Random Taste for Thursday 4/27/17

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

 here's the SIXTEENTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Dairy Belle 
Location:  Dania Beach
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  can of CocaCola
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Hamburger Steak
(with gravy, grilled onions and fries)
Side(s):  Poutine (and coleslaw)
(REAL WHITE Curd Cheese and REAL brown poutine gravy from Quebec)
Dessert:  Banana Split
(vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge, strawberry and pineapple [with] whipped cream, peanuts and three cherries)
Server:   Counter Service (so order taker's name not gotten)
Website:  http://dairybelleicecream.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dairy-Belle-Ice-Cream-143611982333390/

The first time I had Gazebo Room dressing (a Greek style condiment homemade in central PA), I was so enamored, that I drank it from the bottom of my salad and had to be stopped from taking a swig right out the bottle ... to see why that's relevant for this particular eatery "as seen locally on 'Check Please'" (so you just know it HAS to be good) and to see how that might have been a factor in the overall calculation of the Troy-score, read below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (somehow I didn't capture any pictures of the area, but luckily you can see some on their own website ... to be clear, it is exactly as it appears -- an eating establishment that catches your eye as you drive past that might remind you of an old fashioned drive in/drive up place where you'd take the family for ice cream at the end of a hot summer day ... and then the Canadian flags come into view, and you start to wonder what Canadian ice cream might taste like ... it's all picnic tables around the counter, but with a special covered patio area in the back for those tricky afternoon thunderstorms ... what was going to be a point deduction because we had to clean off our own table gets wiped out because there WAS a lady out cleaning up who was working in the back and we were eating around the side so she just didn't get to us in time ... BUT then there's another point being deducted because they had Delilah playing on the radio ... and although it's a story for another time and another place, "she" and I don't get along any more)

FOOD:           9/10 (was I happy that my little can of coke cost $1.75? -- no ... was the main dish's hamburger a little salisbury-steak-esque? -- yes ... could there have been fewer onions mixed in? -- sure ... did I care though once I got a taste of that rich brown gravy that covered everything [including the fries and the perfectly textured cheese curds] which served an additional purpose of keeping everything piping hot until the last bite? -- absolutely NOT ... let me put it this way -- I was finished with my meal and I wanted to take the container home because I didn't want to miss a single drop of that gravy ... and since I couldn't do that, I checked to make sure that no one was looking and I picked up the bowl and drank every single bit of that deliciousness ... heck, I might have even taken a scoop of that gravy instead of the strawberry topping on the old fashioned full size banana split ... so why the point deduction? -- because my tablemate got what was purported to be a Chicago dog, and as former Chicagoans, the lack of bright green relish was a slap in our faces)

SERVICE:      9/10 (it's a counter service type of place, where you order and they call your ticket number to go claim your food so there's not too much interaction with employees ... but the order taker was efficient and the aforementioned lady-of-the-tables stepped in when I approached a condiment station with a worried look on my face because I didn't know how to use the plastic utensil dispenser ... just a point lost because no one directed me around the corner to that area [although it could be that they have so many regulars that they just assumed everyone is already "in the know" about the layout])

BACON:         7/10 (for a dollar, the menu lets you add bacon to anything ... but with only one dish for which it was the main thing [a BLT, naturally], it's just not right to give too high a score in this particular category ... although if they find a way to "bacon up" those poutine choices [bacon gravy anyone?], then I am more than willing to retroactively raise the score in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for hearing the accents on the customers that serve as an endorsement of the authenticity of the dishes, +3 for having Galvaude and Guidelle on the menu [not that I knew what they were, but all signs point to them being very authentic Quebecian dishes], +3 for us having the perfect timing to arrive when there weren't any long lines and to get in to order the banana split after the meal before a family of a dozen got out of their cars and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return, with visitors in tow, because EVERYONE should have a taste of that gravy)

TroyScore:  44 out of 50 -- aka 88, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 3/30/17

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

 here's the TWELFTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

REDEMPTION ROUND!

