After going to see SkyFall at the movies, we went over to Smokey Bones on Gulf to Bay for a late lunch.  From the moment, we walked in the door, the smell of BBQ surrounded us.  It smells so good in there.  We decided to start off with the Southwest spring rolls.

 

They had some heat, but were pretty tasty.  The only issue was that our entrees came out almost immediately after the appetizer did.  They definitely lose some points for timing.  Loren ordered the 1/3 rack of ribs with a side salad and baked potato.

He ordered the St Louis ribs, but the bill says he got baby back ribs.  He couldn’t seem to tell the difference, but he said they were very good.  He cleaned his plate and started eyeing mine.  I went for a combo of baby back ribs and pulled pork with onion rings and mac & cheese.

The baby back ribs were delicious.  The sauce was sweet and the ribs were very tender.  Before I ordered, I had planned on taking the pulled pork home as leftovers, so I didn’t eat much of it.  I did find the pulled pork kind of dry though.  The onion rings were the big disappointment on the plate.  They just weren’t crunchy.  The mac & cheese was like lava when it came to the table and still steaming when I put part of it in the leftover box.  It had a good flavor and was really creamy.  Loren had talked about chocolate cake the night before, so we couldn’t resist ordering a slice.

It was delicious.  Moist and chocolatety and perfect with the scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Yum!  Total bill with a drink was $56.

Smokey Bones
2693 Gulf to Bay Blvd
Clearwater, FL
727-712-1930

We were out & about today and decided to just get some take out ribs for lunch and dinner at Georgia Boys BBQ in Oldsmar.  There was a bunch of construction going on, so we made quite a little trek to get there.

Unfortunately, the ribs weren’t as tender this time as they have been in the past.  Still had a great smoky flavor, but definitely not fall off the bone.  Definitely enough for two meals with some beans & potato salad on the side.  All for $20.

Georgia Boy’s BBQ
205 E St Petersburg Dr
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 854-4498

Chilly day in Florida today, so we caught an early movie and then got some BBQ take out from Eli’s BBQ in Dunedin.

$27 got us a full rack of ribs, cole slaw & baked beans which will feed us for both lunch & dinner today.  Eli’s got it going on when it comes to ribs.  They are fall off the bone tender with just the right amount of smoky goodness.  There’s a reason there’s always a line here for the two days a week he’s open.  It’s cash only and definitely worth every penny.

Today there was also a sign out front for free hamburgers & hot dogs on Monday, 1/16/2012 starting at 10am until they run out in celebration of MLK Day.

Eli’s Bar-B-Que
360 Skinner Blvd
Dunedin, FL
(727) 738-4856

I’ve been driving by Pit Stop BBQ on SR 580 for a while now and we finally stopped in tonight.  It’s right over the bridge when you’re driving into Oldsmas next to the Hess gas station.

Loren got a thin end rib dinner with collard greens and baked beans and I tried the rib & chopped pork combo with mac & cheese and potato salad.

Loren liked it more than I did.  It had a very smokey flavor and I thought my ribs were a bit dry with not a lot of meat on them.  The thin end ribs Loren got had more meat on them and were a little more tender.  The chopped pork was ok, but I like a moister BBQ.  Loren really liked the collard greens, but the baked beans were too sweet for him.  The mac & cheese had good flavor, but was really dry.  The potato salad was ok.  Total bill was $23.

Pit Stop Southern Style BBQ
3665 State Road 580
Oldsmar, FL
813-855-3136

We stopped for lunch at Highlands Smokehouse.  We were on our way to Glen Falls and decided to eat lunch before hiking the trails.   For an appetizer, we decided to split a bowl of Brunswick stew.

Best thing we ate here.  It had just a hint of spice along with some meat and lots of veggies, including okra.  It was really tasty.  Normally I don’t like hushpuppies, but this one  just tasted like cornbread to me.  As for the rest of the meal, we weren’t as impressed.

Loren got a half rack of ribs with collard greens and baked beans.

He said the ribs were ok, but didn’t really have a lot of smokey goodness.  He did like the beans, but the collard greens had a really odd flavoring to them.  I thought they tasted like sweet dill pickles.  He didn’t like them at all.  I got a pork sandwich with corn pudding and mashed sweet potatoes.

