I had a craving the other day for Egg Salad. I love the stuff about as much as I love Deviled Eggs and I was torn as to which one to make. I really needed some sandwich fixings for work so the Egg Salad won out and I'm glad it did because this was a stellar mix, at least to my palate. Here's the deal:
7 Large Eggs
1 medium Shallot, finely minced
5 small Green Olives, finely chopped
1 Slice of Claussen Kosher dill pickle, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Hellman's Real Mayonnaise (or to desired consistency)
Place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, then shut off the heat and cover for 12 minutes and then place in an ice bath for about 15 minutes or until cold.
Peel and chop into medium dice in a medium bowl. Mix all the remaining ingredients into the eggs until thoroughly combined and taste for correct spices.
Serve on good crusty bread with lettuce as a sandwich or on Crostinis as an appetizer topped with a Green olive and maybe a bit of Frank's Hot Sauce.
Bon Appetit
Tim
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Some time alone
I spent some time alone this weekend as my lovely wife was at a conference for a few days. I had decided to spend the time opening up our camper on Lake Kabetogama in Northern Minnesota for the upcoming season. In preparation for the event I stopped at The Italian Village on Friday night to pick up some Hot Molinari and some Hot Capicola for a little Antipasto lunch while I was there at the lake. I had a bit of leftover Baguette and some Parmigian Reggiano and a beer to go along with it and I packed it all up and headed North.
It was sprinkling rain as I drove but it is a nice trip to one of my favorite places on the planet where there are very large walleyes, by the way, so it didn't matter about a little rain. I found the camper in very good shape after a long winter. The tarp my son and I had tied over the top to protect it was in very good shape and all the ropes were still tight. I uncovered it and folded the tarp for storage and hooked up an LP gas tank to the camper and fired up the cooktop to take the chill off the interior. After warming a bit I sat at the table and enjoyed the meats and cheeses I had brought and felt very thankful to be in a place my wife and I enjoy so much and have some great food to boot! I finished cleaning the camper up and organizing a few things and then went down to the dock to see the lake, which had just become ice-free on Friday night.
It was beautiful as usual but the water was quite low. I hope the Spring rains will bring it back up to normal fairly soon.
It started to rain fairly heavy so I packed up my stuff and began the trip(sadly) back home. I remembered as I was heading South that I would be passing one of my favorite places to eat in Eveleth, MN, the K&B Drive In. They specialize in Texas Barbeque and it is very good. I found it while remodeling the home of some friends on Pleasant Lake just a few miles away and stopped there to pick up lunch. I pulled into the drive-in (yes, it really is a drive-in) and asked the server what their specialty was. She told me about the barbeque and I decided to try it. I ordered the Brisket Sandwich and I was immediately hooked. It was great! They also have some pretty good Onion Rings and I always have those when I can. It was a nice cap to the day.
Sunday I decided to try the Brunch at another favorite place, G.B. Schneider & Co. in Duluth. They have recently started doing brunch with a menu of specific dishes and their great sandwich menu as well as a Pastry and Salad Bar to complement the entrees. I noticed Eggs Benedict on the menu and I had to try it. I always try it whenever I see it. Well, it was excellent! the Hollandaise was one of the best I have ever had, rivaling the Over Easy Cafe on Sanibel Island in Florida. It was silky smooth and just the right amount of lemon. It was also served with a near-perfect side of shredded Hash Browns. They had a beautiful crunchy golden exterior and just a bit of softer center which was perfect for my taste.
This was a very nice ending to a very nice weekend except that Teresa was not here to share it with me.
Let the adventure continue!
