A familiar site on Dale Mabry, stop in the Cafe for one of Tampa's Best Breakfasts

The Tahitian Inn Cafe is an oldie but goodie. Mister M and I have been there at least 20 times for breakfast and lunch and count on the Tahitian for a quick, go-to breakfast or lunch.  I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to include it in the ZEST’s Best list, but I think it’s because it’s such a habit, I take it for granted.

The Tahitian Inn has a long history in South Tampa. In the 1950′s The Tahitian was situated on a parcel of land owned by Santo Trafficante Jr., the notorious mob boss, and was a hotspot for his mobster associates. More recently, the Tahitian Inn allegedly was the site of Michael Lohan’s latest bout of domestic bad behavior that landed him in Hillsborough County Jail with a new criminal charge.

Sorrid history aside, we frequent  The Tahitian Inn Cafe because the menu features simple and straightforward coffee shop fare that’s cheap–eggs, pancakes, waffles, and a variety of omelets are all in the $7 to $9 range. Food comes fast and with a smile from friendly servers. At lunch, the variety burgers and BLTs are consistently great.

Once evening comes, the Tahitian Inn Cafe turns into Kon-Tiki, featuring a Island fusion menu inspired by the restaurant’s recently-updated Polynesian décor. Dinner at Kon-Tiki falls short on flavor and translation but we keep coming back for one of the consistently best breakfasts in Tampa. 601 South Dale Mabry Hwy,
 Tampa, Florida 33609. Tel: 813-877-6721.

Our Yummy House dim sum tradition made the Best of 2011 List

2011 was momentous eating year for Mister M and I. We were fortunate to squeeze in a ton of travel and experience new and exciting cultures. Of course, those adventures also gave us the chance to sample lots of great food.

I started 2011 on a detox kick. While I was somewhat successful in ridding myself of some bad habits, but I found myself rounding out 2011 thinking less about what my next great meal was going to be and more about how fortunate we are to just have food on the table.

With the impending arrival of Baby Melt in May 2012, I’ve been considering the kind of world I want my child to grow up in and what I can do to make sure he’s healthy. That started with me really honing in on where the food on our table is coming from and, after finding out we were expecting, cooking much more at home. (Which incidentally, was one of my New Year’s resolutions, even though it took me nearly eights months to get there!)

Change, it is a-coming, and 2012 will undoubtedly be more low-key for Mister M and me. Less white tablecloths in exotic locals and loads more home cooking– but also the opportunity to dig into to some local Tampa Bay Restaurants that I simply ran out of time to try this year.

Unfortunately, when the food gods shine down, you do what you can to capture the moment on the fly—lighting and cameras be damned! A food stylist I am not, but here is my recap of the best and most memorable bites and meals from 2011.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous 2012!

Graham Elliot

Mister M and I started 2011 off with a bang at Graham Elliot in Chicago. Not only did we get to meet The Top Chef Master himself, we had an amazing prix fixe meal including a finale of a 24 karat chocolate twinkie confection.

Pasta in Positano

Our girls’ trip to Italy this spring confirmed what I already knew: Italians do it better. This bravado was on full display at daVincenzo, a three-generation family-run restaurant in Positano, Italy. This rigatoni in a tomato sauce with meat followed by a zingy lemon sponge cake was unforgettable. We learned that the meals at daVincenzo’s are still lovingly prepared by the family’s Nonna. The food was not fancy, yet it was incredibly cravable.

Burrata

Ladies cut their Macho Burger in half before devouring

Macho Burger at Chris Madrid’s

I confess that I’m a cheeseburger purist— I loathe bacon, fancy cheese or grilled mushrooms on my burger. I want the beef to shine. So I had guarded expectations about how the Macho Tostado burger at San Antonio’s beloved burger joint Chris Madrid’s–with its laundry list of Tex-Mex toppings–could really be that good. Boy, Mister M proved me wrong. The Tostada burger delivered to our table was a perfect bundle of ooey-gooey goodness. The eggy bun had a beautiful sheen to it. The half-pound patty, pounded thin, spilled out well beyond the bun and was topped with chopped onions, homemade refried beans, crushed tortilla chips, pico de gallo, and cheese for as far as the eye could see.

