Food Truck Rally-Tampa Bay Downs-Tampa

I have been to 4 food truck rallies before todays and I wasn't that impressed. There wasn't that much variety and the prices were a little to high to be able to sample more then one or two trucks. Especially that these food truck are at rallies not on the street during lunch or dinner in downtown setting. You have to pick between one or to trucks or you may get full and can't try anything else. Especially if not everyone has the same taste or wanted to try the same thing someone else wanted. Well, that being said. There was a couple of trucks I liked. Taco Bus and I love Stinky Bunz. I have been hearing about avacodo fries from Pocket Pirates. Well, my favorite truck and pocket Pirates were going to be at Tampa Bay Downs so I had to go. And you know what it turned out to be a great day. I don't know if it was because of the food, the great breezy weather or because I betted on my first pony. I didn't win but it was fun. When the food trucks come back to Tampa bay Downs I definitely will be there. Now to the few trucks we tried.

I had to start with Pocket Pirates avocado fries. You don't get a whole lot for $6.00 but I know how much avocados cost. You know what they were good. They had a light batter and the avocados were soft and had a nice creamy texture to them drizzled with a spicy mayo sauce. I definitely will get them again, but I'll have to get two orders because my dad likes them too.

Pocket Pirates

Avocado Fries

Next was Burger Culture my dad wanted to try their burger a cheeseburger to be exact. It looked really good. It was a nice big burger it came with lettuce, tomato and a couple of pickles and you could put you own ketchup or mustard on. The bun was soft and fresh. The burger was fresh cooked not precooked. It was a good burger. $6.00

Burger Culture

Cheeseburger

Next my favorite Stinky Bunz. Got 3 shrimp Bunz with kimchi. They rises the price on these from $9.00 to $10.00 but I had a taste for them. You get three nice size chinese bunz. Their like soft little pillow with a little slit in them for the filling. You can get 2 or 3 bunz with your choose of fillings beef, pork, chicken, tofu and shrimp. You also get a choice of kimchi or slaw. I like the shrimp best they have a little sweetness to them. You get 2 medium size panko breaded shrimp in each bunz a pieces of lettuce, kimchi on top and cilantro. I put a little sriracha a top of these this time. You also get a helping of kimchi rice. I personally don't like the rice. I reather just have the bunz. They were delicious. I will order these every time I see their truck as long as the taste and quality does not change.

Stinky Bunz

3 Shrimp Bunz

With Rice

Don't they LOOK GOOD!!!

After we betted on the pony's we were going to get more food, but we were full. But I did get an ice pop from Whatever Pop. I wanted Blackberry Mojito but they did not have that one this time so I got Blackberry Honey Green Tea $3.00. It had a nice taste to it. I would diffidently have again (No picture). I had to get some cupcakes from Unforgettable Cupcakes they looked so good. There $2.00 each 6 for $11.00 and 12 for $22.00. I got 6. 2 Morning Breakfast which was maple bacon. That was good you could taste the sweet maple syrup in the frosting I am not sure what kind of cake it was. 2 Chiquita Splits. That also was good it had a fresh banana in the white cake and banana flavored frosting with a little chocolate syrup on top and a cherry. And last, 2 Peanut Butter Dynamite. Also good. Chocolate Cake with a peanut butter frosting and it had chopped snickers on top.

Top Chiquita Split. Right Peanut Butter Dynamite. Left Morning Breakfest.

It was a GREAT DAY.

Ivory Mandarin Bistro-Dunedine

Ivory Bistro is not a favorite Chinese restaurant of ours but this is the only place really in the area and the only one that serves Peking Duck. We don't go here to often because the restaurant is not like it use to be. I think because the service is really bad it takes forever to get waited on they never come back to check on you. Waited 20 minutes before someone came by to take our order. And it wasn't even the young girl that brought our Ice Tea's over. I believe the lady who took our order may have been the owner. This restaurant has a strange way of doing things, one owner takes your order one person brings your order and another owner brings your check. The food isn't great but its close by. I ordered an eggroll. It's your typically eggroll. Next we had crispy tofu firm and lightly deep fried with a sweet soy sauce. Then Peking Duck one course for two. A big platter with deboned duck meat and skin removed. This is done the traditional way. Served with moo shu pancakes, hoi son sauce, finely sliced green onions and white rice. Even thou the service wasn't great the food was ok.

