Date: 02/19/10
Time: Late Evening
Type: Bar
Where: 11759 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL 33618-3503
Party: large group
Immediate Impression:
Why is their unfinished 1x6's everywhere...it smells like a great big hamster cage/VFW dance hall! I kind felt their should be balloons and streamers somewhere.
Service:
Our server was good, but less then cordial and/or helpful, in her defense, it was pretty busy and as the night wore on became more so.
Menu/Food:
I saw a kitchen, but I am not sure I would eat there. The bar carries the standard domestics and bottles - Guinness in a bottle. Make sure you ask for drink specials.
Price:
Fair. This seems to be a local college bar so they keep their prices
Final thought:
I only went to this bar because my friend's band was playing, not sure I would ever return without some determining factor like that. The sound system is TERRIBLE, which could be because they have a insulated wall separating the stage for the bar. Not the best venue for music, but seems like a good place for Beer Pong.
Monday, February 22, 2010
BJ Brewhouse, Pinellas Park, FL
Date: 02/19/10
Time: Lunch
Type: Restaurant
Where: 3800 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park, FL
Party: 2 females and a 3 month old
Immediate Impression:
Definitely not a good idea to get their exactly at noon! Parking extremely limited, but we were seated very quickly.
Service:
Our server was funny! First thing I notices were her really cool wrist tattoos (reason I am not giving her name); she kept our drinks full and helped when we needed hot water for the baby bottle. For the most part, she checked in on us but let us enjoy our meal w/o too much interruption.
Menu/Food:
Standard Sandwiches, Burgers, Salads, Pasta and Pizza dishes; they are also their own brewery - but it was lunch and I had just walked 2.5 miles - so I ordered their homemade Root Beer, which is YUMMY! For lunch, I had a Medley Salad and a bowl of Minestrone Soup, my guest had their Cobb Salad and a bowl of chili. We split a Spinach/Artichoke dip appetizer.
The salad, after I took off the onions and the red peppers, was, well, just plain salad - but sometimes this is all you need. The minestrone soup was great - although I am always surprised at why people put pasta in it and don't mention it on the menu.
As for my guest, her salad looked HEAPING - and it was allegedly their lunch size portion. I can only imagine how big the regular salad is. The chili bowl was also very big and according to her - filling! She had food to take home for later.
Price:
Honestly, for lunch its a bit pricey, but for dinner reasonable. The Soup Salad combo is reasonable especially if you are able to take some home/back to the office for later.
Final thought:
Next time I go I think I am going to try one of their HUGE potatoes and some of the house beers.
Time: Lunch
Type: Restaurant
Where: 3800 Park Blvd., Pinellas Park, FL
Party: 2 females and a 3 month old
Immediate Impression:
Definitely not a good idea to get their exactly at noon! Parking extremely limited, but we were seated very quickly.
Service:
Our server was funny! First thing I notices were her really cool wrist tattoos (reason I am not giving her name); she kept our drinks full and helped when we needed hot water for the baby bottle. For the most part, she checked in on us but let us enjoy our meal w/o too much interruption.
Menu/Food:
Standard Sandwiches, Burgers, Salads, Pasta and Pizza dishes; they are also their own brewery - but it was lunch and I had just walked 2.5 miles - so I ordered their homemade Root Beer, which is YUMMY! For lunch, I had a Medley Salad and a bowl of Minestrone Soup, my guest had their Cobb Salad and a bowl of chili. We split a Spinach/Artichoke dip appetizer.
The salad, after I took off the onions and the red peppers, was, well, just plain salad - but sometimes this is all you need. The minestrone soup was great - although I am always surprised at why people put pasta in it and don't mention it on the menu.
As for my guest, her salad looked HEAPING - and it was allegedly their lunch size portion. I can only imagine how big the regular salad is. The chili bowl was also very big and according to her - filling! She had food to take home for later.
Price:
Honestly, for lunch its a bit pricey, but for dinner reasonable. The Soup Salad combo is reasonable especially if you are able to take some home/back to the office for later.
Final thought:
Next time I go I think I am going to try one of their HUGE potatoes and some of the house beers.