Tim
It was sprinkling rain as I drove but it is a nice trip to one of my favorite places on the planet where there are very large walleyes, by the way, so it didn't matter about a little rain. I found the camper in very good shape after a long winter. The tarp my son and I had tied over the top to protect it was in very good shape and all the ropes were still tight. I uncovered it and folded the tarp for storage and hooked up an LP gas tank to the camper and fired up the cooktop to take the chill off the interior. After warming a bit I sat at the table and enjoyed the meats and cheeses I had brought and felt very thankful to be in a place my wife and I enjoy so much and have some great food to boot! I finished cleaning the camper up and organizing a few things and then went down to the dock to see the lake, which had just become ice-free on Friday night.
It was beautiful as usual but the water was quite low. I hope the Spring rains will bring it back up to normal fairly soon.
It started to rain fairly heavy so I packed up my stuff and began the trip(sadly) back home. I remembered as I was heading South that I would be passing one of my favorite places to eat in Eveleth, MN, the K&B Drive In. They specialize in Texas Barbeque and it is very good. I found it while remodeling the home of some friends on Pleasant Lake just a few miles away and stopped there to pick up lunch. I pulled into the drive-in (yes, it really is a drive-in) and asked the server what their specialty was. She told me about the barbeque and I decided to try it. I ordered the Brisket Sandwich and I was immediately hooked. It was great! They also have some pretty good Onion Rings and I always have those when I can. It was a nice cap to the day.
Sunday I decided to try the Brunch at another favorite place, G.B. Schneider & Co. in Duluth. They have recently started doing brunch with a menu of specific dishes and their great sandwich menu as well as a Pastry and Salad Bar to complement the entrees. I noticed Eggs Benedict on the menu and I had to try it. I always try it whenever I see it. Well, it was excellent! the Hollandaise was one of the best I have ever had, rivaling the Over Easy Cafe on Sanibel Island in Florida. It was silky smooth and just the right amount of lemon. It was also served with a near-perfect side of shredded Hash Browns. They had a beautiful crunchy golden exterior and just a bit of softer center which was perfect for my taste.
This was a very nice ending to a very nice weekend except that Teresa was not here to share it with me.
Let the adventure continue!
Tim
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Italian Village
I recently had a wonderful experience at a local deli in Duluth as I was procuring some Antipasti meats for a dinner engagement at my house with some of my wife's co-workers. I stopped in at the Italian Village on the corner of Central Ave. and Bristol St. in Duluth to pick up some Prosciutto, Sopressata, and Mortadella for my Antipasto course and I came upon a new face at the deli I had not met before. I forgot to ask his name but he told me he was taking over the business from his aunt. I told him what I needed and he began to slice my meats in paper thin slices, beginning with the Prosciutto and then asked me if it was thin enough. I looked at it in his hand and said "yes". He then asked if I would like a sample and gave me the piece he had cut. He proceeded to let me try each type of meat he cut for me and I told him he was making my day!
I asked him about a sausage I saw in the meat case that was covered in white and appeared to be a type of salame. He told me it was Salametti and that it was very dense and dry due to the curing process and it was similar to Sopressata but more concentrated. He said that lots of folks had asked him about it and that he should cut one as a sample so people could try it but once he cut one folks wouldn't buy it. He said, " I'm going to cut one. you'll like it." He gave me a sample and told me how to cut it and serve it and was so accommodating that I couldn't help but buy the whole sausage! He was right, it was excellent!
The store has recently increased their hours by staying open until 9:00 pm each evening, Monday through Saturday and serving dinner and sandwiches as well as all their great meats and cheeses. There are frozen pizzas, pastas, Chorizo, Italian Sausages, oils and desserts and I am told they do samples on Saturday mornings.
I was very impressed with this young man who was about to take over a well established business in a very old neighborhood in Duluth. I think he will do very well and I hope you will stop in and give him some business. He has good products and a very good demeanor as well.
I like that and I think you will too!
Tim
I asked him about a sausage I saw in the meat case that was covered in white and appeared to be a type of salame. He told me it was Salametti and that it was very dense and dry due to the curing process and it was similar to Sopressata but more concentrated. He said that lots of folks had asked him about it and that he should cut one as a sample so people could try it but once he cut one folks wouldn't buy it. He said, " I'm going to cut one. you'll like it." He gave me a sample and told me how to cut it and serve it and was so accommodating that I couldn't help but buy the whole sausage! He was right, it was excellent!
