Confessions Of A Tampa Foodie

The Next Iron Chef – Super Chefs- And The Winner Is…..

deelite984 — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:18:10 +0000

CONGRATULATIONS, IRON CHEF ZAKARIAN! Foodie picked the final three weeks ago and my favorite actually won! Gonna go play lotto now.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. As always, I wish you and yours, Happy Holiday Eating!!

Cheddar’s Casual Cafe – 11135 Causeway Blvd Brandon, FL 33511 – Review

deelite984 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:33:48 +0000

I don’t think it matters what time you go to this place, it is always crowded. We got there around 3:00pm this past Saturday and were told it would be about a 25 minute wait, but were seated in about ten minutes. Our waiter was helpful and friendly but the kitchen must have been getting slammed because it took more than 15 minutes to get our appetizers and drinks. The atmosphere at Cheddar’s is casual, the entrees are in the 10.00 – 15.00 range, and Margaritas were tasty and under 4.00. So how was the food?

The food was good, not amazing, but well worth the money. We had loaded potato skins for our app and I enjoyed them. They were filled with cheese, seasoned well, and the skin was nice and crispy. If you are not a cheese lover, like my date, you may want to avoid this one. Although my date simply scraped off about half the cheese and ate and enjoyed the rest. For our entree we both had a rib combo. Mine came with fried shrimp, hers with chicken tenders. I didn’t care for the shrimp, they were too small, and there was way too much breading. We both enjoyed the ribs, and she loved her chicken tenders. A must have, which you have to request, but it is included in the meal, is the croissants. They were flakey and buttery and hot and drizzled with honey. Yummy!

Would I go back to Cheddar’s? Absolutely. That was not my first time there and it won’t be my last. I don’t know what it is about that place that keeps it packed but whatever it is they are doing, they should keep it up, because its working. Well, on to the next. As always, I wish you Happy Eating!

The Next Iron Chef – Super Chefs – Foodie Picks 3

deelite984 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:59:13 +0000

Although I am so not into sports, I do get the idea of putting together a fantasy team. If you could do that with chefs, this would be it. I watched the last three seasons, and I can’t say this show was ever one of my favorites, until now. This is a WTF , nail biting, roller coaster ride of a competition, that ends way to soon. I thought chef Alex Guarnaschelli was going to stroke out during the first episode, she got so flustered. Who could have guessed that she doesn’t exactly have nerves of steel?

One challenge was to make an Iron Chef worthy dish, from crazy concessions stand offerings. It was amazing, gummy bears and red hots, really? I would love to meet the crackheads that come up with this stuff. Only a super chef can survive this and the cream is slowing rising to the top. Clearly in order to win this thing you need to have more than culinary skills. Last night the audience of a comedy club got to pick out the ingredients. What savory dish goes well with marshmallow? One of my picks to win was in the bottom but he did survive to cook another day.

Last episode had a the chefs come up with dishes with ingredients suggested by a comedy club audience. Thankfully they weeded out some of the wilder things like cheese puffs, but octopus and marshmallows sure did stump me. The bottom two, Zakarian and Beu MacMillian faced off for a chance to stay. I like them both, in fact, I like all of the chefs on the show, but I’m really feeling Zakarian right now.

Any way my top 3 are Marcus Samuelson, if he doesn’t over think things, Elizabeth Falkner, if she just keeps doing what she’s doing, and Geoffry Zakarian, who I think may just win this thing. Who do you think will be the Next Iron Chef?

CARRABBA’S – Carrollwood – 11435 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. Tampa, FL 33618 – Review

deelite984 — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:12:18 +0000

I have been to this particular Carraba’s on several occasions and have always had a great experience. The staff is attentive, the dimly lit room is relaxing to me, and the food is great. For me, this place beats Olive Garden on every level, hands down. I love the hot, soft, bread with the spiced dipping sauce that they make for you table side. The mussels appetizer is large enough for two to share, the broth is tasty, and I like to dip my bread in that as well. Quite honestly, I could make a meal just off of those two things, if I’m not very hungry, and would walk away feeling satisfied. But if I’m in full foodie mode, I go for the entrée as well.

