We were driving back from The Fringe in Orlando and stopped at Harry’s Seafood in Lakeland for dinner.  We were seated very quickly in the back of the restaurant and then the waiting began.  Once our server finally showed up, he was an extremely polite and friendly guy, but unfortunately that doesn’t make up for the continuous waiting and incorrect things that happened with our meal.  Our waiter brought out some bread.

It was warm and crusty and the herbed butter was tasty.  Good thing we had it because the wait was pretty long for our entrees.  Loren ordered the redfish with a side of collards.

He enjoyed them both.  The fish was cooked well and not overly spicy.  I ordered the crawfish etoufee.

When the waiter took my order, he asked if I wanted green onions on it or not.  I said no, but when it arrived it was covered in them.  I sent it back and from what was returned back to me, I can only surmise that someone just took it back to the kitchen & picked them all off of the same dish.  It was a bit spicier than I remembered from the last time I had it here.  I ended up taking half of it home with me.  We decided to try the chocolate bread pudding for dessert.

This was an unusual dish.  It was brownie-yet-bread like and went very well with the sauce and ice cream.  We both enjoyed it.  It wasn’t overly chocolatey, but interesting.  Here’s where the waiting started again.  We actually watched another table get seated and then walk out when no one ever came to take their order.  Loren’s drink order was wrong and the amount of time we spent just sitting there waiting was ridiculous.  I don’t know if they were short staffed or what, but they definitely needed better coverage in the back area where we were seated.  Total bill with a drink was $44.

Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grill
101 N Kentucky Ave
Lakeland, FL
(863) 686-2228

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We checked out Blue Dog Po’ Boys in Clearwater today for lunch.  It’s not a very big place, but the New Orleans flavors definitely packed a punch.  We started off with some gumbo.

Lots of deep, rich flavors and just enough spiciness to make it interesting. Loren kept pulling the bowl closer to his side of the table.  Since he wanted leftovers he ordered a whole muffaletta sandwich, the photo below is only half.

The waitress wrapped the other half and even with only half on the plate, he only managed to eat a quarter of it.  It’s huge.  He really enjoyed it though.  Lots of meats and the olive spread was tasty.  I went for a oyster po’boy with a side of sweet potato fries.

This was a pretty large sandwich too.  I ended up eating half and just eating the oysters out of the other half.  They were crunchy and tasty and the who dat sauce added some additional spice.  The sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside, soft in the middle and had a cinnamon sugar coating on them.  They could have been dessert.  But, alas, there was bread pudding for dessert.

Yummy, yummy, yummy!  It had a really tasty sauce on it and a nice texture and flavor overall.  We’ll definitely be back to eat here again.  Total bill with two drinks was $37.

Blue Dog Po’Boys
25708 US 19 N
Clearwater, FL
(727) 797-0500

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I wanted to go down to Weedon Island Preserve today, so we ate lunch at the Cajun Café on the Bayou.  No surprises in what we ordered, I got the crawfish etouffee and Loren got some gumbo with a salad.

I love the food here.  It’s always so flavorful and fresh.  As much as I tell myself I’m not going to eat the whole plate of food, there’s nothing left when the bill comes.  It was a bit on the spicier side today, but oh, so good.  This time of year it’s also cool out so you can sit on the patio.  Total bill with a drink was $32.

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL
727-546-6732

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We were in the mood for some cajun food, so we headed down to Pinellas Park to the Cajun Cafe.  The level of spiciness seems to vary depending on who’s in the kitchen and today’s food was a bit on the extra spicy side.  Loren started off with a bowl of gumbo and I got a side of okra.

The okra was really spicy today.  There was an extra bit of cayenne in that batter.  OoooEeeee!  I had to get some ranch dressing to try to cool it down some.   Loren tried something new today, the shredded pork with a side of jambalaya.

The pork was the only thing we had today that wasn’t spicy.  It was very tender and had an almost sweet flavor to it.  It’s something I’d order, but probably never will because I come here for one dish and it’s the crawfish etoufee.

