A1A Aleworks--St. Augustine, FL

Happy Hour!!

After touring The Ximenez-Fatio House, it was time for a little R&R at the A1A Aleworks.   Located next to the beach on A1A, it was a great spot to enjoy the view and the drinks.  We stopped in long after the lunch crowd but it was still hopping with fun customers.  

Our first decision was difficult since they have quite a few craft beers to choose from.   My bartender suggested the Abaddon Ale...good choice but I really am a "Bud" man.  

After a few...we wanted something to munch on...which was a nice Wedge Salad, very fresh and crisp.   Also, they feature their house made chips with Bleu Cheese and they were so good.  

A great choice and we need to stop in again and enjoy many more of their offerings.  

Cheers and Bon Apétit!

Collage--St. Augustine

Outstanding Dining Ahead

I have been salivating about dining at Collage for more than six months.  OpenTable secured my reservations and our request was met.  

We arrived a few minutes early expecting to enjoy a great martini...but to our disappointment, they do NOT serve liquor....only wine and beer.   My dining companions do not drink wine or beer so they were left with water, tea or coffee.  

Roasted Garlic Spread

Our server began with my glass of wine and brought their rolls and roasted garlic to the table.  While enjoying, we browsed the menu.   My friend chose the Escargot for their appetizer....Tender Snails Sautéed With Mushrooms And A Brandy Cream Sauce Served In A Puff Pastry Shell.  

Escargot

On to the entrées!    Fresh Black Grouper--Lightly Coated In A Parmesan, Pecan & Brown Sugar Crust Then Baked. Finished With A Beurre Blanc, Diver Caught Sea Scallops-- Pan Seared Scallops Over Butternut Squash Puree And Brussel Sprout Chiffonade Finished With House Cured Bacon Lardons, Bartlett Pear And Pomegranate Gastrique and Homemade Lobster Ravioli-- Lobster Stuffed Ravioli With Sautéed Shrimp In A Pesto Cream Sauce & Topped With A 5 Oz. Lobster Tail.

Each of our entrées were perfectly prepared...outstanding flavors.  

Collage current and  complete menu available at  http://collagestaug.com/siteRoot/pdf/menu.pdf    

Collage has a great selection of Seafood, Beef and Poultry

Our evening concluded with the delicious Coconut Ice Cream 

and their Special Dessert Bougainvillea---A Special Dessert Of Strawberries 

Sautéed In Butter & Black Pepper, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream 

& Cabernet Vanilla Sauce In A Crispy Phyllo Cup 

I would highly recommend Collage .....worth every moment of dining enjoyment.  

The One and Only Columbia!

I shouldn't call it the "one and only" since they have other locations throughout Florida!  We have 

enjoyed the Tampa location and really do miss the St. Petersburg location since the pier

has been torn down.   Hope they can rebuild soon.    

This was my first time to enjoy the St. Augustine location.  

My first trip to The Colombia in St. Augustine was wonderful.  The building has been created to echo a Spanish Hacienda.....so much dark woodwork and brick.   Very beautiful interior.   The First Floor is expansive but we chose to sit in the Bar Area on the second level.  

  

Our Server, Jonah was quick to greet and get our cocktail orders.   Soon, the famous Cuban Bread was delivered to our table.  Quite a treat to say the least.    

We enjoyed wonderful food including Pompano "Lido Key", Redfish with Crab and Grilled Fresh Florida Grouper with their wonderful Rice and Green Peas.  

Our entire evening was so enjoyable and the price 

just couldn't be beat.  I find their entrées to be 

reasonably priced...great value and full of flavor.  

Portofino Italian Ristorante--St. Pete, FL

While on a recent quick trip to St. Pete/Gulfport, my very good friend and dining companion suggested that we try a new find.  Thankfully, most west Florida residents can enjoy a "new find" every day....that much to choose from.  

In a very non descript strip mall we found Portofino Italian Ristorante....a little gem that was worth the search.  Actually, we were looking for a now closed Thai restaurant.  We ventured in and our gracious hostess, Carmella, greeted and seated us immediately.   The restaurant just had good vibes.  

We began our dining with a suggested bottle of an Italian Merlot.   

Carmella was very good with the wine suggestions.   

Our first suggestion was for the Seafood with Linguine.  

Perfect mussels, shrimp scallops and calamari.  

Beautiful butter/lemon sauce with al denté linguine.  

I asked Carmella to surprise me with an entreé that she enjoyed.  

She returned to the table with an eggplant casserole packed with 

great flavors and lots of creamy cheese.  

Our visit was enjoyable and reasonably priced.   A nice dinner out at a restaurant I will be sure to return to on the next trip.    Thanks again Carmella~!~!

Oh...I forgot...the wonderful Tiramisu Cake!  Delicious.  

The Hangar Restaurant--St. Petersburg

After a great afternoon at the Dali, it was time for supper.  I love being able to walk in downtown St. Petersburg...so beautiful.  The group suggested The Hanger Restaurant....so we walked over.  

Arrived around 6PM and there were lots of tables available.  We chose a high top in the bar where the runway was visible.   Nice quiet area but it was very cold in the restaurant and I don't notice that often.  

View of the Bar from our Lounge Table

Our server was on the spot...but we wanted to enjoy our beverages and chat about the Dali.  Soon, our server was suggesting entrée items and they all sounded great.   We decided on salads and more drinks.  