Establishment:  Miller's Ale House 
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Dr. Pepper (still no Coke :(  )
Appetizer:  Soup of the day (oops -- I forgot the name but it was basically Clam Chowder with a kick)
Main:  Ossobuco
(Marinated pork shank slow cooked until fabulously tender)
Side(s):  Baked Potato and Broccoli
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Lucas
Website:  https://millersalehouse.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Millers-Ale-House-181208372285760/
Original Taste:  https://50tastesofflorida.blogspot.com/2016/09/random-taste-for-thursday-9816.html

With excitement, we bring you the FIRST of four special tastes for 2017 -- what we're calling our "redemption round".  Each quarter, we'll return to an eating establishment that was reviewed in 2016 -- and that scored then in the 70's (the lowest set of scores we've offered to date).  Perhaps we'll discover that the low score was well-earned ... or perhaps we'll find out that it was just an off day and the rating should have been higher.  Good news -- the FIRST of these four ended up *improving* their Troy-score, as detailed below:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (the first time, the score was a 9 and the point lost was because there were more TVs than customers at lunch [although it *was* lunch on Labor Day, so that might have been a partial explanation] ... this time, the expectations of what it would be like inside were known, but the score still ended up as a 9 ... with a point lost on this visit because we were seated in a booth [yay!] too close to a pool game that was underway [oops!] and we were asked to move and we ended up directly behind a family of screaming kids [boo!])

FOOD:           7/10 (the first time, the score was a 6 with penalties for zingless "zingers" [their signature product], fries not cooked all the way, a bad ratio of zinger to fry and the lack of Coke products ... this time, we went for another one of their featured pics and everything was amazing -- that pork shank was tender and juicy and plentiful [and perfectly presented], with a healthy portion of broccoli and an unhealthy portion of a baked potato ['cause they let me load it ALL the way up -- with a big ole bucket of butter to put on it] ... and the soup of the day was extra special as it was basically a clam chowder with a kick ... the point deductions come from a baked potato skin that was a touch too well done [and this guy eats the skin 'cause that's where all the nutrients are], the need for more of that delicious sauce at the base of the shank and the fact that they still don't have Coca-Cola)

SERVICE:      9/10 (the first time, the score was a 9 and the point was lost because the server free-refilled my Dr Pepper with a Pepsi [which, as a Coke drinker in the first place, is an egregious act] ... this time, it's still a 9, but not for the fact that everyone tried hard to make our experience enjoyable [with random employees stopping by to inquire about the success of our meal] but because we waited too long for the check to arrive after the meal was clearly over)

BACON:         9/10 (the first time, the score was a 9 and the point was lost because there weren't enough crumbles on the dish that was ordered ... this time, it's also a 9 because, let's be honest -- that baked potato could have used a bit more bacon)

BONUS:         10/10 (the first time, the score here was just a 6 ... this time, it's a +3 for providing so much food that I couldn't eat it all on site [something that is rare for me], +3 for the prime rib special of the night [as pictured], +3 for having a Batman game next to the Golden Tee [as pictured, although not a great photo], and +1 for being a place to which we will return [although not on Tuesdays 'cause that's kid's night] primarily because they successfully redeemed themselves -- and because the dessert options look great should I ever have room for one of them)

TroyScore:  44 out of 50 -- aka 88, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 3/2/17

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

 here's the EIGHTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  Maggiano's Little Italy 
Location:  Boca Raton
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola
Appetizer:  Warm Rolls (and half a plate of butter)
Main:  Steak and Ravioli
Beef medallions and mushroom ravioli al forno
Side(s):  Grilled Asparagus and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   Sarah
Website:  http://www.maggianos.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MLIBoca/

The one who makes the rules is also the one who gets to break the rules (and don't worry ... this isn't a political post).  When this series kicked off at the beginning of 2016, the rules were "one NEW place (at which I've never before eaten) each week (each year)".  Moving here from Chicago as we did, it is true that there was at least one other time when we dined at a place named Maggiano's (in Skokie) ... and it's also true that we were very familiar with the Lettuce Entertain You culinary empire (as anyone who has eaten out in Chicago must be).  What we didn't appreciate was how far across the country they had expanded ... so when we were the lucky recipients of a gift card from someone with a Chicago connection and we went looking as to where we could use it down here, we were surprised to see an option for Maggiano's up in Boca.  Long story short ... we're going to get a "dispensation" from the rules and we're going to qualify it for this series and we're going to document how it earned the Troy-score below (and how it became the highest scoring Italian establishment so far in this series):

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (without a doubt, it's a great big beautiful space, with a stylish bar directly in the center and several well appointed spaces/rooms all around it -- and we got there at the beginning of the dinner rush, so by the time we left the place was packed with a good number of large sized groups [living up to the Italian family stereotype] ... the problem [and the reason for the docking of *double* the points] was the loud table of young ladies taking a break from working the streets [or so it seemed by their appearance] that was gathered two spaces behind us as seen in the background of the accompanying photo -- and although it's not the restaurant's job to control their rowdy customers [especially those with a cackling "look at me" hyena laugh], all signs pointed to those noise-violators as being family members of the staff OR staff members themselves because the servers were hanging there instead of serving)