I love this dish.  It’s so rich and tomatoey and the crawfish have a buttery taste to them.  The spiciness builds up as you eat it, but it’s so good that it’s hard to stop.  But, I ended up taking some of it home because I had to leave room for the whisky bread pudding.

When it comes to the table, you tell yourself that you’re not going to eat that much of it, then you take that first bite and all bets are off.  It’s comfort food with the taste of vanilla and butter and just goodness all around.  We did end up taking half of it home and wished we had more when we ate it later that night.  Total bill with a drink was $49.

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL
727-546-6732

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We ate lunch at Cuban Breezes today.  I don’t blog every time we eat here because we eat here a few times a month, but Loren’s Mahi Salad was just too pretty not to take a photo.

They make a nice piece of mahi here and it’s reasonably priced no matter what form you get it in.  He likes his blackened, but I always prefer mine grilled.  I stole a few of the tomatoes on his salad and they were really fresh and tasty.

I went for the prime rib dip they had on special with a side of rice & beans.

The roast beef is so tender and matches so well with the cuban bread.  My only gripe was that it was really salty.  I noticed it with the first few bites and then didn’t think much about it, but I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking lots of water.  Total bill with a drink was $21

Cuban Breezes
13980 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL
813-814-9939

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Had to get my cajun food fix, so that means heading down to Pinellas Park to the Cajun Cafe on the Bayou.  Their crawfish etouffee is what keeps me coming back.

It has just the right amount of spicy without being too much for my wimpy taste buds.  There are plenty of crawfish in the dish and it has this creamy, tomatoey buttery texture to it.  Mmm, mmmm, good.  It also comes with a little side salad.

Loren went for a bowl of gumbo and a salad today.

He actually had his eye on some crab cakes, but they were out of them today.  He enjoyed the gumbo and made sure to save some room for dessert.

I’ve become a convert when it comes to whiskey bread pudding.  This stuff is awesome.  For the longest time, I wouldn’t try it thinking the alcohol taste would be too strong, but all you really taste in this dish is a buttery, cinnamon goodness.  We barely ate half of it and the rest came home with us.  For $34, we both left with happy taste buds and full tummies.

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL
727-546-6732

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After a day of hiking, we stopped in Franklin, NC for dinner at the Cajun Connection Cafe.  This was the tastiest meal we had on our entire vacation.   We started off with some calamari and Loren got a side salad.

The calamari was a little chewy, but had a nice crunch to it.  It had a little bit of spice and the dipping sauce was tasty.  Loren decided to get a mini sampler which included jambalaya, gumbo, and creole.

Though he enjoyed the other two, the jambalaya was definitely his favorite.  It had all the right flavor components with just the right amount of spice.  If we’re ever back this way again, he’d be getting a big ol’ bowl of the jambalaya.  I ordered the crawfish etouffee.

Though it could have used a few more crawfish, the dish was delicious.  Not too spicy, but with an amazing flavor and texture.  After a long day hiking, it really hit the spot.  We couldn’t pass up the bread pudding and I wanted some chocolate cake for later.

The bread pudding was yummy.  We needed more sauce because it was very tasty too.  The chocolate cake was moist and made a great late night snack.  Overall, this was the most flavorful meal we had in North Carolina.  Definitely a place to check out if you’re in the area.  Total bill with a drink was $41.

Cajun Connection Cafe
549 Highlands Rd
Franklin, NC
828-369-6288

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We ate dinner at the Cajun Cafe tonight.  It’s really nice out on the patio watching the river flow by.  Loren started off with a salad and I got some fried okra.

The okra was nice and crunchy.  I ordered the same thing I always get, the crawfish etouffee and Loren got the gumbo.

They were trying out new combos on the menu and included a salad with my etouffee.  Both dishes were yummy as usual.  I wish I could duplicate their etouffee sauce, but I’m never able to get it quite right at home.

We’d been eyeing the whiskey bread pudding for a while, but never tried it thinking the alcohol taste would be too strong.  We gave in tonight and now we regret not having ordered it sooner.  It was delicious.