Eggroll

Crispy Tofu

Peking Duck

Duck Meat

Ivory Mandarin Bistro
2192 Main Street
Dunedin, Fl 34698
7272-734-3998

Sun-Thur 11:00am-9:30pm
Fri-Sat 11:00am-10:00pm
http://www.ivorybistro.com/

Sorry

Sorry everyone. I have been a little busy, I have a lot of pass place to tell you about. I will get these restaurant review out to you as soon as possible. Please bear with me. I am still working out a few things on this site trying to add Facebook and twitter and other info.


Thank you for your patience.

Hugo's Spanish Restaurant-Tampa

The pork sandwich looks so GOOD!

This is a favorite place of my dad's when were in Tampa. He likes their pork sandwiches very much. They must be dressed meaning lettuce, tomato and mayo. This is what he has every time we go (he also brings a sandwich home on occasions too). The bread is fresh and soft not hard, the pork is very juicy and tender and a lot of it. What a good sandwich! I either have the breaded steak as a dinner or a sandwich. I too like the sandwich dressed. The steak is tender and easy to chew not tough like some places. And you get a nice big piece which you could share or make anther sandwich. I also had their black bean soup which is good too. This is a quick and inexpensive place to go for a very good lunch.

Breaded Steak Sandwich dressed.

Black Bean Soup

Steak Sandwich and Pork Sandwich

Hugo's Spanish Restaurant
931 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, Fl 33606
813-251-2842
Mon-Fir 8:00am-9:00pm
Sat 7:30am-9:00pm
Closed Sunday

Eli's Bar-B-Que-Dunedin

Theirs this little old shack of a house in Dunedin Fl by the Pinellas trail, it's not much a very small building small parking lot and some picnic tables under some trees. This is take out BBQ, there only open two days a week. This place is alway busy so get there early. When they run out of food thats it. They were out of chicken today and it was only 2 o'clock. It's not great BBQ but it was satisfying. This was are first time here so we got family size slab of ribs served with large baked beans and slaw $27.00. 1LB. sausage meat only $8.00 and chopped pork sandwich $4.50 (sandwich only).  They serve your everyday BBQ beef, pork, chicken and rib. And baked beans and slaw.

 As you can see there is no sauce and no rub just smoked ribs. Sauce is saved on the side two kinds regular and hot we got regular. The ribs were a little tender not fall off the bone tender but easy to chew. They were good.

The pork sandwich was very good.  It's a nice size served on a bun again no sauce.  The pork was very tender definitely would get again.

 The sausage was good but it was more on the side of a fresh sausage almost like an italian. Not like a smoked kielbasa which is what I prefer but it was good, especially with the BBQ sauce.

This is your typically sides a mayo slaw and bake beans.

For you MIKE

Eli's Bar-B-Que
360 Skinner Boulevard  
Dunedin, FL 34698
(727) 738-4856
Friday & Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm 

The Salty Rim-St.-Pete Beach

Fridays Corey Ave food trucks in St Pete Beach Fl was the same old thing, never seems to change. So went out to dinner instead. Tried the new restaurant in Pass-a-Grill. The Salty Rim. The restaurants located in the back corner of the building down a hallway. There's some tables and booths a long communal table and a bar. There is outside seating and another bar. I don't know how its at lunch but on a friday night its loud and rowdy and they had a DJ playing so with all the noise it was hard to hear anyone talking. Being lent and Friday they had fish special one being all you can eat pollack. You stated out with two big pieces of fish with lot of fries and a small cup of slaw. The fish was good but it had way to much breading which was a beer batter kind. A reorder would bring you two more pieces but that was way to much. The fish was priced at $11.99. I had to try the taco's. They had many choices but never had fried oyster tacos so that I had to try.

