FloridaFoodHound

Carrabba's Italian Grill in Gainesville

I don't have anything against corporate chain restaurants, I just find in general that we have the most interesting and unique experiences at local restaurants.  That's not to say that there aren't local places that turn out to be real duds or chains that feel local and are very well done.

With this in mind, last weekend we headed over to the local Carrabba's Italian Grill for dinner.  In the interest of full disclosure, a Carrabba's representative had contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I'd be interested in a complimentary meal in return for a honest, no-strings-attached review of the experience.  I accepted.

When we arrived for dinner, the place was already pretty busy.  We decided to sit at one of the counters that surround the open kitchen.  This ended up being a good choice as we were treated to several samples, compliments of the kitchen, throughout our meal.  We sat right next to the wood-burning oven and pizza prep station.  The manager working the area was friendly and knowledgeable, which made up for the fact that our server was new and still learning the menu.  At least she didn't lack enthusiasm.

For our starter, we tried the antipasti platter of calamari, bruschetta and mozzarella.  The bruschetta and mozzarella were both solid and the calamari was nicely done - lightly fried and not greasy.  Moving on to our main course, I decided on the lobster ravioli and Traci ordered the chicken gratella, which was a grilled chicken breast with herbs and oil.  Her sides were mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. 

My lobster ravioli was a good choice, as it's hard to go wrong with lobster and pasta.  This being said, I would have enjoyed a little kick to the sauce, although I realize this might have overwhelmed the lobster flavor. Traci enjoyed her chicken, which had a nice grilled taste and was juicy.  She called her mashed potatoes delicious, which I can vouch for after stealing a few bites.  The asparagus was solid.

Seemingly taking a page out of the Seasons 52 play book (a Darden chain that doesn't seem like a chain by the way), Carrabba's desserts are available in "dessert shot glasses" for lack of a better term.  "Full-sized" desserts are also available.  We went with samplers ("shots"?) of cannoli and fudge brownie.  I'm always a sucker for a good cannoli.  Needless to say, we had to be rolled out of the place.

Overall, we had a good experience.  Sitting up at the chef counter certainly added to the meal and I think the counter works well for couples or diners eating solo.  There's also a nice bar area.  In comparing Carrabba's to other Italian chains, it's obviously a cut above Olive Garden in food and atmosphere, but you pay for it.  I've only eaten once at Romano's Macaroni Grill, but enjoyed Carrabba's more.  I am partial to the Maggiano's Little Italy chain.  We had several very good meals at the Tampa location.

Drop me a line if you've eaten at the Gainesville Carrabba's - what did you think?

In related news, I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but Francesca's Trattoria is now open.

Blue Desert Cafe, New Deal Cafe, Sweet Dreams, Five Guys and Original Pizza Palace

While it's been far too long since I last posted some restaurant reviews, we haven't stopped trying new places (and revisiting old ones) over the past two months.  Below is a quick run-down on our latest hits-and-misses in and around Gainesville.  As always, drop me a line with suggestions.

So here's goes with the latest and greatest:

• Blue Desert Cafe: Last night we were in the mood for something different.  One restaurant that has intrigued us each time we've passed it on the way to Cedar Key is a funky-looking, little place called Blue Desert Cafe.  So yesterday evening we called ahead to make sure they were open and then took the 45 minute drive out to Cedar Key.  Little did we know the long drive would be the quickest part of our dinner.  While the server was pleasant (and she warned us of the wait), we literally sat and waited for over an hour from the time we placed our order until we were served.  Traci ordered a personal sausage pizza and I had a shrimp and scallop burrito.  The menu is an eclectic mix and our meal was good, but this still couldn't make up for such a long wait on top of our drive.  For a kicker, we were pulled over leaving for supposedly "speeding".  Cedar Key's finest graciously gave us a warning (We were doing "41" in a "30"; the sign said "35", anyways).

• New Deal Cafe and Sweet Dreams:  This evening we stayed much closer to home and went back to New Deal Cafe for dinner.  New Deal is the  casual accompaniment to the adjoining upscale Mildred's Big City Food.  After having eaten at both, we prefer to save our money and enjoy New Deal's very reasonably priced menu.  We tried New Deal for the first time last month.  On this second visit, I ordered a Maytag blue cheese burger and Traci had a regular hamburger.  Both burgers were winners.  For an appetizer, we shared a Mediterranean plate (a sampling of vegetable spreads with fresh bread).  After dinner, we walked down to Sweet Dreams where I was able to twist Traci's arm into ordering some ice cream.  She selected a cup of Mojito italian ice and I had a cup of  chocolate hazelnut and toffee flavors.  I've heard multiple people rave about Sweet Dreams having the best ice cream in town, and it's easy to see why (Sweet Dreams is also available at Buddha Belly and goes down great after a hot, spicy plate of curry).