This time around I tried the Seafood Cannelloni, which is a stuffed pasta filled with lobster,shrimp, and scallops . My date, had the Chicken Marsala and was pleased with that as well. I’ve never had enough room left to try a dessert, but I usually will have a house wine with my meal. Wines and Sangria is affordably priced at around $6.00. So I like Carrabba’s, for a moderate priced, Italian food, chain restaurant. Dinner for two came up to $60.00 without tip. So it does sadden me to say that my last visit, on Wednesday, was disappointing.

I believe that one thing that separates a good restaurant from a great restaurants is consistency. That’s one of the reasons McDonald’s is so succesful. You can go into any Micky Dee’s around the country, order a burger, and it tastes the same, every time, in everyplace. Everyone is entitled to have a bad day. But, what if this was my first time going to Carrabba’s? It took quite a while for us to get our bread and when we did, it was as hard as a rock. The dipping sauce, which I so love, was not mixed well and tasted like olive oil and not much else. The mussels were tasty but luke warm. My entrée was good but I was so disappointed by everything else up to that point that I was just ready to leave. In this economy. I can think of other ways to spend 60 bucks.

Will I go back? Yes. I am hoping, it was just one of those days in Carrabba’s land. If it happens again, I will write about it again. I still recommend that you give this place a try. If you do, please let me know what your experience was like.

Until then, Happy Eating!

Food Art – It’s A Beautiful Thing

deelite984 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:31:19 +0000

Every good foodie know that there are few things more breathtakingly beautiful than a perfectly plated dish. Some chefs like Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, can make sushi that looks like stained glass windows. Now Caren Alpert, a photographer has taken one step more and magnified some of our favorite foods hundred of times. The results are amazing. You can see them all online at carenalperfineart.com. I would have never though of hanging up a picture of a shrimps tail, until now. Scroll over the pictures to find out what you’ve been putting inside of you all this time. Happy Eating!!

Mom’s Place – 4816 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa FL 33614 -Review

deelite984 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:57:59 +0000

Just north of the Hillsborough exit on N. Dale Mabry are two side by side diners. One is Mom’s Place and the other is Pops. I love diner food and being from the ladies first school of thought, I decided to try Mom’s Place first. This is actually my second visit to Mom’s. The first time I went the food was so good I decided to go back with Lil Foodie and a friend. Once again, I left there a happy, full camper, as did everyone else.

We got there about 1:00pm on Saturday and all the seats were full but luckily we didn’t have to wait too long. Robin, the hostess got us seated and was very helpful in describing various dishes on the menu. She made everything sound tempting but I opted for a burger with home-made potato salad. One of my pet peeves is that way too often I order my burger medium but it comes back well done. Not this time, it was just the way I ordered it and it was a 1/2 pounder. The home-made chilli was delicious and eating that burger was worth the mess I made on my sweater. The owner is Greek and loves to make as many things as she can from scratch. They have a Greek salad that has among other things imported feta cheese which was creamy and flavorful. The onion rings were respectable but can’t touch the ones you get at the Lucky Dill.

The staff is friendly and attentive and all in all my experiences there have been making it difficult for me to even give Pop’s place a try. Three of us ate and drank to the point of exhaustion and the bill was 23.00. Now that’s what I’m talking about, truly good comfort food at a truly affordable price, with staff that take pride in what they do. You gotta give Mom’s Place a try, you won’t be sorry.

Happy Eating.

El Oso Blanco _ 3611 W Hillsborough Ave Tampa, FL 33614 (813) 872-6112 – Review

deelite984 — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:13:06 +0000

Hidden little gems like this, excite me. Located in a little strip mall, behind the Mirage night club, and next to a 24 hour laundromat is great Latin food. And their prices are unbelievable. A win win in anyone’s book. Here’s my rule of thumb, if you go to a place serving ethnic cuisine and you never see anyone of that ethnicity around, run for the hills. The food could be good but it is certainly not what the natives eat. Not the case in El Oso Blanco, which means the white bear.