I did not like the taste of the pork.  It wasn’t smokey and it had an odd aftertaste.  It’s hard to describe.  It was really moist and almost had a beer like flavor to it.  That’s probably not the right flavor, but whatever it was, it just didn’t do it for me.  The corn pudding sort of tasted like scrambled eggs with lots of pepper.  The mashed sweet potatoes were ok, but would have been so much better if they were served with a cinnamon butter.  Overall, not the best BBQ we’ve had.  Total bill was $35.

Highlands Smokehouse
595 Franklin Road
Highlands, NC
(828) 526-5000

On our way up to North Carolina to see the autumn leaves, we stopped for the night in Athens, Georgia and ate dinner at Rafferty’s.  We missed the entrance to the restaurant twice as there’s only one way in and out. 

For a chain restaurant, the food was pretty good.  We started off with some batter fried mushrooms. 

These were really tasty.  The batter was very crunchy and Loren liked the horseradish sauce that came with it.  I opted for some ranch dressing.   For his entree, Loren got the West Texas BBQ chicken. 

He said it was good and believe it or not, it actually had more bacon on it than he could eat.  It was a little crispy around the edges, but otherwise tender.  I got the rack of baby back ribs and a baked potato.

The ribs were tender, but I’m not sure how to describe the BBQ sauce.  It wasn’t sweet, but it had a fruity finish.  It was different, but I liked it.  Our waitress was really nice, but she kept apologizing for putting in our entree order after the mushrooms.  The wait really wasn’t all that long, but she seemed to think she had to constantly tell us how sorry she was about it.  Total bill with a drink was $40.

Rafferty’s
15 Huntington Drive
Athens, GA
706-613-0045

We drove over to Tampa tonight for some BBQ at Alex’s Southern Style BBQ.  Let me preface this review by saying that it was a very hot August evening and there was a definite lack of air conditioning in the restaurant.  Couple that with the overwhelming BBQ smokiness in the air and you end up with an overall uncomfortableness that definitely had an effect on how we felt about the food.  After a while, the air felt so thick and pungent that my eyes started to water.

Our initial reaction when we walked in the door was that the BBQ smokiness in the air was a good sign; that the food was going to have that deep rich smoked flavor to it.  We wanted to try a little bit of everything, so we got two of the two meat meals, one with chicken and pork, the other with beef and ribs.

Unfortunately, there was so much BBQ sauce on everything that we couldn’t really taste the meat.  It was a sweet and tangy sauce and a little went a long way.  The meats were all tender, but neither of us could make a good judgement on the flavor.  What’s funny is that so many of the other reviews we’d read said that they usually didn’t put a lot of sauce on the plate.  As for the sides, the onion rings and okra were both crispy and tasty, the cole slaw was good, but Loren didn’t like his greens.  He said it had a flavor that just wasn’t what he expected.

Total bill was $22 and the smell of BBQ smoke lingered on our clothes for hours.  I began to understand why people were coming in and getting take out instead of eating in the restaurant.

Alex’s Southern Style BBQ
5362 W Village Drive
Tampa, FL
813-269-0050

We’ve been wanting to try Eli’s BBQ in Dunedin for quite a while, but every time we think about it, they’re closed.  They’re only open from 11am to 6pm on Friday & Saturdays, but we were determined to make it over there today.  It’s a small little shack with some picnic tables out back, but they make some mighty fine BBQ.

We got there around 12:30pm and the entire time we were there, the line never got less than 5 deep.  People have learned to get there early before they run out of BBQ goodness.  We settled on some ribs and pulled pork and grabbed ourselves a bench out back.

The ribs were very tender and the bbq sauces were both very good.  I really enjoyed the pulled pork.  It was so juicy and tender and there was a lot on the sandwich.  They only have 2 sides available, baked beans and cole slaw, and I enjoyed them both.   With 2 drinks, the total was $16.  Definitely a place we’ll eat at again.

