We found a great new little place tonight, thanks to discount cards from the Restaurant.com website we bought from Lisa's niece (Katie) and nephew (Scott)...
The Whale Raw Bar & Fish House is a true "find" for those who love fresh-tasting fish! It's tucked into a strip mall in Parkland, FL on State Road 7, just north of Hillsboro Blvd.. The owner used to own The Whale's Rib in Deerfield Beach, so there are a few similarities. The "whale fries" (housemade potato chips) and "whale juice", a honey mustard-type sauce served with the fries, are dead giveaways.
The decor is typical sports bar, with several TV's, booths, tables, and a full bar. However, there's a "Cheers-type everybody knows your name" friendliness that makes you feel like you've been coming here for years.
Tiffany, our welcoming server this evening, brought our soft drinks out promptly in very large (maybe a quart) glasses.
Since Tropical Storm Nicole had blown through the area today and it was still a bit wet out, we both began with cups of New England clam chowder. It was not the standard white, creamy bland base, but was more of a tan color and a savory flavor...a nice surprise! Carol wished for more clams, though Lisa was quite happy with the minimalist approach!
As for the main course...Lisa ordered the Mahi Mahi Island Style, which meant "plantain crusted, mango, Jasmine rice, vegetables, and citrus butter sauce". The vegetables were broccoli florets. First, let us tell you that Lisa's not the biggest fish lover, so her goal is to NOT have the fish taste much like fish. She had no complaints about the preparation but to her taste it needed more of everything to cover the fish taste. She loved the mango salsa and wished she'd asked for a bit more.
Carol was in a barbecue mood tonight so she asked Tiffany how The Whale's ribs were. When Tiffany began to make a face, Carol said, "OK, I hear you...they're not too good!" Tiffany said, "This is not the place to get ribs." So Carol thanked Tiffany for her honesty, then asked her advice and was steered toward the seafood (no surprise!). Carol ordered the Fried Fish Combo, which consisted of a nice hunk of cod, 3 large shrimp, 3 nice plump oysters, and fried clams that were really clam strips (disappointing!). Accompanied by the whale fries and a cup of whale juice, the crisp, greaseless assortment was delicious!!
We had no room for dessert but noted the "Peanut Butter Stack" on the "Specials" board and hope that's available next time!
Service: As noted above, Tiffany was a smiling, professional server who knows The Whale's strengths. She didn't pass Lisa's "straw test" but that's only because we never needed drink refills. We have to say that the silverware, wrapped in the napkin with its little adhesive paper band, was polished to a gleaming finish...something we certainly can't say about most restaurants.
On the way out, we spoke for a while with Perry Spivey, the General Manager who greets you at the front of the house. With many years of extensive restaurant experience, Perry is another good reason to stop in to The Whale and have a small bite or a full meal! The discount card might have brought us there the first time but the food and friendly service will make us go back again & again...and we can't wait!
The Whale Raw Bar & Fish House
7619 No. State Road 7
Parkland, FL 33073
Phone: 954-345-9190
Fax: 954-345-9140
http://www.thewhalerawbar.com/
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Emeril's Tchoup Chop
One of our all time favorites, Emeril's Tchoup Chop in Orlando at Universal's Citywalk never dissappoints. This time we had quite an adventure along with our meal.
We rode with a friend from the hotel we were staying at, virtually across the street. She has a Toyota Prius, which holds 3 people much better than my little Miata. We left the car with the valet and went in to sit with drinks until we were shown to our table.The staff at this restaurant are consistantly some of the best we have ever seen. One time we went with a group of 20. We sat at one table and when the wait staff brought our meal, there were 20 of them and they served every meal in unison! This visit was no exception. Garrett, the bar tender was working on 7 orders at one time while he fixed our drinks. He worked fast and efficiently and had all 7 orders done in no time at all. Asia, our server was quite exellent as well. We got seated at our table, met Asia and opened our menu when the valet came in saying he couldn't get the car started. Ruth went out with him and had no more luck than he did. So she called AAA. They warned that they were facing some delays but that they would send out a truck.
