Random Taste for Thursday 11/10/16

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

Establishment:  Howie's Top Dog
Location:  Davie
Meal:  (celebration) Lunch
Drink:  bottle of Coke
Appetizer:  n/a
Main #1:  Chicago Dog
mustard, onion, relish, pickle, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt
Main #2:  Italian Beef
wet
Side(s):  Cheese Fries
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Howie himself
Website:  http://www.howiestopdog.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HowiesTopDog

Remember when the Cubs won the World Series (a game we watched at last week's 43rd taste)?  Yeah, so the day after we decided that a perfect way to celebrate over lunch would be in a Floridian Chicago style eatery ... and that's how we ended up at this place.  (Note ... keep an eye out for the guy out on the main road holding the arrow sign, because the other signage is easily missed.)  Admittedly we were on a World Series win high, but this authentic eatery almost got itself the first ever perfect score in this countdown ... except for the fact that he's only open Mon - Sat from 10:08 AM - 3:57 PM (not a typo ... those are the actual official hours) and so we're limited in how frequently we can eat there ... take a look at the nearly perfect score (and count the number of times that the word "authentic" is used) below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (don't let the parking lot and outer appearance of the mall scare you off ... because once you get inside, it's clean and bright and cozy ... sure, it's basic tables and chairs in front of a counter where you order, but this is all about the Chicago food, as the skyline on the wall lets you know ... sometimes simple is just the right fit for presenting something authentic representing classic midwest lack-of-attitude)
FOOD:            10/10 (everything tasted like home ... where home was defined as where we lived for a dozen years prior to the big move to Florida ... so of course it was delicious ... and that's because it was authentic, since Howie imports his foodstuff right down to the Vienna beef underneath all of those Chicago specific toppings [including the bright green relish] ... even the fries were perfectly crunchy with just the right amount of the melted sauce)
SERVICE:      10/10 (there may have been two ladies behind the counter, but we're not sure if they were in training because they did nothing other than handle the cash when we paid ... because Howie himself took over and kept the conversation going -- especially after we started talking all things Chicago ... AND he went out of his way to keep on chatting and to invite us back in an authentically friendly way)
BACON:         10/10 (just because it wasn't on the Chicago authentic sandwiches pictured doesn't mean it wasn't a choice to be added to burgers and such ... plus you can do EXTRA bacon for just a dollar [yes please] and you can get it wrapped around your hot dog and deep fried ... so yeah, they get it)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for all the Chicago vibes everywhere, +3 for a creative extra menu of "specials" for those who want to try something beyond the basic items, and +1 for being a place to which we will return because we appreciate authenticness and because we'll want to feel like we're "home" again sometime soon)

TroyScore:  47 out of 50 -- aka 94, a solid A

Random Taste for Thursday 6/16/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR MAIN

Establishment:  BC Cafe
Location:  Davie
Meal:  Sunday Brunch
Drink:  Bellini (not pictured)
prosecco sparkling wine and peach purée or nectar.
Dish 1:  bananas foster french toast (bottom left)
Dish 2:  chicken and waffles sliders (bottom right)
fried chicken, cheddar waffle, topped with cayenne maple syrup
Dish 3:  breakfast ramen (middle)
topped with pork belly, sausage, scallion pancake and sunny side up egg
Dish 4:  steakhouse eggs benedict (top left)
filet, creamed spinach, fried onion rings, black pepper bernaise
Dish 5:  breakfast burger (top right)
homemade beef patty, sweet potato pancake, fried egg, cheese, bacon
Server:  Oops ... didn't catch the name of the order taker or food deliverer (it was kind of counter service-ish)
Website:  http://www.bctacos.com/cafe/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BCTacos/

What can I say ... brunch works well for this series!  After sampling one of the award winning "best" last week, it was great timing to see a current New Times article promoting the ten "outrageous" brunches in the area.  This particular place was deemed "outrageous" because it permits its customers who can't decide which dish to order ... to get ALL of them (in half-portion size, for a reasonable price for parties of two).  As luck would have it, Sunday errands had us out in that part of the world, and so it was a perfect match to sample this location that ALSO has a well known food truck pushing tacos and burgers out and about.  Here's how and why they scored well:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (bright and colorful, with plenty of seating and parking [it is in the 'burbs, after all] -- it attracted a good mix of college kids, family folk coming right after church and a few of the drunks from the night before ... I can't think of a reason to dock a point)
FOOD:            7/10 (having the sampler, we got to taste half portions [those are only HALF portions!] of each of their five special brunch dishes ... which means I can actually consider all of them ... ranked, in order from super to oops:  the french toast [2 points!], the steakhouse eggs benedict [2 points!], the chicken and waffles [2 points!], the breakfast burger [1 point!] and the ramen [0 points!] ... the ramen might have been better except for a strange flavoring in the excessive broth, and the burger needed just a little more of "something something"
SERVICE:      9/10 (ordering at the counter and paying in advance as was the set up, there wasn't as much traditional service provided although, for sure, the person behind the counter was smiling and happy the whole time, and the person delivering the food seemed the same way ... just a point lost for a bussing incident at the table next to us when a guy took one of his children to the bathroom and his wife took the other child outside ... so the busser cleaned the table and discarded the fresh hot coffee the guy had just gotten ... the bin was literally steaming)
BACON:         9/10 (it may have only officially been in one of the five brunch dishes [the breakfast burger] ... but that ramen included pork belly ... which is like the forefather of all bacon ... and I confirmed that this place has several bacon options on its regular menu ... just a point lost because that pork belly was in the least successful of the dishes)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for all the smiles, +3 for the dessert goodies display, +3 for offering up a sampler platter for people like me and mine and +1 for being a place to which we will return -- if only to sample all the main dishes at non-brunch time)

TroyScore:  45 out of 50 -- aka 90, a low A