The store has recently increased their hours by staying open until 9:00 pm each evening, Monday through Saturday and serving dinner and sandwiches as well as all their great meats and cheeses. There are frozen pizzas, pastas, Chorizo, Italian Sausages, oils and desserts and I am told they do samples on Saturday mornings.
I was very impressed with this young man who was about to take over a well established business in a very old neighborhood in Duluth. I think he will do very well and I hope you will stop in and give him some business. He has good products and a very good demeanor as well.
I like that and I think you will too!
Tim
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Over Easy Cafe
It was a beautiful Sunday morning on Fort Meyers beach and we were scheduled to make our way to Sanibel Island for the day. Teresa and I jumped into our rented convertible and put the top down for the drive to Sanibel and started looking for the Over Easy Cafe. We had read about it in an advertisement in a brochure we had picked up at our hotel. Sometimes things just work out very well in that regard. The ad said that Over Easy had a variety of Benedicts on the menu and that's what caught my attention right away. I love Eggs Benedict and I always try those when they are offered.
We arrived at 9:00 Am and it was not crowded, which was a plus, and we were seated in a quiet corner of the place. The decor was amazingly inviting and colorful; bright colors of yellow, red and blue, much like my favorite Scandinavian colors and it felt like home to both Teresa and me.
I looked at the menu for those Benedicts and saw what I just had to try; it was not a Benedict at all but their Crab and Baby Asparagus Omelet with Swiss Cheese and Hollandaise on the side. It was served with Sourdough Toast and Orange Marmalade. It was the most amazing omelet I have ever eaten! It was unbelievable! I was in food heaven for the entire time at the restaurant. I wanted to order it all over again just because it was that good. It was perfectly cooked and the Hollandaise was a nice balance of lemon and buttery egg.
Teresa ordered the Fried Egg Sandwich on a Bagel with Provolone Cheese and tried the Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice. She said the juice was wonderful and I don't normally like Orange Juice but I tried it and it was unbelievable. Remember, I don't like Orange Juice and this stuff tasted like it had dropped right off the tree and had been pressed right there at that moment; It could make me like Orange Juice!
The next great thing they offered was their coffee. It was Green Mountain and it was excellent. I wanted to stay in this restaurant all morning. Our server's name was Faviana and she was a delight. I told her that the decor was very comfortable and she said that she agreed and that it was a cheery place to come to work. It showed in her attitude and service. It is so nice to see people that enjoy what they do and make their place of work a place that is attractive for anyone who happens upon it. I have to say that this was the absolute highlight of our trip in terms of quality and atmosphere. I could eat there every day if it were possible.
The next stop on our culinary tour was a Monday morning breakfast stop at Heavenly Biscuit in Ft. Meyers Beach. We had heard about this little place from a lady that managed the Americinn at White Bear Lake, MN. She said that she had lived in the Ft Meyers Beach area and that we should try the Heavenly Biscuit. It turned out to be a very good find. The biscuits were excellent, moist and perfectly cooked and their special of the day was a Bacon, Egg and Cheese with Tomato, which both of us tried along with their Home Fries. The fries were very good; a very crispy, well browned potato with crispy skins and onion as well as a hint of garlic in the mix.
The restaurant was a bit like the Swamp Sisters here in Saginaw, MN; a small place where you placed your order at the counter and found your place at either a table inside or one of three tables on the porch of what had at one time been a small home on the main drag of Ft. Meyers Beach. This restaurant also was one of those you could easily spend a vast amount of time enjoying while watching the activity in the neighborhood. I fact, you could tell that this was a popular place because we saw the same cabbies there both times we went and saw that the locals frequented the place every day. It just had to be good, and it was!
