I received a coupon in the mail for $8 off two entrees at Outback, so we headed out there for dinner tonight.  They were also doing a 4-course special, so we both opted for that.  The kitchen was backed up, so it took a while to get our bread and soup and salad.

We both chose the clam chowder which was quite a bit spicier than I had anticipated.  It was creamy and had good flavors though.  What we didn’t know, until the bill came out, was that there was an upcharge for the clam chowder.  I’m always a little miffed for things to show up on the bill that we weren’t told about ahead of time.  Our waitress said she didn’t know there was an upcharge.

There are a limited number of choices on the 4-course entree menu, but that wasn’t an issue for Loren.  He got the 6 oz sirloin with a baked potato.

Though the presentation left a bit to be desired, he said the steak was cooked a perfect medium.  He enjoyed it.  Normally, I order the Alice Springs Chicken, but it wasn’t one of the options, so I tried their new Honey Mustard Chicken.

That was a mistake.  There’s a distinct difference between lightly charred and burnt.  This fell into the burnt category.  I tried to eat around the crispy parts.  The main reason I didn’t send it back is that Loren would have been finished with his meal before something new could come out of the kitchen for me.  We’d already been waiting a long time so it wasn’t worth the effort.  The waitress asked if I wanted to bring the leftovers home and I told her no, couldn’t she see how burnt it was?  The manager came over and was very apologetic and took it off the bill.  Let’s face it, something that looks like this never should have made it out of the kitchen.  For our last course, we got one of each desserts offered, the cheesecake and carrot cake.

For me, the cheesecake was the best part of the meal.  It was creamy and the raspberry sauce was good.  Loren liked the carrot cake.  Since we no longer had two entrees on the menu, I didn’t use my coupon and the final bill ended up being $21 with a drink.

Outback Steakhouse
31988 US Hwy 19 N
Palm Harbor, FL
727-789-6283

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Sometimes it’s the silly little things that amuse us to no end.  Something that just catches you off guard and makes you giggle.  We went over to Athens in downtown Safety Harbor for breakfast and they had the Popeye omelette on their specials board.  What does Popeye love?  Spinach and Olive.  Loren had to order it just because it made us giggle.

Along with the spinach and olives, it also had bacon in it, everything’s better with bacon, right?  He really enjoyed the omelette.  I went for the blueberry pancakes and eggs over easy.

The pancakes were very tasty, but I forgot just how hot blueberries can get and burned my tongue on the first bite.  The eggs were perfectly cooked as well.  Our waitress was a little frazzled this morning, but other than that, it was a very enjoyable $15 breakfast.

Athens Restaurant
226 Main St
Safety Harbor, FL
727-726-3471

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We went over to Surf Shack for lunch today.  They were pretty busy, but we were able to get a table inside which was good because it was a bit warm out on the patio.  Loren tried the Hula Burrito again with a salad.

I love how colorful the salad is.  As for the burrito, just like last time, he had to put some of the salsa from the chips & salsa on it to give it some flavor.  I ordered the West Coast tacos and added avocado to them.  For some reason, I just think a West Coast taco should already have avocado as one of its main ingredients.

I did the upgrade for mac & cheese as my side and that was a mistake.  I’ve tried it here several times with mixed results, but the majority of the time, it’s just too dry.  There’s just not enough cheese sauce on it.  The tacos were ok.  They’re pretty plain, just chicken, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.  Total bill with a drink was $22.

Surf Shack Coastal Kitchen
12217 West Linebaugh Ave
Tampa, FL
(813) 475-5916

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My dining experiences at Rumba Island in Oldsmar have been going downhill for a while and tonight was no exception.  They remodeled the interior since the last time we were there and now the entire restaurant is open to the bar area which made it a bit louder inside.  Not sure how that’s going feel once the summer heat sets in.  We started off with some grouper fritters and corn muffins.

The corn muffins were yummy as usual.  That’s about the only consistent thing I’ve found here.  The grouper fritters were ok, but a bit on the spicy side for me.  Loren ordered a bacon cheeseburger.

He liked it.  In fact, he usually has a pretty good experience with the food here.  I’m the one that ends up with the wonky entrees.  Tonight, I went for something I’ve had before with relative success, the BBQ salmon.

