Random Taste for Thursday 2/22/18

Here we go again for the 3rd year ... a brand new set of tastes for 2018 ...

 here's the SEVENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Ethos Greek Bistro
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Mykonos Mule
Appetizer 1:  Pork Belly
hickory smoked grilled strips
Appetizer 2:  Zucchini Croquettes
shredded carrots manouri, dill & mint fried to golden brown
Appetizer 3:  Grilled Octopus
sashimi grade Mediterranean octopus, char-grilled
Appetizer 4:  Bread Plate
with oil
Main:  Faroe Islands Salmon
a “boutique” style salmon, grilled & finished with a lemon caper sauce
Side(s):  "greens" (kale?  spinach?) and (flavored?) rice
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   I thought he was JB but maybe he was JP 'cause the receipt said johnpier
Website:  https://www.ethosbistro.com/wilton-manors/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ethosgreekbistroWM/

Here we are, three years into this series and there are still some "firsts" resulting in an expansion of the category list on the right hand side of the blog.  Specifically, last week was the first Hungarian eating establishment ... and this week is the first Greek one!  What we still haven't seen yet is the first A of this third year ... although this place came close, it didn't quite get there BUT it is actually the highest score of 2018 to date.  To see what number that is as a Troy-score, keep on reading:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (not only is it right "on the drive" [code for "great for people watching"], but the layout is very open, so if you're not lucky enough to get on the patio right next to the sidewalk, the "inside seating" is still set up in a way that it feels like an extension of that outdoor area ... I know this to be true despite taking a seat at the table that was facing toward the bar and kitchen ... I will say that we were lucky being a party of three at a fourtop table, because there was so much good food to order with the small plate concept and only a limited amount of space to place it on the table -- were we a group of four, it would have been too small [which is the reason for the point deduction]).

FOOD:           9/10 (coming from Chicago, I expected to see some flaming cheese ... but my disappointment in not having any of that delicacy in this Greek bistro was swept away once I got my hands on those shared small plates -- healthy tasting zucchini croquettes [on a pile of classic Greek creamy goodness of a dip], perfectly textured charred octopus, and oh-my-that-pork-belly [see the bacon category below] ... followed by a hot [temperature hot] and flaky hunk of salmon in a delicious salty [but not too salty] mildly lemon-y sauce ... although my Mykonos Mule was meh, that was more because I rushed my drink decision at the beginning of the night ... the single point lost in this category is for the sides that accompanied my salmon, which simply [and oxymoronically] "stood out" for not being memorable) 

SERVICE:      8/10 (here's what I liked -- at this meal, we were reconnecting with a friend who finally made the big move from Chicago to the FTL [as *we* did four years ago], and so we were in no hurry to order, which wasn't a problem for our server despite how busy the place was, and the interactions with him were friendly and efficient all night long ... here's what I *didn't* like -- because we were ordering in stages [drinks then small plates a bit later followed by big plates], we held on to the menus, and had to argue with another server who was flying past and tried to reclaim them [a point deduction] ... also our server cleared the table at the end of the evening which included a tablemate's mostly untouched bronzini dish [seen as served below -- along with the orzo paella eaten by another] -- it was untouched because he found pin bones in it -- and there was no conversation inquiring as to why said server was clearing a mostly full plate of food [hence the second point deduction])

BACON:         10/10 (had I been dining by myself instead of in a group setting, there's every chance that I would have ordered a small plate of pork belly, followed by a second small plate of pork belly, followed by a conversation with the management as to whether I could order my main course on a big plate with nothing but pork belly ... in other words, pork belly for the win -- and for all the points in this category)

BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for the server casually upselling the drink orders to be doubles ['cause alcohol makes everything better], +3 for that same server offering up the bread plate once he saw that we were the "eatin' type", and +1 for being a place to which we will return -- maybe even to their original Coconut Creek location next time)

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a B

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 5/4/17

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

 here's the SEVENTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  El Guanaco
Location:  Oakland Park
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Sangria (red)
Pre-Appetizer:  Warm chips and salsa
Appetizer:  Salvadoran Combination #1
(chicken tamale, sweet corn tamale, pupusa, fried yuca, salvadoran cream and cheese, pickled cabbage, red sauce and spicy salsa verde on the side)
Main:  Grilled Salvadoran Steak/Carne Asada
(served with pico de gallo)
Side(s):  Rice, black beans and sweet plantains
Side (that was supposed to be an appetizer):  Chicken Soup/ Sopa de Pollo 
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Gabriella
Website:  http://www.elguanacooaklandpark.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/www.elguanacorest.net/

