Dining Out

Hush Puppy Benedict- Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, Lake Buena Vista, FL

September 18, 2019

The Hush Puppy Benedict from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ has hush puppy cakes, southern ham, crunchy chicken tenders, and poached eggs. Of course that is all cloaked with a luscious Hollandaise sauce. It’s so perfectly Southern!

One of my favorite places to eat at Disney Springs is Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. They serve the best comfort food. Basically, everything has that Southern charm to it. The meals are delicious and the servings are hearty.

The whole entire Brunch Menu is incredible. It’s a good mix of sweet and savory breakfast and lunch dishes. Some of the best ones are ones that a themselves a sweet & salty combinations like the Fried Chicken and Doughnuts. I was so tempted to order that, but my favorite brunch dish is Eggs Benedict, so I had to give their’s a try.

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Let’s be Social at Council Oak – Tampa, FL

January 6, 2019

Tampa’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s Council Oak restaurant hosts a ‘Social Hour’ that is putting Happy Hour on its head with amazing shareable dishes & elegantly made classic cocktails. Come, be social, leave full!

I was invited to enjoy dinner at Council Oak with other Tampa Bay bloggers to try out their new “Social Hour” menu. This will fast become the place to be to celebrate happy hour at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

Every time I tell people that I am going out to Council Oak, I get “ooohs” and “aaaahs”. Its reputation is well deserved because of their dedication for creating notable meals and well- crafted drinks. Any time you go, you’ll be in for a real experience.

I recently enjoyed a dinner at Council Oak in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa. I was there with a wonderful group of fellow Tampa Bay based bloggers. The intimate group allowed us to converse about must dine at Tampa restaurants, the crazy things our kids do, and how to best use credit card points to allow you to travel more. Of course, the conversations were great, but the star of the show was the incredible food and drinks.

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Date Night at The Rez Grill – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

October 14, 2018

The Rez Grill at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa makes you feel like you hit the jackpot with each item on its menu. You’ll have an amazing meal from drinks to desserts that feature creative items.

We were invited to enjoy dinner at The Rez Grill, a new American grill that is fast becoming a new culinary destination at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Farris Bueller

Farris Bueller was pretty wise for a high schooler. Life does move really fast. I swear every Sunday night, while loading dishes before going up to bed, I am thinking to myself “Well, we got nothing done on the to do list…” Life it busy. Life is fast. The older I get, the more I realize that the to-do list will always be there, so why not accept it and ignore the piles of laundry and filing, instead go out and have fun.

Our house will always be a disaster; with two kids, two dogs, and no time to take care of the tornado of activity it’s a given. So, the new life strategy is to ignore that all and enjoy ourselves more often. Prior to our wonderful dinner at The Rez Grill, Price and I had just been out on 2 dates since Hunter was born. Just 2 nights out in 16 months… WHAT?!?! So we decided it was time to hire a sitter and get out!

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Eggs Benedict – Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL

August 22, 2018

Eggs Benedict from Oxford Exchange is a brunch classic that is executed perfectly. Tampa’s hippest restaurant is the perfect place for this weekend’s brunch.

Oxford Exchange is a fun Restaurant and Shop located in Tampa, near University of Tampa campus. While the locale would suggest a prominently college age clientele, Oxford Exchange attracts everyone as the food and drinks are wonderful. The hip shop is just as enjoyable too.

Enjoy a moment browsing the books, candles, and other fun gifts before take a seat at your reservation.

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Seasonal Dining at Seasons 52- A Girls Night Review

November 23, 2016

The holidays are a busy hectic time, but you still need to make time to hang out with your best buds or to go out on a fun date night. It’s so important to take the time to have some fun and enjoy a good meal.

My friend, Nichole, and I went out on Sunday for some girl time. We did some furniture shopping… found the perfect table for the house!… and then some clothes shopping…I found the best leggings ever!… and then we went out for diner at Seasons 52. It was such a good time.

