Bento Redux

  Another long morning in the newsroom of the Tribune means one thing.... the short walk to Publix to grab a sandwich for lunch. But wait, what's that..... no, don't be fooled again. Remember the last bento box from here had southwestern chicken in it. But I'm a bento junkie and I see what looks like a little Asian meatball in the compartment that held the offending chicken. I got fooled again. Soggy salmon, limp tuna, bland roll an nasty Asian tasting meatball? like thing. I gotta start my own business.

Finally!

  We've been looking for decent pancakes in St. Petersburg for years, and we finally found them. Grill Side Central in downtown St. Petersburg serves up some great buttermilk pancakes. The perfect batter is the key ingredient but they also manage to cook the stack of three delicious cakes through, sometimes with a crusty edge. Crispy apple wood bacon makes the perfect side. They have an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, but the pancakes will keep us coming back. Black and white photos of Florida roadside attractions (by a local photographer) gives a funky yet hip atmosphere.

An Old Friend

  I've been eating at Tangelo's since they were located a few blocks away from their current location on 1st Avenue North between 2nd and 3rd Streets. That's got to be at least 16 or 17 years. It's like visiting an old friend. And one of the words I can use to describe Mike and Lisa Brennan's restaurant is consistency. They consistently make some of the best Cuban sandwiches and black beans and rice around. My favorite has always been the roast pork sandwich with double black beans and rice. And the prefect condiment for such a simple sandwich has gotta be Matouk's Calypso Hot Sauce. Scotch Bonnet peppers at their best.

  They always offer interesting daily specials, but I find myself coming back for an old favorite.  

Make it a Meal

  Met up with former Cafe Alma owners Catherine and Dwight Watkins over the weekend for dinner. We went out to the beach to visit Snapper's. Their claim to fame is it is owned by local fishermen, so you can bet the fresh catch is the freshest. 

  We mentioned that at a Taste of Pinellas several weeks ago that Snapper's Pan-seared Diver Scallop stole the show for us, and did this evening as well. It's featured as an appetizer but with a little work could be a great entree. The scallops are seared perfectly and melt in your mouth. The bed of Israeli cous-cous they rest on is a nice touch.

  Another appetizer that stood out was the Blue Tuna. Choice tuna rolled in black sesame and pan-seared, sliced and served on top of cucumber slices and drizzled with a blueberry sauce. If only the Miso Glazed Snapper would have been as good. A nice glass of wine and Kirin Ichiban made for a nice meal with friends. 

Take 3

  Bella Brava on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg has been trying to remake it's menu now for what seems like a year. Sometimes we grab a table, but most often we grab a seat at the bar for a quick bite. The short lived bar menu is now gone, and so is the little bite-sized burger that tasted anything but small. So on a muggy Friday evening we grabbed a seat at the bar for an ice cold Peroni on draft and a look at the menu.

  After realizing the bar menu was no more we looked at the main menu and noticed a few additions and a few subtractions. New to the appetizer menu was a wood-fire oven baked corn polenta with roasted mushrooms and aged pecorino toscana (pictured above on the left). How could something so simple be so complex. Rosemary in the polenta complemented the creamy Tuscan cheese. A little larger serving could have satisfied as a meal.

  The Arancini (above right) are risotto fritters and always a favorite, but a tweaking of the aoli sauce gives the warm crunchy fritter a sweet sweet taste, and the fritter itself seemed to lack a lot of flavor.

  One interesting discovery from the bar was Mitcher's American WHISKEY, yes whiskey. Distilled in bourbon famous Bardstown, Kentucky; this whiskey had a very spicy taste but not a harsh bite. The distiller also produces an aged 10 year old bourbon. Bella Brava, according to the bartender, is one of only two establishments in Pinellas county to get it. They were out put plan to have more in soon. This Kentucky boy might have to go investigate. 