Little Momma and The Big Momma

Big Momma & Naschmarkt

The cheesewurst I had at the roadside stand Würstelstand LEO set a new sausage standard. They call it the Big Momma for a reason, as it’s the Queen of Vienna würstel. The french bread torpedo is perfectly hollowed out from the inside, allowing the bread to completely envelope the sausage and condiments, rendering it fully portable. That same day we had a great afternoon at Naschmarkt, Vienna’s market in the city center, lined with bars and restaurants and lots of vendors selling local produce and meats.

Carne Asada at El Farolito

Carne Asada

We tentatively entered this San Francisco Mission District hole-in-the wall looking for burritos, and almost walked out. I’m so glad we didn’t. El Farolito’s knock out carne asada and burritos with homemade salsas served alongside margaritas ladled out of utility buckets were one of the highlights of our West Coast trip.

Dim Sum at Yummy House

Sunday afternoons at Tampa’s Yummy House have become a habit for me and Mister M. The black bean chicken with green beans along with a few rounds of dim sum (the pork filled steamed buns and shrimp balls are our favorites) are our go-to NFL warm up. Considering how terribly our fantasy football teams performed this year, we might need a new tradition. But honestly, I’m willing to forsake fantasy domination in exchange for Yummy House steamed buns.

Sausage and The Salt Lick

Everything is bigger in Texas and our trip to Austin was supersized. I’ve been a Salt Lick barbeque fan for many years, but for some reason, our most recent trip to the Salt Lick Ranch, just outside of Austin, really hit the spot. Texas is known for its brisket but my favorite regional specialty is the smoked sausage, a testament to the Texas Hill Country’s strong German roots. Salt Lick is extra good because their tangy, mustardy sauce is fantastic. For me, eating doesn’t get much better than the Salt Lick pulled pork and sausage platter with a Shiner Bock in hand.

Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon

Pasteis de Balem Nostalgia | Photo by Gina Melton

Despite significant historical sights in the Belém neighborhood in Lisbon, the real reason for the pilgrimage to Belém for me and Mister M—as well as and hundreds of thousands other people each year—was to stop at a nearby pastry shop called the Cafe Pastéis de Belém, home to the little gems of Portugese baking: Pastéis de Belém.

Once you’ve taken a bite you will understand why these confections are so special. The shell is made from a buttery and flaky massa folhada, Portugal’s version of puff pastry. Inside, a luscious, warm, custard calls your name, over and over again. I will never be able to replicate these little desserts, but I’m hoping my new friend and food blogger Isabel Laesig from Family Foodie will teach me how to make a version someday.

Ma Peche

David Chang is a freakin’ genius. I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and am a believer. Our meal at Midtown’s Manhattan’s MaPeche was probably the most fun meal of the year— aided by a crowd of great friends and a rockin’ playlist. Every course was memorable but the crispy pig head—which was recommended by just about everyone we talked to about Ma Peche—stood out. Bracing ourselves for an outrageous presentation of an actual pig’s head, we were pleasantly surprised when the pig head packages arrived. The meat inside the crispy puck was moist and complimented by a tangy mustard. And, underneath was a tasty pile of stewed lentils.

This was service for one

Once you go Czech you never go back

Mister M and I’s first stop when arriving in Prague was to Hlucna Samota, a local bar that served Czech favorites. The all-star concoction of pork with potato dumplings, sauerkraut and bacon sounded like a comfort food dream. Then they brought me this trough—with it’s own source of fire—and I thought, they had to be kidding. I learned that Czechs rarely joke about food, so I shut my mouth, downed some Pilsner Urquell and dug in. I could barely make a dent in it, but it was outstanding.

The Singapore Chop-Chop Salad and other fresh entrees from Seaside Cafe

Chef Donna Wynter has worked in some of South Florida’s best Hotel restaurant kitchens, including a stint as Chef du Cuisine at Palme d’Or at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and at the former Baleen at The Grove Isle Club.