• Five Guys Burgers and Fries:  I guess we've been on a bit of a burger kick lately.  A few weekends ago we hopped in the car one Saturday and drove down to Ocala.  Why there isn't a Five Guys Burgers yet in Gainesville I have no clue.  I think a Five Guys would be a slam dunk in a college town.  It's likely only a matter of time as new locations are popping up all over Central Florida.  Originally started in Virginia, Five Guys is all about serving up big giant, sloppy hamburgers and bags full of fries.  Nothing is frozen and the fries are cut daily.  The Ocala location, which was swarming with retirees (maybe a steady diet of burgers and fries are the real secret to a long life?), didn't disappoint.  On an unrelated note, there is a surprising amount of new construction on the southwest side of Ocala.  There's several Five Guys now open in Jacksonville and a growing number sprouting up in and around Orlando and Tampa.

• The Original Pizza Palace:  Dan Rua of the Florida Venture Blog turned me on recently to the re-opening of the Original Pizza Palace on NW 13th Street a few blocks from campus.  Apparently, before it closed in 1999, Original Pizza Palace was something of the Satchel's of its day.  The Sun recently did an interesting piece about the back story of the restaurant's re-opening.  On our first visit, we had a spunky server and a pretty good meal.  I had a tasty lasagna and Traci had a plate of "mama's meat sauce."  On our second visit with two friends, the level of service went down the tubes and our food was mediocre at best.  Plus, unless we're imagining things, it seemed like the place had already raised prices since our first visit.  The pizza was fairly plain tasting.  I like the laid-back vibe of Original Pizza Palace and I hope it makes it, but the food isn't Satchel's or Blue Highway caliber.  If you've been since Original Pizza Palace re-opened, I'd love to hear about it.

That's all for now.  With a little luck, I'll have the chance to post more frequently this summer...

Blue Highway Pizzeria & Leonardo's 706

This past Thursday, we had dinner at Leonardo's 706 with Traci's former co-worker and his wife.  This co-worker is a UF grad who likes to hit Leonardo's 706 whenever he is in town.  We hadn't eaten at Leonardo's 706 before, but already had an unmemorable experience at  Leonardo's By The Slice.

I liked the vibe and history of Leonardo's 706, but thought the food was a bit expensive for what we got.  Our check for the two of us (with two entrees, a shared appetizer for the table and two soft drinks) came to around $35.  The 706 menu is a mix of personal pizzas, salads, pastas and seafood dishes. I ordered a bbq chicken pizza and Traci ordered a lotta tomata pizza.  The table also split an order of a dozen garlic rolls.  The rolls were very tasty, but then most food tastes great drenched in garlic butter.

Monday and Thursday are the live jazz nights at Leonardo's 706, and the music set a nice backdrop for our meal.  Our table was in the main dining room, but right next to the bar/lounge area, which worked well, as we were able to enjoy the music, but still carry on a conversation throughout the meal.  My pizza certainly tasted fresh and the presentation was nice, but the mix of flavors didn't do that much for me.  I honestly may have enjoyed the leftovers of my pizza more the next day when I munched on it cold.

Overall, we had a good experience at Leonardo's, but given the restaurant's pricing (higher prices generally equal higher expectations in food, service, etc for me) and how excited Traci's former co-worker was about the place, I was hoping for more. The live jazz we may check out again sometime.

On Saturday afternoon, we wanted to explore a little and decided on Blue Highway Pizzeria on U.S. Highway 441 in Micanopy for lunch.  We were in the mood for pizza and Blue Highway was one of the restaurants that Gainesville.com had written positively about.  What we found was our kind of place.

Blue Highway has a funky, relaxing atmosphere inside and the focus is definitely on the pizza.  Our server was friendly and gave us some suggestions.  Traci and I decided to split a meatball and roasted garlic pizza (enough for two unless you're ravenously hungry).   We also each had side salads to start that were much better than a typical pizzeria salad.  Our pizza was simply delicious.  The meatballs, the crispy crust, the roasted garlic slices, the cheese, everything mixed together pretty darn perfectly.

Before our visit to Blue Highway, I thought Satchel's had the best pizza in the area, but now I'm not so sure.  We'll definitely be visiting Blue Highway again and I look forward to trying out some of the other pizzas on their menu.  After lunch, we walked around some of the antique shops in Micanopy.  I don't remember the name of the little deli/restaurant, but we also stopped into one place along the main strip and had some ice-cream (just two bucks for "one scoop" and one scoop is really like three scoops). 

