Random Taste for Thursday 8/4/16

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

WINNER (TIE) BEST OF 2016 FOR OVERALL
WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR DESSERT

Establishment:  Bonefish Mac's Sports Grille
Location:  Lighthouse Point
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Guinness (and a water)
Appetizer:  Crab'cargot
button mushroom caps in garlic butter
white wine sauce stuffed with [our] famous
crabcake mixture and topped with melted
Havarti and Mozzarella cheeses.
Main:  Salmon BLT
blackened salmon fillet, bacon, lettuce, tomato and [our] tasty tarragon mayo on toasted foccacio bread
Side(s):  Fresh (homemade) Potato Chips 
Dessert:  S'more Sundae
layers of graham crackers, chocolate ice cream, warm marshmallow sauce and hot fudge topped with mini-marshmallows and a fudge graham cookie
Server:  Lori
Website:  http://www.bonefishmacs.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BonefishMacs/?ref=page_internal

Giving credit where credit is due, this week's choice came about because a repeat of PBS' 'Check Please' was on Monday night and featured this particular establishment.  And boy was that a gift to us.  It's another one of those "local Florida chains" with four in the area, and it's not to be confused with the national chain Bonefish Grill (which ironically is right around the corner).  To see how it's in the running for one of the best places in this series this year, take a look at how its score came together:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (according to the aforementioned episode, the owners wanted to offer a place for everyone -- a game room for kids, a healthy beer selection for the guys, and many many salad choices for the ladies -- and they succeeded ... it's a big open plan with different sections [including one outside] ... and, being a sports grille, it's full of TV screens and other signage [including the fact that it's a Steelers bar, and as someone who grew up in central PA, that made me feel right at home])
FOOD:            9/10 (when it's as good as it was, it's even better when the portion sizes are supersized because that means there's even more of the goodness to go around ... from the very flavorful appetizer to the perfectly cooked salmon BLT [with an amped up mayo] to the side of homemade chips [also with a tasty dipping sauce] to that dessert [oh my that dessert], everything was delicious ... and I spied on every dish that passed by our table being delivered to others, and each one looked as mouth-watering as the next ... if there's a point to be lost, it's for the excess "grease" from the garlic butter white wine sauce/melted cheeses on the appetizer mushrooms)
SERVICE:      10/10 (our server set a new standard for excellence, and here's why -- every time she stopped by the table to check in, from beginning to end, it was as if we were just picking up on our ongoing conversation ... so casual yet also so proficient ... and although it was clearly busy, we never felt any of that stress ... she was knowledgeable and friendly and made a person feel happy to be there the whole time)
BACON:         10/10 (the interwebs say that there are 31 references to bacon on their menu ... 31! ... and you might not be able to see it from the picture since the bacon and the salmon had the same hue, but there was certainly no stinginess about putting it on my BLT ... I counted at least three, maybe FOUR long pieces)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for having tables that were on individual swinging platforms [even inside!], +3 for that s'mores sundae, +3 for the size of the portions of all of their dishes and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return because, after all, there are dozens of other dishes to be tried)

TroyScore:  49 out of 50 -- aka 98, the highest score granted in this series (this being only the second time that happened)

Random Taste for Thursday 7/7/16

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

WINNER (TIE) BEST OF 2016 FOR OVERALL
HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 FOR SIDE
HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 FOR BACON

Establishment:  The Burning Oak BBQ
Location:  North Lauderdale
Meal:  Mid Year's Holiday Dinner
Drink:  Fountain Sproke (half Sprite/half Coke)
Appetizer:  Hand Cut Potato Chips
blue cheese dipping sauce (see note below), diced tomato, scallions, candied bacon
Main:  Brisket Burger
lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, kaiser roll
Side(s):  French Fries (see note below)
Dessert:  Candied Bacon
Server:  Counter service but Deena took the order ... after another young girl gave us a tour of the menu ... after we met Ahmed who was running the kitchen ... and after a gentleman (manager?  owner?) helped approve a special order for the other person in our party
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BurningOakBBQ/

Being as much of a fan of New Year's Eve as I am, it was only a matter of time before I created a sequel of a holiday.  And so, two years ago, Mid Year's Day was born.  One of the first decisions about the new celebration was that the traditional meal for Mid Year's Day was always to be BBQ.  After seeing this place in the 'burbs of the FTL highlighted in the local paper and after reading about the burger that you see in the main picture, going here for the 2016 version of the new holiday was a given.  Little did I know of the experience that was in store ... here's how the visit was quantified:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (this was yet another relatively new establishment ... and it showed in how everything was crisp and clean ... with wall decor that let you know the folks were serious about their cuts of meat ... and a personal roll of paper towels at each table [I judge the quality of my bbq places with how many paper towels I have to use during my meal, and this was a five-paper-towel dinner] ... plus see the SERVICE section below because how well we were treated helped elevate the mood)
FOOD:            9/10 (those loaded chips, though!  [delicious!] ... and, in a happy accident, they were out of blue cheese that night, and since I don't like blue cheese, they were even better than they might have been for me on a regular night ... the side of fries [it was the double the potato night for me] were thick cut and the perfect mix of crunchy on the outside and hot and mushy on the inside [plus look for bonus points below about them] ... and then the burger ... combining the best of their smoked meats lightly sauced on top of a juicy hunk of beef and a toasted bun -- I am docking one point for there being too much red onion for my taste, although I do have to say that I was asked during the ordering process if I wanted everything on it and said yes ... so that was partially my fault)
SERVICE:      10/10 (as we wandered in and started reviewing the menu, we were greeted with a question:  "first time here?" followed by an exclamation:  "YAY!" and that admission on our part entitled us to a tour of the menu offered up by one of the younger very articulate employees behind the counter and a brief introduction to the man running the kitchen ... that level of attention and welcoming spirit continued when the other person with me asked [and was approved] to create a special combo plate [one of the smartest decisions of the night because that introduced us to the smoked turkey {not pictured}] ... on through to the expectation setting during the ordering process [when I was warned that my burger was made to order and that this place was "not like Burger King"] ... and then to the delivery of the food and to the check-ins while we were eating and to the final goodbye:  "come back next week!" ... you would have thought we were family in for a visit with how friendly every employee was)
BACON:         10/10 (any non-breakfast place that is smart enough to put bacon as a side in the same spot on the menu as the vegetables is MY kind of place ... plus that candied bacon [that I got as dessert instead] was on my loaded chips and was also available for other dishes)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for how welcoming *everyone* was, +3 for the special seasoning on those thick cut fries [the secret was disclosed to me, but I'm not sure that I want to ruin the pleasant surprise for anyone visiting next], +3 for the best smoked turkey ever eaten at a bbq establishment [so good that we felt so bad putting some leftovers in the doggie bag knowing full well that the doggies wouldn't get any of it] and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely be returning)

TroyScore:  49 out of 50 -- aka 98, a nearly perfect score and the highest one earned so far!