Great company, great shopping, and great food.

Amy, our server, introduced us to the restaurant telling us all about how Seasons 52 is a seasonal restaurant with a rotating menu based upon what is in season. They highlight fresh ingredients in creative ways. We were blown away with everything.

Plus, we were blown away about her in depth knowledge of the menu, ingredients, and the restaurant as a whole. I can barely remember my own birthday some days and she had everything down pat, without sounding like a robot. There was knowledge and passion behind her information and stories.

Shortly after we sat down we were served an amuse bouche of their Lobster Salad that is on their lunch menu. It was a wonderful bite-sized introduction to Seasons 52.

We started with one of the Chef’s Suggestions for an appetizer and another on the main seasonal menu. The Caramelized Bosc Pear and Burrata Salad ($9.50) was a featured item that consisted of a pear, proscuitto, and burrata arranged on fresh arugula, drizzled with a 15-year aged balsamic and served with piece of honeycomb.

Neither of us couldn’t get over the fact the pear and burrata salad was less than $10, especially for the quality of all ingredients. I’ve never had a burrata dish for less than $14 either. Burrata… bliss. Plus, the presentation of the salad was just so beautiful on the wooden serving board too.

The Blistered Shishito Peppers ($7.20) was another appetizer that we just had to have. I love that shishitos and the addition of roasted corn, Sonoma goat-feta cheese and a lemon aioli all sounded amazing. Every pepper had some spice and the melty goat cheese on top was irresistible.

While we enjoyed our meals, we enjoyed some drinks too. Nichole wanted a Cali/Oregon Pinot Noir so Amy brought her a Kim Crawford ’12 ($12) and a Schug ’15 ($14) to sample and pick from. Ultimately, Nichole picked the Schug as she had not had that previously. I enjoyed their Cranberry and Sage cocktail ($10.30) and their Ginger Agave soda. Both were incredible. Hello… candied sage and homemade ginger syrup.

Nichole ordered the Asian-Glazed Chilean Sea Bass ($31.90) that was on the Chef’s Suggestions menu. It was served with black rice, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms and garnished with micro wasabi greens. The black rice was just so cool and different. It had great texture that worked well with the tender fish.

As soon as I saw that the Seafood Paella ($27.70) had a Maine lobster tail, I knew that I had to order it. I have really missed New England Lobster since moving to Florida. Plus, paella always rocks. This one was made with sea scallops, mussels, Chilean sea bass, and chorizo. Every bite had a great mixture of textures and flavors.

Dinner thus far was awesome and we were really full but we couldn’t resist the Mini Indulgences ($3 each). They are little layered desserts that come in a variety of flavors like Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cannoli, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte.

Nichole had the seasonal Pumpkin Pie that had pumpkin mousse and gingersnap cookie, while I had the Belgian Chocolate S’more. I can’t resist a s’mores dessert, especially one that has a chocolate cake layered with rocky road mousse and topped off with a toasted marshmallow and chocolate dipped graham cracker.

Be sure to save room for a Mini Indulgence since they are awesome. Plus, they are on the house for your first visit!

I loved my girls night out with my friend at Seasons 52, but I am looking forward to visiting again for a great Date Night!

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While I received this complimentary dinner in exchange for a review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Monday Munchies: Fat Heads BBQ Stand

May 16, 2016

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

I believe that you can get some really great food at road side stands. The food has to be good to keep people coming back since there really is no service or decor to help keep people coming back. When you drive by a stand and see people laying food out on the roof of their car and chowing down right there, you know it’s good.

Thankfully, there are plenty of road side stands near where we have moved to here in Florida. They dot the side of the road and are stationed in dusty parking lots.

My current fav is just a few miles away from us. Yes!

Besides the food itself, the thing that I love the most about Fat Heads BBQ Stand is that it is so fresh. They make your order when you order it. No, you don’t chill out in a plastic chair next to the smoke for hours waiting for your pulled pork to smoke, but they make everything to order. It’s take out but it’s not exactly quick, but I appreciate that.

