Random Taste for Thursday 3/9/17

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

 here's the NINTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Chuck's Steak House 
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  (Annual Birthday Steak) Dinner
Drink:  Whiskey Sour
Appetizer:  Salad from the Salad Bar
Main:  New York Strip with Garlic Butter Sauteed MushroomsAngus beef, tender with great flavor.....10 oz
Side(s):  Baked Potato
Dessert:  Homemade Mud Pie
Server:   Mr. Surly at first, who then thankfully passed us off to Kim
Website:  http://www.chucksflorida.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chucksflorida/

"Happy Birthday to ME!" for over a dozen years has meant a dinner out at a steakhouse -- and the majority of them recently have included members of my Indiana family.  Prior to the big move from Chicago to Florida, we were making our way through all of the great Chitown steakhouses, and that tradition continues down here in a place where the surf side of surf-n-turf usually reigns supreme.  That does mean that there's likely to be only one steakhouse per year in this series.  The good news -- this place is better than last year's selection.  The bad news -- a bit of surliness can bring your Troy-score down, even if we swoon over your salad bar option (see all the numbers below):

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (I like big booths and I cannot lie ... and we were seated in one that comfortably fit five, as this evening out happened when family was in town visiting, and that was in a back corner and close to the salad bar ... we got a nice view of the whole place and it wasn't diminished when the lights dimmed shortly after being seated [although that dimness did affect a picture or two accompanying this post] ... the only point deduction is because we recommend some enhanced signage related to how to find the restrooms, as we got to see a few folks wandering around lost from our vantage point in the corner booth near the restroom entrance nook)

FOOD:           8/10 (you go to the steakhouse for a steak ... and a baked potato ... and, if you're lucky, a salad from the salad bar ... and I had no problems with any of those basics -- the steak was juicy and flavorful, the potato was a little small but enhanced by being able to load it up with goodies from the salad bar and the salad was made precisely to my liking ['cause I was the one who made it] ...by the way, I was talking about that homemade mud pie all the way back to my own home ... the disappointments were in the add on garlic butter sauteed mushrooms that came on the side and were good, not great and didn't amp up my steak like I wanted them to [a point lost] and in the fact that I couldn't get a side of creamed spinach at a steak house, which I thought was a mandatory offering from all my time spent in Chicago [the second point deduction])

SERVICE:      7/10 (kudos to Kim for salvaging this scenario ... because the initial impressions made by a hostess who simply didn't listen as we tried to engage her in conversation [explaining that a birthday steak house excursion was our family tradition] and the gentleman whose name we didn't get [a bigger bald guy] who took our order without a smile and oozing surliness from every pore left us with a bad taste in our mouth before any actual food arrived ... I don't know if it was a "captain server" style set up or what, but luckily we didn't see our order taker again for the rest of the evening and his replacement was sweet, personable and friendly as well as being efficient ... that being said, it's a point off for the hostess, and double points off for captain surly)

BACON:         6/10 (on one hand, there's only one reference to bacon on the official menu [served atop a southwest chicken dish] ... but on the other hand, there's a salad bar with unlimited bacon crumbles on it that you can add to just about anything [I chose to do so on my baked potato] ... so let's split the difference and give one point more than half in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that damn salad bar making us feel all Ponderosa-y [in a good way], +3 for the presentation of the dessert menu on that bottle [as pictured], +3 for a mysterious light switch in our booth that no one knew what it turned off or on but that kept our nephew entertained throughout the meal and +1 for being a place to which we will likely return because we do so love us a salad bar)

TroyScore:  40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 1/19/17

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

 here's the SECOND of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed.

Establishment:  Mellow Mushroom
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coke
Appetizer 1:  Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
Portobello mushroom cap, basted with garlic butter, stuffed with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella. Baked and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. Served on a bed of spring mix tossed with an herb vinaigrette dressing
Appetizer 2:  Garlic Butter and Parmesan Pretzels
Signature Mellow dough twisted into pretzels With a side of Mellow red sauce and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cheese
Main:  Funky Q. Chicken Special Pizza Pie
BBQ chicken, mozzarella and cheddar, caramelized onions and applewood smoked bacon. Finished with a bbq sauce swirl
Extra Main: (half) Meatball Sub (on French)
Seasoned meatballs in a Mellow red sauce topped with melted mozzarella
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  Half Baked Brownie Supreme
The name says it all. Our decadent triple chocolate brownie served with all-natural vanilla bean ice cream, dark chocolate truffle sauce and house made fresh whipped cream, topped with an all-natural bing cherry
Server:   Mike?  Tom?  Bill?  Insert vaguely frat boy sounding first name here -- but not Biff.  I know it wasn't Biff.  I just forgot to capture it off of the receipt.
Website:  http://mellowmushroom.com/store/fort-lauderdale
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mellowfortlauderdale