Not for nothing, but eating here was a year in the making.  El Guanaco was on the list of places to try in the first set of 50 tastes based on an episode of 'Check Please' here in SoFlo on the PBS, and we even had dinner plans in May of 2016 that were changed at the last minute because they were on a Wednesday ... and this place is closed every Wednesday.  Luckily, though, it was not forgotten when it came time to find a latin inspired eatery for a Cinco de Mayo celebration for the second set of 50 tastes.  This place prides itself on both its Mexican AND Salvadoran food preparations and so despite the "holiday", we went mostly Salvadoran in our choices, and that led to the Troy-score detailed below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (there's no getting around it ... this place is on the small side -- but cute all the same ... and although it's not exactly a communal set up [see photo], your table is almost always going to hear the conversation at the tables nearby during the meal [on our night, that meant listening to a discussion on superhero movies amongst what I assumed to be a group of fleet-week boys], so a point lost because that can be a bit of a "luck of the draw" scenario when it comes to "shared ambiance")

FOOD:           9/10 (there was an overabundance of deliciousness as the size of the main dish plus the appetizers quickly upgraded this to a feast ... warm chips at the start with a dark and spicy salsa to set the mood and that extra flavorful steak with tasty rice that wasn't too sticky were the highlights ... the feeling of authenticity came from that appetizer plate which featured the traditional Salvadoran papusa ... and that chicken noodle soup that arrived late [see below] was uniquely unexpected in its size, in its preparation with a huge chunk of bone-in chicken and a mini corn on the cob smack dab in the middle of it and in its inclusion of chayote ... just half a point deduction for the fact that I wanted my papusa filling to be a little wetter or sauced or something not so dry and a second half a point deduction for the fact that the beans were 'meh'-flavored)

SERVICE:      8/10 (we were lucky to get the last table at the time we arrived which was by the front door ... sadly, our attempts to switch to a booth along the wall once one opened up and before the food had arrived were denied by our server [one point off] and there was a rather long wait for the apps [a second point off] -- so long in fact that the chicken noodle soup that should have been served early on in the meal didn't even arrive until after the main plate [the final point deduction] ... a few smiles and a bit of friendliness at the *end* of the meal earned a point back)

BACON:         7/10 (being such a fan of bacon as I am -- so much so that it gets its own category in the score calculation such that a place can go from a 100 to an 80 just by not offering it anywhere on the menu, I have grown to be sensitive to cultures that might not feature any bacony goodness ... especially if they are being authentic to the dishes from their countries ... as I don't doubt the authenticity of these Mexican and Salvadoran culinary creations, I have to award half the points just out of respect to their culture ... and then two more -- one because the papusa we chose had pork filling [the closest to bacon I had that night] and one because those beans likely had some pork product flavor influencers)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for that sweet sweet sangria though, +3 for the quantity and quality of the food in the feast far outpacing the cost, +3 for that unexpected chicken noodle soup and +1 for being a place to which we will return if only because I talked myself out of getting the beef tongue steak and now I feel like I might have missed out on something)

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 4/13/17

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

 here's the FOURTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed.

Establishment:  Sublime Restaurant and Bar 
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Grapefruit Mule
(tyler's of london gin, giffard pamplemousse, fresh grapefruit juice, ginger beer)
Appetizer 1:  Polenta Herb Fries
Appetizer 2:  Soup of the Day
(potato corn chowder)
Appetizer 3:  Pretzel Dip Medley
(soft pretzel, roasted tomato hummus, caramelized onion dip, key lime mustard)
Main:  Mushroom Ravioli
(housemade, filled with cashew cream, slow-roasted tomato butter sauce, basil)
Side(s):  n/a
Dessert:  Chocolate Nirvana
(chocolate cake, kahlua butter creme, dark chocolate ganache)
Server:   Jennifer
Website:  http://www.sublimerestaurant.com/home.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sublimerestaurant/

In light of all of the pictures previously posted in this series that were meat-focused -- not to mention the fact that there is a whole category worth 20% of the overall score dedicated to the presence of bacon in the meal or on the menu -- one might be surprised that tonight's Taste is a VEGAN restaurant.  First, it might just represent a glimpse into the future, as I will one day be at the very least a vegetarian, what with how confident I feel that we are living in apocalypse adjacent times (whether zombie, armageddon or a second term of Trump) during which I will not be able to kill animals for food myself in order to survive.  Or maybe it was just that a college friend was in town who had dietary restrictions and it was the proper host-move to find an eating establishment that honored such requests.  Regardless of the reason, see how the Troy-score came together below: 

