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 2/9/17

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

 here's the FIFTH of FIFTY tastes of FLORIDA 

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

Establishment:  LaSpada's 
Location:  Lauderdale By The Sea
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coke Zero in a bottle
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  12 inch Monster with double meatHam, Turkey, Roast Beef and Cheese Combo with all the toppings:  Tomatoes, Lettuce, Onions, Pickles, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Oil & Vinegar, Oregano, Salt and Pepper
Side(s):  Salt and Vinegar kettle chips
Dessert:  n/a
Server:   there was the meat guy ... and the toppings guy ... and the money taker boy ... and it was such a production that we kind of missed all of their individual names, so maybe we'll just refer to them as if they were each a LaSpada
Website:  http://www.laspadashoagies.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/LaSpadas-Original-Hoagies/111764352193418


Were it not for a lack of bacon on the menu, this local chain of sandwich shops (six of them in the area) would have been the highest taste to date ... AND would have been the top scoring location ever.  As it is, it's going to be the new top DELI on the list ... and it's going to at least crack the highest scoring baker's dozen of all the tastes reviewed so far.  It's not *only* the fact that there was a meat tossing event (meats were sliced fresh and tossed down an assembly line to be caught by the other employer directly in the hoagie-in-progress) NOR is it *only* because they promote a Pennsylvania taste (admittedly, I might be biased).  For all of the reasons, check out the Troy-score tabulation below:

AMBIANCE:   9.5/10 (just a few blocks from the beach ... we were able to walk there *with* two seniors in tow ... this place was in a little strip mall [as everything in Florida seems to be] and was a-bustlin' with activity, which made us feel like we had definitely chosen a popular eatery ... the only problem is that it was sooo busy that the few seats up front at the tables were a little trashed [kind of the previous customers' faults, admittedly] that would normally be a point deducted, but an employee did come out and clean up as soon as the rush ended, so it's only [the rare] half a point that will be lost)

FOOD:           10/10 (with the meats sliced *as you order* to guarantee the "bestest" of tastes and then served up on on a freshly baked Italian roll [from a local authentically Italian bakery, according to their website], but only after first being stuffed full of a perfect combination of all the toppings [as captured in the photographic evidence], these are.  the.  most.  AMAZING.  sandwiches! ... I couldn't stop talking about them the whole time I was eating them, and as someone who usually gets scared of having to make decisions about what items to add or subtract in an assembly line setting like this, I was exceptionally happy to have made the decision to make no decisions and to take it all ... and I can report that, like I do when I report on a quality burger or quality bbq, this was a multi-napkin meal with all the right kind of messiness as we dove in to the quality sandwiches)

SERVICE:      10/10 (it was service with a smile ...from *everyone* on the assembly line .. PLUS a show [the aforementioned meat tossing incident] even though there was a line almost out the door so the pressure had to be on ... and you know what, you wouldn't have known that they were backed up because as you worked your way down the line, the employee on the other side of the counter [see photo] at each stage made you feel like he was yours and yours alone)

BACON:         6/10 (how can there not be a single reference to bacon on the menu?  how can bacon not be a bonus topping on the hoagies?  how can bacon not even be an option for the salads?  how can I not have even noticed that bacon wasn't a part of the experience until writing this post?  ... easy -- it's because the food was just that amazing, so I'm going to break precedent and split the difference and give half the points in this category anyway [what?  it's my rules, so I can bend them for the right reasons ... and I get to pick what the right reasons are] ... plus an extra point for all the ham that IS on the menu ... 'cause, you know, that's a pig product)

BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for the tossing [and the catching] of the meat, +3 for the call back to Pennsylvania eatin', +3 for having me in so much of a good food haze that we completely forgot to stop at the nearby ice cream store for dessert as we had originally intended and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return [we shall Subway no more!]

