Random Taste for Thursday 3/31/16

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

Establishment:  925 Neuvo's Cubano's
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coca-cola (in a can with a straw)
Appetizer:  Empanadas with Cuban Sofrito
Stuffed Meat and Stuffed Spinach and Ricotta
Main:  Cubano Sandwich
Side(s):  Fries
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Lou
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/925-Nuevos-Cubanos-567264226673110/

There's a laminated poster of an old newspaper article that starts with the following:  "You've driven past a thousand times ..." and I do believe that that number might actually be higher for me and mine, as this walk up stand is on a main road and close to both ye olde homestead AND ye new olde homestead.  Finally ... today ... the trigger was pulled, and this establishment was chosen for this ongoing series.  As noted below, it's a unique place in a unique spot (right along a major thoroughfare in a section that is much more industrial than residential), best suited for daytime eats and rumor is that it stays open until it closes (which may or may not be on a regular schedule).  It promises the real Cuban experience in the FTL and here's how it delivers:

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (a quick glance at the number of pictures of the establishment vs the food that accompany today's post, and it's clear that one of the best things about this place is being there ... and none of the photos captured the sounds [authentic music from the loudspeakers, the chirps of the birds who know an easy target when they saw one and the multi-lingual buzz of the patrons and employees] ... with outdoor seating scattered throughout in all kinds of nooks [ONLY outdoor seating, so go on a beautiful day for optimal effect], patrons are surrounded by colorful signs and mementos hearkening back to Havana)
FOOD:            8/10 (the empanadas were stuffed full and the homemade hot sauce [Cuban sofrito] added just the right amount of kick and was clearly freshly made ... the sandwich was on point, with large portions of pork and ham and cheese and the mustard and pickles to punch it up ... a point is lost for ordinary fries that weren't the hottest and another for the sandwich not being pressed as much as I would have expected it to have been)
SERVICE:      10/10 (it's a walk-up style, so the service is just during the order taking, but we were greeted quickly and the food arrived right away ... with paper towels bolted down at all the various eating nooks, every need was anticipated and taken care of)
BACON:         5/10 (so again this is another establishment with nary a reference to bacon on the menu ... but there is plenty of ham and pork and authentic Cuban-ness all around, so it would be unfair to not grant any points in this category)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for being a long time family owned business, +3 for the placement of the POW flag and the obvious military service of the owner and +3 for the entertainment of watching patrons try to navigate the tight "parking lot"/driveway as they come and go [sometimes with the assist of the owner])

TroyScore:  42 out of 50 -- aka 84, a solid 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

Random Taste for Thursday 3/17/16

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

Establishment:  Jalisco Restaurant
Location:  Ft Lauderdale
Meal:  Late Dinner (we actually closed the place at 10pm)
Drink:  Coca-Cola
Appetizer:  Chicken Soup
Delightful delicious homemade soup loaded with chunks of tender chicken floating in a savory, simmering broth with rice.  Some say it is magical!
Main:  Sizzling Fajitas (Steak and Chicken combo)
Marinated chunk skirt or chicken breast are grilled with fresh bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, green peppers and spices, then presented sizzling at your table with sour cream, Mexican relish, cheese, and hot tortillas to be combined and eaten like a taco
Side(s):  Guac to go with the warm chips and salsa (one each of hot and not) and the above fajita accessories
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  Linda 
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jalisco-Retaurante/100860013292824

There's a lot to be said about an unassuming place that simply puts out good food ... and that's exactly how it felt when my sister and her eldest son joined me for a late dinner after his swim meet this past weekend at this restaurant.  Full disclosure -- I'm not the biggest fan of Mexican food ... mostly because I get in my own head about the textures and don't like how everything blends together on one plate.  However, that didn't matter here because of the great variety of choices ... which allowed me to get a dish that didn't have a pool of beans (not that there's anything wrong with them).  I almost got a dish called the "crazy Mexican", but didn't feel comfortable saying that out loud ... just like I almost got an authentic pineapple soda, but chose coca cola in the end.  And, in a worst case scenario, I *could* have ordered the Hamburgeusa, which was in the "gringo" section of the menu!  But I didn't ... and my evaluation is below:

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (it's much bigger than it looks from the outside, with a cute cantina bar and walls filled with the stereotypical things one would expect like sombreros and panchos and the like ... plus the staff all reinforce the concept in that they likely may not know a lot of English ... a point is being deducted though because there were workers in the foyer while we were eating [you can see them in the photo below] taking advantage of close-to-closing time to work on some kind of project and another one lost because the TVs weren't working at the time)
FOOD:            8/10 (there was plenty of it -- one of those plates where halfway through the meal you felt like you hadn't yet made a dent in what you had eaten and every bit of it was tasty ... that said, a point is lost for the excess cilantro in the chicken noodle soup [that was otherwise "delightful and delicious" just as the menu description promised] and another point lost because no one gave a warning about how spicy the "Mexican relish" was that was in the mix as a taco-add)
SERVICE:      10/10 (hot food [sizzling hot!] that was delivered quickly from a menu that was designed for the nonSpanish speaker ... and although our meal bumped into their closing time, there wasn't a single bit of pressure to "eat and get out")
BACON:         5/10 (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 because I scared the server by asking her her name at the end of the meal [I did NOT ask her her immigration status], +3 for having a menu description that included permission to "lick the plate" on an item, +3 because it's so close to where I live and +1 because it is a place to which we will definitely return]

TroyScore:  41 out of 50 -- aka 82, a low B (B as in bacon, which would have raised the score on my scale)

Random Taste for Thursday 3/10/16

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

Establishment:  Shawn & Nick's Courtyard Cafe
Location:  Wilton Manors
Meal:  Late Lunch
Drink:  NOT Coca-Cola (I think it ended up having to be root beer?)
Appetizer:  n/a
Main:  Grilled Monte Cristo 
Ham, turkey, swiss on french toast
Side(s):  Tots (12 of them ...)
Dessert:  n/a
Server:  John
Website:  http://www.wiltonmanorscourtyardcafe.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CourtyardCafeWM/

It's always nice to get in a place you've driven past so many times and to be surprised with the layout ... in this case, that a strip of little cottage stores "on the Drive" included a covered courtyard in the back.  Of course, we *almost* didn't eat in the establishment, because, upon walking in, we got looks that were less than welcoming.  That, combined with the fact that the sign said the specials ended at 3pm made us think that maybe they were about to close, and so we spun around and headed out the door until we realized our mistake.  All in all, for a late lunch, it was adequate ... and, as stated below, I have a feeling that it might get a higher rating at a different time of day ...

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (as an animal lover, I didn't mind sharing the space with local lizards, a few birds and a french bulldog at the table next to us ... just a single point lost because it looks like it could use a quick freshening up)
FOOD:            7/10 (a point lost for being a Pepsi establishment [what is this?  the seventies?], another lost for the tater tot rationing, and a final point lost for there being too much of a powdered sugar dusting on the sandwich)
SERVICE:      7/10 (one point lost for the attitude when we entered, one point lost for a server who seemed taxed when trying more than one task at a time and one point lost for having to stand up and corner that server to pay the bill so we could leave)
BACON:         9/10 (thanks to serving breakfast all the time, bacon is mentioned 32 times on the menu [I searched online ... I didn't sit there and count while at the cafe], so I'll only deduct one point because I didn't think to ask to have it added to MY sandwich at the time)
BONUS:         7/10 (+3 because it's open 24 hours through the weekends to serve all the drunky-drunks, +3 because it's a fixture of the community and +1 because it is a place to which I would return, only because I feel like the experience might be different in the evening [or at four in the morning])

TroyScore:  39 out of 50 -- aka 78, a high C

Random Taste for Thursday 3/3/16

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

Establishment:  Tropical Acres
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola
Appetizer:  Gorgonzola Toast and Fried Zucchini Slices
Main:  Porterhouse Steak 
(Certified Angus Beef) 25-26 oz King of Cuts
Side(s):  Mushroom gravy and Baked potato
add bacon, butter and cheese 
Dessert:  Fresh made cheesecake
cherry
Server:  Jill for front service
Website:  http://www.tropicalacres.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TropicalAcres