Plan a trip soon, my friend and eat well!
Tim
We arrived at 9:00 Am and it was not crowded, which was a plus, and we were seated in a quiet corner of the place. The decor was amazingly inviting and colorful; bright colors of yellow, red and blue, much like my favorite Scandinavian colors and it felt like home to both Teresa and me.
I looked at the menu for those Benedicts and saw what I just had to try; it was not a Benedict at all but their Crab and Baby Asparagus Omelet with Swiss Cheese and Hollandaise on the side. It was served with Sourdough Toast and Orange Marmalade. It was the most amazing omelet I have ever eaten! It was unbelievable! I was in food heaven for the entire time at the restaurant. I wanted to order it all over again just because it was that good. It was perfectly cooked and the Hollandaise was a nice balance of lemon and buttery egg.
Teresa ordered the Fried Egg Sandwich on a Bagel with Provolone Cheese and tried the Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice. She said the juice was wonderful and I don't normally like Orange Juice but I tried it and it was unbelievable. Remember, I don't like Orange Juice and this stuff tasted like it had dropped right off the tree and had been pressed right there at that moment; It could make me like Orange Juice!
The next great thing they offered was their coffee. It was Green Mountain and it was excellent. I wanted to stay in this restaurant all morning. Our server's name was Faviana and she was a delight. I told her that the decor was very comfortable and she said that she agreed and that it was a cheery place to come to work. It showed in her attitude and service. It is so nice to see people that enjoy what they do and make their place of work a place that is attractive for anyone who happens upon it. I have to say that this was the absolute highlight of our trip in terms of quality and atmosphere. I could eat there every day if it were possible.
The next stop on our culinary tour was a Monday morning breakfast stop at Heavenly Biscuit in Ft. Meyers Beach. We had heard about this little place from a lady that managed the Americinn at White Bear Lake, MN. She said that she had lived in the Ft Meyers Beach area and that we should try the Heavenly Biscuit. It turned out to be a very good find. The biscuits were excellent, moist and perfectly cooked and their special of the day was a Bacon, Egg and Cheese with Tomato, which both of us tried along with their Home Fries. The fries were very good; a very crispy, well browned potato with crispy skins and onion as well as a hint of garlic in the mix.
The restaurant was a bit like the Swamp Sisters here in Saginaw, MN; a small place where you placed your order at the counter and found your place at either a table inside or one of three tables on the porch of what had at one time been a small home on the main drag of Ft. Meyers Beach. This restaurant also was one of those you could easily spend a vast amount of time enjoying while watching the activity in the neighborhood. I fact, you could tell that this was a popular place because we saw the same cabbies there both times we went and saw that the locals frequented the place every day. It just had to be good, and it was!
Plan a trip soon, my friend and eat well!
Tim
Monday, March 21, 2011
Culinary Adventure part III
Today I continue our adventure in Southwest Florida with a trip to Snapper's, in St. Pete's Beach. We arrived at about 4:45 PM which is a bit early for dinner but it worked out for the time we happened to be there so we went for it. This turned out to be one of my favorite places to eat in the area. We began with a salad that had the most amazing dressing on it. I asked the server what was in it and, of course, she couldn't tell me but did divulge that there were three mustards, three vinegars, eggs, shallots, and garlic in it. I told her I would try to figure it out because it was so good. She asked if I cooked and I said "definitely!".
Teresa ordered a Cashew Crusted Mahi Mahi with a Mango Tomato Sauce and Grilled Bananas with Puff Pastry wrapped Potatoes. It was very nice to say the least. I ordered Blue Crab Cakes over a rice that seemed fairly sticky with some Coconut Milk, Red Bell Peppers and
Scallions. It was excellent! It tasted like my Walleye Cakes but with a more ocean fish hint because of the crab. I loved it! We topped off our dinner with a Petite Key Lime Pie, which had a Chocolate Wafer Crust and a Raspberry Coulis under it to accent the dish. It was very nice and just the right size for the dinner we experienced.