Definitely plenty for two people and the sauce was buttery and worked great with the French bread they use.  Even when I thought I couldn’t take another bite, I kept going back for one more spoonful.  Total bill with a drink was $40.

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL
727-546-6732

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Met my sister in Winter Park today for the annual birthday gift exchange.  Our birthdays are 5 days apart, so since she lives on the east coast of Florida and me on the west, we usually meet in the middle. We ate lunch at Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen.

I was craving some crawfish etouffee.

It was ok, not spicy at all.  I guess I like the version at the Cajun Cafe in Pinellas Park so much, that any etouffee that differs significantly from that just doesn’t satisfy the craving.  It had a nice blend of flavors, but overall just seemed a bit too mellow.

My sister ordered the chicken gumbo and half a muffuletta sandwich.

She was a bit surprised at how big half a sandwich was.  She enjoyed both items though.  Said she preferred black olives instead of the green that were on this sandwich, but that it was still tasty.  Needless to say, half of the half went home with her.  Total bill with a drink was $30.

Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen
2203 Aloma Ave
Winter Park, FL
(407) 672-5753

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We headed into Tarpon Springs tonight for my birthday dinner.  I wanted to go back to the Zante Cafe.  We’ve just never been disappointed by the food here.

The fresh rolls are so buttery and garlicy and just melt in your mouth.

Next up is the gumbo which also has amazing flavors.

At this point, our taste buds are very happy, but my water glass is lacking ice and the restaurant is a bit warm.  I don’t know if it was just our seat by the window or what, but it was uncomfortably warm in there tonight.  The owner’s children wait the tables and tonight they just weren’t on the ball.  I had to ask for ice several times before it showed up and my water glass got empty a few times as well.  They would say they were going to bring things out, but then quickly forgot.

Our crab cake appetizer came next.

You gotta love crab cakes that are mostly crab.  These are so flavorful and delicious and the sauce isn’t very spicy, which I like.  For our entrees, Loren ordered the crawfish etouffee and I got one of the specials.

He ordered the etouffee with a spice level of 2.5 out of 5 and he was sniffling a bit by the end.  Deep, rich flavors in this dish make it a winner.  The special I ordered was called mo-fun-go or something like that.  It was lamb shank pulled off the bone with pasta, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, carrots, tomato and a sprinkling of feta cheese.

It was very tasty.  It had a good “mouth-feel” to it.  There was way more on the plate than I could eat, plus I was just uncomfortably warm and my water glass was empty, but it’ll make good leftovers.  Total bill after the $25 Restaurant.com coupon was $32.  As much as I love the food in this restaurant, I just wish they were able to get an actual waitstaff.

Zante Cafe Neo
13 N Safford Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-934-5558

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Craving some etouffee, so that meant a trip down to Pinellas Park to the Cajun Cafe.  We really enjoyed sitting on the back patio watching people drift by in their kayaks.  Loren got Mama Lynn’s supper with okra and a side salad.

The Mama Lynn’s supper is just their etouffee sauce with rice.  The okra was a bit mushy this time.  I usually like it with a little more crunch.  My crawfish etouffee was mighty tasty though.

They definitely don’t skimp on the crawfish.  Sometimes the sauce is fairly mild, sometimes it has a bit of a kick to it.  Today was one of those days where it had a spicy kick, but it was soooo good.  $31 with a drink and so worth the drive.

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL
727-546-6732

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We were in Lakeland today test driving a Miata and on the recommendation from the guy at the car dealership, we ate lunch at Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grill.

It’s a pretty big restaurant and was fairly crowded, but we were able to get a table without a wait.  One waitress came and took our drink order and then another came to the table to take our order.  What was impressive about this was that the original waitress came back to our table and apologized for having to give our table to another waitress because she had three other tables that just got seated and felt that she wouldn’t be able to give us the service we deserved.  I really appreciated that, especially since we’ve been to several other restaurants lately where the server was obviously overwhelmed but unwilling or unable to ask for additional help.  Kudos for Harry’s for being staffed appropriately and allowing the servers to judge their own workload.

