Stinky's Fish Camp, Santa Rosa, FL

On our Memorial Day trek to the Florida panhandle, we were looking forward to trying Stinky's Fish Camp (sounds appetizing...right?? ;) ) after our hosts raved about it. It's sort of a Louisiana-meets-Florida-seafood-shack.  Overall, we were not disappointed, other than by the fact that we stopped in for lunch when the highly recommended dishes of Crawfish Pie and Catfish Meuniere (not to be confused with manure...French can be tricky language!  :p ) were not available.  This is a casual local and tourist hangout...nothing fancy going on, but the beer was cold, the prices reasonable, and seafood was fresh and tasty.

We started with some delish crawfish hushpuppies...which were crisp on the outside...tender and chock full of crawfish chunks on the inside.  SO good!

Our uber adult-like teen companion with a palate sophisticated beyond  her years opted for the Garlic and Butter Oysters (everything "oyster" is great here!) and hoovered them down like they were Godiva chocolates (and who wouldn't???). 

Sweet Polly selected the wonderfully fresh fried oysters with fries...and everything was crispy, plentiful and tasty...with about an $8 price tag.

Underdog chose the Fried Catfish with Papaya Slaw and deemed both exceptionally tasty...especially the slaw!

Ed and Karen both selected a Stinky "Great Big Salad" (which includes mixed greens, roasted corn, baby green beans, tomato, cooked potato and cucumber)...a combo that didn't excite me too much on paper, but apparently went over real well in person (or should I say "in produce"??).

Ed's Buffalo Shrimp variety:

And Karen's bigass salad was topped with more of the same, fresh, perfectly-fried oysters I ordered with fries:

Even though it wasn't ordinarily available for lunch, our server managed to talk the chef into making us a Crawfish Pie (and apparently, it's not often that a waiter gets a request for a Crawfish Pie and 5 forks when he asks a party if they want dessert!).  O.M.G.  The crust was insanely flaky and wonderful, and the filling was loaded with chopped crawfish, thick cream sauce, herbs, spices, and finely-chopped veggies.  It was really the best "pot pie" dish I've ever had. Delish! 

Do we look happy, or what? 

www.stinkysfishcamp.com

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.

Acropolis Greek Taverna, Riverview, FL

This is just a mini-entry to give homage to what I think are some of the best salads in Tampa Bay.  Acropolis Greek Taverna has locations in Clearwater, New Tampa, Ybor City, and Riverview (where we snarfed out salads this afternoon following Iron Man 2).  These huge, protein-laden monsters go for $10 apiece and are served with warm and wonderful, herb-encrusted bread with feta cheese spread.  Oh, and see my lovely margarita there?  They are 2-for-1 from 3:00 to 7:00 every evening.  It pays to be an "early bird".  

It's actually embarrassing what creatures of habit UD and I are when we visit Acropolis (no menu needed).  I can never veer from the Karpathos Chicken Salad (mixed greens with grilled chicken, red peppers, sundried tomatoes, cucumber slices, toasted pine nuts, feta cheese crumbles and dolmades (which they forgot to put on my salad but brought fairly quickly after I beyotched). Extra Greek dressing on the side, please and thank you! 

Jimbo (without fail) orders the Acropolis Salad which is similar in composition as far as the green stuff, but lacks the pine nuts and dolmades.  Instead, his is loaded up with potato salad, gyro meat, a huge slab of feta, pita triangles and a side of tzatziki (I know it's hard to believe, but there is actually a huge Greek salad underneath that gyro platter).  SO freaking good.  If you've never had a Greek salad "Florida style" (with a "surprise" potato salad center), you really haven't lived.  

Two margaritas, two Mich Ultras, awesome bread and two humongous salads:  $32.  What a deal...and I didn't have to cook!  

http://www.acropolistaverna.com/

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.

400 Beach Seafood and Taphouse, St. Petersburg, FL

Remember that old song entitled "High Hopes"?  That was me when I perused the 400 Beach Seafood and Taphouse restaurant's menu online.  I had already tried her sister restaurant (Parkshore Grill) on a couple of occasions and thought it was above average...and the menu for 400 Beach had my mouth watering the minute I clicked it open.

Unfortunately, while it wasn't an unpleasant dining experience, it wasn't memorable, either.  Most of the dishes my party tried were fairly mediocre and looked better on paper than they did on the plate.  The restaurant itself, however, is lovely...and we were able to get nice, shady table on the sidewalk overlooking Vinoy Park and Tampa Bay.

