An Amish Buffet In Sunny Florida - Der Dutchman, Sarasota Fla.

On our recent trip to Florida, we decided to visit a buffet we has first found out about on You Tube.We drove down to Sarasota which turned out to be a pretty long drive.  Der Dutchman offers a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner also, but we went there for the buffet.  We got there early, so we browsed through the gift shop and looked through the bakery and the pies and doughnuts as big as a manhole cover.  Lunch did not start until 11:30. We finally made it to lunch and our server was prompt and friendly.
 The lunch buffet include he regular Amish food staples you find in Shipshewana or other Amish buffets. Noodles, creamed corn, dressing, salad selections, and soups. For meats they offered fried chicken, meats like pulled pork, and turkey that you could make a sandwich

  We found the chicken to be crispy and juicy on the inside and very good. The only thing we did not like, was that the food wasn't hot enough. That migh be because we were early birds and the food did not have a chance to warm.  They had a few desert choices and ice cream was served with the buffet. The place was clean and service good.  We were not sorry we visited, but would not put it on our list to have to visit.  If you are looking for an Amish meal in sunnu Florida though, this is the place for you. Der Dutchman has locations in Walnut Creek, Ohio, Berlin Ohio, and several other locations in Ohio. The location in Florida is located at 3713 Bahia Vista St, Sarasota.  You can find them on the web at: http://www.dhgroup.com/restaurants

Donut Burger in Paradise - Datz - Tampa Florida

"Let's go back for dinner, I want another donut burger."  Those words came from Rebbel shortly after we had lunch at Datz.  We had gone there a year earlier and I had tried their Vandross burger. It is a good tasting hamburger topped with tomato - bacon jam and white cheddar. Then they do the strangest, tastiest thing.    They serve it on a glazed donut for the bun. I know it sounds weird and to tell the truth many of our friends just think  it is just plain gross, but it is possibly one of the best burgers we have ever tried. Serve alongside this tasty dish were house made potato chips drizzled with sour cream. We did not go back for dinner but Rebbel did get her second burger a couple of days later. If you are ever in Tampa I highly recommend this place!!  They are located at 2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa,Florida.

Southern Cooking Done Right!- Kathi's Southern Cotillion Wildwood, Fla.

. .Located in downtown Wildwood, not far from the Villages, sits a gem of a restaurant called Miz Kathi's Cotillion Restaurant.                                                      

It features southern cooking. Rebbel chose the Big Daddy's Meatloaf and a side of mac and cheese. She got a generous slice of meat loaf on a slice of toast with smashed potatoes and topping that was gravy. It was as if your Momma had just made it. Very moist and full of flavor.  The mac and cheese was also  creamy and full of cheesy goodness.  I had the Florida Cracker Angus Burger. The half pound burger was juicy and topped with bacon, fried green tomatoes,  lettuce and onion rings. We had to take the cake to go!! Everything was delicious and cooked right with special attention to. Detail. As the masses were eating at all the bland  chain restaurants we were transported to the deep tasty south. I highly recommend this place but please leve a seat for us. This place is located in an old bank and there is not a lot of room. we also came at a busy time, so there was a little wait.  They are located at 101 N Main St in Wildwood Florida and also have a sweet store 2 doors down that has a limited food menu and lots of baked goods and wall adornments. Give 'me a try. They do food right.

The Best Cuban Sandwich - Chicken Time Belleview, Fl.

What makes a great Cuban Sandwich??? After sampling three different sandwiches in Florida, Rebbel and I came to an agreement.  Great Cuban bread, a good balance of ham to pork, and the best meats.  One of the best Cuban Sandwiches we ate, if found in the little Florida town of Belleview in a shopping plaza. The restaurant is known as Chicken Time and they specialize in Cuban and Puerto Rican food.  The Cuban Sandwich is awesome. It has all the elements of a great Cuban Sandwich.    

The crusty light bread, with balanced tender, flavorful, ham and pork, topped with zesty mustard and pickle. They are located in the Bellview Plaza at 10189 SE US Hwy 441 in Belleview.