One bite was enough to tell me that the salmon was not fresh.  I eat enough salmon to know that it shouldn’t have a fishy taste to it.  And just to be certain that I wasn’t being overly critical, I had Loren taste it and he agreed.  When the waiter finally came back to our table, I told him the fish wasn’t good.  He said salmon is a very fishy tasting fish and I politely disagreed.  If that’s what he thinks, then he’s obviously never had fresh salmon.  They took it off the bill and the manager came out as well, but I sort of got the impression from him that he didn’t think there was anything wrong with the fish either.  Total bill with a drink was $19.

Rumba Island Bar & Grill 
3687 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 475-5974

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We went to a movie this morning and stopped for a quick lunch at Daddy’s Grill afterward.  Loren got a bacon cheeseburger and I went for the ham, egg & cheese breakfast croissant.

The burger was perfectly cooked and I really enjoyed the ham on my croissant.  For $16 with a drink, it was a quick and tasty lunch.

Daddy’s Grill
3682 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 891-6556

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We went back to Woodstock on 5th tonight in Safety Harbor.  They were really busy and we ended up at one of the high top tables right next to the kitchen.  It was really uncomfortable sitting on bar stools, the table was small and we could see & hear everything going on in and around the kitchen.  I just felt cramped and crowded.  We started off with the white bean chili again and Loren got a salad.

They also served it with pita bread and apple butter this time, which they didn’t the last.  The chili was thinner this time, which was good.  It was really thick the first time we had it.  It seemed to have a lot more chicken in it as well.  For his entree, Loren got the Molly Hatchet, which was a grilled swordfish.

It was served with arugula and a spicy tomato puree, but Loren didn’t think it was spicy at all.  He wasn’t a big fan of the arugula, but said the swordfish was cooked perfectly.  I went for the Janis Joplin.

This was a seared salmon on top of spinach, zucchini, corn, & red peppers.  It also came with a potato pancake that was really dense and flavorless.  I didn’t care for the tomato vinaigrette on it either.  Too much vinegar and was way too sour for me.   The salmon was perfectly cooked though.

Overall, I just found the experience to be very uncomfortable.  There seems to be a lot of people working there which made it feel even more crowded in such a small space.  Though we both enjoyed the fish, the items served alongside didn’t impress.  Total bill with a drink was $54.

Woodstock on 5th
155 5th Ave N
Safety Harbor, FL
727-797-4444

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Time for tater tots so that means Pete & Shorty’s.

A bacon cheeseburger for Loren and a mushroom burger for me.  This was a two napkin burger.  Really juicy and tasty.  Oh yeah, and the tater tots were yummy!  Total bill with a drink was $17.

Pete & Shorty’s Tavern
2820 Gulf to Bay Blvd
Clearwater, FL
(727) 799-0580

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We went out to the Garden Grille Cafe for dinner tonight and had a waitress in training.  Luckily, she had another waitress working with her whispering in her ear everything she forgot to do.  We started off with some clam chowder and some calamari.

The clam chowder was a bit on the gritty side.  They definitely needed to rinse the clams more.  It needed some salt, but was ok otherwise.  The calamari also needed some seasoning.  Loren got a Greek salad with chicken.

He said the chicken was very tender and the salad was ok.  I ordered a mushroom burger.

It was cooked way past medium and was pretty dry.  They brought out the dessert tray and I was surprised at how many choices there were.  We settled on a raspberry cake with cheesecake filling.

Unfortunately, this cake must have come frozen and was not thawed out properly.  Parts of it were frozen solid, part of the cake was dry and the other part was wet.  Not moist, but wet.  The actually cheesecake filling was pretty tasty.  Service was lacking in some areas as there were dishes left on our table way longer than they should have been.  Total bill with a drink was $36.

Garden Grille Cafe
8425 Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL
813-901-5660

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Woodstock on 5th recently opened up in the space where Crepeology used to be in Safety Harbor.  It’s a really small building and I’m amazed at the quality of food they were able to put out of that tiny kitchen.  There aren’t a lot of tables, but there is a patio out back and they had live music tonight.  The whole restaurant and staff are decked out in a 60′s music theme and the menu items are all named after musicians and bands of the era.  We started off with some of the white chili.

When it came to the table, we both thought it looked like a bowl of cheese queso dip.  And to be honest, it would have gone great with some tortilla chips.  It was very thick, creamy, and cheesy. It had a nice flavor to it, just a hint of heat and overall very tasty.   For his entree, Loren ordered the “Grateful Dead”.