Let's get something out of the way right away -- I will admit that the pizza places/Italian restaurants that are a part of this series will always have a greater challenge because we tend to order a mini-feast when we visit an eating establishment in that category, which means there are more opportunities for something to go wrong because multiple items are sampled ... and indeed that was the case here at this newer entry in the locale of a chain that started in Atlanta long long ago (when I was just two years old aka 1974, according to the wiki).  To see how this franchise location performed on the Troy-scale, see below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (it's got kind of a warehouse vibe, with a very tall ceiling and funky art work hanging from it [see the giant fish in the photo below] and psychadelic mood lighting that throws off a subtle kaleidoscope of light -- so much so that I ended up taking multiple food pics, because each push of the button on the camera would result in a different colored glow on the menu items ... there was an outdoor patio and a section of nice sized booths with an open kitchen design ... I felt like, especially with the name, they might have been going for millennial stoner chic -- so a point lost 'cause it made me feel old to not be a millennial)

FOOD:            7/10 (without a doubt, the strongest dishes of the night were definitely the specialty pizza and the homemade pretzels [oh those pretzels!], although the beer cheese didn't quite do it for me [the consistency faded fast] ... that mushroom appetizer was practically a meal unto itself [it came, correctly, with its own steak knife], although it could have used some more time on the grill ... and the meatball sub had tasty balls but a touch too much oregano ... the biggest disappointment was the brownie, which looked amazing but also tasted suspiciously like too much oregano -- and that's not a veiled reference to it being "baked" with anything extra special, but a direct commentary on the flavors it seemed to have absorbed from maybe being stored too close to the kitchen action ;.. all in all, the presentation and the concept of the dishes helped to balance out some of the disappointments, so I won't dock a point for each and every "infraction")

SERVICE:      8/10 (things were a little laid back and casual  [again with the stoner vibe] which resulted in a bit of delay on the food items [so a point lost], but it should be stressed that the server was knowledgeable about the menu and was definitely friendly and attentive when he stopped by ... we're pretty sure the manager also paid a visit to the table to apologize for the lack of a crowd, letting us know they were all across the street at what we think might be a sister property, and a second point is docked because he didn't introduce himself as such, so it was an awkward conversation to have)

BACON:         10/10 (there can't be any points lost here because they "honor" bacon by referring to it as a "specialty protein" on their menu AND they include it as a ingredient in the majority of their own special pizza pie creations)

BONUS:         6/10 (+3 for an indoor/outdoor bar connected at the service area so the bartender can service both from the same vantage point and +3 for having a pizza boy back in the open kitchen throwing dough who looked authentically [capital] I-talian [even if he seemed like he might be 12 years old])

TroyScore:  40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a low 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 9/22/16

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

Establishment:  Zona Fresca
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Dr. Pepper
Appetizers:  Nachos with Steak (no Beans)
fresh corn chips, melted jack and cheddar cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and steak
Main:  Three Street Taco Platter
one each of Chicken Breast with grilled nopales cactus, avocado, cilantro, onions, and lemony dressing, Roasted Pork with pickled onions and cilantro and Baja Fish authentic Baja-style! fresh beer battered fish with shredded cabbage, pico, and our own tangy dressing
Side(s):  Chips and Guac
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Francisco
Website:  http://zonafresca.com/locations/fort_lauderdale
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/zonafresca

When it comes to quick tacos ... there are places like Taco Bell (the common denominator for the common folk) and sit down restaurants of Mexican or Mex-fusion persuasion ... and then there are the Tijuana Taxis of the world that seem like a frat boy's version of his favorite late night taco joint.  Into the mix comes Zona Fresca, a southern Florida mini-chain (with eyes at expansion ... a common thread in this series for many of these soFlo chains) and it has taken its place at the top of the pyramid because if provides an authentic taste via counter service.  It may not be as experimental as the taco food trucks in the scene, but it solidly scores (see below, remembering that a place without bacon automatically starts at a disadvantage on my scoring scale):