You got 3 flour tortilla not my favorite I like corn better. They were served with peas and rice. The tacos had about 3 to 4 small pieces of oyster, cheese, tomatoes tiny amount of jalapeño pepper and cabbage and a side of sour cream. The taco were good, I did not care for the rice mixture. 3 tacos for $11.00.

They also serve some specialty drinks too. Ask the prices of drinks. Draft of Dos Equis $4.00 and it wasn't even cold. Bottle of Dos Equis $3.50 and it was cold. Now to the good drinks first I had the watermelon basil mojito crush it was good but not great the price $6.00. Now the second drink I liked better Blueberry lemon crush it was a little tart the price $8.00. A little to much ice.

Watermelon Basil

Blueberry Lemon

Over all the place was good. The service was ok. Would try again.


The Salty Rim Grill
9524 Blind Pass Rd.
St. Pete Beach, Fl 33706
727-851-9955
Mon-Thur 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat 11am- Close
Sun 12pm-11pm

http://www.thesaltyrim.com

Homemade Meatloaf

I made meatloaf yesterday. My family loves my meatloaf I make it two ways but this is there favorite. It might sound and look weird but its good. I put in a little surprise hard boiled eggs down the middle. When you slice it looks so pretty, and taste great too. I don't top mine with anything but this time I add a few bacon stripes but it didn't need it.

It dosent need the bacon. Would look better without it.

So Pretty.

Just look at that egg. 

Nice looking sandwich. 

Mardi Gras Dinner

Hi everyone! Occasionally I might add dinner pictures to my blog. Last nights dinner was shrimp and grits for Mardi Gras. I don't give out recipes. But this dinner was part Paula Deen@ part Foodnetwork@ part my own. So I'll give you a little info. I used bacon, andouille sausage, garlic, large shrimp, cream and some spices. For the grits I always use mike and cream and a little sour cream I learned form a chef on Diner Drive Ins and Dives@.  I also seen a picture of this with a poached egg on top and thought that  would be a good idea glade I tired it, it was good on top. This dinner was very good.

La Pollera Colorada III-Tampa

I have been to this restaurant before and the food was good. The reason for the first visit was because there  was a wright up in the paper and I had to go try the platter that was pictured. Something that I definitely would do. From the outside this place dose not look good its between a fruit stand and a BBQ joint. But go in it's a nice little restaurant. Each time Ive went the place was empty maybe it gets fuller at dinner time. The place has a nice size menu from chicken to fish to meat all spanish/columbine. But you must try there platters especially  the mountain platter with skirt steak delicious. It comes with a skirt steak cooked to you're liking (me blood rare) the meat was the most tenderious skirt steak I have had in Florida. It also comes with rice, beans, sweet plantains, pork rind, colombian sausage, fried egg, corn cake and a slice of avocado hugh but delicious, a good dinner item. Oh and they have good fruit shakes (blackberry).  The grilled rib was good too it came with beans, rice and french fries. Both meals also come with a side salad with vinegar and oil.

This is a must try place. Don't look at the outside just go in and try. I found out this place has new restaurant in clearwater too.

Mountain Platter w/ Skirt Steak

Grilled Pork Rib

Blackberry Fruit Shake

La Pollera Colorada III
2315 West Linebaugh Ave
Tampa, Fl 33612
(813) 930-8826

1226 South Highland Ave
Clearwater, Fl 33756

http://www.entampabay.com/COMIDA/lapollera/in_english.html

Seasons Cafe & Bakery-Pinellas Park

This was are first time here. This place is in a corner of a little strip mall but don't let the place fool you it's quite good and clean. Menu is small but just enough to satisfy. I really like this place because they have Banh Mi and a big list of Boba Tea's my absolute favorite.  The ribs were good but small portion. The sandwiches were also good just enough filling. And the Boba best I had, my dad also like the watermelon Boba here. Better then other places.

This is a must try place.

Korean Ribs

Seasons Special Banh Mi

Roast Pork Banh Mi

Watermelon& Avocado Boba

Blueberry Boba

Pork Roll Banh Mi

Dark Plum Boba

7261 US Highway 19 N (Same plaza as Honeybaked Ham)

Pinellas Park, FL 33781 727.623.0923

http://www.seasonscafebakery.com