TroyScore:  45.5 out of 50 -- aka 91, an A

Random Taste for Thursday 12/15/16

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

WINNER BEST OF 2016 FOR APPETIZER
HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 FOR DRINK
HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 FOR DESSERT

Establishment:  The Spillover
Location:  Coconut Grove
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  A Mead Flight
one each flavored with fig, coffee, chili and "blod"
Appetizer (see below):  BBQ Gator Ribs
two (or three) fall-off-the-bone gator ribs from Clewiston, Florida, slow roasted for 2 1⁄2 hours then finished on the grill with our soon to be famous honey BBQ sauce, served with brussel sprouts and asparagus
Main:  Bababooey Burger (yes, *that* bababooey, as you can see in the photo below)
ground in-house beef burger topped with brie, caramelized apples, cinnamon butter, grilled onions, crispy bacon and honey mustard, served on a challah bun
Side(s):  Fries
Dessert:  Mrs. McHugh’s Banana Créme Pie
homemade crème pie made with vanilla beans, a walnut and graham cracker crust, topped with bananas, whipped cream, caramel sauce and dusted with bittersweet chocolate
Server:  Tina (whom I believe was officially Christina, according to the receipt)
Website:  http://spillovermiami.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spillovermiami/

When I started this series at the beginning of this year, I set the expectations that most of the establishments would be in the tri-county area (defined as Palm Beach, Broward and Dade), but the reality has been that the overwhelming majority of places have been immediately in and around the FTL here in Broward.  Recently, I finally faced the unknowns of Miami (will I95 be drivable?  where will I park?  will the restaurant be too "hip" for this middle aged eater?) ... and I'm most certainly glad that I did.  Full disclosure:  for this meal, I was the guest of the sister of one of the owners, as the sister was a former college classmate of mine in town on vacation -- a factor which did NOT influence the high Troy-score, as you can see below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (options make the world go round ... and this establishment had multiple choices ... an outdoor patio type set up out in an open mall courtyard environment, tables in the front near the bar, and a few privacy tables further back the hallway [which is what our party chose to advance our main goal of conversating] ... the feature of our area was a large floor to ceiling reproduction on the wall that kept us guessing throughout the meal as to its origin [the answer to which was that it was a still from the first bilingual seventies TV show 'Que Pasa', quite fitting for the Miami area])
FOOD:            10/10 (where to begin ... seeing as how every bite [and every sip] was delicious ... from the variety of additives in the honey-sweetened mead drinks [as pictured] to the sauced up ribs of the alligator [which our party ordered as an appetizer and shared, because the chalkboard countdown told us that there were still some available, what with only 15 being prepared daily] to the juicy burger with a surprisingly sweet combination of ingredients that came together like a gourmet applesauce as a condiment to the fries with their surprise secret coating [I promised not to tell -- but it *wasn't* ranch dressing mix, like the other entry in this series with a surprising fry taste] to that bananarific dessert ... note that I got to taste my tablemates' dishes of crab cakes and jumbalaya, so they are also pictured)
SERVICE:      10/10 (extra bubbly, super cheerful, and well informed -- for what more could one ask? ... we apparently managed to order just about everything that was also her favorite ... at one point in the process, the cynic in me did wonder if she was just practicing good server protocol in endorsing whatever decisions the guest made, but the final verdict as discussed by our group was that she was being sincere and it was just a coincidence ... PLUS every single employee who passed by the table did so with a smile and, as appropriate, with a polite request to clear any items)
BACON:         8/10 (bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon ... that's one mention for each of the *four* times my favorite ingredient was listed on the menu -- including on my burger ... that being said, it wasn't necessarily presented in any exciting or inventive ways, so this category will be the only one without a perfect score)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for the way those meads made me happy, +3 for that dessert of Mrs. McHugh's [purportedly shared, but I don't think anyone else at our table really had more than one forkful], +3 for urinal cakes with Justin Bieber's face on them [not pictured in this blog ... although they were posted on the FB the night of the meal] and +1 for being a place to which we will return the next time we venture toward Miami -- and by that time, this growing empire might just include more establishments than the three currently in existence)

TroyScore:  48 out of 50 -- aka 96, a high A

Random Taste for Thursday 11/10/16

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

Establishment:  Howie's Top Dog
Location:  Davie
Meal:  (celebration) Lunch
Drink:  bottle of Coke
Appetizer:  n/a
Main #1:  Chicago Dog
mustard, onion, relish, pickle, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt
Main #2:  Italian Beef
wet
Side(s):  Cheese Fries
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Howie himself
Website:  http://www.howiestopdog.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HowiesTopDog