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (bright and fresh and clean, with a separate salsa bar and outdoor seating -- what's not to love! ... plus parking [not a lot ... but enough] and what sounded like authentic mexi-music playing ... just a single point lost because the line of those waiting to order backs up into the eating area)
FOOD:            7/10 (I was pleasantly surprised to see the tacos all came double wrapped ... and I really enjoyed the buttery texture of the not-chunky guac ... as for the individual types of tacos sampled, the fish was the tastiest, followed by the juicy juicy flavorful pork and last was the chicken -- a point comes off for that chicken one being overwhelmed by the cilantro, a second point gets deducted because the homemade chips weren't warm [which would have elevated the nacho appetizer], and a final point is lost because they contract with that *other* soda provider instead of with Coca-Cola)
SERVICE:      9/10 (it's another counter service location, but the gentleman behind the register was friendly and efficient ... and had a way of calling everyone "boss" with it sounding sincere and not cloying ... just a point lost because he touched the tip jar before taking the order ... I'm not even certain that it was deliberate, but more of a subconscious stroke of the container ... I would have tipped either way, but it was the only mildly off-putting part of the exchange)
BACON:         5/10 (this is the fourth Mexican restaurant in this series, and I'll say here what I said for two of the other three:  "it's a tricky category, as traditional authentic Mexican food is more about the fresh ingredients ... and although the menu includes many references to pork and carnitas and such, the reality is that I didn't see a single reference to bacon on the menu ... out of sensitivity to the culture and because of the high scores in all the other categories, I'll put a few points on the board") 
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having the audacity to make fun of the gringos not once, but *twice* on the menus [implying weaker taco and weaker beer choices], +3 for being popular enough to have lines yet efficient enough to move through them quickly [just during our meal, which was #395, they processed another 30 orders], +3 for the option of outdoor seating set back far enough from the main highway that it would feel like patio eating and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return)

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

Random Taste for Thursday 8/25/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR SERVICE

Establishment:  The Floridian
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Brunch
Drink:  A Poinsettia and a Coke
split of champagne to mix with cranberry juice
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  222 Special
two eggs, two pancakes & sausage or bacon
Side(s):  Bacon (once as a side to supplement the main, and once again because of an unforeseen bacon accident [see below])
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Linda
Website:  http://thefloridiandiner.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Floridian/122004887809606

This establishment is a Ft. Lauderdale landmark ... and so it was only a matter of time before we ended up there (actually, it was *almost* taste #28, until a last minute change of plans that night).  And full disclosure, the fact that I spilled not one but TWO drinks ... and that I had to defend my bacon against the fork of the other person in my party such that a piece ended up on the floor ... will barely play a role in this review.  To see why it ended up being the typical diner (not bad ... but not great), here are the score-components:

AMBIANCE:   7/10 (mirror walls make a place seem bigger than it is, and since this place is long but not wide [a few rooms side by side but none too deep], that trick worked ... with chandeliers and art of celebrities along the top of the walls, it gave off a diner "plus" kind of vibe ... a point lost because the celebrities weren't celebrities pictured eating at the diner, a second point lost because all the advertisements have an artistic rendering of the store front with white chairs lined up outside -- all of which seem to have been replaced by new tables that turned that area into outside eating instead of classic outside seating, and a final point lost because the flash of the camera taking a picture of the lost bacon [see below] disclosed a pretty dirty floor)
FOOD:            7/10 (let's start with the things at brunch that make me happy [besides bacon, which has its own category] -- butter that is spreadable and not frozen, and jam/jelly choices of more than just two ... plus super fluffy scrambled eggs and yuuuuge pancakes ... and cheers for selling coke instead of pepsi ... other than that, it was diner food [so not bad ... but not great] ... a point lost for serving it on a plate where my syrup ran into those scrambled eggs [in my humble opinion, pancakes and waffles and such deserve their own dish], a point lost for naming a meal the 2-2-2 and then making you choose bacon OR sausage [it should have been BOTH meats, instead of making me order one as a side, because that's what two means] and a final point lost because those yuuuuge pancakes were a little heavy by the time it got to the last bite)
SERVICE:      9/10 (similar to the experience about which I raved at Bonefish Mac's earlier this month, the server was excellent at her job, making every stop at the table seem like we all were just picking up a multi part conversation ... and, in many ways, we were, as we got to talk to her about her frequent trips to Chicago and other recent fun of hers ... just a point lost for waiting a touch too long for our check at the end of the meal)
BACON:         8/10 (a place that has 35 references to it on their menu ... and that even uses it to add some extra goodness to a classic diner dish [liver and onions AND bacon, says the menu] is going to score all the points ... EXCEPT for the fact that one of my pieces ended up on the floor [my fault] and that, as we left, we saw more bacon abuse outside on the sidewalk [not my fault], so a point has to be docked for each in memory of those lost pieces)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for the fancy office chairs at the "executive" table [see picture below], +3 for an alcoholic brunch drink I had not heard of before [mimosa, I knew ... poinsettia was new to me] and +3 for the aforementioned mirrors, because we caught the teenage busser checking himself out in them as he passed a few times)

TroyScore:  40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a low B

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!)