Ok. It’s a supermarket but on the side there is a resturant that serves breakfast and lunch. They have seating but if you go at lunch time it gets pretty crowded so you may have do take out. That said, the servers speak very little if any english and most of the customers are latino. If you don’t speak Spanish, and I don’t, be prepared to point. I stop by at least twice a month and point my way to a container packed with so much food that I have to finish it for dinner. The weekday lunch special is $4.99.

Food is served cafeteria style. You get a protein and two sides. The have shredded pork, ribs, chicken, empanadas, yellow rice and beans, brown rice and beans, plantains, yucca, and more. The food is perfectly seasoned and more than enough for the biggest appetite. I have been to much fancier places that can’t hold a candle against these cooks. The Columbia better watch out, then maybe not, El Oso doesn’t do dinner. If good food is more important to you than ambiance then check it out. And by the way, their cafe con leche is spot on too. Let me know what you think.

As always, Happy eating!!

Foodie Feels It and Says Thank You

deelite984 — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:01:55 +0000

I can’t wait to see 2011 go, although some claim that 2012 will be even worse. This has been a rough year for me. I’ve had 2 major surgeries, little foodie got sick, financial woes and a very bad breakup. At least the dog didn’t leave me. Anywho, I’m back. For real. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to those of you that have kept on reading my blog through it all.

One of the best things to hit Tampa bay, finally, is the food truck craze that is already flourishing in other cities. In fact, word on the street is that Tampa will have one rally per month. I went to the first rally in October as did more than 3,000 other. I got there about 1:00 pm and the lines were long and most of the trucks were sold out. However I did score a delicious bowl of shrimp chowder and a Pina Colada Smoothie. I missed this months rally but will post the info for December. For info on the trucks and there location check out Facebook. They have a page. A friend of mine got a sandwich off the Wicked Witches truck and said it was slammin.

I will give you all the scoops on the trucks as I visit them. I am also really getting into Farmers Markets and have started visiting them on weekends. The savings is amazing and the food is fresh and delicious. About two weeks ago I went to the Sunday Market in Dunedin and scored some orange honey. I have used it my tea but am imagining all kinds of uses for it. Which reminds me, I also have been buying and trying different organic teas. I am learning that tea is just as expensive and complex as some wines. No more tea bags for me. Once you try loose teas you will never be able to go back.

Once again I’d like to thank my readers and as always, I wish you Happy eating.

The Refinery – Restaurant Review

deelite984 — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:49:42 +0000

I had been trying to get to this restaurant for weeks and every time I was supposed to go, something came up and I had to cancel. The Refinery menu changes every week and like a good little foodie, I would check out the menu on-line each week, just because. The menu is like something you would see on a Top Chef challenge. The products used are from local growers. Everything they are about I’m about too, so my hopes and expectations were high, maybe a little too high.

From the outside The Refinery looks like a house, I mean, someones home. Inside the look is sparse and eclectic. Pictures are askew on the walls, and no condiments on the table. I chalkboard advertises drinks and specials of the day. The menu is divided into three sections, small plates, more than a small plate and desserts. Since foodie and friend had just left a wine and cheese lesson, which I’ll tell you about in another post, we went for the small plates.

I had a chicken liver mousse ,with a gelee glaze and my friend had a pear salad with vinaigrette and we spilt a fancy pear beer. I didn’t miss condiments but my friend who loves black pepper did ask for some for her salad. The waiter and I talked her out of it and she actually tasted her food and loved it. Everything is fresh, I had no complaints but I wasn’t blown away. I will go back on a day when I have not already eaten and try a larger plate.

If you are looking for something different, this is the place to go. You will get gourmet food on a beer budget. I wish them much success as should all Tampa residents because The Refinery is all about the locals. If any of you do visit please let me know what you think.

Happy eating.

Return of the Foodie

deelite984 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:29:30 +0000

All play and no work is not good for a food blog. Hope all of you had a great holiday. I did, but now its time to get back to work. Thanks for being patient with me. I will begin posting again next week and I have a few surprises up my sleeve so stay tuned. Until then, Happy Eating….