There's a tradition that dates back many many years in my home ... for my birthday, we go to a steak house.  Having lived in Chicago for over a dozen years, *that* made complete sense ... and we are holding out hope that the tradition translates well to southern Florida.  For this year's edition, visiting family joined us at the oldest steak house in southern Florida ... and although the steak I got sure did fill up the plate (so much so that it was too full to even start to cut it), this choice didn't quite live up to the experiences of some past steak houses.  However, it should be said, that it was known going in that this was more reasonably priced ... and the saying is true ... you get what you pay for.  The details are below, as per usual ... but to sum it up ... to get dressed up and to *pretend* to go out somewhere nice, this fit the bill.

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (with an "attached to a hotel" feel, the space was plenty big, and our party had a booth in the corner where we could see out over the restaurant with its frosted glass panels and giant ceiling fans made out of boat rudders ... and the pewter plates and dessert cart were a nice touch ... but a point lost for booths that were a touch too small for our four people and another point lost because the place was too bright overall)
FOOD:            6/10 (a point lost for a pet peeve of mine [warm rolls {yay!} but nearly frozen butter pats that can't be spread {boo}], a point lost for a gristly steak experience, a point lost for fried zucchini that needed a touch more flavor and a point lost for a burnt steak of someone else at the table that was ordered medium)
SERVICE:      7/10 (one point lost for a leaky wine bottle the server poured, another point lost for the back server having no personality and a third lost for a bartender who was so slow that one drink came well into the meal [and it had to be sent back because it was wrong])
BACON:         6/10 (although no one in our party ordered them, they do have the good sense to wrap their filets in bacon ... and I had plenty to add to my baked potato, so that's good for a handful of points)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 because server Jill did try to make the best of it by presenting a bubbly disposition that bordered on ditzy but was certainly entertaining, +3 for being the oldest steakhouse in southern Florida, and +3 magnanimously because it was my annual birthday meal)

TroyScore:  36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a low C

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)

Random Taste for Thursday 2/18/16

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

Establishment:  Havana's Cuban Cuisine
Location:  Cooper City
Meal:  Too late for lunch, too early for dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola (in the Santa can)
Appetizer:  Sopa de Pollo (and warm garlic bread)
Cuban style chicken noodle soup
Main:  Chicharrón de Pollo 
Tender chunks of chicken breasts marinated with garlic and onions and deep fried
Side(s):  White rice and black beans and puré de papa casero (mashed redskin potatoes)
Dessert:  Dark chocolate bar (bought from a tiny patron)
Server:  Rafael
Website:  not applicable
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/HavanasCubanCuisine/

Funny story ... this place was visited during the time company was here (those two weeks filled up my "taste bank" until March), and it was completely a fluke.  We had planned to eat at a local Cubano stand, but got rained out on that day ... and a few days later, we were out running errands, and turned to Siri to find a place near the intersection where we were ... and *this* Cuban restaurant (potentially one of three in the area, although rumor has it that one may have closed) was in the strip mall just beyond the light (in Florida -- EVERYTHING is in a strip mall -- I'm actually shocked that it took six weeks to feature an eating establishment inside one).

AMBIANCE:   9/10 (straightforward room with outside seating available and banquette cushions that were very well broken in, but a point lost for a large group next to us that included children who get progressively louder because no one was paying attention to them)
FOOD:            9/10 (hot garlic bread and hot homemade chicken noodle soup [with potatoes and large chunks of chicken] to start the meal? -- yes, please! [even if I opted out of squishing the traditional latin lime into it] and the garlicy cuban chicken nuggets were juicy and flavorful, but a point lost for cold potatoes
SERVICE:      7/10 (one point lost for not having a system to know which one of us ordered what, and one point lost for a server who seemed a little ho-hum about the whole encounter, and one point lost for waiting until a conversation at the end of the meal to disclose that there was a secret menu whereby a cubano sandwich could have been ordered)
BACON:         6/10 (those black beans had a smoky bacony flavor [reminding us of the BEST beans we had in San Juan, Puerto Rico many years ago], and a few points for having ham as a topping on multiple dishes [not quite bacon ... but getting close])
BONUS:         6/10 (+3 for serving enough plantains that the whole table could join in in eating them, and +3 for letting one of the little kids from the aforementioned group sell his fundraising candy bars table by table at the end of the meal)

TroyScore:  37 out of 50 -- aka 74, a solid C

Random Taste for Thursday 2/11/16

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

ADMIN NOTE:  This location is now closed.