In the mean time, we ordered appetizers and dinner. We had the Crispy Chicken Egg Rolls with Orange-Chile Dipping Sauce. There were 4 halfs and they were quite excellent. The sauce was the perfect accompaniement with a bit of a bite to it. For the meal, Ruth ordered the Organic King Salmon Filet with Purple Potato and Sweet Corn Succotash and Yamasa Ginger Butter Sauce. She said it was quite wonderful. I had the Mongolian Barbeque Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Sweet Onion-Orange Confit and Stir Fried Lomein Noodles. It was very good. The the tenderloin had a little less spice than I am used to but it went with the noodles well. Carol ordered the Tender Sake Braised Beef Short Ribs on Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes with Hoisin-Honey Infused Veal Jus. She said it was ok but the Short Ribs were not spiced as well as she would have liked. They needed salt and the whole meal lacked flavor. I must say this is the first time we have ever had a meal at this restaurant that we could not say every dish was absolutely exceptional. The kitchen was backed up a bit and it took a little longer than normal to bring our meal out but we were not going anywhere soon so we hardly noticed that. By the time we finished our meal, we still had not heard from AAA so of course we HAD to order desert! Carol and I ordered cappuccinos and were served espressos. They told us the guy who prepared it for us was new and quickly fixed their mistake. Then we ordered 2 deserts to share among the three of us. We had the Kahlua Chocolate Cake which is Peanut Butter Mousse Filled Chocolate Cake Topped with Bananas Foster Sauce, quite excellent, and Blueberry Bread Pudding Served with White Chocolate Crème Anglaise and Buttermilk Ice Cream also very decadent.
We really enjoyed our meal and the opportunity to take our time and relax while eating it.
We left the restaurant to go outside and wait for the AAA guy to come. He showed up after a 2 hour wait but we did not have to wait outside for long. He was going to jump the car but then discovered that they could not even unlock the car. Thus, a locksmith was called upon, another 30 minute wait. The locksmith arrived and set to work opening the door, then Ruth reached into her purse and discovered a second key. Evidently, the key they were working with belonged to her son's car... The second key was hers and started the car right up! We had quite a good laugh at Ruth's expense and all agreed that it was a wonderful evening in spite of the extra adventure.
http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/7/Emerils-Tchoup-Chop/
We rode with a friend from the hotel we were staying at, virtually across the street. She has a Toyota Prius, which holds 3 people much better than my little Miata. We left the car with the valet and went in to sit with drinks until we were shown to our table.The staff at this restaurant are consistantly some of the best we have ever seen. One time we went with a group of 20. We sat at one table and when the wait staff brought our meal, there were 20 of them and they served every meal in unison! This visit was no exception. Garrett, the bar tender was working on 7 orders at one time while he fixed our drinks. He worked fast and efficiently and had all 7 orders done in no time at all. Asia, our server was quite exellent as well. We got seated at our table, met Asia and opened our menu when the valet came in saying he couldn't get the car started. Ruth went out with him and had no more luck than he did. So she called AAA. They warned that they were facing some delays but that they would send out a truck.
In the mean time, we ordered appetizers and dinner. We had the Crispy Chicken Egg Rolls with Orange-Chile Dipping Sauce. There were 4 halfs and they were quite excellent. The sauce was the perfect accompaniement with a bit of a bite to it. For the meal, Ruth ordered the Organic King Salmon Filet with Purple Potato and Sweet Corn Succotash and Yamasa Ginger Butter Sauce. She said it was quite wonderful. I had the Mongolian Barbeque Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Sweet Onion-Orange Confit and Stir Fried Lomein Noodles. It was very good. The the tenderloin had a little less spice than I am used to but it went with the noodles well. Carol ordered the Tender Sake Braised Beef Short Ribs on Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes with Hoisin-Honey Infused Veal Jus. She said it was ok but the Short Ribs were not spiced as well as she would have liked. They needed salt and the whole meal lacked flavor. I must say this is the first time we have ever had a meal at this restaurant that we could not say every dish was absolutely exceptional. The kitchen was backed up a bit and it took a little longer than normal to bring our meal out but we were not going anywhere soon so we hardly noticed that. By the time we finished our meal, we still had not heard from AAA so of course we HAD to order desert! Carol and I ordered cappuccinos and were served espressos. They told us the guy who prepared it for us was new and quickly fixed their mistake. Then we ordered 2 deserts to share among the three of us. We had the Kahlua Chocolate Cake which is Peanut Butter Mousse Filled Chocolate Cake Topped with Bananas Foster Sauce, quite excellent, and Blueberry Bread Pudding Served with White Chocolate Crème Anglaise and Buttermilk Ice Cream also very decadent.
