolk would gather to unite to fight whatever "big bad" was threatening them -- and they'd be damn sure fed well while they were there ... it was a big open room with lots of individual tables with various colored checkerboard tablecloths and it had a high ceiling with a natural light that came in through a row of windows, lighting up the wall mural of the cow driving the tractor ... the only point being taken off is for the public bathrooms that are right next to the restaurant with nonstop traffic and a bit of a public restroom smell that you had to navigate before you could have lunch)

FOOD:           9/10 (when you learned that the fish was swimming that morning and that the vegetables came from the farmers' market next door, it was no surprise that the taste of something as basic as dolphin fingers and fried zucchini was bumped up a notch ... and, from previous reviews in this series, know I wasn't going to pass up that fried zucchini, particularly when served as medallions ... and you can see from the photo that those steak fries were giant pillows of goodness, crunchy on the outside and practically mashed potatoes on the inside ... just a half a point off because the fries were missing salt and another half a point off for the homemade coleslaw, which was missing the tang that I prefer in that type of slaw)

SERVICE:      10/10 (I'm pretty sure that there may have been other employees working that day, but we were lucky enough to get Karlene -- and yes, she did make me think that she might have been related to the Jan Hooks character Carlene from 'Designing Women' and yes, we wish her service on every customer that comes through the door ... she had many talents, but I think the one that won me over was her ability to engage in an actual conversation without it feeling forced in any way -- she made it seem like she should have been in the other seat at the table as part of our party ... and the story was priceless about her having to explain to not-so-savvy customers that dolphin is a fish and not the actual dolphin and so an order of dolphin fingers did not mean that there were fingerless Flippers out there)

BACON:         7/10 (although none of my choices included bacon, it was indeed all over the menu in the breakfast and lunch sections ... it disappear from the dinner options, though, so we'll award 2/3 of the points in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for all the delicious crunchies at the bottom of that basket of friend zucchini, +3 for Karlene [enough said], +3 for her not being afraid to bring over a whole pitcher of pop at the outset instead of just a glass 'cause she correctly guessed that I'd be drinking a refill or two and +1 for being a place to which we will return the next time we end up on the edge of Everglades National Park -- maybe even on all you can eat Wednesdays -- although then we'd probably skip the park and just hang out in the restaurant all day)

TroyScore:  45 out of 50 -- aka 90, an A

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 12/15/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR APPETIZER
HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 FOR DRINK
HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 FOR DESSERT

Establishment:  The Spillover
Location:  Coconut Grove
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  A Mead Flight
one each flavored with fig, coffee, chili and "blod"
Appetizer (see below):  BBQ Gator Ribs
two (or three) fall-off-the-bone gator ribs from Clewiston, Florida, slow roasted for 2 1⁄2 hours then finished on the grill with our soon to be famous honey BBQ sauce, served with brussel sprouts and asparagus
Main:  Bababooey Burger (yes, *that* bababooey, as you can see in the photo below)
ground in-house beef burger topped with brie, caramelized apples, cinnamon butter, grilled onions, crispy bacon and honey mustard, served on a challah bun
Side(s):  Fries
Dessert:  Mrs. McHugh’s Banana Créme Pie
homemade crème pie made with vanilla beans, a walnut and graham cracker crust, topped with bananas, whipped cream, caramel sauce and dusted with bittersweet chocolate
Server:  Tina (whom I believe was officially Christina, according to the receipt)
Website:  http://spillovermiami.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spillovermiami/