We were headed down to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St Petersburg today and ate lunch at Munch’s Sundries.  Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive Ins and Dives filmed there earlier this year and based on our experience, I think it was a good pick. 

It’s got that diner feel to it.  Been around since the 1950′s and the photos on the walls bring you back to an era long gone.  We started off with some onion straws.

It was a big ol’ basket of lightly battered, very yummy onion rings.  This is one of those addictive appetizers.  Loren even found a few bonus items in the basket, some okra and a piece of fried chicken.  The waitress said sometimes you may even end up with a fried shrimp in there.  For lunch, Loren got a cheeseburger with fries.

He said the burger was good, but that the bun had a bit too much mustard and relish on it for this taste.  He ended up having to help me eat my lunch, the BBQ rib sandwich.

Ok, I’m not really sure why they called it a sandwich, maybe because there were two pieces of bread on the plate?  It was just three of the tastiest BBQ ribs I’ve had in a long time.  They were so tender and had lots of flavor.  I didn’t even bother with the BBQ sauce.  I would definitely come back for more BBQ.  Loren’s even thinking about using them to cater BBQ for one of their autocross events.

And when there’s homemade apple pie on the menu, I find it very hard to resist.

Lots of apples and cinnamon on a tasty crust.  And the best part was that the whole meal with a drink was $21.  Next time we’re in south St Pete, we’re definitely stopping here again.

Munch’s Sundries
3920 6th St S
St Petersburg, FL
(727) 896-5972

We got a rack of ribs from Georgia Boys BBQ in Oldsmar tonight. 

That’s a lotta ribs for $20.  They were tender and flavorful and way more than the two of us could eat in one sitting.  They have two different bbq sauces, but I thought the ribs tasted just fine without anything on them.   The place looks like a hole in the wall, but they make some mighty fine ribs.

Georgia Boy’s BBQ
205 E St Petersburg Dr
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 854-4498

We decided to try the Island Outpost in Dunedin for lunch today.  It was pretty busy for 1pm on a Monday and the waitstaff was completely overwhelmed. 

When the hostess seated us, she mentioned they were out of the pulled pork and one other item.  After we’d been seated, we waited for a very long time before our waitress came to take our drink order and then she mentioned that they were also out of several other items on the menu including most of the appetizers.  They did however have the ahi tuna.

It was pretty good.  A little spicy around the edges, but otherwise a nice piece a rare tuna.   Unfortunately, the plate remained on our table through the entire meal. 

Loren ordered the baby back ribs with a side salad and I got the haddock special that came with a salad and onion rings.

When the waitress brought our entrees, I noticed neither one of us had salad dressing and she said she’d bring some.  Sadly, that never happened.  In fact, she didn’t stop by our table again until it was time to bring us the check.  

The haddock and onion rings were pretty good.  The batter was crispy and it was a nice piece of fish.  Loren’s ribs, however, were not good at all.  We had false hope as we walked into the restaurant because we could smell the BBQ, but his ribs had no flavor.  It was very disappointing, especially since neither of us could eat our salads either. 

Total bill was $30 and I don’t expect that we’ll be back again.

Island Outpost
466 Causeway Blvd
Dunedin, FL
(727) 734-4300

I saw the sign for the Dunedin Smokehouse earlier in the week so we decided to try it out for dinner tonight.  I’d heard it gets pretty busy on the weekends and they don’t have a very big parking lot, so we went early and there wasn’t a crowd.

It isn’t a very big restaurant inside, but they do have patio seating as well.   We went inside and grabbed a booth since it was cold out.  Unfortunately, there are TVs on the walls above all of the booths and they had the volume up way too loud for the space.  Even after I asked if they could turn down the volume on the one over my head, it was still pretty loud in there.  I’m sure with a crowd you could barely hear yourself think.

We decided to split the Big John combo so we could try out the different items on the menu.  It came with pulled pork, brisket, chicken, and ribs. 

The combo came with two sides so we got some garlicy greens and sweet potato cornbread.  I also ordered a side of potato salad.