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (after so many strip mall restaurants [a regular thing down here in Florida], it was nice to set foot inside a large building dedicated to a number of different nooks and niches to enjoy a quality meal -- from the separate dining room with the waterfall windows [see photo] to the bar area with its row of booths [you know I love me a booth] to what I can only assume is a private dining room for all the celebrities that give testimonials on the website ... plus there's a great big parking lot in the back that abuts one of the many Ft Lauderdale waterways replete with ducks who probably know that they'll never be slathered in an orange sauce for hanging out nearby)

FOOD:           9/10 (as a well documented carnivore, the question was really one of "would a meat-eater miss the meat in the meal"  -- and the answer was a semi-resounding "not so much!" ... admittedly, I chose my menu items very carefully [you can't go wrong with ravioli!] so as not to have to evaluate meat-substitutions [although shout out to the sublime picatta ordered by my tablemate and pictured below, which served its purpose well enough] ... and I enjoyed every bite I put in my mouth -- from those polenta fries to that amazing dessert ... the one point deduction is just for a general comment that sometimes it felt like the emphasis was on finding a textural substitute over a flavorful one)

SERVICE:      9/10 (our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and either knew the answer to my tablemate's questions or returned with the information if she didn't AND she willingly became photographer when we asked her to capture our college reunion in a photo ... the only reason that there is a single point deduction is because her attention to our experience seemed to wane slightly toward the end of the evening -- perhaps because she got busier or maybe because we were taking our time with the meal seeing as how we were catching up after a twenty year lag in face to face interactions)

BACON:         5/10 (oh the dilemma ... how exactly does one provide a score in the bacon category for an eating establishment that clearly wants all pigs to live free from any future bacon status? ...  we're going to do so by splitting the difference and awarding half the points in recognition of its mission statement that puts 100% of its profits to support animal welfare ... or, if nothing else, you can consider those five to be guilt points)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having that aforementioned key lime mustard sauce, which was both a nice nod to soflo living and indicative of how seriously they take their mission statement seeing as how they believe that bees should be able to keep their own honey, +3 for those pretzels though -- as I could have made a whole meal of just them and their sauces, +3 for not being afraid to pipe a nearly subliminal message style song about washing your hands into the restrooms [you had to be there], and +1 for being a place to which we will return the next time someone visits with a similar culinary POV [we've already returned once to purchase a gift certificate for a housewarming gift for just such a friend])

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 2/2/17

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

 here's the FOURTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Diner By-The-Sea
Location:  Lauderdale By The Sea
Meal:  Brunch
Drink:  Hot Chocolate
Appetizer:  English Muffin
Main:  Famous 2-2-2
2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon or sausage [I chose bacon, of course], 2 golden pancakes or toast [I chose pancakes]
Side(s):  Home Fries
Dessert:  Miniature slice of watermelon
Server:   unknown but completely my fault because I got her name (and made her say it twice because it was unique) yet I didn't add it to my notes
Website:  http://dinerbytheseainc.com/diner/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Diner-by-the-Sea-161662490517465/

It's the first diner of the new year ... and if the distribution is anything like last year, that means that more will be featured soon enough because a full 10% of the tastes from 2016 were in diners.  But first up is this little charmer (more about that below) within walking distance of the beach.  The good news is that they scored in the top half of the six diners featured ... and to see how it all came about on the Troy-score, check below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (let's put it this way -- if you are an employee at this place, you better get along with your co-workers, because it is tiny ... and by tiny, I mean four or five small booths and a dozen stools or so and that's about it ... that being said, cozy can be cute, and there's something about being so close to the grill that you can watch your food getting prepared to perform your own quality control check ... and when we were there, it quickly became clear that the majority of customers knew most of the guests in a Cheers-y kind of way ... just a point deducted for the stools being slightly too close to each other -- in a budget airlines kind of way)

FOOD:           8/10 (hot and fresh with crispy "pressed" bacon and well flavored [and textured] home fries perked up my breakfast [see a bonus shot of the corned beef hash morning meal that my tablemate ate] ... if there was an area for improvement, it would be the pancakes -- as you can see from the photo, my "2" were really one big one and one baby one [so a point lost] ... I also was disappointed that my hot chocolate wasn't creamed as happens at the other diners at which I've eaten [the second lost point])