We really enjoyed our meal and the opportunity to take our time and relax while eating it.
We left the restaurant to go outside and wait for the AAA guy to come. He showed up after a 2 hour wait but we did not have to wait outside for long. He was going to jump the car but then discovered that they could not even unlock the car. Thus, a locksmith was called upon, another 30 minute wait. The locksmith arrived and set to work opening the door, then Ruth reached into her purse and discovered a second key. Evidently, the key they were working with belonged to her son's car... The second key was hers and started the car right up! We had quite a good laugh at Ruth's expense and all agreed that it was a wonderful evening in spite of the extra adventure.
http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/7/Emerils-Tchoup-Chop/
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Margaritaville - Orlando
We're in Orlando for a meeting and decided to be "wastin' away in Margaritaville" for lunch. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe is at City Walk at Universal Studios. The only negative thing is that you have to pay a $15 parking fee just as if you were going to the theme park.
Carol is a HUGE Jimmy Buffett fan and listens all day to his Radio Margaritaville channel on Sirius satellite radio. Since they broadcast most days from the Orlando cafe, she really wanted to eat there. Lisa, being the good sport she is, went along!
The interior of the cafe is outfitted with artifacts of the ocean, boats, and Buffett...oh, and there's a giant "live" volcano that erupts whenever they play Jimmy's hit, "Volcano". It's VERY cool (well, no, it's actually very HOT!).
They seated us not far from the Radio Margaritaville broadcast booth. J. D. Spradlin, the afternoon D.J. (hey, that's "J.D." backwards...) was rockin' the joint (and the country) with Jimmy's hits and other singers. Carol had to go over and meet him. She thanked him for the great music and made a request..."Jolly Mon", which we never ended up hearing. Oh, well, we did hear lots of great tunes!
We HAD to have a "frozen concoction" to "help us hang on", so Carol ordered a "Havanas Bananas", a nice mix of Cruzan dark rum, Bailey's Irish Cream, Bols Creme de Banana, and Island Oasis Coconut Mix. My, it was good! Lisa had a "Tropical Hurricane", which contained Appleton Estate V/X rum, and Island Oasis Guava, Papaya, and Mango Mixes. While we wouldn't have minded just ordering another round of these drinks and just hanging out all afternoon, we did want to eat...
On to the food...since we hadn't had breakfast, we were hungry! Menu items have names that are inside jokes for Jimmy's songs. For instance, we ordered the "Jamaica Mistaica" chicken wings, which are named for his song about his private plane getting shot at when they tried to land in Jamaica for some jerk chicken. Obviously, they have a "Cheeseburger in Paradise", and it's served with Heinz 57, french fried potatoes, and a "big, kosher pickle"! Carol's had it at the Key West location and it's delicious! Anyway, the wings are glazed with a habanero-honey sauce and come with a mango-ranch dip...they had a nice bite and were pretty messy!
Lisa had the Fish of the Day Sandwich, which was tilapia. The fish was grilled with a little seasoning, served on a wheat bun with french fries. Carol had the BBQ Pork Sandwich, served on toasted garlic French bread with Guava Barbecue Sauce, topped with onion rings, and a cup of sweet cole slaw.
Service was pleasant and efficient from Sara, who even passed Lisa's "Straw Test"! We both enjoyed our food, our drinks, and the music & videos! We got to see the volcano erupt and the "lava" flow down into a giant blender container!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Copper Canyon Grill
We have visited the Copper Canyon Grill in Boca Raton several times and each time we walk away with mixed feelings.