Bonefish Grill, Bellair Bluffs, FL
Date: 02/18/10
Time: Dinner
Type: Restaurant
Where: 2939 West Bay Drive, Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770
Party: 1 Female and 1 male
Immediate Impression:
Surprisingly busy for a random Thursday night
Service:
Our server, Sylvie, was wonderful! She went the extra mile on everything, from double checking all the menu items to ensure no allergy complications, to ensuring the food was correct and the dishes removed promptly. Sylvie is very knowledgeable of the menu items and extremely helpful.
Menu/Food:
I ordered the Grilled Trout w/Asparagus and a side salad, my guest ordered the sirloin with a succotash side and au-gratin mashed potatoes. My dish was cooked perfectly, I simply added a little lemon and pepper to add some zest. The sirloin was originally under-cooked and came with garlic mashed potatoes, it was brought back to cook a little longer and came with an additional side of au-gratin mashed potatoes. There was enough food for dinner and lunch the following day
Price:
Reasonable even with a bottle of wine; Our tab was $60 for two entrees and a bottle of wine, but both of us did not order super expensive stuff.
Final thought:
Now that it is the Lenten season, expect it to be packed on Friday nights. This is a very good date place, the environment is set up to be romantic yet bustling. I LOVE the trout...only downside is the menu is limited if you are allergic to shellfish.
Time: Dinner
Type: Restaurant
Where: 2939 West Bay Drive, Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770
Party: 1 Female and 1 male
Immediate Impression:
Surprisingly busy for a random Thursday night
Service:
Our server, Sylvie, was wonderful! She went the extra mile on everything, from double checking all the menu items to ensure no allergy complications, to ensuring the food was correct and the dishes removed promptly. Sylvie is very knowledgeable of the menu items and extremely helpful.
Menu/Food:
I ordered the Grilled Trout w/Asparagus and a side salad, my guest ordered the sirloin with a succotash side and au-gratin mashed potatoes. My dish was cooked perfectly, I simply added a little lemon and pepper to add some zest. The sirloin was originally under-cooked and came with garlic mashed potatoes, it was brought back to cook a little longer and came with an additional side of au-gratin mashed potatoes. There was enough food for dinner and lunch the following day
Price:
Reasonable even with a bottle of wine; Our tab was $60 for two entrees and a bottle of wine, but both of us did not order super expensive stuff.
Final thought:
Now that it is the Lenten season, expect it to be packed on Friday nights. This is a very good date place, the environment is set up to be romantic yet bustling. I LOVE the trout...only downside is the menu is limited if you are allergic to shellfish.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Brass Tap, Wiregrass Mall, Tampa, FL
Date: 02/16/10
Time: Evening Drinks
Type: Wine/Beer Bar
Where: Wiregrass Mall, Wesley Chapel, FL
Party: 1 Female
Immediate Impression:
Relatively empty but everyone was enjoying themselves; Olympics on the TV, Karaoke being set up, and NTN Trivia going
Service:
Fantastic! My bartendar - whom I forgot to ask her name - was very attentive and kept herself busy w/cleaning glasses and engaging in conversation with the patrons.
Menu/Food:
There is no food at Brass Tap but you can order from Cantina Laredo or GrillSmiths which are both adjacent restaurants. Since my ability to eat is still limitet, I chose to stick with a liquid dinner of - Sam Adams Seasonal Noble Pils - which is yummy!
Price:
Really depends on the night you go - Tuesday was 2 for 1 select drafts (Noble counted) and since it was Fat Tuesday they had a special on ALL Abita beers. The cost is entirely up to what your tastes are. I have never walked away wishing I spent less.
Final thought:
This is my local place, which just happens to have lots of different beers and NTN trivia - my favorite bar past-time. Its a place you can go alone or in a group and receive the same attentive service. The crowd got younger as the night wore on but again, that really depends on the night.
I'd also like to note - probably because a majority of the servers/bartenders are women, the ladies room was really clean.