Meaning, they cut the ribs, quarter the chicken, scoop the sides all the order. It’s not just hanging out there for you, it’s made for you with your order. So good.

The father and son duo that run it are so nice and talented. Stan Sr. and Stan Jr have been running the stand for over 5 years but have many combined years of experience of making great food.

I have tried it all and let me tell you everything is wonderful. Just wonderful!!

When ordering the pulled pork, you are asked if you want the sandwich wet (sauce mixed in) or dry and what bbq sauce you want, mild or spicy. I personally prefer it wet with mild sauce. The hot BBQ sauce is good but it’s very spicy. Proceed with caution if you don’t like things that spicy.

Just look at that smoke ring!!!

Their beef brisket is also so wonderful. I love the smokey flavor and the tender texture of the thin sliced brisket.

I think that everything is a great value, but their Family Value Dinners are the best option when you want to try a bunch of things, have a bunch of leftovers, or actually share with your family and friends. There are 2 options, the Fat Head sampler for $23, which ended up being 4 servings for us so that was a great value. The larger Dinner Meal for 4 for $40 which is very generous so be ready for some leftovers for lunch or your midnight snack.

The cornbread is not included in the samplers, but order it… it’s good.

As well, ask for buns when you get the sampler for the pulled pork so that you can make sandwiches.

I’ve enjoyed all the sides we have tried from our various visits. The collards and beans are my favorite. I love collards and enjoyed the sweet tang in their collards. My daughter likes the mac and cheese, which I thought was a little dry one time, but great the other times. I am picky about potato salad but I really liked their’s.

Be sure to stop by Fat Heads BBQ Stand when you have a chance. The quick 25 minutes drive south from Tampa is worth it. I swear!

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Fat Heads BBQ Stand

5813 N US Highway 41 (at the intersection of Big Bend Road)

Apollo Beach, FL 33572

Saturday and Sunday 11-7pm

813.731.5256

Catering available, accepts Debit/CC

Monday Munchies: Breakfast at Moody’s Delicatessen and Provisions- Waltham MA

April 18, 2016

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

If you ever happened to ask me what my favorite meal of that day is, I’d say it is breakfast.

It might be because of how much I really truly love eggs benedict. Plus, I make a meal egg sandwich. I toot my own horn about it, but it’s true. I rock it.

So when I saw that Moody’s Delicatessen and Provisions, in Waltham, MA, was featured as a local a Cheap Eats in Boston Magazine‘s Feb 2014 issue, I knew I’d have to get there to devour the featured breakfast sandwich.

Besides the low price, what was so amazing about this breakfast sandwich that made it get named the Best Egg Sandwich and get featured on the cover? ALL OF IT.

But the real highlight to me was the in house made Pork Roll.

What is Pork Roll?

My parents are both from New Jersey so I grew up eating Pork Roll that we would pick up from our visits to visit my grandparents. It’s a regional delicacy that hails from New Jersey. The simplest way to explain it is similar to bologna that you cook and eat for breakfast, most often in a breakfast sandwich.

But don’t just think that Moody’s is only good for Pork Roll. Oh no, they are aficionados in in a large variety of house made cured meats. If you want a great sandwich or if you want to make a fantastic charcuterie platter, then stop in an pick of some of their meats, like bologna, salami, and roast beef.

The Moody’s Breakfast Sandwich ($6) lived up to all of the hype that I had read about over the years in magazines and on Yelp.

After years of dreaming about heading out to Waltham, we finally visited before we moved and it was worth the wait,

The buttery griddled English Muffin makes for the perfect vessel for the egg, cheese, and meat. It’s soft, but still has a slight crunch that is a perfect contrast to the fluffy egg sandwiched between layers of Pork Roll. And of course, the melted American-cheese that waterfalls down the sandwich. The jazzed up Tobasco-spiked Ketchup gives it the perfect amount of kick as well.