The Pastrami Queen - Boca Raton, Fl - Pastrami ThatMelts In Your Mouth! (NAME CHANGE!!) ZINGER'S DELI

Pastrami. All of us have probably tried the meat in the local deli counter or in those Oscar Mayer packages at the grocery store.  It was o.k.  It was like all the other meat though.  It wasn't until recently that we found out what real pastrami is all about.
Pastrami was originally made because of the lack of refrigeration in the 1800's.  It was brought to this country by Jewish people immigrating from eastern Europe.  It is cured in brine much like corned beef, smoked and steamed.  Of course, spices are added along the process. 
We have always wanted a sandwich from a New York deli.  They seemed to do it right.  New York isn't on our immediate schedule.  On our recent trip to Florida,  I was trying to find an interesting place close to Miami.  We had a few disappointments and we really wanted something good.  I found a gem.
The Pastrami Queen. The Pastrami Queen recently opened in Boca Raton , Fla. It is owned by the Zinger's.  Denise Zinger is the daughter of Joy Harrison. Joy Harrison owns the Pastrami Queen in Manhattan, and the Pastrami King in Queens.  We found real pastrami in Florida, and we coiuldn't wait to try it.
The restaurant is located in a shopping plaza.  You walk in and realize it isn't your usual New York deli.  The waiters were in black tie and there were chandeliers.  We grabbed a seat and service was very good.  When our waiter brought the sandwich, which was plied in the center with pastrami, I immediately tried a piece that had fallen to the side. It seemed to have melted in my mouth. It was that delicious.  The spices mixed in a blend that complimented the meat and the bread was very fresh with a a great taste that added to the sandwich.  Just thinking about this sandwich makes me want to jump on a plane and go get one.  Its that good!  Rebbel had a corned beef sandwich that was good, but the pastrami was the star of the day!!
They have plenty of food on the menu,  but I don't know if I could ever tear away from the pastrami.
If you want to try their yummy pastrami,  they are  located in Boca Raton at 7132 Beracasa Way. I would definitely visit again!  Go to the web page by clicking the title.

Do I Smell Cake? - Cupcake Delights - Mount Dora Florida

Let me start off by saying that I am not a big cupcake fan. Cupcakes are usually crusty, small, and you have to peel the paper peel off . No just give me a big slice of moist 4 layer cake and I will be happy. The Cupcake Delights Shop located at 112 E Fifth Ave, in Mount Dora Florida might have changed some of that.
They rotate between flavors and display at least 14 flavors of cupcakes a day.
The cupcakes are flavorful and delicious. You will definitely have trouble making up your mind just which tasty sensation you will pick. My wife chose three for us. We had a Key Lime Delight, which is yellow cake, stuffed with butter cream, key lime butter cream, and graham cracker, and
sprinkled with green sugar, a Peanut Butter Crunch and a Coconut Dream.
You can drive yourself crazy and go to their link by clicking the title, or better yet, just go there and try them all.

A Place A Guy Can Feel Comfortable - The Frosty Mug-Mount Dora Fla.

The town of Mount Dora Florida is filled with little shops, and interesting restaurants.
I was there this winter with my Mother In Law and wife. The town is located in Lake County in central Florida and is a whopping 184 above sea level, which is pretty high for Florida. After going from shop to shop, a guy can build up quite an appetite. Lets face it, it's not exactly what guys like to do. We like to eat. Now the Mother In Law was looking at a Tea Room she had frequented a few times. I was hesitant. The waiter standing outside tried to make me feel more comfortable. "Sure, it's fine. Guys eat here all the time. What little finger sandwich would you like, and which frilly hat do you want to put on???" We were out of there. As we walked down the street, we found a place called The Frosty Mug.The Frosty Mug bills themselves as an Icelandic restaurant and grill.
They had an interesting menu, and the surroundings looked interesting. Very Viking looking. You could eat open air, or in the restaurant. The food was outstanding. My Mother In Law got a pulled pork panini and sweet potato fries. I got the fish and chips and my wife got a Good French Man sandwich. All were happy. We would definitely go back. If you get a chance, try out the Frosty Mug. You can find them on the web at: http://www.thefrostymug.com/ or click on the title.