Bottom-line: Leonardo's 706 was an enjoyable experience , but the food didn't knock my socks off for the price.  Blue Highway Pizzeria, on the other hand, was a very pleasant surprise with delicious pizza at a more reasonable price.  A great excuse to visit Micanopy and check out the antique shops afterwards.

Final Two Weeks in Tampa

This post is a bit overdue, due to limited Net access until two days ago, but I thought some of you would still be interested in how our last two weeks of dining in Tampa went before our move up to Gainesville.

The weekend before last, we decided to stop into Castellano & Pizzo Italian Gourmet Foods on Henderson one last time.  This time, instead of bringing my parents, we went with Traci's dad.  In addition to enjoying another pressed Cuban sandwich, we also ordered dessert this time from their  bakery, too.  Mazzaro's is the king of local Italian markets/delis, but I will still miss Castellano & Pizzo.

We hadn't been to Interbay Meat Market in several months, but were looking for a cheap and quick meal one night that was close by and thought of Interbay.  On our previous visits, we had stuck to deli sandwiches, but on this visit we went with some of their cafeteria-style Cuban food.  It's hard to beat a big serving of ropa vieja, black beans and yellow rice for five bucks (and no, I don't want to think about how long that food may have been sitting there).  No frills and good food always works for me.

Speaking of no frills, we also stopped into El Taconazo aka "the Taco Bus" on Hillsborough in Seminole Heights one day for lunch.  While I didn't love the place after my first visit maybe a year ago, the Taco Bus has grown on me with each subsequent visit.  The "specials" for lunch - two soft tacos with refried beans and rice- are a good deal.  The tacos are small but tasty (you do have to be a fan of cilantro to like 'em) and the thick green hot sauce on the table makes things taste even better.  The Bus will be missed.

On our last week in town, in a break from packing, we hit Mel's Hot Dogs on Busch one day for lunch.  I ordered a "Reuben" dog and Traci went with a "Chicago" dog.  Mel's is a cool little place full of history and I'm glad that multiple readers suggested we visit Mel's before we moved.  Mel himself unfortunately wasn't there when we stopped in, which, from what I understand, is part of the unique experience.

I also re-visited another reader favorite, the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, one day for drinks after work.  To me, the  Brewing Company's new location in Centro Ybor doesn't have nearly the charm of their previous location a few blocks away, but the beer selection is still great (I'm a light beer wimp and like their True Blonde Ale the best).  The outdoor bar and patio area at the new location is a good addition.

We also couldn't leave town without having going-away drinks one night at Kahuna's, a favorite neighborhood dive bar of ours on Gandy across from Derby Lane.  The food at Kahuna's can be dicey, but the drinks are  stiff and priced right.  People that think this place has a rough crowd probably spend too much time in SOHO.

Finally, we went ahead and splurged with a Sunday brunch at the Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach.  While the Vinoy and Oystercatcher's may have better brunches, we have a warm spot for the Don since Traci grew up in South Pasadena/St. Pete Beach and we used to spend a lot of time in the area.  For me, the fresh seafood selection was the highlight of the brunch.  Traci liked the made-to-order pasta station.  We were also able to get a table near the window with a direct view of the beach and the gulf.

There's lots of additional local restaurants we would have liked to hit before we moved, but we ran out of time.  While some of the criticism of the Tampa Bay food scene is justified, the area certainly isn't starved for good food and good local restaurants either - if you know where/how to look.  Granted it does take time, effort, experimentation (you can't find "hits" without being willing to eat at a fair share of "misses" as well), talking with your friends and neighbors, and just keeping your eyes and ears open.

And with that, it's time to start focusing on restaurants here in Gainesville...
 

Two More Weeks in Tampa

We're now down to less than two weeks before we make the move up to Gainesville.  So instead of reviewing one restaurant this week, I thought I'd provide brief summaries of the places we've eaten at the past two weeks.  Thanks again to everyone who posted suggestions of Tampa Bay restaurants to visit one last time before we move, as well as an unexpected number of places to try out in Gainesville.

Two weekends ago we checked out the recently-opened CDB's Southside Italian Restaurant on S.Westshore Blvd (in the same spot as the old Cafe Anna).  We were told by our server that this new location is more upscale than the CDB's near USF and in Lakeland (we haven't been to either).  While the place felt cramped and prices were on the high side, we enjoyed the deep dish pizza and the roasted eggplant appetizer that we ordered.