SERVICE:      8/10 (here's the truth -- the end was better than the beginning ... because, as previously explained, this place is so tiny that you can't hide anything ... so on *our* visit, we knew that our server was frazzled because the other server who was working the booths wasn't moving fast enough that morning [so a point lost for us knowing all that diner drama in the first place] ... and eventually we were able to get her to smile and be personable enough to learn that she was selling all her things and moving to Canada, but the early going was just too painful for us to watch [which explains the second lost point])

BACON:         8/10 (as happy as I was to see bacon all over the breakfast menu [as it always should be], I was dissuaded from placing my usual order an extra side of of bacon by the price of $4.50 for three slices [a point dedcuted] ... which also means that my expectations were pretty high for the 2 slices that came with my 2-2-2 meal ... and while it was good and crispy, it wasn't as amazing as I had built it up to be, possibly from the "pressing" of it ... [the second point deducted]) 

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for squeezing us in on the last two open spots in the joint, +3 for there being absolutely NO wasted space in the place at all, +3 for getting to use the full bottle of syrup like a big boy, and +1 for being a place to which we will return -- although likely at lunch in order to try out *that* menu)

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 10/20/16

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

Establishment:  Blue Willy's BBQ
Location:  Oakland Park
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  can of Coke
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  2 Two Plate Combos (shared)
pulled pork and chicken on one and brisket and sausage on the other)
Side(s):  Greens and Slaw PLUS Pit Smoked Beans and Mac N Cheese AND pickles and onions AND Aunt May's Corn Bread
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Keesha (sp?)
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Blue-Willys-Bbq-411201845667321/

Who knew BBQ was a Ft. Lauderdale thing?  This is the *third* such spot in this series ... but there would be many more if the "rules" weren't that we have to eat at places where we haven't eaten before to be included.  Another note -- it's well documented that the only way to eat at a place like this is to take extra people so that you can sample (almost) every type of meat and (almost) every side, which explains the two full meals in the photos.  One last note -- this place is known for being in a pastrami war with another bbq place previously reviewed, but it's only offered once a week, and it wasn't on the night we were there.  To see how it fared in the overall bbq scheme of things, see below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (this particular location is relatively new, and it still shows ... and I've previously stated that I'm a fan of the limitless paper towels right on your picnic bench concept [see photo below] ... the music playing on the loudspeaker was an Eagles-ish kind of band that fit the environment [sadly there was no shazam to know exactly who it was] ... also it was actually a nice touch to be able to see one of the workers in the back room making the sides as we ate, confirming that they are indeed fresh) 
FOOD:            8/10 (here's the way it often works for these bbq joints ... they have to work extra hard in order to win across the board with meats, sides AND sauces ... here, the sides were the stars, and the meats were worthy companions [with great portion sizes all around] -- with a special shout out to the chicken skin -- but the sauces were a bit 'meh', so a point lost ... and not to beat a bad sauce down, but there was a white one that just didn't quite make sense [a little watery and a little too vinegary]  -- which is a second point lost)
SERVICE:      8/10 (as a counter service place, there's not a lot of interaction, but what there was was direct and to the point ... although there is a point docked because rib tips were the special of the day but they weren't allowed to be chosen as a meat on the combo plate, which made me sad ... and a second point lost because they ran out of the original specialty soda that my meal partner ordered)
BACON:         7/10 (bbq places and bacon don't always go together, although several previous bbq places on this countdown have found ways to score points in this category ... I kind of wished the greens HAD had some bacon in them, but I don't think they did ... all that said, there's a lot of the pig represented on the menu in other ways, so there are some points to be awarded in this oh so important category)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for the design of mistmatched chairs all along the picnic tables instead of benches, +3 for a really delicious corn bread that wasn't too sweet and didn't crumble when you ate it [corn bread pet peeves of mine], +3 for how quickly the food was served, and +1 for being a place to which we will return, because we can't stay away from those bbq establishments!)

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a solid B

Random Taste for Thursday 8/18/16

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

Establishment:  Pincho Factory
Location:  Pembroke Pines
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  (Maybe) Cherry Flavored Orange Crush
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Toston Burger (Add Patty)
two fried plantains as the "buns", then topped with jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and homemade cilantro sauce
Side(s):  Bacon Cheddar Ranch Fries
topped with chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing 
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Kieja (counter service)
Website:  http://pinchofactory.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pinchofactory