Follow Your Nose To Ted Peter's Famous Smoked Fish

When in Florida, we always try to go towards Tampa. That side of the state is just beautiful. The coast is dotted with seafood places. One of those places is Ted Peter's
Famous Smoked Fish.
This place is basically just a shack. Located at 1350 S. Pasadena Avenue in St. Petersburg, you have two choices of seating. Outside there are covered picnic tables and the outside bar. You go inside and its kind of grungy. It kind of gives you a cabin feel, a real old dingy cabin feel,complete with fireplace. I don't know if its a working fireplace,but they probably don't need it too much in Florida.
The fish is a completely different story. It first hits your nose the minute you pull in the parking lot. In fact, that is the way Ted Peter's would lure in customers when he first opened the restaurant back in 1951. According to his obituary; he died in 2003, he used to wave the lid on his smoker as customers went by. I can see how that worked. Today, the smokehouse sits next to the restaurant. You can watch the process and buy some fish to go.
The fish comes in a huge portion. It is juicy and has a great smokey flavor. I had the Mahi-Mahi and Rebbel got the Salmon. Both winners. Of course we had to try the potato salad and cole slaw. The potato salad, was a German potato salad. I usually don't care for that type, but theirs tasted totally different. It tasted more like the fried potatoes you might have with your eggs in the morning. Simply delicious.
We took some of their smoked fish dip and crackers for a snack. That too, was totally awesome. I also witnessed a lot of people ordering the hamburgers. I hear that those are really good too. I highly recommend trying this place. I have a feeling we'll be back!

Rebbel Finds Some Friends/ Sweet Tomatoes, Orlando, Fla.

"I wish you could find my friends." ,Rebbel said. Once again something had triggered her memory of two people she had known since she was a little girl living in Petersburg, Mi. Joyce and Jack Wittman were people that lived in the same subdivision across the road from Rebbel. Rebbel used to go over to their house and just hang out, play Monopoly with Joyce, and just visit. I picture a Dennis the Menace, Mr. Wilson type relationship.
It must have been pretty bad because the Wittman's moved to Lambertville, but Rebbel still managed to keep in touch. She would continue to stay in touch with them until about 1991. Joyce had told her that they were living in Florida. Soon after, we moved and Rebbel lost the post card with their new address and she lost touch.
For the past few years Rebbel has been trying to find Joyce. I would dutifully search for them on the internet every time she would bring them up. This year, I was able to find a Wittman in Florida and Rebbel called.
"Is this Jack??" , Rebbel asked. "Did you live in Petersburg? Are you married to Joyce and do you wear a size 10 shoe?" You really got to be sure you have the right person after 15 years. "This is Rebbel." Silence while Jack processed which Rebbel it could be. Then a light went off and he remembered. Joyce called back a little later and the two friends went over old times. "Remember how you always wanted to play Monopoly all the time?? I hated that game, but I knew you liked it.", Joyce said. "That's funny." Rebbel said, "I hate that game, but I thought you liked it."
When we visited Florida, they were so nice, I felt I knew them forever. They treated us to a place called Sweet Tomatoes in Orlando. We had heard about Sweet Tomatoes from other friends and all of them that gave it high marks.
Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantations are chain restaurants located in 15 states. The Sweet Tomatoes restaurant we went to was like a large salad bar buffet.
They had a great variety of fresh vegetables for their salads, different variety of soups, muffins, prepared salads, pastas and even desserts. They even had tea and pomegranate juice! The word here is healthy. Don't expect fried chicken, or ribs. It isn't that kind of buffet. If you like soup and salad you will love Sweet Tomatoes. On the other hand, if you love Monopoly, don't ask Rebbel and Joyce to play. They both hate it! You can find out more about Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation at http://www.sweettomatoes.com/

You Have Reached You Destination, Sort Of - Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar B Que - Orlando, Florida

On our recent trip to Florida over Christmas vacation, my wife and Grand kids were very hungry after our excursion to Universal. Rebbel had planned a few places out in advance that she had seen on t.v. We had discussed going to a barbecue place called Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar b que, but after spending close to $40.00 on four cheeseburgers, fries and drinks at Universal, we decided to just go to Pizza Hut, after all we were tired and hungry and didn't know where exactly this Bubbalou's was located.

Before the trip we bought a Tom Tom One XL, so I plugged in Pizza Hut as a Point Of Interest.

We had already left the Orlando area and were making our way down Florida's Turnpike. The GPS took us back what seemed like for miles. Of course time always go by slow when you have hungry Grand kids in the backseat and a hungrier wife driving.