The best thing on the plate to me was the brisket.  It was tender and had a decent flavor.  Next would be the pulled pork.  I thought the ribs were charred way too much, I couldn’t even eat them.  The chicken was ok.  I didn’t really like any of the BBQ sauces either.  Even the “sweet” ancho sauce had a bit too much bite for me and the mango honey mustard sauce didn’t really have any mango flavor, just mustard. 

As for the sides, they didn’t do it for me either.   If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know by now that I’m not a fan of spicy food and all of the side dishes had some sort of peppers in them.   Actually, I’m not sure what was in the potato salad, definitely dill, but something spicy as well.  Loren said the greens had more texture in them than he’s used to.  He thought they had been sauteed instead of boiled.  He seemed to like them though.  I took one bite and all I could taste was some type of red pepper. 

All in all, not the best BBQ experience we’ve had.  Total bill was $31.  I doubt we’ll be back.  There are definitely better BBQ places around. 

Dunedin Smokehouse
680 Main St
Dunedin, FL
727-736-5202

We were in Orlando to see a play at the Shakespeare theater and ate lunch at Bubba Lou’s Bodacious Bar B Q near Universal.

Loren ordered the baby back ribs and I ordered the brisket, both came with cole slaw, beans and fries.  I also ordered a side of macaroni & cheese.

We were both disappointed in the bbq.  The restaurant smelled like bbq, but the meats didn’t have any smokey goodness flavor whatsoever.  I wasn’t expecting the brisket to be sliced so thin.  It was more like a plate of roast beef and somewhat dry.  The mac & cheese was also dry, but had a good flavor.  The ribs came off the bone easily, but just lacked flavor. 

After the $5 coupon we had, the total bill was $27.  The restaurant was really busy, but this wouldn’t be my first choice for BBQ. 

Bubba Lou’s Bodacious BarBQ
5815 Conroy Rd
Orlando, FL
407-295-1212

We decided to try out Soul Food Sunday at Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe today.  It has a big, wide open dining area.  We were seated on the 2nd floor and I can imagine it gets very loud in there when they have a band.  The artwork was pretty funky, from a mirror frame made out of old aluminum cans to a painted refrigerator door high up on the wall.

Loren was having a hard time deciding what to order so he asked the waitress what was good (she listed just about everything on the menu), but he decided on the homemade veggie burger with a side of collard greens.

The veggie burger had a lot of interesting flavors in it plus a little bit of spice.  It was not your ordinary veggie burger, that’s for sure.  He wasn’t impressed with the collard greens though.  He said there was a sweetness to them that he didn’t like.

I went for the pick 2 bbq and got some brisket and ribs with a side of sweet potato fries.

Tender bbq with a sweet and smokey sauce.  The brisket was sliced thin and had a bit of fat on it, but also a wonderful flavor.  I was full after eating the ribs, so most of the brisket came home.  The sweet potato fries were sliced thin and they were crunchy with just the right amount of salt on them. 

And just to be able to say we did, we got an order of chocolate covered bacon to go.

It was kinda weird. It’s not a very thick slice of bacon. That first bite you get has the salty, bacon, chocolatey taste, then the chocolate melts in your mouth and you’re just left with cold bacon.  The nuts on top sort of distracted from the bacon as well. 

Total bill was $32.  Everything was definitely homemade and there were a lot of good flavors going on.  Definitely a place I’d like to try again to taste some of the other dishes.

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe
5119 N Nebraska Ave
Tampa, FL
(813) 234-1000

I admit, I watch Food Network a lot and inevitably it fuels my food cravings.  Last night, we were watching “Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives” and the BBQ they were showing made both our mouths water.  So, for dinner tonight, we searched other reviews to find some awesome BBQ and ended up at Cally’s Sticky Bones Barbecue in Tampa.

Cally’s is a small BBQ place off of Linebaugh.  As soon as you walk in the door, you can smell the smokey goodness.  Since we wanted to try a little bit of everything, we got the Ultimate Sampler Platter which had ribs, chicken, chopped pork, and brisket.

It came with one side, but we ordered a couple more, just because I can’t resist mac & cheese and cornbread pudding.  I probably should have resisted.  They were ok, but nothing special.  I had to send the mac & cheese back to the kitchen because it was cold.  The cornbread pudding was a little gritty and the beans were just ok.  But let’s face it, you don’t go to a BBQ joint for the side dishes.