Good eating,
Tim
Teresa ordered a Cashew Crusted Mahi Mahi with a Mango Tomato Sauce and Grilled Bananas with Puff Pastry wrapped Potatoes. It was very nice to say the least. I ordered Blue Crab Cakes over a rice that seemed fairly sticky with some Coconut Milk, Red Bell Peppers and
Scallions. It was excellent! It tasted like my Walleye Cakes but with a more ocean fish hint because of the crab. I loved it! We topped off our dinner with a Petite Key Lime Pie, which had a Chocolate Wafer Crust and a Raspberry Coulis under it to accent the dish. It was very nice and just the right size for the dinner we experienced.
Good eating,
Tim
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The culinary vacation continues
In my last post we started our culinary adventure in Florida and we continue today with the next stop on the trail at Keegan's Seafood Grille, at Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. This was one of the destinations we found from Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and It very quickly became our favorite spot for seafood in the area. We ended up coming back three times to this spot because it was just that good! We started on this Wednesday evening with the She-Crab Soup which was a velvety cream-style soup loaded with shredded crab meat and was absolutely delicious! The next course was a Ginger Encrusted Green Leek Grilled Swordfish served with Lime Zested White Rice and a Fresh Pineapple/Orange Relish and a Szechuan Aioli to top it all off. It was amazing!
The restaurant itself was not necessarily outstanding and it was more of a typical local bar and grille type place with a couple TVs on the wall and the usual booths and tables but the food was so outstanding that we forgot all about the surroundings and were captivated with the flavors at hand. Our server was really cool and we enjoyed talking with her throughout the meal. We decided that we were definitely coming back the next day for appetizers before dinner.Upon our return, I saw on the menu that they were offering Burgundy Marinated Escargot and Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna for the first courses and we just had to try those. We arrived at 6:30 PM and ordered both of those items; they were again, absolutely amazing! The Ahi Tuna was seared rare and served with soy sauce and wasabi sauce. The Escargot, which I LOVE, were served in Mushroom Caps in Butter and Garlic with Herbs; fabulous! The main course was a Mediteranean Rubbed, Grilled Escolar with Italian Parmesan Smashed Potatoes and a Mixed Olive Tomato Relish/ Dark Balsamic and Citrus Reduction. Teresa ordered a White Sangria that was freshly mixed and excellent! It was made with Chablis wine and from what we could taste had Orange juice with pulp, some simple syrup, Lime, Cinnamon and possibly some Allspice and , of course, Ice. This restaurant was truly becoming our favorite of the trip. Everything we tried was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. I would definitely encourage a trip to this place very soon! We had originally decided to go to another spot for dinner but after trying the appetizers we couldn't resist staying for the main course.
My choice for this evening was a Grilled Grouper Sandwich served on a grilled Onion Roll with lettuce, tomato and a sauce; again, very good, indeed! This had been a very successful day in terms of finding the best places to dine and we wanted to return the next day to see what the special dish of the day might be, as each one we had tried so far had been wonderful.
We will continue our adventure tomorrow with some more culinary delights.
Eat well and often,
Tim
The restaurant itself was not necessarily outstanding and it was more of a typical local bar and grille type place with a couple TVs on the wall and the usual booths and tables but the food was so outstanding that we forgot all about the surroundings and were captivated with the flavors at hand. Our server was really cool and we enjoyed talking with her throughout the meal. We decided that we were definitely coming back the next day for appetizers before dinner.Upon our return, I saw on the menu that they were offering Burgundy Marinated Escargot and Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna for the first courses and we just had to try those. We arrived at 6:30 PM and ordered both of those items; they were again, absolutely amazing! The Ahi Tuna was seared rare and served with soy sauce and wasabi sauce. The Escargot, which I LOVE, were served in Mushroom Caps in Butter and Garlic with Herbs; fabulous! The main course was a Mediteranean Rubbed, Grilled Escolar with Italian Parmesan Smashed Potatoes and a Mixed Olive Tomato Relish/ Dark Balsamic and Citrus Reduction. Teresa ordered a White Sangria that was freshly mixed and excellent! It was made with Chablis wine and from what we could taste had Orange juice with pulp, some simple syrup, Lime, Cinnamon and possibly some Allspice and , of course, Ice. This restaurant was truly becoming our favorite of the trip. Everything we tried was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. I would definitely encourage a trip to this place very soon! We had originally decided to go to another spot for dinner but after trying the appetizers we couldn't resist staying for the main course.