It was two tri tip grilled steaks with potatoes and green beans.  The steak was cooked a perfect medium, seasoned wonderfully, and was very tender.  I ate some of it because it was actually too much food.  Drop the price a little and just serve one steak and it still would have been enough for an entree.   I ordered the “Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young”.

It was a pappardelle pasta with wild mushrooms.  One bite and I was hooked.  The cream sauce was amazing.  The only thing I really didn’t like were the wild mushrooms.  Some of them were really tough and chewy.  The pasta was cooked perfectly and I licked every last bite of that sauce off the plate.  We also decided to try the desserts.  We got the citrus cake and a strawberry mousse tart.

They don’t make the desserts in house, but instead get them from a local bakery.  Loren really liked the citrus cake.  It was moist and had a wonderful orange flavor.  I found the crust on the tart to be a little hard, but the strawberry mousse filling was tasty.

Overall, the food was amazing; however, other aspects of the experience weren’t as great.   It did take a while to get our food, but, it was definitely fresh and homemade.  They have a very young and inexperienced wait staff.  They were very sweet and pleasant with bubbly personalities, but seemed a bit over their head when it came to actually keeping up with their tables.  The other thing we found annoying was that the door to the patio is in the small dining room, so there was a constant opening & closing of the door as people went in & out.

They post their weekly menu specials on their website and also serve breakfast & lunch.  We’ll probably go back again as the food really was delicious.  Total bill with a drink was $61.

Woodstock on 5th
155 5th Ave N
Safety Harbor, FL
727-797-4444

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We decided to try Red Robin over at Countryside Mall for lunch today.  We thought we were going to miss the lunch crowd, but it was packed.  We ended up waiting 15 minutes or so for a table.  We decided to start off with some chips & queso.

It was pretty good.  The flavor and creaminess was just right and it had a little bit of heat.  There weren’t enough chips to start off with, but the waitress brought more.  By the time the new basket of chips arrived though, our burgers were out.  Loren got the Guac Burger and I got the mushroom burger.

We both agreed that these were some pretty tasty burgers.  They definitely don’t skimp on the toppings either.  There was a mound of mushrooms on mine.  They also come with an endless supply of steak fries, though neither of us even finished the ones already on our plate.  But, of course, you pay for all the freebies one way or another and the total bill with a drink was $31.  A bit much for some burgers, even though they were pretty tasty.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
27001 US Highway 19 North
Clearwater, FL
727-726-7249

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We went to a movie this morning and then ate lunch at BJ’s at Countryside Mall around 2pm.  I’m convinced that this place is busy no matter what time you go in there, but at least the roar of the crowd wasn’t as bad in the middle of the afternoon.  The key, we’ve learned, is to get a table by the front windows, otherwise, you can barely hear yourself think in there.

The avocado egg rolls are the main draw for me here.

Crunchy on the outside, creamy and delicious on the inside.  And it’s avocado, so it’s healthy, right?  Right??  Doesn’t matter, they are just too yummy to pass up.  For his entree, Loren tried their mahi tacos.

He said they were pretty good.  He also liked the salsa and guac that came with them.  I went for the burger melt.

They make a pretty tasty burger here.  It was juicy and the bread was toasted just right.  I ended up bringing half of it home. The skinny fries were nice & crunchy and Loren couldn’t resist scarfing a few.   For $36, it was a very satisfying meal.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse
27001 US Highway 19N
Clearwater, FL
727-726-8855

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Always on the lookout for new places to eat, we ended up at Southern Fresh in downtown Safety Harbor for dinner tonight.  They’re in the building across from the post office that used to house Brady’s BBQ, then Lulu’s.  It’s a small space inside, but way too cold to eat outside tonight, though their patio area is very nice with a fire pit out front.  The menu isn’t very big, though everything we tried was pretty tasty.

Loren started out with the BLT soup.

His first reaction was that it was a soup that tasted like a sandwich.  He was really surprised and pleased with the taste.  The combination of tomato, bacon, shallots, and romaine was completely reminiscent of a BLT sandwich.  He’d definitely order it again.   Everything is made fresh here, so there was a bit of a wait for our entrees.  Loren got the salmon salad.