As for the food, I ordered the shrimp etouffee and Loren got the Taste of Orleans platter which had jambalaya, etouffee, and gumbo, plus they started us off with some nice warm bread.

The herbed butter had a lot of garlic in it and melted wonderfully on the toasty bread. 

The shrimp etouffee had good flavor, but didn’t have that simmered for hours taste about it.  It was fairly generic.  The rice had a few too many pieces in it that were crunchy, like the rice had too much time to dry out from when it was cooked. 

The gumbo was the best thing on the Taste of Orleans platter.  It had a deep, rich flavor to it.  The jambalya was ok, but a little dry.  Total bill with a drink was $28.

Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grill
101 N Kentucky Ave
Lakeland, FL
(863) 686-2228

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We headed out to Tarpon tonight to go back to the Zante Cafe.  We needed some awesome food and they didn’t disappoint.  The owner seemed a bit frazzled as the restaurant filled up, but they still managed to bring out one delicious course after the next.  Their kids tend to the dining room and the youngest was more interested in playing than helping out.  But, our drinks stayed filled and they were pretty good at clearing away plates.  It’s a very laid back place, so expect to spend about 2 hours here for dinner.  Everything is made fresh and well worth the wait.

First out were their homemade rolls.

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with a slight hint of garlic, served fresh out of the oven.  It’s a good thing they just serve these one at a time, otherwise, I’d fill up on bread without thinking twice about it.   Next up was the gumbo.

The flavors are delicate in this gumbo, but you can taste the freshness of all the ingredients.  Chicken and sausage in a light, flavorful broth.  Again, I could eat so much more of this and be incredibly happy. 

We ordered the Crawfish Vol Au Vent for an appetizer.

Crawfish, mushrooms, and onions in a creamy sauce served over heart shaped puffed pastry.  I’m guessing the heart shape was because it’s Valentine’s weekend, but regardless it was yummy.  There were lots of crawfish and mushrooms and the sauce was lightly spiced.    

Loren ordered the seafood fra diablo with a spice level of 2 out of 5.

Crawfish, shrimp, mussels, scallops and veggies in a creamy, spicy sauce over spaghetti.  It had a lot of flavor and it all blended well together.  Loren would have preferred rice to spaghetti and he’s not a fan of cauliflower, but he still enjoyed the dish. 

I ordered the Paneed Tilapia w/ Crawfish and Tasso in Brandy Cream.

The tilapia filet was thick and cooked perfectly.  It was flaky and tender with a crisp breading.  The crawfish and mushroom brandy cream sauce really complemented the fish well. 

At this point, we really were quite full, but I wanted to try the bananas foster.

The owner/chef comes out and flambes it right at the table.  It was delicious served over vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  It had a nice carmelization and was a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. 

And even better, we had a $25 Restaurant.com coupon, so the bill before tip ended up being $42.  Absolutely the best $42 we’ve spent on food so far this year. 

Zante Cafe Neo
13 N Safford Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-934-5558

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After our trip to the Morean Arts Center, HotShop, and the Chihuly Collection, we still weren’t ready to eat dinner, but decided to get some take out from the Nola Cafe for later. 

We got the combination platter which had red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya, some beignets, and a bowl of crawfish etouffee.

Out of the combo, the gumbo was definitely the best.  It had a very smooth, velvety texture to it, plus some really nice flavors.  The red beans and rice was ok, and the jambalaya was smoky and kind of plain.  There was some spices in all three, but they weren’t overly spicy.  The crawfish etouffee, however, was really spicy.

The spice doesn’t hit you when you first put it in your mouth, but once it hits the back of your throat, you feel some heat.  Unfortunately, it had more heat than flavor going on. 

As for the beignets, I don’t know if it was the drive home or if they’re always this way, but they were kind of doughy.

They weren’t great.  Overall, nothing really stood out about the food.  It was ok, but I still prefer the Cajun Cafe.  The food here just didn’t seem as fresh and homemade as I was hoping for.  Total bill was $32.