The service is great and always has been. Up until tonight they seemed genuinely concerned as to if we liked the food or not. (No one asked tonight.) Robert, our server tonight was very good though he didn't pass the straw test. Okay, I'll explain. I like to drink soda without a straw. Most often the glass is handed me the first time with a straw in it. The observant server will notice that I take the straw out and when they bring the drink back after refilling it, there is not a second straw. This time I ended up with 2 straws on the table, unused and unusable. Also the observant server will see when you are done with a drink and bring another glass immediately. That didn't happen either. He did bring me another drink later and it was before I had to ask for it. On the other hand, he had a good conversation with Carol to ensure that she got her steak cooked the way she liked it.
Carol had a rib eye steak with canyon mushrooms on top, with smashed potatoes and sweet glazed carrots. The steak was cooked perfectly and quite tender. And the sides were quite good. I had the chicken pot pie. I have had it before. The first time we went to this restaurant that is what I ordered. At that time I was quite shocked because it tasted like they had poured a bottle of hot sauce in it. It just seemed like two tastes that were not meant to go together. The pot pie was good but it was too spicy for me. When the manager asked how the meal was I mentioned that. He asked me if the server warned me that it would be spicy and I said no. So that night I got my dinner for free. That was a nice touch. We have had other meals in the past and found none spectacular. So you may wonder why I ordered the chicken pot pie a second time. I read in the newspaper that the restaurant had made several changes and that they had a new chef. When we went there the last time we had a discussion with our server and he said they were not putting so much spice in the pot pie any more. So I gave it a second chance... It was still quite spicy. Not quite so bad as the first time but let's just say I will not order it again.
So, while we really like the atmosphere and the service there, and we really want to love this restaurant, so far we have had only one REALLY good meal and the rest have been mediocre. Will we go back again? We'll see.
The service is great and always has been. Up until tonight they seemed genuinely concerned as to if we liked the food or not. (No one asked tonight.) Robert, our server tonight was very good though he didn't pass the straw test. Okay, I'll explain. I like to drink soda without a straw. Most often the glass is handed me the first time with a straw in it. The observant server will notice that I take the straw out and when they bring the drink back after refilling it, there is not a second straw. This time I ended up with 2 straws on the table, unused and unusable. Also the observant server will see when you are done with a drink and bring another glass immediately. That didn't happen either. He did bring me another drink later and it was before I had to ask for it. On the other hand, he had a good conversation with Carol to ensure that she got her steak cooked the way she liked it.
Carol had a rib eye steak with canyon mushrooms on top, with smashed potatoes and sweet glazed carrots. The steak was cooked perfectly and quite tender. And the sides were quite good. I had the chicken pot pie. I have had it before. The first time we went to this restaurant that is what I ordered. At that time I was quite shocked because it tasted like they had poured a bottle of hot sauce in it. It just seemed like two tastes that were not meant to go together. The pot pie was good but it was too spicy for me. When the manager asked how the meal was I mentioned that. He asked me if the server warned me that it would be spicy and I said no. So that night I got my dinner for free. That was a nice touch. We have had other meals in the past and found none spectacular. So you may wonder why I ordered the chicken pot pie a second time. I read in the newspaper that the restaurant had made several changes and that they had a new chef. When we went there the last time we had a discussion with our server and he said they were not putting so much spice in the pot pie any more. So I gave it a second chance... It was still quite spicy. Not quite so bad as the first time but let's just say I will not order it again.
So, while we really like the atmosphere and the service there, and we really want to love this restaurant, so far we have had only one REALLY good meal and the rest have been mediocre. Will we go back again? We'll see.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Brewzzi's Italian-American Bistro and Microbrewery
This wonderful Boca Raton restaurant never disappoints us! Their food and service are always head and shoulders above most similar establishments. And we always let them know how great they are!
As their name says, they brew their own beer and ale. Since neither of us drink beer (well, Carol has a sip or two occasionally), we'll leave those to others more qualified. We'll stick to Brewzzi's food!
They have imaginative appetizers like Gorgonzola Chips, which are their house-made "cottage chips" (thick-cut potato chips) hidden from sight by a huge helping of "gorg" and heated in their oven. They are very good! They also have Jumbo Lump Crab Dip served with a pretzel roll for dipping. It's a relatively new item and we haven't had it yet...but we will next time!
