We timed our dinner just right at Johnny’s Italian in Clearwater.  This place gets busy on the weekends but we were able to get in & get a table without a wait.  Loren started off with a salad and I went for the New England clam chowder, but let’s face it, we come here for the fresh baked Johnny bread.

That bread.  It’s warm and soft and you just don’t care that you’re going to smell like garlic for the rest of the night because that dipping oil is just so delicious.  The clam chowder was creamy, thick and rich and hit the spot.  We decided to try the crab cakes tonight.

They were quite good.  Very little filler, just lots of crab.  The sauce on the plate had a bit of a zing to it.  Loren tried the chicken Briscante for his entree.

The chicken was very tender and the pasta cooked perfectly.  It had a light cream sauce that was quite tasty.  I went for my favorite dish on the menu, the chicken marsala with fettucine alfredo.

I had lots of leftovers tonight.  The chicken was tender and the alfredo sauce is so creamy and delicious.  And since I took half of my entree home, we couldn’t pass up a slice of the chocolate dream cake.

This cake is so rich and chocolatety.  The frosting is a fudgey ganache and the cake is quite moist.  So good.  Total bill with a drink was $47.

Johnny’s Italian Restaurant
2907 SR 590 #1
Clearwater, FL
727-797-2940

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Went back to Tampa Bay Brewing Company for lunch on Saturday with some friends.  We started off with the chips and salsa and queso.  I love how crispy the chips are and the queso had a nice flavor, though a little on the salty side.  Loren ordered the steak & bacon chop salad & I got the Iron Rat Stout Shepard’s Pie.

Loren liked the salad.  He said the steak was tender enough to cut with a butter knife (lucky for him since that was the only knife he had).  Though I liked the flavor of the shepard’s pie, it was so incredibly salty and greasy.  I don’t know if they increase the salt content to get people to drink more or what.  The meat and veggie mixture inside went well with the thick, creamy mashed potatoes.  Total bill with a drink was $38.

Tampa Bay Brewing Co
13927 Monroe Business Park
Tampa, FL
813-247-1422

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We went over to Hog Island Fish Camp in Dunedin for dinner tonight.  We got there around 5:45pm and there were a few tables left in the main dining area, but they filled up quickly.  The first thing we noticed was how loud it was in the dining area.  By the time it filled up, we could barely hear each other across the table.

Loren ordered the Mahi Mahi with a side of greens, which for some reason came out well before the rest of our meal.

Even though the braised greens had bacon on them, they just didn’t have the unctuous flavor he was craving.  They were tender enough, but the vinegar was overpowering.  For his entree, he ordered the mahi mahi.

He said it was yummy.  The fish was perfectly cooked and he liked the mix of zucchini, tomatoes and onions.  I went for the salt & pepper oysters which came with fries & cole slaw.  I also ordered the mac & cheese.

The oysters had a good crunch and flavor and there were plenty of them.  The mac & cheese had an interesting flavor that I couldn’t quite place.  The sides are a shareable size, but paying $11 for the two of them seemed a little high.  They had a salted caramel mousse on the dessert menu that we couldn’t pass up.

This was really tasty.  Smooth creamy mousse with Oreo cookie crumbles and whipped cream.  One of the best things about the meal.  Overall, the food was good, but we prefer to eat at places where we can actually have a conversation without having to shout at each other.  Total bill with a drink was $59.

Hog Island Fish Camp
900 Broadway
Dunedin, FL
727-733-1179

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We went into Dunedin for dinner tonight at Tom Yum Thai.  It was chilly out, so I had to start with the chicken coconut soup.

This is one of my favorite soups.  It has such a delicious variety of flavors, from coconut milk to lemongrass to lime.  It’s absolutely delicious.  We also got some steamed pork dumplings.

We ordered some sushi and Loren also ordered the ginger chicken.  We always ask that both items come out together, but they never do.  I was just about finished with my sushi before his entree came out.

I was disappointed in the sushi tonight.  The Lucky Roll wasn’t very good at all.  The Orange Dragon and spicy salmon were ok, but still not as good as sushi we’ve gotten other places.   Loren said the ginger chicken was ok.  The quality of the food just wasn’t up to expectations tonight.  Total bill with a drink was $60.

Tom Yum Thai & Sushi
104 Patricia Ave
Dunedin, FL
(727) 953-9898

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We got over to Johnny Grits around 11:00am this morning and had about a 15 minute wait.  By the time we left the wait was up to 35 minutes.  This place is packed on the weekends for breakfast.  Loren’s not much of a breakfast person, so he went for the smoked turkey club with a side salad.

It was a big sandwich and he actually ended up taking half of it home with him.  Perfectly toasted bread, smoked turkey and crunchy bacon.  He was a happy guy.  I decided to try the fried chicken benedict.

I opted to change the jalepeno cheddar sauce they normally serve with it to hollandaise instead.   Two perfectly tender fried chicken breasts over fresh biscuits with poached eggs and fried potatoes.  It was delicious and very filling.  There’s no coming to Johnny Grits without ordering a side of grits.  We choose the andouille, onion and cheese and added some mushrooms.

Other than adding a little salt, the grits are yummy here.  Smooth and creamy and a perfect size for two.  Total bill with a drink was $25.

Johnny Grits
857 E. Klosterman Rd
Tarpon Springs, FL
727-942-4748

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