Nola Cafe
300 Beach Dr NE
St Petersburg, FL
(813) 258-8778

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We drove into Tarpon Springs tonight to have dinner at Zante Cafe Neo.  We walked right by it thinking it was a thrift shop.   This has to be the most unusual decor I’ve ever seen in a restaurant and there was lots of it.  It was like someone emptied out grandma’s attic, hit a few garage sales, and then dug in the back of everyone’s closet.  The photo below is the view from the entryway.

We were seated by the owner’s 13 year old daughter who was also the waitress.  There were other kids doing homework at a nearby table and another young lad brought us some dinner rolls. 

These were some mighty fine rolls.  Buttery and slightly crunchy on the outside, soft and delicious inside.  They also came right out of the oven. 

Everything here is freshly made, so takes a while to come out.  Trust me, this is a place where the phrase “Your patience will be rewarded” is so true.  Luckily, while you wait, you have quite a bit to look at.  Every time I turned my head, I found something else odd and unusual around me.  From the full sized cut out of Johnny Depp dressed as the Mad Hatter to funky lamps to a drawing of Sean Connery. 

Our dinners both came with a choice of soup or salad and we both went for the gumbo.

Delicate flavors in a thin broth with chicken, okra, and other veggies.  It was so warm and cozy on a chilly night.  There wasn’t a drop left in either of our bowls.  

We ordered the Louisiana crab cakes as an appetizer.

All crab, no fillers and quite delicious.  The Creole Remoulade wasn’t spicy, but added a nice flavor to the crab cakes.  Everything we’d eaten so far left us craving more. 

Did I mention the rolls?  Yeah, we needed another batch of those.

Fresh out of the oven a second time around.  Normally, I don’t like such a long wait for food, but it was well worth it.

And then came the entrees.  Loren ordered the jambalaya and I ordered the crawfish etouffee.  Our waitress asked what spice level we wanted on a scale of 1 to 10.  I picked a 1 and Loren picked a 6 for his dish.  I also asked to have the scallions left off of mine.

This is my etouffee with scallions on it.  There weren’t that many, I just assumed she didn’t hear me when I asked that they be left off.  She saw me picking them off the dish and said the chef must have mixed up the dish because Loren’s didn’t have any scallions on his and normally the jambalaya has scallions. (I’d already transferred a few of mine on to his plate before I took the photo)

So, as I’m picking off the remaining scallions, Loren starts to eat his and says it’s really not all that spicy for a spice level 6.  Just as I’m about to take my first bite, it dawns on me that if the scallions ended up on my dish, there’s a good chance the spice level did too.  Oh yeah, wimpy me ended up with a spice level 6 etouffee.  If it hadn’t been so tasty, I probably wouldn’t have eaten it.  It definitely had some spice, but it wasn’t a killer.  They had to refill my water glass a couple of times though. 

Both dishes had wonderful flavors to them.  The jambalaya had a smoky flavor and had chicken, shrimp, and sausage in it.  Mine had tender crawfish, onions and mushrooms in a dark roux etouffee sauce. 

They also brought us a slice of pumpkin pie and pecan pie to make up for the mistake with the spice levels. 

They were both pretty good.   The table next to us had bananas foster and when the chef came out and flambed it at the table, I was thinking that’s what we’re having next time.  And yes, there will definitely be a next time. 

Total bill was $51.  Absolutely worth every penny for the made from scratch, authentic food we were served.  Though I’m not a fan of having children as waitstaff, I have to say, she was very polite and took care of us just fine.  And when we got the bill, she had absolutely written down our order correctly and the kitchen mixed them up.

Zante Cafe Neo
13 N Safford Ave
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-934-5558

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Some mornings you just wake up and already have a craving for what you want for dinner.  For me, it was shrimp etouffee from the Cajun Cafe down in Pinellas Park.

We’ve eaten here countless times and I always get the same thing.  Mainly because most of their food is too spicy for me, but the etouffee has such a wonderful, rich flavor to it.  I try and try to replicate it at home, but still can’t quite get it to match theirs.

Tonight’s dish was a little spicier than usual, but it didn’t stop me from licking the plate clean.  We also got some fried okra.