My choice for this evening was a Grilled Grouper Sandwich served on a grilled Onion Roll with lettuce, tomato and a sauce; again, very good, indeed! This had been a very successful day in terms of finding the best places to dine and we wanted to return the next day to see what the special dish of the day might be, as each one we had tried so far had been wonderful.
We will continue our adventure tomorrow with some more culinary delights.
Eat well and often,
Tim
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Culinary Vacation
Teresa and I just got back from a culinary vacation of sorts that I have been wanting to do for a while now. One of my favorite shows on satellite TV is Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on Food Network and I thought it would be fun to do a trip to find a few of the restaurants highlighted on the show. I found three of them in the Tampa-St. Pete area of Florida and what better time to visit Florida than winter in Minnesota?
We set off on Tuesday last week for St. Pete's Beach and landed at the Sandpiper Resort for a few days. We rented a Chrysler Sebring convertible for the week and headed out to find some great little spots to eat. We got to the hotel about mid-afternoon and settled in, then cruised the main drag with the top down on the convertible for some interesting food spots. We found Crabby Bill's just down the road and landed there for dinner about 6:00 pm. It was a fun place featuring fresh seafood as well as the usual stuff, like burgers and fries. We chose their Grilled Grouper Sandwich with lettuce, tomato,and onion, served with fries and cole slaw. It was excellent! To top it off, we were there at sunset and up on their second floor deck. There was also a wedding taking place on the beach below us, which was a nice surprise. The food was great, the sunset beautiful, the beer was cold and we capped the meal with a very nice slice of Key Lime Pie. It was a very nice start to the week!
The next morning we tried a very cool looking classic diner right next door to Crabby Bill's called Mad Fish. What caught my attention was the polished stainless steel of the traditional diner exterior and I hoped the interior and the food were as cool looking as the exterior. The interior was definitely as classy as the outside with Honduras Mahogany wall panels and polished stainless details everywhere inside. It had the feel of very classy diner with Cobalt Blue teardrop Halogen pendants over each table and nice tablecloths and fresh flowers at each booth. The downside was the opening greeting from the hostess. She was at best, disconnected and at worst, crabby. She did warm up a bit as we talked to her so I wrote that off to a bad day.
I saw that they offered Eggs Benedict and I always try that when available. Teresa had the Poached Lobster Omelet. Mine was very good, the Hollandaise a nice blend of lemon and butter. The dish also came with some interesting Home Fried Potatoes. They appeared to have been deep fried medallions of potato with a nice combination of seasonings on them. It was served with Sourdough Toast and excellent coffee. Teresa's omelet was not quite so successful. With Lobster we always expect the best but she found the omelet to be somewhat greasy and the lobster way overcooked, on the way to very rubbery; disappointing to say the least. I would, however go there again and give them another try. My food was very good and I can hope that the same girl doesn't work there next time. In fact, there was a manager there we spoke to about some of the local attractions and he was very helpful and pleasant, which made the experience much more palatable, if you will.