Bliss. I was almost tempted to order another. I really should have.

The 2 layers of pork roll make for the perfect bite.

Price enjoyed their Breakfast Burrito ($6), which featured Spicy Sausage, Soft Scrambled Eggs, Green Onions, Cheddar, Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce in a flour tortila. He thought it was really good but from the bite that I relucantly shared of my sandwich made him declare the egg sandwich the (obvious) winner.

And never one not to eat, Autumn enjoyed her 2nd breakfast of the day and had a blueberry muffin. But it wasn’t just your average blueberry muffin, it was a light and fluffy muffin that had a big gob of cream cheese in the middle of it that made it so much better than your average muffin.

If you are in the Boston area, I highly recommend heading over to Moody’s for the most epic breakfast egg sandwich to start your day off on the right foot.

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Moody’s Delicatessen and Provisions

468 Moody Street

Waltham, MA 02453

781.216.8732

Monday Munchies: KO Catering and Pies

March 21, 2016

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

I had taken a winter break from my Monday Munchies series since it was just too dang cold out to go out. Just kidding. Well, sorta. It was cold, but the holidays are crazy and then from there we went into ‘moving mode’ and things got even crazier. But I’m back today and I have a great place to share with you.

Now, people typically think of Shrimp on the Barbie, ginormous steaks, and vegemite when they think of Australian food, but KO Catering and Pies educates Bostonians on what Australian comfort food is all about.

Since opening their first location in South Boston in October of 2010, they have selling out of meat pies left and right. Thankfully, I learned of the hole in the wall storefront soon after they opened so I have been a long time fan. At that point I was a decent 30+ minute drive to there from our house so I was fully committed when I would drive over to stock up on warm and frozen pies and sausage rolls.

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Butter Poached Lobster Eggs Benedict- State Street Provisions

January 21, 2016

You’ve just taken a sip of your mimosa, when your plate arrives. It’s placed in front of you and you take it all in. The luscious yellow river of Hollandaise over the dome of poached eggs that are sitting on top of crisp Canadian Bacon and crunchy, buttery English Muffin halves. But the real beauty is when you take your fork, turn it on its side, and gently press it into one of those poached eggs, making the sunshine yellow yolk pour out. Then you cut a piece and take a bite.

That is brunch for me. And that is pure bliss.

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Making the World’s Greatest Burgers at Fuddruckers- A Review

January 14, 2016

When you think of getting a burger, what do think of? What do you think of for a causal lunch or dinner? Where would you go for family dining that everyone will love? How about fresh, handmade good food? What if I told you there’s a place that covers all of that! Welcome to Fuddruckers.

We went out to the newly renovated Fuddruckers in Reading, MA this past weekend. It was a great fun family dinner for us. Really great food for all of us. Plus, toy vending machines for Autumn. ha!

The restaurant is located in the big Jordan’s Furniture. It might sound weird to hear that it’s located in a furniture store, but there also is an IMAX movie theater and a ropes course and zip-line activity center called, Beanstalk. It’s basically a place for the whole family to have fun from watching a movie to buying furniture to zipping through the air, above sculptures made with jelly beans, no less!

All of that activity is sure to make you hungry, so the Fuddruckers is the perfect way to refuel you!

Their extensive menu includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, rings, and shakes. The decision might be tough but you’ll just have to come back for another delicious creation or take something to go (like how my husband took a brownie and didn’t even share it with me!!!).

Once you have figured out what to order, the fun begins!

The Shakes: Hand-mixed shakes are made to order with rich ice cream and milk, and then are topped off with whipped cream and a cherry. They are served in tall milkshake glasses along with the metal cup that they are made in since they are so large that they would overflow the milkshake glass!

I highly suggest treating yourself to a shake. There are big enough to share so it would be fun for a couple to enjoy together. They also offer kids sizes, but Autumn just enjoying taking some chilly sips of our Strawberry Nutella Shake. And I loved just how great it tasted with the fresh strawberries and Nutella mixed in.