Despite my adamant proclamations and intent, I was derailed from my goal to remain on a low-carb diet until Memorial Day, at which time I'm going to have to shoehorn my food-loving arse into a swimsuit over the course of a beach weekend (in front of people I know, no less).  My resolve started circling the drain right about the time the basket of warm cheddar biscuits was delivered to the table.  It didn't help that I had Satan at my side (thank you, Jay).  

While the biscuits were tasty, they were nothing the Red Lobster can't top...and I felt like they should've been. 

UD and I decided to share an appetizer of Beachside Steamed Clams with Chorizo, Lemon, Herbs and Aioli Crouton.  This was my favorite item of the evening, although I thought the serving size was pretty stingy for $11.  The clams were tender, fresh and perfectly cooked, however...and the chorizo accented them to perfection.

Jay and Beth started with Black and Bleu Beef Tenderloin Skewers with a Maytag Blue dipping sauce, which I didn't try.  They enjoyed it, although I thought the presentation was a bit lacking.  And is that really an "arugula salad"...or is it just a few leaves? 

Beth and I both selected the Seafood Louis Salad, which was described as "Shrimp, Scallops, Crab, Shaved Iceberg, Chili Lemon Louis Dressing, Boiled Egg, Avocado and Tomato".  We agreed that it was a little light for a $14 salad, and that the Louis Dressing could've used a bit more "zip".  And maybe they should have said "Scallop" (singular) in the description, as we each only had three thin slices of a single specimen of that particular variety of shellfish on our plates.

Jimbo ordered the Baja Fish Tacos (Flour Tortillas, Blackened Mahi-Mahi, Avocado, Tomato, Lettuce, Mango Salsa and Queso Fresco), which he proclaimed tasty albeit not unforgettable.  The fries (aka "Potato Planks") were acceptable, although slightly undercooked and obviously of the frozen variety.

Jay seemed to enjoy his grouper sandwich, although the piece of fish looked a bit small for a $17 sandwich.  Shouldn't it at least cover the bun?

All in all, it was nice time with good friends, there was a decent choice of wines and beers by the glass, and we loved the al fresco ambience.  Our service was pretty good, too.  While we won't be in any hurry to return, it was a pleasant experience overall and a convenient place to catch a bite before Theater in the Park.

http://www.400beachseafood.com/

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.

La Viola, Philadelphia, PA

Ever since UD's epicurean spidey-senses first led us to this cozy, bona-fide Italian spot tucked away on a side street in Philadelphia's Theater District a couple of years ago, we have made it a point to return on each subsequent visit to Philly.  La Viola is the deal of the century and dishes up superb traditional Italian fare made with high-quality ingredients at Olive Garden prices.  I am always absolutely astonished that there's no entree on the regular menu priced at more than $15, and that none of the salads or starters cost more than $8.  In spite of the fact that I almost never order pasta dishes in restaurants (mostly because I haven't found too many that I didn't think we could make better at home), I always do at La Viola.  I don't know what they do, but their fresh pasta is amazing and their red sauces are hands-down the best I've ever had...tangy, a bit spicy and uber-fresh-tasting (and the fact that the pasta dishes are delivered to my table by a staff of handsome, dark-skinned young men with beautiful Italian accents in no way influences my opinion on the matter ;) ). And, wait...it gets better!  La Viola is a BYOB with no corkage fee, so you pick up your own wine on the way over and avoid that pesky 200-300% markup you get at most restaurants. 

We had the opportunity to visit La Viola again last week (with the somewhat dubious in-laws in tow this time).  Some outstanding bread appeared almost immediately...hot, fresh and crispy on the outside, and moist and tender on the inside.  SO good!

The hub-unit and I started with this massive bowl of  Zuppetta Di Cozze (farm raised mussel in traditional spicy plum tomato sauce) that set us back a whopping $7.  They were absolutely divine, and the bread made a great carrier for the leftover tomato sauce.

My better half selected the Vitello Alla Viola (veal medallions with fresh mushrooms garlic and prosciutto in a rich veal sauce).  Priced at $15, it was deemed "sublime".

The menu was enough to inspire Dad to temporarily toss his heart-healthy ways out the window, and settle on the Vitello Pomodoro (breaded veal cutlet with fresh mozzarella and plum tomatoes in a rich tomato sauce) also $15.  He didn't share with anyone, but his licked-clean plate at the end of the meal told me all I needed to know.

His wife, Carole (the "picky eater" in our group) decided hesitantly to try the $13 Farfalle Marinara (bow tie pasta with shrimp in pomodoro sauce). She could not stop raving about how delicious it was, or about the size of the shrimp.