When I started this series at the beginning of this year, I set the expectations that most of the establishments would be in the tri-county area (defined as Palm Beach, Broward and Dade), but the reality has been that the overwhelming majority of places have been immediately in and around the FTL here in Broward.  Recently, I finally faced the unknowns of Miami (will I95 be drivable?  where will I park?  will the restaurant be too "hip" for this middle aged eater?) ... and I'm most certainly glad that I did.  Full disclosure:  for this meal, I was the guest of the sister of one of the owners, as the sister was a former college classmate of mine in town on vacation -- a factor which did NOT influence the high Troy-score, as you can see below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (options make the world go round ... and this establishment had multiple choices ... an outdoor patio type set up out in an open mall courtyard environment, tables in the front near the bar, and a few privacy tables further back the hallway [which is what our party chose to advance our main goal of conversating] ... the feature of our area was a large floor to ceiling reproduction on the wall that kept us guessing throughout the meal as to its origin [the answer to which was that it was a still from the first bilingual seventies TV show 'Que Pasa', quite fitting for the Miami area])
FOOD:            10/10 (where to begin ... seeing as how every bite [and every sip] was delicious ... from the variety of additives in the honey-sweetened mead drinks [as pictured] to the sauced up ribs of the alligator [which our party ordered as an appetizer and shared, because the chalkboard countdown told us that there were still some available, what with only 15 being prepared daily] to the juicy burger with a surprisingly sweet combination of ingredients that came together like a gourmet applesauce as a condiment to the fries with their surprise secret coating [I promised not to tell -- but it *wasn't* ranch dressing mix, like the other entry in this series with a surprising fry taste] to that bananarific dessert ... note that I got to taste my tablemates' dishes of crab cakes and jumbalaya, so they are also pictured)
SERVICE:      10/10 (extra bubbly, super cheerful, and well informed -- for what more could one ask? ... we apparently managed to order just about everything that was also her favorite ... at one point in the process, the cynic in me did wonder if she was just practicing good server protocol in endorsing whatever decisions the guest made, but the final verdict as discussed by our group was that she was being sincere and it was just a coincidence ... PLUS every single employee who passed by the table did so with a smile and, as appropriate, with a polite request to clear any items)
BACON:         8/10 (bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon ... that's one mention for each of the *four* times my favorite ingredient was listed on the menu -- including on my burger ... that being said, it wasn't necessarily presented in any exciting or inventive ways, so this category will be the only one without a perfect score)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for the way those meads made me happy, +3 for that dessert of Mrs. McHugh's [purportedly shared, but I don't think anyone else at our table really had more than one forkful], +3 for urinal cakes with Justin Bieber's face on them [not pictured in this blog ... although they were posted on the FB the night of the meal] and +1 for being a place to which we will return the next time we venture toward Miami -- and by that time, this growing empire might just include more establishments than the three currently in existence)

TroyScore:  48 out of 50 -- aka 96, a high A

Random Taste for Thursday 11/17/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR SIDE

Establishment:  Temple Street Eatery
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  fountain Sproke (half Sprite, half Coke)
Appetizer:  Wonton Tacos
poached shrimp, guacamole, lettuce, gochujang cream, pineapple salsaAppetizer 2:  Buddha Mix (one of each dumpling)
ground chicken, onion, napa cabbage AND ground pork, napa cabbage AND minced shrimp, house seasoning AND edamame, carrot, vermicelli noodle, baby bok choy, tofu
Main:  Bibimbap Rice Bowl
choice of rice, inari, mushroom, pickled vegetables, scallion, marinated bean sprout, fried egg, gochujang sauce
Side(s):  Brussels Sprouts
(it was the special, so the menu description wasn't available, but there were apples and red onions mixed in)
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  the order taker's receipt says Jeff L, but I doubt that was *her* name
Website:  http://templestreeteatery.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TempleStEatery

The older I get, the more I love me a Buddha ... not for any religious reasons, but because there's something about the smiling bald big-eared round face that reminds me of ... ME!  This particular establishment offers up affordable options with Chinese, Vietnamese and Latin influences and is a companion to the well known long established Christina Wan's "four star" dining nearby.  To see how what is only the second Asian influenced taste fared in the Troy-score, see below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (outdoor seating was an option [even if it was next to a busy parking lot], and the interior was clean and bright and welcoming and full of nice touches like the Buddha faces everywhere and the happy cat with the waving paw at the drink station ... and the best part may have been how busy it was [without a slowdown in service], because there's nothing more encouraging than knowing you are eating somewhere loved by many)
FOOD:            8/10 (the place has a mission statement of bringing "comfort foods ... with the affordability of street food" and every bite made me feel more and more comfortable at the choice we made for this particular taste ... and although there were little things that I wish would have been different [the edges of the brussels dish were cold, the dumplings were delicious but so small, the fried egg didn't ooze like we wanted], the flavors were so strong and tasty on each item that I'll lump my mini critiques all into representing just one point lost ... and a second point is lost because I was excited to eat my first bibimbap, but disappointed because I thought a key identifier was a crunchy crusty fried rice bottom that wasn't a part of this particular presentation) 
SERVICE:      9/10 (with it being a counter service location, there are usually limited opportunities to interact with staff, but I do believe we managed to see almost every employee ... from the order taker to the food deliverers [items came out as they were ready, so we had three rounds -- each from a different person], and every employee was happy and smiley and friendly and able to answer questions ... just a point lost because they use one of those modern ipad programs that pushes the tip a little too hard during the checkout process, which seemed out of place for a counter service style that had a giant tip jar right next to said machine -- which is where I tipped, btw)
BACON:         9/10 (even though the word bacon wasn't on the menu ... the next best thing *was* AND it's visible as items added on to the bibimbap in the main photo -- so there's three points a piece awarded for those delicious pork belly chunks)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for the variety of all the sauces, +3 for a quick turnaround from the kitchen despite it being busy, +3 for taking the time to present the food attractively and +1 for being a place to which we will return as there are more menu items to try and because everyone loves a little comfort every now and then)

TroyScore:  46 out of 50 -- aka 92, a low A