Crispy on the outside, mushy on the inside, just the way okra should be.  The batter also had a little spice to it.  Loren ordered something different tonight, the roast pork dinner with a side of jambalaya.

I found something else I could eat here.  The pork wasn’t spicy at all.  It had a rich, almost sweet flavor to it.  It was very tender and tasty.  The jambalaya made up for the lack of spice in the pork.

Total dinner ran us $35.  Then we headed down to Indian Rocks Beach to watch the sunset.

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL
727-546-6732

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No, really!

On our way home from the track today, Jeff and I stopped in Ocala for dinner.  Jeff popped up Urban Spoon and picked out a well-ranked place in the appropriate price range, and off we went.  I used to live very near Ocala when I was younger (in the early 80′s!), imagine my surprise to see that Ocala now has an “old town” district with a bunch of nice restaurants!  After a little circling and some odd right-turn-from-the-left-lane action from Jeff, we found a place to park and we walked across the street to this place called Harry’s Seafood.

Just as we were crossing the street, at least 3 parties of 4-6 people walked in the door right ahead of us!  But, it was 5:30, so they weren’t packed yet, and we didn’t have to wait for our table for two.  A quick look at the menu revealed that Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill has the tagline of “A New Orleans Style Restaurant”.  Cool!

We figured out why the crowd was rolling in at 5:30, too.  They have a 4-6pm “early bird” menu (they call it something else, but that’s what it is) with some very reasonable prices on it!

So, we ordered some typical cajun fare with not a lot of great expectations, this being Ocala and all.  Our waiter was quick with our drinks and did a good job of keeping them topped up and taking care of us in general.  While we were waiting for our entrees, we got bread.  Now, I’m not a huge bread fan.  I often don’t even bother tasting it, but if it’s good and/or has something good to dip it in, I’ll enjoy it.  This bread was AWESOME!  Very fresh, just a little crispy on the outside, and oh-so-tasty with a spread of their delicious herbed butter.  We had to get a second loaf, it was so good!

Our entrees arrived VERY quickly.  Jeff’s comment was “did I order yet?”  But, there it was.  His steaming plate of Crawfish Etouffe, which looked and smelled great!  He commented on it being a bit spicy… of course he dumped some of the Harry’s-branded hot sauce that was on the table on there, anyway.  I ordered the Jambalaya, which had ample portions of shrimp, smoked sausage and chicken and was pretty darned tasty, if I do say so myself!  Not “hot”, but definitely spicy.  We both ordered off of the “early” menu, which is smaller portions than what’s on the regular menu, and neither of us could imagine needing more food than we got.  I even boxed up about 1/3 of mine to take home. (could have eaten it… just wanted to enjoy it later)

I guess Jeff picked up from Urban Spoon that this place is supposed to have an incredible mud pie, and he couldn’t live without trying it.  It’s like a coffee-flavored ice cream cake with a crisp layer of chocolate on top and who knows what else.  I was kinda turned off by the coffee (not a fan) and wasn’t going to try it.  But, it was HUGE, and Jeff didn’t get too far past half-way with it.  Being ice cream, he couldn’t take it home… so, I tried a bite.  To my pleasant surprise, the coffee flavor was very mild and with the giant mound of whipped cream on the side… well, let’s just say there wasn’t a lot left on the plate!

We got out of there for about $35 with extremely happy tastebuds and full bellies.  Too bad it’s so far away, I’d go back here often!

Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill
24 SE 1st Ave
Ocala, FL

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On the bayou!

Another Friday meeting at one of our favorite “conference rooms”, Cajun Cafe on the Bayou.

I remembered to take a picture today, partly because my plate just looked pretty.  I wanted a light lunch, so I ordered the “Baby greens and a cup” for lunch with a cup of Gumbo.  The other guys ordered either a bowl of Jambalaya or Cajun burritos.  I’ve had both and they’re really good… the Jambalaya is notably spicier than the Gumbo, however.

Great food and service, as usual.  Cajun Cafe rarely disappoints!