The Meat: Fuddruckers has beef burgers of many sizes, cooked to order, and are always “100% USDA All-American premium cut beef.” They even have ‘exotic’ meats so you can create a burger with Buffalo, Elk, or Wild Boar. All of their game burgers are all-natural, free-range, grass and grain-fed, as well as 100% antibiotic and hormone free.

Price was adventurous and tried the All-American Burger with Elk meat which he said was noticeably different than beef but very lean and tasty. I went for the bacon and blue with beef. I loved it as the flavors all married really well together. I really enjoyed that the bacon was cut up as I find it really disappointing when I take a burger and a big strip of bacon comes with it, leaving so much burger behind with so little bacon. Bacon struggles are a real thing!

Both of us chose to have our burgers cooked medium rare, and guess what? They were! I know that might sound unimpressive, but more often then not we either get them very rare or medium-well, so it was refreshing to actually get a burger cooked to order.

The Bun: The scratch-made buns are made every day at every location. The bun was full of air and even had the butter and sesame seeds on top. They were puffy fluffy book ends to the giant patty between.

The Toppings: So what shall you top these wonderful meat patties and and buns with? Oh, how about whatever your heart desires?!?!?! These is a large topping bar to create your own “best burger in the world” each and every time you visit.

The entire bar was stocked!!! Shredded lettuce, leafy lettuce, sliced onions, sliced tomato, jalapenos, pico de gayo, banana peppers, and on and on and on… Plus there are so many sauces, including bbq sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard, and their signature honey mustard, plus so much more!

While Autumn is pretty adventurous with her palate, she is still 2 and would be happy living off Mickey-shaped waffles, yogurt, and her daycare teacher’s soup. So we just selected mac and cheese off the kid’s menu and hoped for the best. Some days she loves mac and cheese, and other days if you suggest it she looks at you like you’re crazy for suggesting it. Kids…

She really wasn’t into dinner as much as she was with all the excitement around her, like the quarter claw games with the blinking lights or the lobby full of yelling kids on the zip-line or the water fountain choreographed with music. But she ate the mac and cheese for lunch the next day and we had to break the news to her that there was no more and she kept asking and asking. She was a big fan.

And we were as well… yeah, we tried it too, oops! If you get something for your kids, you want it to be healthy, even when eating out. The mac and cheese was an excellent choice. The cheese was a white cheddar mix, not that neon yellow orange stuff. And it didn’t taste like it was loaded with salt either, which is really important for healthy kid’s meals.

While we were enjoying our burgers, Price and I noticed a few things at Fuddruckers that we hadn’t seen or noticed at many other places. First, you get in line to place your order, with drink cup in hand you head over to fill up and then find a table. The seating is first come first served which gives off a weird sense of organized chaos. A family was just leaving as we were walking by so we scored by not having to wait at all for a table that already had a highchair.

As soon as people leave there is a flurry of activity at the table as staff swoop in to clear the table and wipe it all down. Luckily there were plenty of workers to help with the task so no table remained dirty for any amount of time which was good because the line was out the door and spilled into the lobby for the majority of the time we were there.

You are given a buzzer that then notifies you when your order is done. A quick walk over to the kitchen and you are able to grab your food on a well organized tray.

The good quality of food, affordable price point, and fun aspect of personalizing your burger makes Fuddruckers a desirable place to grab a meal. Plan ahead if you are planning on grabbing a meal before a movie at the IMAX theater as it can be busy!

You’d think the line and overwhelming amount of people already seated would be difficult to manage but the staff but they just kept on pace and kept on smiling.