I’ve never been a big fan of brisket, but I gotta say, that was the best thing on the plate.  It was awesome.  It was so tender and juicy and had great smoke flavor.  I think I may have been missing out all these years just ordering pulled pork.  The ribs, chicken, and chopped pork were all really good too, but the brisket definitely stood out.   I can understand why they’ve won some Florida BBQ awards. 

We thought we were going to have leftovers, but no such luck.  Once you started eating, there was just no way to stop.   I’m glad we got the sampler platter so we could try it all, but next time, I’m just getting a big ol’ platter of brisket.  Total meal with all the sides and a drink was $27.

Cally’s Sticky Bones Barbecue
2313 W Linebaugh Ave
Tampa, FL
(813) 935-6600

The first time we tried to go to Georgia Boy’s BBQ in Oldsmar, they were closed, but we finally made it out there today for lunch.  This is definitely one of those hole-in-the-wall BBQ joints.  There’s no seating inside and one picnic table out front, so plan to get your BBQ to go. 

The owner offered us a taste of the pulled pork when we walked in.  It had a nice BBQ flavor and I ended up getting the pulled pork sandwich and some potato salad.

He definitely piled on the pork, but I should have told him to go lightly on the sauce.  He drenched the sandwich.  I ended up having to eat it with a fork because there was no way to pick it up without wearing the sauce.  I really liked the potato salad too. 

Loren got a half rack of ribs and a side of collard greens.  He went for the spicy sauce, which wasn’t really spicy, but more tangy.

The ribs were really tender and flavorful.  I would definitely order those again.  He said the collards weren’t anything special, but let’s face it, it’s not about the sides, it’s about the meat.  For $20, this is probably one of the best BBQ meals we’ve had in a while.

Georgia Boy’s BBQ
205 E St Petersburg Dr
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 854-4498

We ate dinner at Flamestone in Oldsmar tonight.  I’ve been here a few times, thinking it’s going to get better, but I always seem to leave rather disappointed.

They weren’t very busy for a Sunday evening.  We started off with some bread, a wedge salad and some sweet potato fries.

The bread was warm and tasty and came with a garlic herbed butter. 

The wedge salad had avacado, blue cheese, tomatoes, onions and bacon bits on it.  The ranch dressing was tasty.

As for the sweet potato fries, I’ve had better elsewhere.  They just didn’t have a lot of flavor or sweetness to them.  I think part of the problem is that they weren’t cooked long enough.  They were a little too soft and needed to be a bit crispier. 

For my entree, I got their chicken special, which was a grilled chicken breast in a sherry wine sauce, with mashed potatoes, and veggies.

I didn’t like it.  It was charred too much for me and I found the chicken to be tough and dry.  The only flavor I tasted was burnt flavor.  The sauce was ok and I liked the potatoes.  I brought most of it home and Loren ate it as leftovers.

Loren ordered the half rack of ribs.

These had to be some of the worst ribs I’ve ever tasted.  They were tender, but had been boiled to the point of complete blandness.  They were almost watery and completely flavorless.  This is definitely a dish I recommend you avoid. 

Total bill was $40 and neither of us left there delighted with the food.  As for the service, our waiter was ok, but he came off with a smarmy kind of vibe.  I don’t know how to describe it.  He just didn’t seem genuine.

Flamestone American Grill
4009 Tampa Rd
Oldsmar, FL
(813) 814-7778

Day 8 of our vacation we had reservations for lunch at the Hawaiian Vanilla Company.  On the way there, we stopped at the World Botanical Gardens to check out Umauma Falls.

What a beautiful 3 tiered waterfall.  We’ve seen numerous waterfalls on our trip, but this one was simply gorgeous.  The actual gardens aren’t as nice or plentiful as the Hawaii Botanical Gardens, but the waterfall is definitely worth the admission price.

The Hawaiian Vanilla Experience Lunch was pretty interesting.