Cajun Cafe on the Bayou
8101 Park Blvd N
Pinellas Park, FL
(727) 546-6732

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When I went to Zerillo’s earlier in the week, I noticed another restaurant in the same shopping center call “A Taste of Heaven New Orleans Cuisine”.   Since they’re only open for dinner, figured we’d head out there tonight.  It’s not like there are a lot of New Orleans/Cajun places to eat around here.  The closest one that we like is the Cajun Cafe down in Pinellas Park. 

The restaurant was empty when we got there a little before 6pm.  The owner/chef, Jocelyn, came out to greet us.  She’s really personable and made us feel very welcome.

We ordered our drinks and she recommended the tea so Loren got a glass.

I’m not a tea drinker, but trust me, this is not what I would consider tea.  It was a sweet fruit drink made with fresh pineapple, mango, and raspberry.  Almost like a lemonade.  I ended up ordering a glass of my own.  It was actually too sweet for Loren, but just right for me.  Jocelyn said she makes different fruit blends depending on what fruit is in season.  Definitely order the tea when you visit.

We ordered our meals and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Patience was definitely the order of the evening.  Granted everything was made fresh to order, and we were warned that the homemade corn bread would take 15-20 minutes, but it took at least an hour to get our food. 

Finally our entrees arrived.  Loren ordered the Jammin’ Jambalaya. 

The jambalaya was good.  It had some spice but not too much.  She actually asked what level of spice we wanted in the food.  He said it was dryer than what he wanted, but had plenty of chicken, sausage and shrimp in it.  He’d probably order it as a side dish next time, not a meal.

I ordered the shrimp etoufee and a side of mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, and corn bread.

The menu said the etoufee came with fried okra slices, but it didn’t.  I ordered it non-spicy and though it had a good flavor, it was actually a little bland.  I think it needed some of the spice afterall.  The sauce was smooth and the shrimp and rice were both cooked well.  The menu also said warm cornbread upon request, which I assumed meant it came with it, but we were charged separately for it. 

The thing about the cornbread is that it was supposedly the reason our meal took so long to come out and unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the wait.  It was ok for cornbread, but nothing to write home about.

I like mac and cheese and this one was a tasty version.  Homemade, very cheesy with a hint of garlic.  Even Loren liked it and he’s not that into mac and cheese.

The sweet potato souffle had a strong clove flavor.  Loren liked it more than I did.  I like a sweeter version of the dish, more cinnamon, less clove.   It had a nice consistency and the ramekin it was in kept it steaming hot. 

Our waitress was Jocelyn’s 13 year old daughter.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the necessary experience, nor would you expect her to at her age.  A few more customers came into the restaurant while we were eating so it took a while for her to get back to our table.  They didn’t have any desserts on the menu, only for special occasions we were told.  I was really hoping for some beignets, but no such luck. 

We finally got our $43 check, but then they had to fight with their credit card machine.  So we waited.  And waited.  Luckily, we had enough cash on us because they didn’t get the machine working.  This was about a 2 hour outing for dinner and we were the only customers when we got there.  I really wanted to love this place.  I definitely recommend going for the food; it was fresh and made to order.   Jocelyn is a great host and has a wonderful personality, but since she’s also the chef, once she went into the kitchen, the dining room lacked the service and attention to detail it needed. 

A Taste of Heaven
11665 Countryway Blvd
Tampa, FL
813-852-2500

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value

I met my sister in Orlando today to go see the “Out of this World” costume exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center.  Last time we were in Orlando we ate at the Crooked Bayou and really enjoyed it, so we headed there again today.

It’s more of a bar than a restaurant and you really need to sit outside.  Inside smells really stale.  But since it was such a beautiful day today we wanted to be outside anyway.

I ordered the oyster po’ boy with tater tots.

This place makes a great tater tot.  My sister got an order of the spicy tots plus a cup of jambalaya.  The po’ boy was really good.  Nice crisp oysters with lettuce, tomato and mayo lightly pressed in French bread.   For $14, it was plenty of food for both of us. 

Crooked Bayou
50 E Central Blvd
Orlando, FL
407-839-5852

Food
Service
Atmosphere
Value