The salmon was cooked well and he liked the capers in the salad which added a unique little salty twist to the dish.  He said it all mixed well with the candied lemon zest on top.  I went for the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and roasted veggies.

The chicken was perfectly cooked.  Nice & crispy on the outside and moist and delicious inside.  My only criticism is that it could have used more seasoning.  I found it to be just a little on the bland side.  The mashed potatoes were peppery and could have really used some gravy.  The veggies were a mix of carrots, brussel sprouts, onions, and zucchini.  They had two desserts available tonight, so we got one of each.

The strawberry shortcake was on a sponge cake and had a fresh, not-too-sweet strawberry sauce on it.  Loren scarfed the entire thing.  I happily enjoyed my banana pudding.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal.  Total bill with a drink was $43.

Southern Fresh
122 3rd Ave N
Safety Harbor, FL
727-216-6341

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We were going to a movie later this morning, so decided to get breakfast instead of going out for lunch afterward.  We drove into downtown Safety Harbor and settled in at Athens Restaurant.  We got there at just the right time too.  Right after we sat down the place got mobbed with customers.  Loren went for an omelette and grits and some OJ.

The omelette was perfectly cooked and he enjoyed the grits.  I went for some french toast, scrambled eggs and home fries.

At first glance, I thought they had put my scrambled eggs inside the french toast, but I quickly realized that was just the edges of the cooked egg batter that the french toast was dipped in.  The french toast was light & fluffy and both the eggs and potatoes were cooked well.  For $15, it was a quick, tasty, inexpensive breakfast.

Athens Restaurant
226 Main St
Safety Harbor, FL
727-726-3471

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We got a bit of a cold spell this week, so I was craving soup for lunch.  The lobster bisque at MecaFresh was calling to me so I went for the soup and half of their bacon, ham & cheese panini special.

I’m not a big bacon fan, but there actually wasn’t that much on the sandwich, so all I really tasted with a bit of saltiness.  The panini was tasty though.  The bisque was hot as lava when it came to the table, but once it cooled down, it was smooth and delicious.  Satisfying my soup craving for a while.  Loren got the soup/salad combo.

This was some sort of Mexican bean soup.  It wasn’t very spicy, but he said it had some good flavors.  Perfect for a chilly day.  They offered us some frozen yogurt today too.

Loren finished every last bit of his.  He said the vanilla flavor was just yummy today.  Total bill with a drink was $20.

MecaFresh
3235 Tampa Road
Palm Harbor, FL
727-773-8839

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We drove out to Tarpon Springs for lunch at Nana’s Restaurant today.  We thought we’d miss the lunch crowd, but they were still busy at 1pm and out of most of the specials.  Loren went for a southwestern chicken salad with a cup of black bean soup.

Their black bean soup is thick and rich and very tasty.  Not spicy, but full of flavor.  He said the salad was very good too.  I went for a ham & cheese on sourdough bread and a side of home fries.

Sometimes the simple things are just the best.  I love toasted sourdough bread and it went perfectly with the ham & cheese.  There’s a reason this place is always packed.  The food is fresh and homemade and the prices are good.  Overall, a very tasty little lunch for $21.

Nana’s Restaurant 
857 E Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-944-5788

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Loren was craving a steak tonight, so we headed out to the Longhorn in Palm Harbor.  The wait was about 40 minutes, but we figured anywhere we went on a Friday at 6pm was going to be busy.  The Longhorn currently has a Steakhouse Dinner for Two deal going on.  It includes an appetizer or dessert, salads, and two entrees for $25.  While we waited on our appetizer, we dug into the bread.

This is the way bread should be.  It was warm and slightly chewy and oh so yummy.  We just kept eating more & more of it.  Luckily, our calamari appetizer arrived before we completely stuffed ourselves on bread.

The calamari was cooked pretty well, but any longer in the fryer and it would have been tough.  It had a nice crunch and the smoky tomato ranch dipping sauce was awesome!  I need to figure out how to make that at home.

They really had the timing down perfectly tonight.  As soon as we finished our appetizer, the salads came right out and our entrees were served just as the waiter was clearing the salad plates.  As busy as they were, I was happily surprised to not be sitting around wondering where our food was.  Loren went for the Renegade steak & baked potato.

He said the steak wasn’t quite tender enough, but was perfectly cooked and seasoned.  The 6 oz size was just the right amount for him too.  I went for the salmon with a side of sweet potato bites.