NOTE: ** if you are a Guinness drinker (as I am) in my experience there are only two bartenders there who pour correctly. Watch**
I of course will be going back - but I will probably eat before I go this time
Time: Evening Drinks
Type: Wine/Beer Bar
Where: Wiregrass Mall, Wesley Chapel, FL
Party: 1 Female
Immediate Impression:
Relatively empty but everyone was enjoying themselves; Olympics on the TV, Karaoke being set up, and NTN Trivia going
Service:
Fantastic! My bartendar - whom I forgot to ask her name - was very attentive and kept herself busy w/cleaning glasses and engaging in conversation with the patrons.
Menu/Food:
There is no food at Brass Tap but you can order from Cantina Laredo or GrillSmiths which are both adjacent restaurants. Since my ability to eat is still limitet, I chose to stick with a liquid dinner of - Sam Adams Seasonal Noble Pils - which is yummy!
Price:
Really depends on the night you go - Tuesday was 2 for 1 select drafts (Noble counted) and since it was Fat Tuesday they had a special on ALL Abita beers. The cost is entirely up to what your tastes are. I have never walked away wishing I spent less.
Final thought:
This is my local place, which just happens to have lots of different beers and NTN trivia - my favorite bar past-time. Its a place you can go alone or in a group and receive the same attentive service. The crowd got younger as the night wore on but again, that really depends on the night.
I'd also like to note - probably because a majority of the servers/bartenders are women, the ladies room was really clean.
NOTE: ** if you are a Guinness drinker (as I am) in my experience there are only two bartenders there who pour correctly. Watch**
I of course will be going back - but I will probably eat before I go this time
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Grillsmiths, Wesley Chapel, FL
Date: 02/02/10
Time: Late Dinner
Type: Restaurant
Where: Wiregrass Mall, Wesley Chapel, FL
Party: 1 Male, 1 Female
Immediate Impression:
Very sultry; I love the dark woods, dark leather and low light; exudes leisure
Service:
Tad, our waiter, was wonderful! Very attentive, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and dish contents.
Menu/Food:
My palette is very limited lately, so I ordered the Ahi Tuna Steak with asparagus and mashed cauliflower. Everything was fantastic - especially the asparagus. Although the tuna steak came rolled in sesame seeds, I had to cut this layer off - which was really easy because the searing was done properly. The inside tuna was slightly warm and fresh. As for the mashed cauliflower, this was okay, I would probably stick with Mashed Potatoes - my guest had the Augratin Mashed Potatoes which is worth the extra side!
My guest ordered Stoli Ravioli w/ the fantastic side of Augratin Mashed and Beef Tip Eggroll. OMG - everything tasted yummy and the portions were plentiful - lunch for tomorrow!
Price:
Not cheap - our total bill was under $60 but there were no drinks, and we ate two of the cheaper items on the menu. Expect to spend ~30 per person.
Final thought:
I will definitely go back here - this time to order a steak and a nice bottle of wine. While waiting around I also noticed they have a sunday brunch, which I will have to check out soon!
Time: Late Dinner
Type: Restaurant
Where: Wiregrass Mall, Wesley Chapel, FL
Party: 1 Male, 1 Female
Immediate Impression:
Very sultry; I love the dark woods, dark leather and low light; exudes leisure
Service:
Tad, our waiter, was wonderful! Very attentive, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and dish contents.
Menu/Food:
My palette is very limited lately, so I ordered the Ahi Tuna Steak with asparagus and mashed cauliflower. Everything was fantastic - especially the asparagus. Although the tuna steak came rolled in sesame seeds, I had to cut this layer off - which was really easy because the searing was done properly. The inside tuna was slightly warm and fresh. As for the mashed cauliflower, this was okay, I would probably stick with Mashed Potatoes - my guest had the Augratin Mashed Potatoes which is worth the extra side!
My guest ordered Stoli Ravioli w/ the fantastic side of Augratin Mashed and Beef Tip Eggroll. OMG - everything tasted yummy and the portions were plentiful - lunch for tomorrow!
Price:
Not cheap - our total bill was under $60 but there were no drinks, and we ate two of the cheaper items on the menu. Expect to spend ~30 per person.
Final thought:
I will definitely go back here - this time to order a steak and a nice bottle of wine. While waiting around I also noticed they have a sunday brunch, which I will have to check out soon!
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