FOOD:           9/10 (I always love me a dining experience that starts with an overflowing basket of warm bread and when it came to the main meal, everything was delicious that I ordered -- from the steak medallions with the crunchy onions on top to those creamy ravioli "baked in the oven" [aka al forno] ... the point lost is directly linked to the four pats of butter served with the rolls [and captured in that photo] as I was unaware of any butter ration and we had five people in our party to devour that pile of scrumptious warm bread so four little pats were definitely not sufficient)

SERVICE:      8/10 (I felt a little sorry for our server Sarah, because any friendly expertise she was exhibiting was overshadowed by two rude food deliverers, for whom dropping off the meals at our table of five was clearly a task in which they wished to no longer be involved, and by the table at which we were seated being without a pepper mill, for which we went on a mission to claim it from another spot)

BACON:         9/10 (just because the special I ordered didn't include bacon doesn't mean there weren't plenty of opportunities to have it featured in many different ways on the menu [and for those of you who get caught up in double negatives, that means bacon was everywhere] ... and it wasn't just any bacon but an "imported"-from-Wisconsin Nueske's bacon that could have been wrapped around shrimp or served on a bruschetta or added to the carbonara ... all that said, it was disappointing that the crispy pancetta "flakes" on a salad ordered by another person in our party were either too crispy or too tiny as we were all but convinced they were artificial, which explains the deduction of one point in this category)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for us arriving there and getting a parking spot just a few minutes before they closed down the lot for valet only parking, +3 for an interesting bogo concept where you could order two pasta dishes -- one to eat at the meal and a second complete one to take home for lunch the next day, +3 for using the asparagus as a dam to separate the steak sauce from the ravioli sauce on my plate, which warmed my heart as I don't always like things touching and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return so long as we are up in that area so that I can order more menu items that come with that bacon)

TroyScore:  44 out of 50 -- aka 88, a B

Random Taste for Thursday 3/24/16

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

Establishment:  Bru's Room
Location:  Coral Springs
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Guiness (with one 'n', see sign below -- although it tasted like the real thing)
Appetizer:  Chicken Noodle Soup
Main:  Mahi Tacos (3)
Blackened Mahi, Guacamole, Lettuce, Bruschetta Tomaotes, Sriracha Ranch in Flour Tortillas, with Chips & Salsa
Side(s):  Buffalo Chips
Seasoned, spiral-cut, potato chips
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Jules
Website:  http://brusroom.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BrusRoomSportsGrill

Who knew?  The FTL has 'burbs!  A trip into reclaimed Everglades marshland that was citified back in the sixties was part of the plan once Bru posted on Bru's facebook earlier this month that Bru had a limited supply of a Maple BACON Coffee Porter (sadly, a VERY limited supply, as explained in the score sections) ... and the Coral Springs location (Bru has 10 of these "rooms", all over the area) was the one chosen because friends live in town and vouched for the place.  With a nod to the fact that it was basically a higher quality of bar food ... expectations were exceeded.  More details by category:

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (it's huge, with a number of different rooms, and big indoor and outdoor bars plus a separate veranda area with booths and tables far enough from the bar that trivia night didn't overtake our party's meal conversation ... and although it's actually an outparcel of a mall, it's so well landscaped that you don't really realize it until you get in the car to leave the parking lot ... as a sports bar, there are TVs every three feet and even they weren't intrusive ... just one point lost for being so far out in the 'burbs!)
FOOD:            8/10 (everything was very good with tacos that tasted very fresh and a soup that was quite flavorful [and I do love me some ribbon noodles and big chunks of chicken in my chicken noodle soup], but there's a point lost for some missed opportunities with seasoning [especially in the chips and the mahi before added the sriracha ranch])
SERVICE:      8/10 (our main server was friendly and attentive, and she took the time to explain the absence of the beer that actually brought us to this place [see above and below] ... but her "helpers" are hurting in this category and causing some docked points -- one for them just throwing down the silverware and napkins for the whole table in front of me and a second one for them not taking empty dishes when delivering the main meal plates)
BACON:         9/10 (that's actually one point for every reference to bacon on the menu ... and Bru's boys aren't afraid to add it to nachos and salads and homemade pizza and chicken sandwiches and, of course, multiple burger offerings ... so even though there was no bacon in the choices I made [shocking I know], the place deserves points EXCEPT for the fact that they were out of the maple bacon coffee porter that we saw on the facebook earlier in the month)
BONUS:         10/10 (all the possible bonus points for having a little arcade room for the kiddies [with maybe four games] that included ... wait for it ... a Batman themed 'whac-a-mole' game ... boom, drop the mic!)

TroyScore:  44 out of 50 -- aka 88, a high B