Remember when the Cubs won the World Series (a game we watched at last week's 43rd taste)?  Yeah, so the day after we decided that a perfect way to celebrate over lunch would be in a Floridian Chicago style eatery ... and that's how we ended up at this place.  (Note ... keep an eye out for the guy out on the main road holding the arrow sign, because the other signage is easily missed.)  Admittedly we were on a World Series win high, but this authentic eatery almost got itself the first ever perfect score in this countdown ... except for the fact that he's only open Mon - Sat from 10:08 AM - 3:57 PM (not a typo ... those are the actual official hours) and so we're limited in how frequently we can eat there ... take a look at the nearly perfect score (and count the number of times that the word "authentic" is used) below:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (don't let the parking lot and outer appearance of the mall scare you off ... because once you get inside, it's clean and bright and cozy ... sure, it's basic tables and chairs in front of a counter where you order, but this is all about the Chicago food, as the skyline on the wall lets you know ... sometimes simple is just the right fit for presenting something authentic representing classic midwest lack-of-attitude)
FOOD:            10/10 (everything tasted like home ... where home was defined as where we lived for a dozen years prior to the big move to Florida ... so of course it was delicious ... and that's because it was authentic, since Howie imports his foodstuff right down to the Vienna beef underneath all of those Chicago specific toppings [including the bright green relish] ... even the fries were perfectly crunchy with just the right amount of the melted sauce)
SERVICE:      10/10 (there may have been two ladies behind the counter, but we're not sure if they were in training because they did nothing other than handle the cash when we paid ... because Howie himself took over and kept the conversation going -- especially after we started talking all things Chicago ... AND he went out of his way to keep on chatting and to invite us back in an authentically friendly way)
BACON:         10/10 (just because it wasn't on the Chicago authentic sandwiches pictured doesn't mean it wasn't a choice to be added to burgers and such ... plus you can do EXTRA bacon for just a dollar [yes please] and you can get it wrapped around your hot dog and deep fried ... so yeah, they get it)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 for all the Chicago vibes everywhere, +3 for a creative extra menu of "specials" for those who want to try something beyond the basic items, and +1 for being a place to which we will return because we appreciate authenticness and because we'll want to feel like we're "home" again sometime soon)

TroyScore:  47 out of 50 -- aka 94, a solid A

Random Taste for Thursday 5/5/16

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

Establishment:  Tequila Sunrise Mexican Grill
Location:  Oakland Park
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Frozen Tequila Sunrise Margarita with salted rim
Appetizer:  Chips and Salsa (and Guac)
Main:  Chicken And Steak Fajita
sauteed onions, green and red bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes with chicken and steak 
Side(s):  Tortillas, Cheese, Sour Cream and Pico de Gallo
Dessert:  Fried Ice Cream
Server:  Ali
Website:  http://tequilasunrise.us/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TequilaSunriseMexicanGrill/

Funny thing ... up until the afternoon of the day our party ate here (actually on cuatro de Mayo ... knowing full well that the post would show up on cinco), we were planning to eat at a different place (which may yet show up as one of the fifty, so I won't jinx it by naming it yet) only to find out that the other place was closed on Wednesdays (the day we were all meeting and eating).  And it's a good thing that happened, because this eating establishment ended up with one of the top three scores to date.  Here's how it got to that number:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (one of the great things about the place is that it filled up quickly, and yet it never felt crowded with it's bar, tables around it, a separate dining room area AND outdoor seating ... and it had [almost] everything you'd expect to find as decorations [except a Mexican blanket, which was a topic of the conversation at one point and so we were hoping to locate one hanging from the rafters] ... 
FOOD:            10/10 (my go-to at Mexican restaurants is the fajitas [what can I say?  I'm addicted to the sizzle] and the combo was well seasoned and extra tasty and there was enough to go around to fill FIVE tortillas ... then came the dessert, which I shared with the other three in our group [although they were restricted to just one spoonful apiece] ... I don't think a single person in our group left a morsel on their plates, which says a lot)
SERVICE:      10/10 (there's nothing but good things to say about the young woman who played the role of server ... seventeen weeks in to this series, and she's in the running for one of the best of the year so far ... she came across like she *wanted* to be there and that she *enjoyed* her job ... with a smile every step of the way, she hung back at the beginning to allow our party time to reconnect, was right on top of every step of the order taking process, stopped back just often enough during the meal, and chatted personally with our group for a few minutes at the beginning and the end of the experience without any sense of rushing)
BACON:         5/10 (this is the second Mexican restaurant in this series, and I'll say here what I said for the last one:  "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 again for the hospitality the server showed, +3 for having big-sized booths that comfortably fit four adults, +3 for the alcohol and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return)

