Truluck’s (Miami)

Day of the Week: Saturday, 2/28
Total Bill: $342.20 (before tip)
Breakdown: 1 seafood platter, 4 pounds of crab with sides, 2 desserts, 4 non-alcoholic drinks
Pros: Amazing service, fresh seafood, great atmosphere.
Cons: None.
Verdict: Sophisticated but not stuffy.

She says:
Hubby and I were in Miami last month for the J. Wakefield Brewing grand opening. We were thinking “seafood” by the time the party ended and a local cop working the event recommended Truluck’s just a few miles away. We were able to get a 9:30 reservation. Valet parking is available for $10, which is convenient considering the restaurant is downtown (i.e., limited parking).

Fodder & Shine (Tampa)

Day of the Week: Thursday, 1/22
Total Bill: $111 (estimate, before tip)
Breakdown: 2 starters, 2 entrées, 2 desserts, 2 cocktails, 1 beer
Pros: Fascinating concept.
Cons: Shoddy service and inconsistent food.
Verdict: Needs a lot more polish.

She says:
When Fodder & Shine was originally announced, I was thrilled. I loved the concept of true historical Florida food, not just more key lime pie and grouper sandwiches. And, of course, we’re big fans of The Refinery. Unfortunately, this place is not ready for prime time yet. Please keep in mind, it opened less than a month before we went.

Lobster Haven (Tampa)

Day of the Week: Saturday, 1/17
Total Bill: $120 (estimate, before tip)
Breakdown: 2 chowders, 4 lobster rolls, 2 soft drinks, 1 loaf of bread
Pros: LOBSTER ROLLS! And homemade bread.
Cons: Cluttered, mediocre service.
Verdict: Pretty darn good.

She says:
The last time we went to New York, we tried this amazing floating seafood shack called North River Lobster Company and ever since we’ve been craving lobster rolls. Hubby found a place somewhat near our house called Lobster Haven that looked promising. We went for a late lunch (3ish) on a Saturday. It’s in an old strip mall, so there isn’t a lot of curb appeal. We walked into the seafood market area and a guy quickly seated us and told us he would be our server and took us into a side room that serves as their main dining room and bar.

Rustic Inn (Ft. Lauderdale)

Day of the Week: Saturday, 1/10
Total Bill: $215 (estimate, before tip)
Breakdown: 2 crab samplers, 2 desserts, 2 soft drinks
Pros: Fresh seafood, old-Florida feel.
Cons: None
Verdict: A Ft. Lauderdale institution.

She says:
After a long day of beer-drinking at Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Day, Hubby said, “I could really go for some fresh seafood. Like crab legs or something.” Boy did I know just the place. I used to live in south Florida and had been to the Rustic Inn twice before and it really stood out in my mind as an authentic old-Florida place. The Rustic Inn opened back in the ‘50s and used to be a lot smaller but over the years they’ve added on…and on…and on. Nothing about it is fancy: gravel and dirt parking lot, stainless steel sinks for washing up after your crab feast, newspaper on the tables. And sometimes that’s just what you need. People love to have birthdays here, which you notice because just about every five minutes a voice comes over the loudspeaker asking you to wish so-and-so a happy birthday and “bang your mallets on the table.”

Market 17 (Ft. Lauderdale)

Day of the Week: Friday, 1/9
Total Bill: $200 (estimate, before tip)
Breakdown: 2 starters, 1 meat & cheese plate, 4 entrées, 2 desserts, 2 cocktails, 1 coffee
Pros: Organic, farm-to-table, beautiful ambiance, great cocktail program
Cons: None
Verdict: Wish it was in Tampa.

She says:
We had to go down to Ft. Lauderdale for Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Day at Funky Buddha on January 10th. (Well, I guess we didn’t HAVE to, but we wanted to.) We wanted to have a nice dinner when we got into town the night before. Market 17 was fairly close to our hotel and we’d had our eye on it for a while.

Hello Fresh meal kits

Note: I wrote this in MARCH when we first subscribed to Hello Fresh…but then I forgot to post it! I’ve written an update at the bottom.

She says:
We subscribe to Love with Food, which is really fun. For $14 each month you get a little box full of all-natural goodies. We’ve gotten fun things like cassava chips, taco seasoning, maple walnut fudge, and rosemary and pink sea salt shortbread. We even got a really nice tote bag one month!

Fly Bar & Restaurant (Tampa)

Day of the Week: Saturday, 7/26
Total Bill: $156.64 (before tip)
Breakdown: 8 small plates, 2 desserts, 5 cocktails
Pros: Chill vibe, friendly service, unique food.
Cons: Uncomfortable bar stools, parking.
Verdict: Definitely going back.

She says:
I was bugging Hubby to take me out this particular night but I was being very indecisive about where I wanted to go. I didn’t want to go anywhere too fancy or too loud or too crowded. I was driving him crazy so finally he fooled around on the iPad for a while and told me to get dressed but didn’t tell me where we were going.

Seasons 52 Mini Indulgences Preview (Tampa)

She says:

Hubby and I got an invitation from Seasons 52 to preview their new mini indulgences on Monday, April 28.* I had a final exam that night but it ended by 7:30. The problem was Hubby was working. So they let me bring my mom instead! She loves that place anyway.

Disney recap

She says:
Hubby and I went to Orlando the weekend February 7th to visit with his parents and go to Disney World. I think a recap post will be worthwhile because we tried lots of new things (not just food-wise) that might be of interest.

North Pinellas brewery tour

She says:
Saturday, February 22, we did a brewery tour of northern Pinellas County with three of our friends. We had a real blast.