I spoke with the owner, Jim Boland, and general manager, Haley Davies, before and after our meal to learn about Jim’s 4 locations and what keeps both of them so happy and passionate about Fuddruckers. Jim’s genuine excitement about bringing families and friends together over a good quality meal is great to see. He wasn’t just another manager or owner happy to see a restaurant being successful, he was happy to see everyone being happy there. Shoot, they both were very hands on, even by helping clean tables. Not often you see managers, or even owners, helping the staff like that but you could tell with Jim that he liked what he did, liked his employees, and enjoyed that people enjoyed his restaurants.

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Fuddruckers is located across the US and internationally. Scattered across 35 states and 10 countries, you will find a restaurant near you.

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While our meal at Fuddruckers was complimentary, all opinions are completely my own.

Monday Munchies: Dinner at Joe’s- Fall Feasting at Not Your Average Joe’s

November 16, 2015

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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I’ll never forget my first time.

Nope, I’ll never forget my first time ripping that piece of focaccia bread in half, taking it and swirling it into the cheesy olive oil dip, and taking a big bite of that spongy bread that absorbed that earthy, rich oil.

When I was younger, I tagged along with my dad once from CT to MA on a work trip. We needed a dinner spot so we went to Not Your Average Joe’s. That night started my love with NYAJ’s and their infamous bread.

I recently had the fun opportunity to visit the new Waltham, MA, that opened just a few months ago, for great blogger dinner. They invited local bloggers to check out the new location and the new seasonal menu.

They used to have weekly specials but have not refocused their menu to have seasonal specials that compliment their menu staples. This way diners can try more options throughout their visits in the season.

Besides their new menu approach, they are creating a new look a feel to their restaurants that feature different table styles- booths, tables, communal dining tables, and high-tops. Plus, they have elongated their bar. But don’t worry, it’s not s sports bar! They have TV’s so you can check the score, but it’s not about that. They really want the emphasis on the dining experience to be about your food, drink, and company.

Our night started out at the bar where we gathered as a group to meet new friends and to catch up with old blogging buddies, like Erica, who I went to a New Kids on The Block concert with this summer!

I enjoyed their Cucumber Mule ($8.99) that features hanson hand-made organic cucumber vodka, elderflower liqueur, fever tree ginger beer, and muddled limes. It’s served in the classic coppper mug. I loved it so much that I had another at diner!

Unfortunately, it had rained the night of the event so we didn’t get to enjoy their fire pit. But I swear I am going back one day to hang by the fire pit to sip on a cocktail while snuggling under one of their flannel blankets for guests to use.

While I always appreciate the work that goes into creating a great menu, but I love to check out restaurants for their use of design elements, as I am a designer. Shoot, I’m currently working on a project that uses the blue glass pendant that is hanging over their bread prep station, pictured above. So fun!

We then headed into the kitchen to meet some of the kitchen staff and to see them in action preparing the food from french fries to their flatbreads to grilled chicken.

Our family style dinner started with Deviled Eggs, Mango Shrimp Rolls, Buffalo Caribbean Chicken Tenders, and Butternut Squash Flatbread.

I skipped the Deviled Eggs as I am not a fan of them in general and there was plenty of other starters to choose from.

The mango shrimp rolls were a lot of fun. I felt they could have used a bit more mint and cilantro in the roll as they were pretty mellow, besides the mango, on their own. With the sauce, they were great, but I would have preferred a bit more zing from the fresh herbs.

Butternut Squash Flatbread ($9.99) was a perfect seasonal dish that featured rich autumnal flavors from the squash to sage to brussels sprouts.

To me, this would be a great dish to share with a group while you enjoy their Harvest Sangria or a Bourbon Smash, or any of their other drinks from their drinks menu.

Besides having an inventive cocktail menu, they have 20 beers on tap that feature Massachusetts-made”Backyard Brews”, and an extensive selection of award-winning wines that you can order by the glass.