Their vanilla in infused in all of the lunch items.  The vanilla lemonade was really tasty.  Lunch was a chicken sandwich with salad and roasted potatoes and a vanilla bread pudding with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  You also get to hear the story of the vanilla farm and get to visit the shade house where they grow the vanilla plants.  Trust me, after this visit you’ll completely understand why vanilla is so expensive.  Lunch and tour for two was $70, plus we ended up buying a few vanilla souvenirs as well. 

After lunch, we went hiking through another cave and then walked around Kalopa State Park.  The park was beautiful and very serene.  We headed back to Hilo and stopped at the Hilo Bay Cafe for dinner. 

Unfortunately, we hadn’t made reservations, but luckily there was plenty of room at the bar, so we ordered dinner there.  I think this was our best meal of the trip.

I started out with a Thai curry coconut soup that was amazing.

Loads of interesing flavors that were amazingly warm, but not too spicy.  Loren had a salad and really liked the dressing.

I ordered the hamakua mushroom pot pie with chicken which came with a side salad.  This is the way pot pies should always be.

The pastry crust was flaky and perfectly baked.  Chicken and fresh veggies in a creamy sauce inside.  This is comfort food at its best.

Loren ordered their fish special of the night which was ono over a bed of mashed potatoes, spinach and tomatoes in a beurre blanc sauce.

Perfectly cooked, with wonderful flavors.  There was nothing left on his plate when he was finished.  And since our entrees had been so good, I certainly couldn’t pass up their version of chocolate lava cake.

Finally!  A restaurant that understands that lava cake should have a liquid center.  Loren was chatting with another customer at the bar and I had half of this eaten before he even turned around.  Wonderful deep chocolate flavors and the vanilla ice cream was a perfect complement.

The entire experience was great.  This is definitely a restaurant that “gets it”.  The bartender was our waiter and he kept our drinks filled and plates cleared.  It was interesting watching him make bloody mary’s all night.  He must have made 8 of them while we were there.  Total bill was $61 and worth every penny.  If you’re in Hilo, make a reservation and eat here at least once on your trip.

Thursday was our last full day on the island.  We ate breakfast at the B&B and then headed down to the Volcano Park again to see the Jagger Museum and the end of the Chain of Craters road.  We also saw the Holei Sea Arch.

We stopped at Thai Thai Restaurant for dinner in Volcano.  For an appetizer, we ordered the summer roll.

I didn’t like it, but Loren did.  It had mint and cilantro in it that just completely ruined it for me.  Those just aren’t flavors I enjoy. 

I ordered the chicken coconut yellow curry at the mildest setting available.

I admit, I’m wimpy when it comes to spicy, but if this is mild, I’d hate to see what hot is like.  My mouth was on fire.  It had an interesting flavor, chicken and potatoes in the curry sauce, but my lips were tingling after just a few bites.

Loren ordered the ginger chicken.

His was even spicer than mine.  He enjoyed it, but still ordered some coconut ice cream for dessert just to cool off his tongue.

The ice cream had bits of coconut in it.  Total bill was $50 and it took a while for both of us to regain sensation in our tongues and lips.  This is not a restaurant for the meek when it comes to spicy.

Last day on the island and we got up at 3:00am in order to go on the sunrise Lava Ocean Boat Tour.  It was just so amazing during the sunset tour that we had to do it again before we left the island. 

After the tour, we headed back to our B&B for breakfast then over to the Liliuokalani Gardens for awhile.

We ate lunch at the Kuhio Grille in Hilo.  We actually ate breakfast here on our first day on the island.  Pancakes and a Belgium waffle that were huge and way more than one person could eat.

Lunch on our last day also consisted of way too much food.  I ordered the chicken katsu with some corn chowder.  The chowder was really, really thick.  It had the consistency of mashed potatoes. 

The chicken was a little overcooked.  Not the best I’d had on the island.  Loren ordered one of their specials, a Philipino combo which had spare ribs, adobo & pumpkin, long beans, wing beans and pork.

He was a happy guy.  The meat just fell off the bones of the spare ribs.  Wonderful flavors all around.  He had no idea that he was eating pumpkin until he asked the waitress what it was.  Our final meal on the island ran us $28.