I'm growing fonder of these unique to southern Florida chains (six locations down here and one up in Orlando) and I feel like I might be getting in on what may one day be franchised across the country.  And this business model was interesting.  There were parts that reminded me of a Noodles-n-Company style set-up (choose a specific protein kebob [steak, chicken or shrimp], choose what you'll place it on [wrap, rice or salad], and choose a flavoring [from seven different styles] ... but then they also had quality burger, chicken and hot dog choices.  If you've been following along, you know it's rare that I'd pass up a burger .. and so despite the fact that the restaurant is literally named for their kebobs, it was one of those quality burgers that was the base for this particular score:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it was bright, clean, open and welcoming ... and the Olympics were on the many TV screens ... plus it was getting close to closing time, and yet there was no pressure to speed up the meal ... as a matter of fact, folks continued to arrive to place orders even in the last half hour ... so no complaints here)
FOOD:            7/10 (the fries were perfectly topped with ranch and cheese AND bacon and were skinny and crispy and the burger was definitely of high quality, which is something that the establishment heavily promotes on its menu/website ... and the use of fried plantains instead of "buns" was something different -- I don't know that it added that much to the taste, but it certainly didn't detract from it ... where there is a point lost is that by the end of the burger, those plantains were breaking up into pieces and making it more of a challenge to keep a hold it ... also a point is lost for having a make-your-own-*Pepsi* machine [you know I like my Coke] and a final one is lost for that same machine that professed to be adding a cherry flavoring to my drink but that lied, as near as I could tell)
SERVICE:      9/10 (this was another counter service place [provide your order, get a number, take a seat and wait for delivery], but everyone with whom we interacted was smiling and friendly and a special shout-out to Kieja who was extra helpful and took time to explain the various options in the menu ... there was a bit of a wait for the food -- but no points are being docked because the food was of a quality to make the wait worth it ... there is one point lost for the size of the drink glass, which was practically a courtesy cup in our mega-gulp world)
BACON:         10/10 (it doesn't get any more simple than this ... the customer can get bacon added to any of the menu items -- burgers, chicken, hot dogs, fries ... you simply can't beat that)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for having an award recognized burger worthy of my other series on the Facebook [my burger quest based on the Zagat top 25 in the country list from a few years back], +3 for a well defined mission statement that is so bold as to be called a "pincho movement" and +1 for being a place to which we will return ['cause we didn't even get to try the actual pinchos {kebobs} yet])

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a solid B

Random Taste for Thursday 6/30/16

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

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed.

Establishment:  Quality Dinner
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  Late Lunch
Drink:  Root Beer
Appetizer:  New England Clam Chowder
Main:  Gyros Platter
Open faced with tzatziki and pita bread
Side(s):  French Fries
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Pimonia (? ... we asked twice and I didn't want to make her say it a third time)
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Quality-Diner/168459303186636?fref=ts

Some days you just crave diner food ... and this week included one of those days.  This particular establishment was another one that we've driven past many a time ... but we always assumed that it had limited hours because we never noticed any cars.  Much to our surprise, it's open until 9:30 most nights (so it must just be the times we pass by).  And, once inside, I *almost* felt compelled to order a ham and cheese sandwich, with chips on the side and a pickle on top stuck through with a toothpick -- because that's what I used to get after school at the Greek diner at which my Mom worked.  Here's how the rest of this trip down memory lane played out ...

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (who knew from the outside how big this place was on the inside ... with a counter and booths and tables in the back, we were shocked to see so much space ... plus there was an outdoor seating section, which is always a nice option in the land of [mostly] eternal sunshine ... and it had that diner feel like you just knew that regulars had their own booths and their own "usuals" to order all the time ... plus some Greek travel posters adorn the walls to help the guests know which flavors to expect) 
FOOD:            6/10 (diner food is diner food and needs to be judged as such -- and this satisfied the cravings with a delicious gyro that was hot and tasty with pita breads perfectly toasted ... a point lost though because it was missing the "vegetables" [which I still think should have been on the plate even if I ordered it open-faced], another one lost because I didn't enjoy the soup because I thought it had a much too sweet taste, a third one lost because the fries were nice and crispy on the outside but not quite done on the inside, and a final point lost for serving Pepsi products instead of the more superior Coke ones)
SERVICE:      10/10 (attentive but not hovering and always with a smile ... that's the standard by which I judge my servers ... and she fit that bill perfectly ...)
BACON:         10/10 (in my opinion, a diner *best* have lots of bacon choices -- especially one that serves breakfast all day like this place does ... and a quick check of the online menu shows at least 18 references)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for being the most homey of the diners we've been in since moving here, and +3 for offering breakfast all day long ... and, even though the food score isn't the highest, a +1 for being a place to which we will return with family when they visit)

TroyScore:  43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a solid B