Cafe You,,The Aussies have landed

Here is a bit of chit chat and my 2 cents on the  food. The special Shukashu? is 2 poached eggs in a tomato salsa of sorts. This is a staple down under. You can have it mild or wild.

Mine of course was wild. It was great. I also had a double espresso Aussie style

. It was strong and good.
This is a typical Aussie style cafe. A variety of different coffee and simple but healthy entree. It is local grown food as close as possible.
I am not the most healthy foodie around but in this case I was quite delighted.
It is off the beaten path. But easy to find and to get to. Cafe You has only been open for 1 week as of this writing. So before the line starts to go out the front door try it. I must warn you, it is for international and folks who love to try new stuff. Healthy food reasonable prices.

Sweet Odin Danish Bakery, not so sweet

Here is my 2 cents on the food. Wow I thought I was going to have sweets delight I was wrong..I order 5 items, cherry danish, cheese danish, pecan danish, apple fritter, and a apricot muffin.
First the apple fritter had on one piece of apple. Not good. Did not taste like a Winchell's donut.
The pecan tasted a bit burnt not good.
The cheese and cherry danish....I have had much better from costco.
My apricot was just a so so muffin.
I drove 20 miles hoping to be knocked off my feet...ehhhh...NOPE...never more.

Ted Montana Grill, Disappointed

Here is my 2 cents and some chit chat. I have been looking forward to having a bison steak or burger for 4 years. ...I must admit I was disappointed. I had a bison burger 6 years ago in Oakland,Ca. It was  delish. This was not. I got a Naked bison burger, medium rare. Every thing on the side. 14 bucks.

It was cooked to my perfection. Except I thought this was a bit dry. I took a bite naked, It just did not over whelm me. I added pepper,salt, ketchup, bit mayo,  bit mustard, a tomatoe and pickle.
Oh yes they give some pickles before the entree. They were crunchy tasted ok, but was missing something. I pass on the rest of it.
Back to the burger...I am not sure if it was me or where this buffalo came from. But compare the two together ...this one lost out.
My server Laurie and the cook did an outstanding job.
I will give it a second try in the future.

Firehouse Sub, better than average chain

Here is some chit chat and 2 cents about the food.  This is the first time I used a on line app. to order my food. I have tried others they just suck. This was easy to navigate ,you did not have to join, and you could pick the time  for the pick up. This section was a five star for me. BUT there were too  many choices and you had to be careful on what you need or wanted. I order a italian sub of sorts.. My order was ready at the time I needed it.

 I got the large.  9 bucks. It had a good chunk of meats and other stuff.Bread was fresh. Being the first time there I did not know that they warmed up the bread. I did not like that. It was ok though just not for me. Over all I thought the sandwich was good. Good value. I still prefer local places. They still give you more bang for your buck.
But if you are in a hurry and want a quality place I do recommend the Firehouse.

Bert Bar and Grill, a great place to eat and chill

First here is some chit chat and tips before the food. If you go,go by boat. It is easier to park a boat than a car.. Plus the view is much better and safer. If you drive go there during the less crowded times . Weekdays and in the morning. In front of Bert's there are only about 8 car spaces.( no handicapped was seen)... Back in if possible. Your car bumper is literally less than 10 inches from the roadway. The speed is 35 MPH..The best way to enter or exit is when a pedestrian is using the crosswalk which is about 25 yards away. (Lights & warning signals come on so you may make your escape.)

Is it worth the struggle...Oh Yeah. The staff are excellent. The view and serenity of the water is great.
I order a sweet ice tea.MMMMMM sweet and cold. They had a good daily menu specials, but I chose fish and chips.
It was more like fish nuggets and fresh potatoes chips.

The nuggets were fried to a golden brown with only a minimum of coating. The flesh was hot steamy and so tasty. The chips were homemade potato  style chips... Sliced oh so thin and cooked to a crispy goodness. ( It was a lower than usual humid day which added to the crunch.)  I ate outside it was so comfortable.  Yet be warned they allow the lower caste of humanity to smoke cancer laden cigarettes in the fresh air on the patio.
Ahh the homemade coleslaw was a delight for my tongue. I only wish I had a larger portion.
Over all great food, great view, and great staff.

Buca de Beppo, average chain eatery

Here is my 2 cents on the food and such... This place is located in a mall next to the food court... Not a good place for great food. I had the chicken parmigiana

and the alfredo as a side dish. Plus some bread.  I must admit the chicken entree was good. It was fried lightly on the outside and still moist and tender on the inside. Pretty good. Now the alfredo is a different story. It was ok but I thought it had a slight chalky taste. Thats the best way to describe it. It needed more garlic and was not as good as mine at all.

 The bread was served with a balsam vinegar and olive oil. Oil was ok I was not thrill about the balsam.
Service and  personnel were outstanding.
Again I had a gift card only usable here.
Will I come . Maybe I prefer mom and pops places they have the best.

Carrabba's Italian Grill, not bad typical chain

Well here is my 2 cents on the food and some chit chat. Chit chat... I came here because I had a gift card that was only usable here. That's fine I have never been here before. I scanned the website and thought that they had a brunch menu... They do but not at this location.  :-(... So onward.... I got my sweet tea it was very sweet I liked it. I was ask and served some warm bread with olive oil... (Bread with butter seems to be out of style.

I think it is cheaper to serve it with oil but that ok for me.) I order a 6 oz. medium rare sirloin, with soup of the day and garlic mash potatoes. The bread and soup arrived at the same time.  The soup smelled and tasted wonderful. Especially with the fresh grated cheese. It tasted homemade. I really loved it. I was surprised. I had to restrain myself from chowing down on the bread and soup. Anyway as a cook and carnivore I know it does not take long for a medium rare steak to be prepared..

. I read 2 magazine articles and tasted some more soup.   MMMMM where is it.??? I appear to be the only client at 1115 AM on a Sunday morn.  It arrives. I looked... it was small. I turned it over. I cut it in half. WOW WELL DONE.  After going to and reviewing more than 200 or so eateries... This is the very first time in my life that I refused a meal and had it returned. ...EVER. My server picked it up said I am sorry..... In about 5-6 minutes a new and properly prepared steak was replaced. This was cooked as requested... The red garlic mashed potato were great.  I found out, I am a purist when it comes to carnivore delights. Just meat, fire ,salt and pepper. ...They had topped my steak per my request with a spicy butter concoction. It tasted fine by itself or on other items...BUT for me on the beef it was just nasty.A mistake I will never do again.
My pleasant server, Haley, B did a outstanding job. I was also given a little 1st time visitor bag of salt & pepper grinders, menu and stuff for use in a future visit.

Over all good but a well done steak,mmmmmm, not sure.