All in all, we had an amazing vacation in Hawaii.  At every turn we were fascinated by the scenery.  From beautiful waterfalls, to lush green rainforests, to endless lava fields, to flowing glowing lava.  We kept saying “Wow”, only to have a bigger “Wow” uttered at the next stop.  The food was also wonderful.  So many of the restaurants used fresh, local ingredients and it was so apparent in the final dishes. 

If you’re interested in seeing the rest of our photos, you can check them out on my Flickr page.  We’re slowly getting them edited and posted.  Aloha!

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Got home from work around 5:30pm and decided to see if I could get any decent photos of the full moon since it was supposed to be its biggest and brightest of the year tonight.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy over the horizon, so I wasn’t able to get any shots of the moon rising, but did manage a few decent ones once it got above the clouds.

I got back home around 6:30pm and Loren had a hankering for steak, so we drove out to Longhorn Steakhouse in Palm Harbor.  The drive through the parking lot showed a large crowd of people waiting on tables and there weren’t any parking spots, so I suggested Outback instead.  I saw some empty parking spaces when we had passed it on the way to Longhorn.

We parked at Outback only to go in and find there was a 50 minute wait.  By now, we were both fairly hungry and being the geeks that we are, Loren whipped out his cell phone and searched for steakhouses near our location.  The gps came up with Ozona Blue in Palm Harbor, so we headed out there.

Unfortunately, though, the gps didn’t have the address correct, so we drove right by the restaurant and headed into Ozona.  We were at the Ozona Pig before we knew it.  We’d eaten there before and the food was good, so we pulled into the parking lot and our steak dinner turned into BBQ instead.

The last time we were at The Ozona Pig, it was almost empty.  Not so tonight.  It was packed and noisy.  So noisy that we could barely hear each other from across the table.  Our waitress brought our drinks and then it took a while before she returned to take our order.  It was an omen of things to come, but we didn’t know it at the time.

I ordered the pulled pork dinner with macaroni and cheese and potato salad for my sides. 

 Loren got the half rack of ribs, garlic mashed, and baked beans. Both dinners came with a deviled egg and we ordered a couple of extra too.

The ribs and the pulled pork were really good.  They definitely know how to do BBQ.  We even had some leftovers.  The sides were a different story though.  The potato salad and the beans were ok.  The macaroni and cheese was dry, the deviled eggs were tough, and the garlic mashed could have warded off Dracula and all the vampires from Twilight and True Blood combined.

All during dinner, we didn’t see our waitress.  In fact, for at least 45 minutes after we’d finished eating, we didn’t see hide nor hair of her or any other waitstaff for that matter.  I get that they were busy, but you can’t just ignore tables all night.

Evenutally, she made her way over to us and said, “Ya’ll haven’t been feeling neglected back here, have you?”.  Ummm.. yeah. 

Total bill was $28 and the BBQ was good, but the service was horrible.  Perhaps take-out would have been a better option.

The Ozona Pig
311 Orange St
Ozona, FL
727-773-0744

We were on our way to Tampa to see “What the Butler Saw” at the Jobsite Theater and needed to eat somewhere we could get in and out of quickly on the way.

I try to avoid chain restaurants as much as possible, but sometimes you just gotta do it.  I got the pulled pork with a sweet potato and mac & cheese and Shad got the baby back ribs with baked beans and a baked tater.

Now would probably be a good place to divulge my obsession with macaroni and cheese.  I’m completely challenged when it comes to making homemade macaroni and cheese.  I’ve tried every recipe known to man and still can’t come up with one that I like.  It’s very frustrating because I love macaroni and cheese.  What’s not to love about macaroni covered in ooey, gooey cheese.  If it’s on the menu, I’m gonna order it.

Which brings us back to Sonny’s.  Their mac & cheese is not “it”.  It tastes like Stouffers frozen mac & cheese to me.  Edible, but not the homemade goodness I crave. 

For $37.42, we were able to keep our stomachs from grumbling during the play, which, by the way, was really funny.  It’s not often you go to a show where 4 out of the 6 cast members end up in their underwear.

Sonny’s BBQ
8106 W. Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL
813-886-7178

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