We also made a return visit to La Teresita one evening and again ate like champs for a bargain price.  Thanks to David Jenkins, I enjoyed a delicious vaca frita. Another evening, some friends took us out to Red Mesa in St. Pete.  This remains my favorite local restaurant for Southwest-style cuisine. 

This past weekend, with my parents and younger brother and his girlfriend in town visiting, we hit Castellano & Pizzo for lunch with Cuban sandwiches all around.  We had originally planned on Wright's, but after pulling up and seeing the line snaking out the door, I knew a change of plans was in store.  We were looking for a place Friday night that was close by and on the water so we went to RattleFish Raw Bar & Grill.  We knew we'd be paying up for the view of the bay.  My fish tacos were okay and everyone in our group was generally happy, but Traci's burger was undercooked.  This place continues to slip.    

On Saturday evening, we headed out to Clearwater  Beach with plans of having dinner at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill.  The place was understandably packed ahead of sunset, and knowing that my family hates to wait, we decided to try the much smaller "The Original" Frenchy's Cafe just a few blocks away.  The food wasn't award-winning, but the prices were good, and there wasn't a wait.  We were able to walk right up and grab one of the handful of tables outside.  My steamed mussels were good, but my cup of gumbo was lukewarm.

Before we go, we still plan to check out Mel's Hot Dogs, which is a clear reader favorite, and make a return visit to The Chattaway in St. Pete.  A stop at El Taconazo is another possibility. Finally, doing a fancy Sunday brunch as a going away treat is also on our list - either Oystercatchers, the Don CeSar or the Vinoy.  Thanks again to everyone for all of the comments and ideas over the past year.
 

Vino E Pasta: A Nice Surprise, Good Italian

Thanks to Cappy's Pizzeria on Bay to Bay in Palma Ceia for being rude to us this past Friday evening.  If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have stumbled upon little Vino E Pasta on Gandy instead.

Our original plan for dinner on Friday had been to try out Cappy's again.  This time we planned to order Cappy's New York style pizza.  The place was crowded when we got there with folks standing around for tables, which was fine and what we expected.  We put our name on the list at the front door and helped ourselves to beers from the cooler.  After waiting a few minutes, we noticed that one of the tables on the small deck outside had opened up.  We were pretty sure we had been told on a previous visit that outside was "open seating."  Just to make sure, Traci asked one of the guys behind the counter if outside was open seating.  He said it was indeed seat yourself so outside we went to the table.

Within a minute of us sitting down, the server told us that, sorry, we had to leave.  I asked why and she said she had promised the table to another group.  I explained that we had asked at the counter before taking this table (i.e. we didn't just "steal it") and she told me the guy "didn't know what he was talking about."  Next, a guy who I assume was the manager, walked up after we had already exited the table and were walking out.  Instead of being apologetic or offering us another table or letting me explain things, he tell us "just leave" and walks off.  Wonderful.  The service was mediocre previously, and I didn't like their Chicago style pizza, so shame on me for giving the place a second chance.  Never again.

My experience at Cappy's left me in a pretty crummy mood and I wasn't really up for waiting in another line.  As we turned onto Gandy we thought of Vino E Pasta, a little Italian restaurant near the corner of Gandy and Himes that we had passed many times before but hadn't tried.  Now seemed like as good a time as any.  Vino E Pasta doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside, with its dim lighting, the restaurant was nicer than we expected.  It didn't take long to notice that this place provides a level of service and attention that is much higher than you typically get at mid-priced restaurants around town.

As the name Vino E Pasta implies, the restaurant's fairly simple menu is built around wine and pasta. An interesting twist is that the restaurant has a fixed price wine list (all wines are around $5 per glass and $24 per bottle if I recall).  We're not big wine drinkers, but after the Cappy's fiasco we figured why not and ordered a bottle of white.  We also received a complimentary bruschetta sampler.  For my entree, I went with one of the specials, a salmon stuffed with crab meat and pasta on the side.  Traci decided upon a penne pasta with a marinara sauce with sausage.  Each dinner came with a nice side salad. 

My salmon with crab meat was excellent as was my pasta.  Traci's pasta was good too.  Going all out, we split an order of tiramisu for dessert.  This ended up being a pricey meal with the wine and dessert, but still a good deal.  I think you could do dinner for around twenty bucks per person.  This may not be the best Italian in town, but if you're looking for a neighborhood spot where not only is the food good, but they're likely to treat you like a regular even on your first visit, then this place fits the bill.