We finally got to where Tom Tom sent us. There was that English lady saying "you have reached your destination." (We have the English lady because she sounds a lot more pleasant than the other voices and less bossy.) We looked all over the place and there was no Pizza Hut.

We pulled in to this shopping center's parking lot and what did we see??? Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar b que!! We decided that we were supposed to eat there and so we did!

The ribs were delicious. They had a smokey flavor and were tender. The prices were reasonable and service pretty good. I would still put Oakwood first, but these were good ribs too. So if you are ever in the Orlando Area, just put Pizza Hut into your Tom Tom and let it take you to Bubbalou's. They have at least three locations, we still don't know which one we were at, and you can check them out on the web at http://www.bubbalous.com/.

Gourmet Seafood, Anyone?? - Keegans Seafood Grille, Tampa, Fla.

After a day spent at St. Pete's Beach area, with the Grandkids, we went looking for this place located up the beach at Indian Rocks Beach in Florida. Rebbel had seen this place in an installment of Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives and wanted to try it. After all, we were in the area.

Keegan's Seafood Grille was founded by Linda and Cesar Keegan. She has a background in fine dining in the North and South, and he learned his trade in the cruise ship industry, and kitchens in Miami.

The restaurant can't be really considered a dive, or a diner and I didn't notice a drive through. It is a place though where you just don't expect to see this quality of food. The presentation of

Rebbel's dinner, was something to behold. It was so colorful. I ordered the sandwich and it wasn't as colorful, but I think it tasted better. It was juicier. After a sunny day at the beach, it was an interesting place to try. Would we go back?? Probably not. There are so many places to try along this coast, and while the food was good, and looked great, we would probably try other places. Although we are glad we ate there . http://www.keegansseafood.com/index.html

Adventures in Florida's Oldest City- Santa Maria Restaurant, Cafe De Hildago, St. Augustine,Florida

Santa Maria-St. Augustine

St. Augustine, aka Florida's oldest city. We were visiting this place with Rebbel's Mom, and my son Michael. Because my wife is hypoglycemic, and I am always hungry, we thought we would look for a place to eat. Being a fan of many travel and eating shows, we explained to Rebbel's Mom that we would find the best place to eat by asking a local as suggested on the shows.

We went to the public restrooms, and as we were coming out, we saw a person coming at us on a bicycle. This person looked to be indigent to Rebbel and me; but to Rebbel's Mom, he looked like the perfect local to ask about a good place to eat. As Rebbel and I looked on in astonishment, there she was getting the information. When she came over to us, we laughed at her and kidded her. We asked her what dumpster he suggested. She told us that he had told her that we should eat at the Santa Maria Restaurant. Then a really strange thing happened. We took his advice and tried it !!

I don't remember the food. I believe I got the Grouper, Michael was on a hamburger for every meal kick, and it seems that Rebbel and her Mom got some kind of fish. The food seemed o.k. but the neat thing about this restaurant was that it was right on the water.

The waitress brought over a basket of old bread and told us we could feed the fish. For some reason Rebbel wasn't paying attention, and started eating the bread until we told her what it was for.

The Santa Rosa had little windows that you could feed the fish or the hungry gulls. It was really neat watching the birds go after the bread with almost as much gusto as my wife did when the waitress brought it. In fact, my brave teenager was afraid to try it for fear the birds would bite him. You can find a history of the landing and menu at http://www.oldcity.com/sites/santamaria/more.html

After the restaurant we went browsing at some of the shops and stopped by for the best gelato at the Cafe de Hildalgo. It was a very enjoyable day.

gelato-Cafe De Hildalgo

Hi There!!

We have enjoyed traveling around this country over the past few years. We love finding new places to eat, and my wife likes trying to copy the good food we find; of course, I love eating it!

We have been to most of the states and have tried a lot of food along the way.

Last year, we tried our first cruise. We had a blast! Rebbel's Mother came with us, and at 78 years old she climbed the rock wall!!

From the time we boarded the ship, there was constant food!+In fact, we were going to kill some time and look for someplace to eat, but the guy at the dock told us that once we boarded there would be food, and he wasn't kidding!

We sailed to the Bahama's on Royal Caribbean's Sovereign Of the Seas. What a great time! I highly recommend this cruise to any first timers.