Burger Joint Chili

  Johnny Rockets is known as a retro 50's burger joint. Though a chain, they do a decent burger. But you can also find a great bowl of red there. Jane says it reminds her of the chili her grandfather use to make when she was a little girl. They lived just south of Cincinnati in northern Kentucky. That might explain why the hint of cinnamon and chocolate in Rockets chili tastes so familiar.

  It's thick, it's rich and it takes a few minutes for them to heat it up in the morning when they open for lunch. So get there a little after the doors open and enjoy a little taste of a nostalgic chili.

Usually Good

  I've been stopping at the Chattaway on 4th Street South in St. Petersburg for over twenty years. Myself and a couple of artists I use to work with would stop by for a beer or two after work. The little handmade bar with the surly bartender/co-owner Everett was separated from 22nd Avenue South by a few dried out plants dying in cracked bathtubs. Traffic whizzed by, stereos blasting,  stirring the dust from the dirt parking lot into the muggy night air.

  The Chattaways been around since before World War II, and they've been making burgers since the doors opened. The Chattaway was even recognized in the 1980's by US Today for it's burger. And I've eaten hundreds of Chattaburgers there.

  But I've run into a bit of bad luck there lately. The last THREE times I've order my beloved Chattabuger w/ cheese Platter I've ordered it the same way; medium well with pickle, onion and mustard only. And it's come out different every time. This weekend (pictured above) I got cheese and onions only, which is definitely better than the way it came out the time before... fully loaded. I don't know if it's the servers or the kitchen, but I hope my old friend gets its act together. 

Bamboozled?

  The Bamboozle Cafe is the newest player in downtown Tampa trying to lure in hungry suits for lunch. They offer fresh rolls, noodle salads and sandwiches on toasted baguettes, all made to order with your choice of meats and veggies.   

  We started with the Traditional Vietnamese Roll, thin rice paper stuffed with steamed prawns, pork, vermicelli noodles, green leaf lettuce, cucumber, chives and mint. With a number of dipping sauces to choose from, it wasn't a bad way to start off. The Noodle Salad with Prawns was mediocre and had to be doused with dressing just to coax out a little flavor. But the daily special, five-spice bar-b-q pork sandwich (pictured above) hit the mark. Warm and flavorful, the pork rested between two halves of a perfectly toasted baguette. Could have done without the slaw like salad on top, it just got in the way. With no sides to go along with the sandwiches, we had to go back for round two of the Vietnamese Roll to feel satisfied enough to face the rest of the work day.

A Little Lunch

  Finally had a minute or two to go through a few purchases from Japan. The Japanese love miniatures and that has created a fad for miniature food. This toy food is the perfect size for Barbie to throw down a great party but even though small, has incredible detail.

  Above are several pieces from the Sushi Collection and the other is from the "American" Food Collection. There are ten different sets in each collection and they come in identical boxes, soooo, you don't know which set is inside until you open it. Great idea, you might have to buy 20 or 30 boxes , if not more, to get the complete set. Each box also has a small sushi menu and a small piece of gum inside. And how do you display your hard bought collection. They sell small display cases such as a conveyor sushi counter to set up your prized possessions.

Hot Time in the City

  This time of year in Tampa Bay means three things, the temperature suddenly climbs over 90 degrees, the humidity overwhelms you and an annual outdoor food and music festival is held. The Taste of Pinellas is an opportunity to listen to some lesser music from the 80's ( Rick "Eli Love" Springfield and Eddie Money this year), but the main reason to go is the food. So as the temperature soared we dusted off our bicycles  and pedaled up to Vinoy Park on the waterfront in St.Pete.

  Many of our favorite local restaurants were in attendance but one that we couldn't remember visiting stole the show for us. Snappers Sea Grill on St. Pete Beach offered Seared Diver Scallops over an Asian Couscous. The line in front of their booth didn't lie. The scallops had a great rub and were seared perfectly. The refreshing Asian couscous with cucumbers, carrot and cilantro made for a perfect combination. So much so that we went back for a return visit.