Establishment:  Maguires Hill 16
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Guinness!
Appetizer:  not applicable
Main:  Shepherds Pie
Ground beef and vegetables in a gravy sauce topped with mashed potatoes.

Side(s):  not applicable

Dessert:  not applicable 
Server:  Bianca G
Website:  http://maguireshill16.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Maguires-Hill-16-Irish-Pub-and-Restaurant-145197152202578/

To start with a summary -- It was a rainy day with company in town ... and the Irish coffee hit the spot.  Interestingly enough, this was not our FIRST choice for lunch that day, but with the Cubano stand up the road having only outdoor seating such that it wasn't suitable for the atypical "winter" weather, this restaurant filled in nicely.  There was a little bit of apprehension in that it was the site of an off duty police officer shoot out a few months back (but in the wee hours of the morn ... not at lunch time), but no one was harmed in the eating of our meal.  

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (lots of options with an outside patio, a big bar inside and booths all around and a great collection of assorted unique tiffany style lights everywhere, but a point lost for being able to hear the chef yell while we were in the dining room, and another point lost for having to shuffle us over to the "warm wall" away from all the windows)
FOOD:            9/10 (mine was very delicious and very hot and had just the right ratio of ingredients (even peas!) -- and I liked the fact that it came with a soup spoon so as to get more of the deliciousness in each bite, although there is a point lost for the appearance of a tomato on the sandwich of someone at our table that simply shouldn't have been served -- the tomato, not the someone)
SERVICE:      9/10 (one point lost for being out of bangers, but otherwise the service was prompt and attentive)
BACON:         3/10 (the menu promised special "Irish" bacon on multiple items ... and then we found out that the kitchen was out ... so sad ... although they still had American bacon, so it wasn't a complete bacon bust)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for the server going out of her way to enable the table to taste a slice of pastrami to help us settle a bet as to what it was in the first place, +3 for having the Guinness harp, and +3 for having authentic Irish customers speaking in brogue at the end of the bar, day drinking as you would hope to see in this kind of setting)

TroyScore:  38 out of 50 -- aka 76, a solid C

Random Taste for Thursday 2/4/16

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

Establishment:  Old Heidelberg
Location:  Ft. Lauderdale (Marina Mile)
Meal:  Dinner
Drink:  Coca-Cola (actually the third choice because they were inexplicably out of their "beer flight" AND bitburger that night)
Appetizer:  German Potato Soup and Sausage Sampler Platter
Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Kielbasa
Main:  Jaeger Schnitzel
Mushroom Gravy
Side(s):  Spaetzel and Red Cabbage
Dessert:  Homemade warm Apple Strudel and Black Forest Cake
[Strudel] Topped with Vanilla Sauce
Server:  "Bearer of Bad News" Maria "Gabor"
Website:  http://www.heidelbergfl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldHeidelbergFortLauderdale/

Having spent a semester abroad in Cologne, Germany during my college days (well, *west* Germany, seeing as how it was during the fall of 1990), it was bound to be early in this series that one of the local authentic German restaurants was featured.  Company was still in town on the night we all went to sample the meal, and no one could dispute that the foods tasted authentic -- from the first bites of the German potato soup to the last bites of homemade black forest cake.  However, it was the three strikes of being out of three different featured items that put an immediate damper on the evening (and it was only 7pm on a Monday).  In shock, I was prompted to ask our server Maria whether the establishment was going out of business.  In her defense, she who was repeatedly the bearer of bad news was sweet about it and did her best to comfort us (she had a habit of referring to the table as "my dahlings ... my loves ... my dears", so I assumed she was of the Gabor bloodline, hence the bonus points for her below).  Despite the deliciousness of the very authentic food (see photos), and with at least two more German restaurants in the area to try, the initial thought though is that this is one in which we are in no hurry to return.