Last but not least, the Girl Who Never Orders Pasta did so, yet again.  My Linguini Pizzaiola (linguini pasta with veal, olives and capers in a spicy marinara sauce) was one of the most delicious pasta dishes I have ever eaten...loaded with tender ground veal, large green olive slices and capers...oh, and that sauce!  *swoon*.

Undeterred by our tightening waistbands, we rallied and ordered a couple of desserts to share:  A chocolate mousse cake and a slice of Italian rum cake...both of which were well worth the pain of starting a new diet the following Monday.

Delizioso!

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.

Casual Philly Phood Phinds...Just Crazy Good! (or, Why Can't Tampa Be a Food Town???)

On our way to visit the Liberty Bell during our recent visit to Philadelphia, we were drawn into Cosi (a snack, smoothie and wrap shop) by the lure of a Watermelon Habanero Lemonade.  The hot chile pepper gave the sweetness of the watermelon lemonade a spicy kick that it took a few sips to become acclimated to.  After that...we slurped it down like a margarita on Cinco de Mayo.  Delicious and unique!  The big, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie we picked up along with the drinks wasn't too bad, either.

We also couldn't saunter past Naked Chocolate without sniffing around and ordering two cups of European-style hot chocolate (which is basically like melted-down Godiva with just enough heavy cream in it to make it retain its liquidity). Ummm...it's nice, but jeebus...who can drink 6 oz. of this kind of richness, especially with a side of a croissant-esque pastry both drizzled AND filled with more decadent chocolate?? Better (and probably more hormonal) women than I.

As we plowed on, we found ourselves in the endless food font that is Reading Terminal Market. It was time for sheer decadence, so we snarfed barbecued chicken, homemade beer-battered onion rings, and theverybest pierogies in the universe from Franks A-Lot.  You can dine in the Market's Beer Garden as long as you make a beverage purchase, which was no prob. ;)

Yes, this is why low-carb dieting begins anew tomorrow.

Tria, Philadelphia, PA

Dogboy and I wanted to find a nice wine bar with good tapas on our trip to Philadelphia this past week...and with the help of some local foodies and winos on a restaurant board I frequent, we learned of this little gem.  The ambience was warm and intimate with lots of wood, glass and brick, and our servers were attentive without being intrusive (especially the lovely Trishula). There was a wonderful, extensive list of wines by the glass, and each of the tapas we sampled was outstanding.  It took me a little time to realize that this place has no real "kitchen" per se...but creates these incredibly tasty small plates with just a few tools like toaster ovens, griddles, panini presses and a refrigerator. 

We started with Warm Tuscan White Bean Spread with Baguette, which was even more creamy and rich than I expected it be...it was a real winner.

Next, it was time for what proved to be my favorite plate of the evening...Spicy Tuna and Chickpea Stuffed Piquillo Peppers.  For some reason, I was expecting a warm dish, but these were served cool and drizzled with Parsley-Garlic Oil.  The chickpeas added a delightful, unexpected nutiness to the tuna stuffing.  I wanted to get another order, but SO many things on the menu looked good that I didn't want to get into a rut.

One of the spousal-unit's faves was the Warm Poached Black Mission Figs with Gorgonzola and Prosciutto di Parma.  Oh. My. Gawd. is pretty much all I can say about these.  They were wonderful!

Jimbo ponders the mysteries of the Universe, such as why there's no place like this in Tampa.

Onward we snarfed, until we got to our Sliced Italian Meats served with Balsamic Red Pepper, Caper Berries and Spicy Garlic Oil.  Not since we were in Florence have we enjoyed such a beautiful selection!

Oh, and at the bottom of the photo, we have lovely artisan bleu cheese with toasted baguette slices and blackberry compote.

Although we were feeling pretty full at this point, I HAD to try the Banana, Goat’s Milk Caramel and Mascarpone Panino...it looks like a sandwich, but tastes like dessert.  Here's my half...simply incredible!  Elvis would've loved it. ;)

The only plate we tried that cost more than $6 was the Italian Meat board.  All that food, plus three glasses of wine apiece set up back around $100 for two hours of nibbling and sipping. Plates are small, but priced accordingly...we left feeling quite full, slightly buzzed, and very happy. I wish Tria wasn't 1,000 miles from home, because there is certainly nothing even remotely comparable near our zip code.

http://www.triacafe.com/

My blog entries contain the unmitigated, and sometimes unforgiving, dining truths and perceptions I experience as an ordinary restaurant patron. Every meal I post about has been fully paid for by one of the participating members of my personal dining party. I do not engage in the gratis blogger freebie dining events I'm constantly invited to attend and never will. If I ooze font-like love for a restaurant in my blog, it's because they totally earned it…not because they gave me free food or knew I was going to share the experience on the internet.