The Spaghetti Squash Bolognese ($15.50) is one of their Seasonal Selections that was naturally vegetarian, but was so hearty that you didn’t even ‘mind’ it. The bolognese was meat free, but had substance from a variety of mushrooms. All of that was topped with sauteed spinach and freshly grated Parmesan. A perfect 10 for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Super Crunch Salad ($14.99) is another great vegetable based dish. It is served with chopped grilled chicken, which can simply be omitted for a vegetarian version. Most importantly, enjoy the crunch. It’s a great crunchy salad that features quinoa, apples, pistachios, and more with an orange-sesame dressing.

Cranberry-Teriyaki Roasted Chicken ($16.50/$14.50) with butternut squash and ricotta filled cannelloni was another well received dish of the night. As we had a vegetarian diner with us, we received the vegetarian version that omits the chicken, plus you get another cannelloni. I enjoyed the flavors, but I loved the substance of the dish as well. So filling and comforting.

Besides the bread being infamous at NYAJ’s, their Mustard-Crusted Chicken ($14.99) has been a long time staple. It’s a simple chicken dish, but executed really well. Sometimes you just can’t beat thin breaded chicken cutlets that you can dip into a lemony aioli. One might argue that it’s pretty plain but I think it’s a great comfort dish as it’s served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Rosemary Skewered Scallops ($24.99) was my favorite dish of the night. Hands down favorite. I almost didn’t want to share and skip the rest of the other dinner entrees we could enjoy. I loved the sear on the scallops and the israeli couscous salad it was served with. I couldn’t get enough of the textures and flavors. It was a perfect combination of everything from the earthy rosemary to the insanely fresh vegetables in the salad.

Admittedly, I didn’t even try the new Vietnamese Salmon ($19.50) as I don’t love salmon and I was so freaking full already with all the bread and delicious entrees, and I was really trying hard to save a bit of room for upcoming dessert.

Dessert was a real treat as we were presented with 3 wonderful options.

‘Joe’ is known for the Peanut Butter Thing ($7.99) which is an ice cream pie dessert. If you love peanut butter and chocolate that I et you will love this dessert. You won’t be able to resist the peanut butter and chocolate chunks that are folded into vanilla ice cream that is then rolled in Oreo Cookie crumbs. Plus, it’s then finished off at your table by your server as they drizzle hot chocolate and caramel sauces over it. Hot Damn.

I had never had this before has I always, always fill up on bread at the start of the meal so we always skip dessert, but I was really impressed with it so I’ll really try to resist the carb loading at the start of the meal to make it to dessert. Maybe. Hopefully…

Goji Berry Apple Crisp ($7.50) that was served with ice cream was a fantastic dessert to feature classic fall flavors and ingredients. I thought it was fantastic and fun with the goji berries.

Wrapping things up was their Gluten-Free Carrot Cake ($7.50). The real kicker was that gluten free, but you honestly would never had guessed that as it was so incredibly moist. I have had plenty of gluten free desserts so I have had plenty of dry desserts, but this was awesome. It was incredibly sweet from the cream cheese frosting, but I feel that is signature of carrot cake in general.

So it should be no surprise that I loved this dinner. Duh.

I went home satisfied from a great dinner and from great company of other bloggers and the great folks from Not Your average Joe’s.

I highly suggest taking a night out to visit your local Not Your Average Joe’s in Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Or watch your favorite football team there while you enjoy one of their great deals. It’s always a great time at Joe’s!

Not Your Average Joe’s– Waltham

56 Market Place Drive

Waltham, MA 02451

781.966..5637

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While my meal at Not Your Average Joe’s was part of a local blogger event, all opinions are completely my own.

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WIN at $50 Not Your Average Joe’s Giftcard!
Gotta have their infamous bread and Peanut Butter Thing dessert!

ENTER HERE!!!!

Monday Munchies: Neighborhood Nights Out @ TAMO Bar- Boston, MA

October 19, 2015

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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There is a relaxed, fun vibe to TAMO Bar. You notice it the moment you walk in with the dim lights and upbeat music in the bar.