I’ve found my new favorite side dish.  These things were amazing.  They had a sweet, maple syrupy aroma, but had the texture of a tater tot.  It was almost like a butterscotch candy, but not overly sweet.  Yummy!  The salmon was perfectly cooked and very good.  The only thing I didn’t like was the rice.  It was way too spicy for me.  I don’t know what kind of peppers were mixed into it, but I took one bite and my mouth was not happy.

We don’t go to too many chain restaurants, but we both agreed that this was one of the better dining experiences we’ve had recently.  The restaurant was large and crowded, but they’ve figured out how to control the noise level so we could carry on a conversation.  The service was attentive, but not intruding.  Each course was served and plates were cleared in a timely manner and the food was very good.  Total bill with a drink was $30.

Longhorn Steakhouse
35645 US Highway 19
Palm Harbor, FL
(727) 781-9300

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Surf Shack was our destination for lunch today.  The weather was gorgeous today so having the big door open out to the patio was great.   Loren likes the chips & salsa here.

I wasn’t able to stop eating the chips either.  They’re sort of like Doritos and somewhat addictive.  They had salmon tacos on their specials for today, so Loren decided to try them.

He said they were pretty good.  He also liked the Shangai cucumbers that came as a side dish.  He said it was amazing how something so simple could be so tasty.  Normally, I get tacos here, but I decided to try the mushroom burger instead.

It was one big burger!  It was juicy and cooked a perfect medium, but it desperately needed some additional seasoning.  A little salt & pepper would have gone a long way to take this from a good burger to a great one.  As is, I was more aware of the taste of the bun than I was the taste of the burger itself.  Overall though, it was a pretty good lunch for $20.

Surf Shack Coastal Kitchen 
12217 West Linebaugh Ave
Tampa, FL
(813) 475-5916

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We were looking for a quick, inexpensive lunch after going to a movie, so we headed over to Daddy’s Grill in Oldsmar.  The lunch crowd was just finishing up as we got there.  Loren got a club sandwich & fries.

He said it was pretty good & ended up taking half of it home with him.  With all the layers, it really is like having two sandwiches.  I went for a mushroom burger & macaroni salad.

I like the burgers here.  It was cooked a nice medium & was juicy.  It could have used a little more seasoning though.  The macaroni in the macaroni salad was way overcooked & on the mushy side this time.  For some reason, though, neither one of us liked our server.  I can’t quite put my finger on why, but there was just something very abrupt and not overly friendly about her.  Total bill with a drink was $17.

Daddy’s Grill
3682 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 891-6556

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We went over to Rumba Island in Oldsmar for dinner tonight.  They were pretty busy tonight & we ended up with a table in the bar area.  Surprisingly, the noise level wasn’t too bad.  I think the fact that the bar area is open to the outside makes a big difference.  We started off with some conch fritters and my favorite little corn muffins.

The conch fritters were really good.  They were tender and just a little spicy, nothing that overwhelmed my taste buds.  Overall, they just had a really nice flavor and texture.  Loren got the tuna rumba salad for his entree.

He said the tuna was cooked a nice rare and had good seasoning.  I went for the kbobs & shrimp which came with a salad.

The shrimp were cooked ok, but the batter had very little seasoning.  They were just kind of plain.  The kbobs weren’t tender enough for me and some of the chunks were bigger than bite size and really hard to cut with a butter knife.  I also got the island rice and mashed sweet potatoes which were both tasty.  Total bill with a drink was $43.

Rumba Island Bar & Grill 
3687 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 475-5974

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It’s not often that we eat at the chain restaurants, but we found ourselves at Chili’s for lunch today.  They didn’t seem all that busy for a Friday at noon, but the food sure took its good sweet time coming out of the kitchen.  In fact, the manager stopped by our table and several others to let us know it’d be “just a few more minutes”.

Loren & both went for one of their lunch specials that came with a salad and half a sandwich.

Loren got the chicken & guacamole sandwich and I got a Philly cheesesteak.  It was a bit on the salty side and really difficult to eat as it all just wanted to slide off the roll.  There’s just something so generic about the food at all of these chains and this Chili’s is just notorious for being way too slow when you only have an hour for lunch.  Total bill with a drink was $20.

Chili’s
3701 Tampa Road
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 814-7769

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