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 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 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