AMBIANCE:   8/10 (roomy place with that Bavarian feel replete with soccer banners throughout, but one point lost for not having music on that night [we were looking forward to a bit of "oompa" to accompany our meal] and one point lost for the server not knowing any German [a fact that was even more disappointing to the actual German speakers one booth over from our party])
FOOD:            8/10 (one point lost for split pea soup being the soup of the day [who likes split pea soup?] and one point lost for the oddest of house salads [not pictured, as I had soup] made up tiny piles of lettuce, canned green beans and pickled cucumbers and shredded carrots)
SERVICE:      7/10 (one point lost each for being out of the beer flight, the bitburger and the ghoulash that night)
BACON:         3/10 (just one item on the dinner menu included bacon -- the German Beef Rouladen -- which someone in our party ordered and thoroughly enjoyed)
BONUS:         9/10 (+3 for the server making the best out of the menu outages, +3 for the huge huge portions, +3 for the oh-so-authentic flavors)

TroyScore:  35 out of 50 -- aka 70, a C (the lowest in the series to date)

Random Taste for Thursday 1/28/16

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

Establishment:  The Fish House
Location:  Key Largo (!)
Meal:  Lunch
Drink:  Coca-Cola (in a giant glass)
Appetizer:  New England Clam Chowder and Crabmeat Stuffed Mushroom Caps
Topped with a mixture of cheeses and sherry, then baked
Main:  Baked Stuffed Mahi Mahi (Dolphin)
Today's catch (whole fish bought from local commercial fisherman) stuffed with blue crabmeat stuffing
Side(s):  French Fries
Dessert:  Key Lime Pie
Graham cracker crust, creamy sweet tart key lime filling, topped with lightly browned meringue (the authentic Florida Keys version made daily by Chef Jose)
Server:  Catalina ("like the dressing ... or the island ... or the RV ... or the sailboat ... or the car" she said)
Website:  http://www.fishhouse.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/The-Fish-House-and-Encore-Key-Largo-Florida-Keys-408923158764/

With company in town visiting and nearly two years of southern Florida living with only having gone as far south as Key Biscayne National Park, it was time to take the drive down the Keys.  Since it was just a day trip, we made it as far as Key Largo ... and to the "freshest of fresh fish" restaurant at mile marker 102 ('cause that's how people refer to places in the Keys).  Of course, the irony was not lost that, while eating in the sunny and 71 atmosphere, coverage of winter storm Jonas was on the bar TVs.  Despite learning that mahi mahi was dolphin (that made me sad), almost everything else about the experience was great (the main exception being listed below about the service that was some odd mix of "hurry hurry" and "the Keys are laid back").  Plus, the fried oysters I took off someone else's plate in our party (that's them in the corner of my dish) reminded me pleasantly of the Green Dragon stand back home.

AMBIANCE:   10/10 (it was *exactly* how you wanted a fresh fish restaurant in the Keys to look ... and to smell ... and our seat by the bar with the lights all over the ceiling and the assorted Keys tchotchkes was spot on [see photo below])
FOOD:            9/10 (point lost for plates so hot that the middle blue crab stuffing had a layer of char that had to be scraped off, but everything else was fresh [including a bit of sand in the clam chowder ... for which no points are being deducted because that's how damn fresh it was) and delicious ... and oh the key lime pie)
SERVICE:      7/10 (point lost for having to tell the server she should smile [her reply ... "I'm just tyring to get it to you fast"], and a second point lost because when she did smile, she had beautiful dimples [so we were robbed of seeing them the first half of the meal], and a third point lost because she spent time near the end talking to a busboy right in front of the table about how the server minimum wage went up on the first of the year)
BACON:         0/10 (I looked over the menu more than once and couldn't find ANY reference to bacon ... and it seemed like everything I ate could have been even better with bacon added to it ... although perhaps there are no pigs on the Keys?)
BONUS:         10/10 (+3 for being representative of the Keys, +3 for the fish lesson, +3 for that amazing key lime pie and +1 for being a place to return )

TroyScore:  36 out of 50 -- aka 72, a C (but only because one starts out 20 points behind on my scale when you choose to not serve bacon)