The House Salad with Bleu Cheese Dressing

The Caesar Salad

Salads were very well presented...crisp, fresh and the accompanying bread was very good.  

Mussel Bowl featuring Smoked bacon, Blue cheese and Ale

 

Grilled Salmon with Polenta and Artichokes

I was feeling very adventuresome and had my server surprise me with their choice.  They presented a nice chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and topped with a very nice cream sauce.  

Grilled Chicken was Roasted Asparagus

The entire experience was good...but very predictable.  Nothing stellar, but good. The Hangar Restaurant would be a place to return for a burger and a beer. 

Habana Cafe--Gulfport

One of my dining goals in St. Pete this year was the Habana Cafe.  I have been wanting to eat here for a number of years.   The reason not for stopping sooner is the crowded parking.  The restaurant sits on a major thru street and it is busy, busy.    We were driving by and there was an empty parking spot right in front!!   Time to get in there before the spot was gone.  

Habana Cafe is a busy place since they also have a cigar lounge in the back.  You do NOT have to walk through there if you are sensitive.  So glad that Florida like Tennessee is now non smoking in restaurants.  

The first floor was packed but we were escorted to the balcony for an immediate table. 

The Nightly Special Menu

Our server was a pleasant and attentive person.  She immediately returned to the table with drinks, etc.   We chatted about the menu and my friend wanted the Cuban Sandwich.  It looked very good.   I was in an adventurous mood and asked my server to surprise me with their choice. 

Spanish Salad

Iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green olives, feta cheese, and Parmesan cheese with our special salad dressing

And for my surprise!

 

 The Habana Cafe's Sampler Platter turned into one of my favorite meals in the whole area!   In the top left was sautéed chicken with a creamy dill sauce.  (This was also featured in the Daily Special Menu above).  Wonderful flavor.   Next, on the top right, was the roast pork with the traditional Mojo sauce.  The bottom left was the shrimp in a nice butter/caper sauce.  Rice and freshly chopped onion for the black beans in the center finished off the perfect Cuban meal.    My server finished off the treat with Cream Cheese Flan......and all of this was only $16.95!    Can't wait to try this restaurant again....and soon.  

Fun Place and Great Food

Lee's Crab Trap II--Ellenton

While running around like a tourist we stopped in Ellenton to visit in the shops etc.  I did ask one shop keeper for a lunch recommendation and she said Lee's Crab Trap.  It was easy to find since it was right off 75 @ Memphis Road.  We pulled in about 12:30 and the place was quiet.  

Our server seated us at an indoor waterside table.  Quite nice, but a heavy touristy interior.  

Our server stopped by the table for drinks and was prompt on the return to the table.  He told us about the daily specials on the docket.  We decided on the Oyster Stew, Salad, and I asked the server to surprise me with my entreé.  He returned to the table with crab cakes, Cole slaw and sweet potato wedges. 

Nice stew with lots of oysters

Crab Cakes with Sweet Potato fries

Our lunch was a real bargain...tasty and fresh.   My crab cakes were full of crab but a little on the dry side.  A little more butter, a splash of Tabasco  in the sauté pan would have suited my palette.  Lee's is the kind of place I would return to again for more exploration of the menu. 

The Daily Specials

And a final Word of Warning!

Parkshore Grille--St. Petersburg

Parkshore's Valet Parking is a dream.....so convenient.  Christen had taken our reservation by email a month earlier and when we approached the Host Stand, they were ready for our 12:30 PM Easter Buffet seating.  

Our Server, Matt immediately greeted us and took our drink order.  Neither of us had been to Parkshore Grill before, so it was time to review the extensive menu. 

Our drinks arrived immediately and we decided on the Easter Buffet for $50.00 per person.  We had choices for appetizer, soup or salad, entreé, and dessert.  Sounded great, so we chose that special option.  

Shrimp Appetizer

Oysters on the Hall Shell

Our appetizers were delicious!

Spring Green Pea Soup

Lovely Greens with Spiced Pecans & Dried Cranberries

And it was time for our entreés.  We waited....waited...and waited.  Meanwhile, dining guests around us were enjoying their food and drink.   We waited...ordered another round of drinks.  Fortunately, we were deep in conversation and the time did fly by, but after all....we were getting ready to be served.  Matt returned to our table and informed us that my chicken entreé was not ready and he apologized.  He guaranteed us that the wait would be no longer than 8 or 9 minutes.  It took just about that amount of time. 

Sea Scallops with Risotto and Tomato Relish

My long delayed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potato

My dining companion and great friend tells me the Scallops were perfect....and they did look delicious.  My Chicken was OK but really had the overtone of being roasted at a different time and reheated for my enjoyment.  I didn't enjoy it ......just wasn't what I would have expected with this level of dining.  

Our desserts arrived and also were a little disappointing.   The carrot cake obviously had been sitting somewhere for a while...not sure but I believe the liquid once was ice cream.  My chocolate panna cotta and a little "dry".  

The Carrot Cake in a pool of something

The Chocolate Panna Cotta....very ordinary

Matt returned to our table to apologize.  Most people that were seated at our time had finished their meals and had left.  He advised us that he would speak to the management about our less than stellar dining experience.  After returning to the table, he gave us a 20% discount on the total bill.  His offer was satisfactory..but I would have expected a little more....like a full refund on the chicken!  

Here is the ticket from the Easter Buffett and

notice the check was closed out at 2:37..two hours and 17 minutes

after our arrival.     Sorry Parkshore, you need to do better than this!