TroyScore:  45 out of 50 -- aka 90, a low A (one of only three As given to date ...)

Random Taste for Thursday 2/25/16

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

HONORABLE MENTION BEST OF 2016 MAIN

Establishment:  Smoke BBQ
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola (in a can)
Appetizer:  Sweet Cornbread Loaf
with cinnamon butter
Main:  2 Meat Combo Platter 
Smoked chicken and 12 hour pulled pork
Side(s):  Seasoned tots and steamed broccoli
Dessert:  not applicable
Server:  not applicable/counter style
Website:  http://eatbbqnow.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SmokeBBQFortLauderdale/

Since regularly vacationing here before making the big move, bbq has been the southern Florida food of choice ... and there are at least nearly a dozen such establishments that have been sampled in the last few years.  True to this concept, though, Smoke (with a 'k' ... not to be confused with Smoque with a 'qu', a quality bbq joint back home in Chicago) was a brand new place to try in 2016 ... and seeing as how it only recently opened near the beach as an extension of an established brand farther to the north, that makes a lot of sense.  Here's the bottom line -- separating out the old school bbq places (where you just know that some black mama [African-American mama?  mama of color?] had a role in making your food) for which Tom Jenkins bbq ranks the highest in that category -- Smoke is *the best* modern restaurant style bbq in the area.  It's most deserving of my highest score to date in this series, as calculated below.  And apologies in advance for the quality of the photos ... but I was so mesmerized by my meal that I didn't get as many good shots as usual ...

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (sure it's a small space, but it's well organized with the line toward the food station and checkout, followed by a few picnic tables with the perimeter taken up by separate sauce [red sweet and a yellow mustard] and "wrap up your leftover meat" stations ... and, like any bbq joint, a quality smoky smell fills up the room)
FOOD:            10/10 (yep, that's a perfect score ... from cornbread to meats to tater tots, everything was fresh and hot and tasty ... rubbed just right and cooked to perfection with straightforward sides that didn't try too hard to be something they weren't ... and the best part may have been the chicken, which had the extra taste of being quickly deep fried and was chopped up in just the right pieces ... plus, while walking to the car afterwards, I realized that I had a pleasant tingle on my lips from all the flavor) 
SERVICE:      10/10 (one point lost since so much of the experience is self-service BUT that same point comes back because it makes complete sense for the space as this is NOT their full service restaurant a few beaches to the north ... and especially because of all three individuals behind the counter who were friendly, personable and conveyed a confidence in their craft)
BACON:         8/10 (there may not have been any bacon on the menu per se [although it might have been available to add to sandwiches], but they did sell shirts that said "I like pork butts and I cannot lie" ... and if that's not worth almost all the points in this category on its own ... I don't know what is)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for being the best of the "restaurant" style bbq eateries in the area, +3 for letting me sample a hunk of meat whilst waiting in line [I said, "thanks for the meat hunk", and then turned red and explained that there was no comma and that I was thankful for the hunk of meat and not calling the guy who gave me the meat a hunk], +3 for falling on the decidedly unpretentious barely hipster side of the modern bbq continuum and +1 for being a place to which we will most certainly return)

TroyScore:  48 out of 50 -- aka 96, a high A (the highest score given to date)