Brewzzi's burgers are some of the best we've ever had in a restaurant, and they're one of the few places that'll still cook it rare for you...Carol LOVES that!
We like to sit at the long food bar right in front of the kitchen and wood-fired oven so we can watch it all come together!
Tonight Lisa had the Mushroom Swiss burger, done medium-well as she likes it. Choices of sides are numerous and Lisa chose the Red Bliss Smashed Potatoes.
Carol had the Marinated Skirt Steak, the smashed potatoes, and sauteed spinach with enough garlic to fill a room (umm!!).
Our server, Randy, was attentive and had a great sense of humor!
www.brewzzi.com
As their name says, they brew their own beer and ale. Since neither of us drink beer (well, Carol has a sip or two occasionally), we'll leave those to others more qualified. We'll stick to Brewzzi's food!
They have imaginative appetizers like Gorgonzola Chips, which are their house-made "cottage chips" (thick-cut potato chips) hidden from sight by a huge helping of "gorg" and heated in their oven. They are very good! They also have Jumbo Lump Crab Dip served with a pretzel roll for dipping. It's a relatively new item and we haven't had it yet...but we will next time!
Brewzzi's burgers are some of the best we've ever had in a restaurant, and they're one of the few places that'll still cook it rare for you...Carol LOVES that!
We like to sit at the long food bar right in front of the kitchen and wood-fired oven so we can watch it all come together!
Tonight Lisa had the Mushroom Swiss burger, done medium-well as she likes it. Choices of sides are numerous and Lisa chose the Red Bliss Smashed Potatoes.
Carol had the Marinated Skirt Steak, the smashed potatoes, and sauteed spinach with enough garlic to fill a room (umm!!).
Our server, Randy, was attentive and had a great sense of humor!
www.brewzzi.com
Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant
We'll cut to the chase immediately...we LOVE Maggiano's Little Italy! Now for the reasons why:
We love the decor and the Frank Sinatra music...it reminds us of restaurants in New York's Little Italy. We think the service is excellent; attentive but not intrusive. And the food is wonderful!
We visited Maggiano's last Sunday with Carol's mother. We began with a couple of appetizers...the tomato caprese salad and stuffed mushrooms. Though tasty, the caprese salad could have used a bit more drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The stuffed mushrooms were medium sized, filled with spinach (there was a bit of green in there) breadcrumbs, and what the menu described as "garlic white wine sauce".
Moving on to dinner, Maggiano's has the GREATEST deal! Their "Classic Pastas" are two for one! Order one for dinner at the restaurant and get a second one to take home! Choose from Spaghetti Marinara, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Spaghetti with a Meatball, Eggplant Parmagiana, Four Cheese Ravioli, Gnocchi with Tomato Vodka Sauce, Coach Joey Z's Angel Hair Pasta with Sausage, Mom's Lasagna, or Taylor Street Baked Ziti.
Carol chose the Taylor Street Baked Ziti and it was delicious! Chunks of crumbled Italian sausage mixed into melted cheesy ziti and a wonderful tomato sauce made for a satisfying meal. She was only able to eat half of it! As her take-home meal she decided on the Eggplant "Parm", which was her lunch two days later. Wow! That was great, too!
Lisa had the Chicken & Truffle Tortellacci. We knew what "tortellini" were but had never heard of "tortellacci"...they turned out to be huge tortellini-like pillows "stuffed with chicken baked in a garlic and white wine cream sauce with smoked ham, Asiago cheese, and fresh spinach". Notice that no where are truffles mentioned in the menu's description. Although this was a dreamy, rich dish, there were no truffles, and Lisa didn't find any recognizable pieces of chicken.
No dessert since we were very full!
www.maggianos.com
We love the decor and the Frank Sinatra music...it reminds us of restaurants in New York's Little Italy. We think the service is excellent; attentive but not intrusive. And the food is wonderful!
We visited Maggiano's last Sunday with Carol's mother. We began with a couple of appetizers...the tomato caprese salad and stuffed mushrooms. Though tasty, the caprese salad could have used a bit more drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The stuffed mushrooms were medium sized, filled with spinach (there was a bit of green in there) breadcrumbs, and what the menu described as "garlic white wine sauce".