Bottom-line: Thanks to a rotten attitude from Cappy's, we had the chance to try Pasta E Vino.  Good food and friendly service was a pleasant surprise at this nice  little neighborhood Italian restaurant. 

Laughing Cat: Good Italian Lunch Buffet in Ybor

Last week I had the chance to grab lunch one day in Ybor with a friend at the Laughing Cat, an Italian restaurant on the corner of 8th Ave. and 15th St. (several doors down from the old Tampa Bay Brewing Company location).  While I had never been to the Laughing Cat before, this friend was a fan and I'd also read that it offered a lunch buffet that was worth checking out.

According to Laughing Cat co-owner Franco LoRe, the name of his restaurant comes from the name of the cafe in Venice, Italy ("Il Gatto Cheride" in Italian) where he met girls as a younger man.  The Laughing Cat is tucked into a relatively small corner space, but feels comfortable inside.  We arrived towards the end of the lunch crowd for the day and both decided upon the lunch buffet.  It seemed hard to go wrong at nine bucks per person; everyone else seemed to be doing the buffet too.

The buffet isn't large, but offers several hot and cold Italian dishes, ranging from ravioli and pasta dishes, both in a vodka sauce, to mozzarella caprese (I'm a sucker for big fresh chunks of mozzarella) and a delicious salad filled with plump shrimp.  The only mildly disappointing dish was meatballs in a red sauce that was almost gone when we got there.  Again, this wasn't a big buffet, but it was certainly of a higher quality than I expected and a real deal at nine bucks each.

The lunch buffet is only available during the work week.  Service was fine last week for lunch, but I don't know what the little place is like at night on the weekends when it gets busy.  I'm also curious what ordering off the menu is like.  I plan to add Laughing Cat to our rotation of Ybor restaurants that we like, which includes the original location of The Columbia, sandwich shop La Tropicana and the at-times-maligned Big City Tavern.  I've previously panned for the most part my experiences with Samurai Blue and La Creperia.  I haven't tried Carmine's, Acropolis or Bernini.   

I'll try to get off this new buffet mini-kick.  So what's your favorite Ybor restaurant?

Bottom-line:  If you happen to be in Ybor for lunch during the work week, and you're in the mood for homemade Italian cuisine, the Laughing Cat's lunch buffet is worth giving a try.       

Inspection Scorecard: Last Inspection: January 2007 violations - Critical (8), Non-Critical (2).

Castellano & Pizzo: Authentic Italian Market & Deli in South Tampa

Thanks to a recommendation by a reader, we decided to try out Castellano & Pizzo Italian Gourmet Foods on Henderson Blvd. in south Tampa this past weekend.  Castellano & Pizzo is the most authentic Italian market and deli I've come across in Tampa.  We stopped in for sandwiches, but also ended up checking out the wine, cheese, produce, meat and fresh prepared-food sections.   

Traci decided on a classic chicken parmesan sandwich and, instead of ordering a traditional Italian sandwich or Cuban, I went with the "salmon delight" sandwich.  This ended up being good decisions on both counts.  My sandwich - a combination of smoked salmon with sliced tomatoes, delicious big slices of mozzarella, oil and lettuce - was very tasty.  Traci liked her chicken parm.  The sandwiches at Castellano & Pizzo are big and reasonable priced.  Service was a little slow, but very friendly.

I couldn't help but order a small side of prosciutto salad (sort of an Italian meatlover's salad), while we waited for our sandwiches to be made.  I also ordered a small side of stuffed green peppers after another customer gazed into the deli case and raved about them to us.  I could have easily made a meal out of sampling the many freshly-prepared salads, olives, peppers, you name it in their case.  The prosciutto salad and the stuffed peppers (filled with meat, cheese, etc.) were both excellent.

I still give the nod to Wright's Gourmet House for being my favorite sandwich shop in Tampa, partly because Wright's has a bigger selection of sandwiches and more salads to choose from.  Plus, that's all they do.  However, my experience with Castellano & Pizzo this past weekend was very positive.  Anyone that has never stopped in before is missing out.  We had fun just exploring the store.  Tampa is fortunate to still have an independent Italian market of the quality of Castellano & Pizzo.

In doing a quick Google search on Castellano & Pizzo, I found they are offering a four-week class on Italian language, cuisine and culture.  Includes dinner with each class.  $205.  For more information.

Bottom-line:  Wright's remains my favorite sandwich joint in Tampa, but the deli at Castellano & Pizzo is a strong number two.  This gourmet Italian market offers up tasty sandwiches and a wide selection of freshly-prepared Italian dishes to-go.