We were walking to a different restaurant in Dunedin for dinner, but saw Caracara and decided to try it instead. It’s an Asian Tapas & Taco restaurant that’s been open for about 3 weeks now. They had both indoor and outdoor seating and since it was a beautiful spring evening, we sat outside.

The menu is meant to be shared so we ordered three different things, the wild mushroom dumplings, the chicken sandwich, and the sticky pork ribs.

The mushroom dumplings were tasty little pockets of goodness in a flavorful sauce.

The chicken sandwich was my favorite of the three things we ordered. It was tender with a crunchy coating and had lettuce, avocado and a tasty mayo like spread on it. It also came with a small salad.

The sticky pork ribs had a hoisen type glaze on them. I would have liked them to be a little more tender, but they were easy to get off the bone and the glaze had just the right amount of sweetness.

When the waitress asked if there was anything else we wanted, we asked if there were any desserts on the menu. She said the chef, who is also a pastry chef, hadn’t come up with a dessert menu yet, but she’d go ask. Then she came out with this.

She said it was complimentary as the chef was trying out ideas and wanted opinions on the dessert. It was a take on a tiramisu, but with tea instead of coffee. It was creamy and had a very subtle Asian tea flavor to it. The orange part in the middle was tea soaked lady fingers with some crunchy lady fingers sprinkled on top. It was light and tasty, but our comment back to the chef was to add some sort of fresh fruit as another element and she agreed that maybe some fresh mango would go well with it.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal. The restaurant’s located on Broadway just off of Main Street in downtown Dunedin. I have a feeling they’re still working out the menu, so there may be different items to try next time we go back. Total bill with a drink was $46.

Caracara
730 Broadway St
Dunedin, FL
727-221-5444

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We ate dinner at Cuban Foodies tonight. I drive by this location all the time and never knew this restaurant was here. It’s right next to Lowe’s in Oldsmar. We split an empanada and then got a Cuban sandwich & Masitas.

All of the food was good. The empanada had a tasty filling and the pastry was flaky. The pork was tender, the plantains were sweet and the Cuban sandwich had a good mix of meats and cheese. Service was a bit slow & scattered, especially when a few more people came into the restaurant. Total bill with a drink was $20.

Cuban Foodies
13855 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL
813-475-4493

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Went over to Oldsmar Smokin’ BBQ for lunch today. We’ve driven by a few times and finally made it in. And I’m glad we did! I tried the two meat combo and Loren ordered the Skippy Sandwich.

You get your choice of meats with the combos so I choose ribs & brisket, plus mac & cheese and coleslaw. The mac & cheese was one of their “competition sides” and it lived up to it. Creamy with a great flavor & texture. I’d definitely order it again. The ribs were tender with a savory rub on them. Just a hint of spice and absolutely delicious. I ate all of them. The brisket was also flavorful & tender. After Loren finished his sandwich, he had to help me with the rest of the brisket. His sandwich was also brisket with cheese, fried onions & a horseradish mayo. He scarfed it up. Total bill with a drink was $23 and we’ll definitely be back.

Oldsmar Smokin’ BBQ
120 Commerce Blvd
Oldsmar, FL
813-328-4469

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We were heading to a different restaurant in Westchase for lunch & then noticed that they had opened a Crabby Bill’s, so we decided to check them out. Not sure how long they’ve been open, but it wasn’t too busy for a Friday lunch hour. We placed our order and waited what seemed like a very long time to get our food. Loren ordered a salad with blackened grouper & I got the grouper cheeks basket.

The fish was good on both dishes. Tender & flaky, just the way grouper should be. The sides didn’t do much for me though. The grilled corn wasn’t quite what I was expecting and the coleslaw was a little too tangy. Total bill was $40 with a drink.

Crabby Bill’s
9648 West Linebaugh Ave
Tampa, Fl 33626
(813) 501-1005

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We went over to Ford’s Garage in Countryside for lunch today. It wasn’t too busy, but they seemed to be seating everyone right on top of each other. They have a wide variety of 1/2 lb burgers and a new limited edition menu of smaller burgers. I decided to try one of those, the Cali Roadster, but was told I couldn’t add anything to it, even though I expected to pay extra for the cheese I wanted. This is not one of those places where the customer is always right.

This was one of the least seasoned burgers I’ve ever had in a restaurant. My first bite, I thought I was getting a mouthful of water. It was so bland and more medium rare, than the medium that I had ordered. Loren ordered the Model A burger and since he’s going low carb these days, he got it without a bun and with a side of asparagus.

He said his was flavorless too and he went straight for the salt & pepper shakers. For $31, I expected a much better experience. We won’t be back.

Ford’s Garage
26210 US Hwy 19 N
Clearwater, FL
727-228-3673

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