Moving on to dinner, Maggiano's has the GREATEST deal! Their "Classic Pastas" are two for one! Order one for dinner at the restaurant and get a second one to take home! Choose from Spaghetti Marinara, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Spaghetti with a Meatball, Eggplant Parmagiana, Four Cheese Ravioli, Gnocchi with Tomato Vodka Sauce, Coach Joey Z's Angel Hair Pasta with Sausage, Mom's Lasagna, or Taylor Street Baked Ziti.
Carol chose the Taylor Street Baked Ziti and it was delicious! Chunks of crumbled Italian sausage mixed into melted cheesy ziti and a wonderful tomato sauce made for a satisfying meal. She was only able to eat half of it! As her take-home meal she decided on the Eggplant "Parm", which was her lunch two days later. Wow! That was great, too!
Lisa had the Chicken & Truffle Tortellacci. We knew what "tortellini" were but had never heard of "tortellacci"...they turned out to be huge tortellini-like pillows "stuffed with chicken baked in a garlic and white wine cream sauce with smoked ham, Asiago cheese, and fresh spinach". Notice that no where are truffles mentioned in the menu's description. Although this was a dreamy, rich dish, there were no truffles, and Lisa didn't find any recognizable pieces of chicken.
No dessert since we were very full!
www.maggianos.com
Anthony's Pizza
We watched the local paper closely as they ran a people's choice poll selecting the best local pizza. We were interested to hear that the winner of the poll was Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza in Fort Lauderdale. We have never been there. We made a note of it for the "restaurants we must visit some day" file. There are several Anthony's in the area, some of which are closer to home than the one in Fort Lauderdale. A few weeks later a close friend asked if we wanted to meet her at Anthony's in Delray. She said she knew of this awesome pizza place that also makes great wings. She knew we liked pizza and wings. Of course we said yes.
We had wonderful service! The waiter was concientious and aware of our needs. You might be surprised at how many wait staff in other restaurants really seem to have little care for their customers. We ordered a large pizza with half pepperoni and half mushrooms/onions. Our server asked if we wanted an order of wings. We said no. He brought us a small order for us to try because he wanted us to taste them. No charge to us. I loved the wings! Kathy and Carol said they were nothing to write home about. The were not anything like buffalo wings. They were oven roasted and covered with a mound of carmelized onions. The skin was nice and crispy and well seasoned. We did finish the wings.
The pizza, on the other hand, left something to be desired. I had two slices. I only got two bites from those two slices with any tomato sauce at all. Other slices had some sauce on them but it was sketchy at best. Kathy (who said this is the best pizza) said the crust was thicker than it usually is and that this was not nearly as good they usually serve it.
Bottom line, we have decided we will give Anthony's a second chance. We wonder if the increased business due to the paper's poll might have caused them to rush through making the order and thus they lost some quality. While we were not much impressed with their food, we were impressed with their service and we know that a LOT of people say they make great pizza. Hopefully the next time we will taste that great pizza.
We had wonderful service! The waiter was concientious and aware of our needs. You might be surprised at how many wait staff in other restaurants really seem to have little care for their customers. We ordered a large pizza with half pepperoni and half mushrooms/onions. Our server asked if we wanted an order of wings. We said no. He brought us a small order for us to try because he wanted us to taste them. No charge to us. I loved the wings! Kathy and Carol said they were nothing to write home about. The were not anything like buffalo wings. They were oven roasted and covered with a mound of carmelized onions. The skin was nice and crispy and well seasoned. We did finish the wings.
The pizza, on the other hand, left something to be desired. I had two slices. I only got two bites from those two slices with any tomato sauce at all. Other slices had some sauce on them but it was sketchy at best. Kathy (who said this is the best pizza) said the crust was thicker than it usually is and that this was not nearly as good they usually serve it.
Bottom line, we have decided we will give Anthony's a second chance. We wonder if the increased business due to the paper's poll might have caused them to rush through making the order and thus they lost some quality. While we were not much impressed with their food, we were impressed with their service and we know that a LOT of people say they make great pizza. Hopefully the next time we will taste that great pizza.
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