Later that afternoon we were on our way back from Tarpon Springs and found a local brewery at Dunedin and stopped there to try their offerings. Teresa tried their Apricot/Peach Ale, which definitely highlighted the fruit flavors with a mild hoppy finish to it. I had their Redhead Red Ale, which, amazingly, tasted exactly like Steve and Tim's Inaugural Brew, Steve Rudh's and my first attempt at brewing beer. It was uncanny. The brewery was housed in an addition to an old house in a residential neighborhood of Dunedin. I had a couple of huge roll-up glass garage doors to provide an open-air feel during warm weather and some very cool stainless welded tube tables and stools, reminiscent of the stainless tubing connecting the brewing vats at the rear of the building. the server was great and it was a nice stop along the way. It was a beautiful day in the low 80's with the top down cruising the Southwest Coast of Florida on a culinary mission to find some great food and this day had turned out pretty well so far. We hadn't tried any of the three Triple D joints yet but those are yet to come.
Eat well, my friend.
Tim
We set off on Tuesday last week for St. Pete's Beach and landed at the Sandpiper Resort for a few days. We rented a Chrysler Sebring convertible for the week and headed out to find some great little spots to eat. We got to the hotel about mid-afternoon and settled in, then cruised the main drag with the top down on the convertible for some interesting food spots. We found Crabby Bill's just down the road and landed there for dinner about 6:00 pm. It was a fun place featuring fresh seafood as well as the usual stuff, like burgers and fries. We chose their Grilled Grouper Sandwich with lettuce, tomato,and onion, served with fries and cole slaw. It was excellent! To top it off, we were there at sunset and up on their second floor deck. There was also a wedding taking place on the beach below us, which was a nice surprise. The food was great, the sunset beautiful, the beer was cold and we capped the meal with a very nice slice of Key Lime Pie. It was a very nice start to the week!
The next morning we tried a very cool looking classic diner right next door to Crabby Bill's called Mad Fish. What caught my attention was the polished stainless steel of the traditional diner exterior and I hoped the interior and the food were as cool looking as the exterior. The interior was definitely as classy as the outside with Honduras Mahogany wall panels and polished stainless details everywhere inside. It had the feel of very classy diner with Cobalt Blue teardrop Halogen pendants over each table and nice tablecloths and fresh flowers at each booth. The downside was the opening greeting from the hostess. She was at best, disconnected and at worst, crabby. She did warm up a bit as we talked to her so I wrote that off to a bad day.
I saw that they offered Eggs Benedict and I always try that when available. Teresa had the Poached Lobster Omelet. Mine was very good, the Hollandaise a nice blend of lemon and butter. The dish also came with some interesting Home Fried Potatoes. They appeared to have been deep fried medallions of potato with a nice combination of seasonings on them. It was served with Sourdough Toast and excellent coffee. Teresa's omelet was not quite so successful. With Lobster we always expect the best but she found the omelet to be somewhat greasy and the lobster way overcooked, on the way to very rubbery; disappointing to say the least. I would, however go there again and give them another try. My food was very good and I can hope that the same girl doesn't work there next time. In fact, there was a manager there we spoke to about some of the local attractions and he was very helpful and pleasant, which made the experience much more palatable, if you will.
Later that afternoon we were on our way back from Tarpon Springs and found a local brewery at Dunedin and stopped there to try their offerings. Teresa tried their Apricot/Peach Ale, which definitely highlighted the fruit flavors with a mild hoppy finish to it. I had their Redhead Red Ale, which, amazingly, tasted exactly like Steve and Tim's Inaugural Brew, Steve Rudh's and my first attempt at brewing beer. It was uncanny. The brewery was housed in an addition to an old house in a residential neighborhood of Dunedin. I had a couple of huge roll-up glass garage doors to provide an open-air feel during warm weather and some very cool stainless welded tube tables and stools, reminiscent of the stainless tubing connecting the brewing vats at the rear of the building. the server was great and it was a nice stop along the way. It was a beautiful day in the low 80's with the top down cruising the Southwest Coast of Florida on a culinary mission to find some great food and this day had turned out pretty well so far. We hadn't tried any of the three Triple D joints yet but those are yet to come.
Eat well, my friend.
Tim
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