TAMO Bar is located in the Seaport Boston Hotel, located in the Seaport District of Boston. It’s a great location as it is great for visitors to Boston to stop in for dinner before going to for a show or concert. Or maybe it’s just the perfect stop to relax with a drink by the fire after a long day on your feet at the convention center.

TAMO recently relaunched their Neighborhood Nights menu. They offer a great deal every Monday and Tuesday night throughout the fall that allow guests to enjoy two courses each and share a bottle of wine for $40 per person. I love the flexibility with it as you can skip the appetizers and each have an entree and a dessert, or maybe you just feel like appetizers and dessert. So fun.

Price and I recently went and had a great weeknight date at TAMO to try out their Neighborhood Nights menu.

We decided to share an appetizer, each get an entree, and share a dessert to enjoy together on our neighborhood date night. Price and I typically share things off each others plates so sharing an appetizer and dessert is nothing new to us. But first, lets get to the good stuff, the wine.

Of the 6 bottles of wine that are available we elected for one of their whites, the ’14 Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau Lardiley in Bordeaux. We figured we would be eating light since it was a three course meal. We didn’t want to go too heavy and miss out on dessert from being too full. Then we moved onto our tough decisions for our meal.

We started with the Salt and Pepper Calamari, a large pile of freshly fried rings and tentacles is always good. The batter that Chefs Richard Rayment and Robert Tobin created reminded me of the batter on tempura shrimp and vegetables. It was served alongside a sweet and spicy chili sauce. Our only complaint was that it could have used a bit more heat, with extra peppers or jalapenos. It was a nice light start to our night and first glasses of wine. Then on to the main course.

Price selected the TAMo Burger. Burgers are traditional and safe, almost any restaurant can have a burger. There has to be something different and special about this burger if TAMO has it’s name on it it had better not be just any plain old burger. And it wasn’t. The TAMO burger was a flavorful burger mound smothered in sharp cheddar, bacon, caramelized onion, lettuce and tomato atop a nicely grilled brioche bun.

It was one of those meals where nothing sticks out because it all taste so great in concert. And the bun had grill marks! GRILL MARKS! You know TAMO stands behind their burger and it shows.

My Tacos Al Pastor were fantastic!

I arrived before Price and waited in the bar, and the gentlemen seated next to me ordered them and I knew right then that I would have to get them. Impressive since we actually ate tacos the night before. But I couldn’t resist.

Every bit was enjoyable with the warm tortilla, crisp lettuce, tender shredded meat, juicy pineapple, and drizzle of crema. Also, it was visually pleasing as much as it was delicious with the bright green avocado nestled next to the wedge of yellow pineapple. You really take it all in.

My only comment would be that I don’t like iceberg lettuce (with the rare exception of a wedge salad) so I didn’t love it in my tacos, but I’m just being picky.

The night was complete with the S’mores in a Crock dessert.

I love when restaurants take the classic S’mores dessert and change it up, so I wanted to see what the chefs did to jazz it up. They crumbled up graham crackers and combined them with melted chocolate and ooey gooey marshmallow. That delightful mess is then topped off with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Admittedly, we did wait too long to dig in since I ran to the bathroom and Price waited for me before digging in solo. That allowed the gooey marshmallow to cool off and firm up a bit. So I highly suggest that the moment it is set down on your table, you dig right in to enjoy the textures at their finest. Plus, the contrast of the hot S’mores mixture and cold ice cream play off each other really well.

Besides the awesome Neighborhood Nights special that TAMO Bar is hosting this year, they ave deals and specials on Sundays and Wednesdays. On Sunday’s you can hangout and watch football while enjoying their “Wings 3 Ways”, which includes Buttermilk Fried, Korean Style, and Chimi’s Spicy Chicken Wings for $20. On Wednesdays they offer a wine flight (three, 2 oz. pours) for $12. You can even have a specialty paired entree for $20. They change up their wines and pairing every week!

No matter when you go to TAMO Bar, you are sure to have a great time.