These days, Wynter’s significant culinary talent is focused on building the restaurant scene at the Waldorf Astoria’s  Boca Beach Club, where she is the Executive Chef at the resort’s restaurants.

Wynter “enjoys the stability of hotel restaurants and the diversity of the people she gets to work with in the hotel industry” and is particularly excited about the resort’s newest concept, the Seaside Café.

Buttercup umbrellas line the beach at the Seaside Café where diners can enjoy waiter service or a beach buffet that’s seafood-focused, yet still family friendly. The Cafe menu features lobsters and seafood prepared table-side and other options that are  causally elegant and health-conscious. Lighter fare, like the Mediterranean plate featuring dolmas, chick pea hummus and whipped feta spread and the Singapore Chop-Chop Salad, tossed with peanut dressing in a large martini shaker and poured into a bento box, provides beachgoers with fresh cuisine with a dash of whimsy.

The best part? Diners can enjoy this beachside elegance for a fraction of what you might expect. The beachside buffet at the Seaside Grille, including a lobster bake with accoutrement, is $23.

One of Chef Wynter’s most beloved  dishes is her conch chowder, a recipe she was kind enough to share with ZEST readers.  (See recipe below)

Boca Beach Club, 900 South Ocean Boulevard, Boca Raton, FL 33432.

Conch Chowder

Chef Wynter

Chef Donna Wynter, executive chef at the Boca Beach Club, graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City, and has worked her way through South Florida’s most esteemed hotel restaurants.

A Floribbean favorite, Conch Chowder is one of Wynter’s most popular dishes. If you can’t make it to Boca Beach Club’s Seagrille to try it yourself, here is the recipe to enjoy at home.

INGREDIENTS:

1pound Ground Conch, ¼ cup of each, red, yellow, green peppers diced

1 cup of yellow onions diced, 2/3 cups bunches celery diced, 2 diced carrots, 2 cups potatoes diced (and blanched al dente), 2 garlic cloves crushed, 1 can of coconut milk, 2 cups clam juice, 2 cups V-8 juice, 2 cups tomato juice (combine all wet ingredients with herbs), 1 cup whole plum tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 1 ½ teaspoons of mixed dried basil, thyme and oregano, ¼ cup clarified butter, 3 tablespoons unsalted soft butter (mix butter and flour together to form a paste), 3 tablespoon flour

DIRECTIONS: In a hot pot add clarified butter, sauté ground conch, add peppers, onion, celery, carrots and garlic cook until tender, add butter and flour paste and incorporate well. Add wet ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes, finish with blanched potatoes and simmer for an additional 15 min until potatoes are fully cooked.

Serve with oyster crackers.

Photo Courtesy of Monica Caretto of Sweet Bites blog

As promised, here is Pane Rustica’s Medjool date strudel that was served at last week’s Natural Delights Tampa Blogger’s Dinner. This recipe is very easy and would be a great addition to New Year’s day menus focused on good luck pork dishes.

Medjool dates are a very versatile fruit. Some people compare them to figs since they can be used in a similar flavor profiles, but in my opinion, they are less sweet (in a good way!) and have a better consistency.

To learn more about Natural Delights Medjool dates, check out their website or like them on Facebook.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Phyllo dough, melted butter, pre-cooked yellow cake (or store bought), Medjool dates, Apples, Pistachios, Spiced Rum

DIRECTIONS:

In sauté pan melt butter, add sliced apples. Cook apples until slightly softened. Deglaze pan with Spiced Rum; add dates, simmer until heated through and all ingredients are incorporated. Take pan off the heat and fold in pistachios.

Let mixture cool before filling strudel.

Lay out a sheet of phyllo dough, brush with melted butter, and spread a thin layer of crumbled yellow cake, repeat 4 times.

Position date and apple mixture down the center of the phyllo rectangle. Fold the sides of the phyllo over the mixture. Transfer the roll to a parchment covered baking sheet, seam side down. Brush the top with more melted butter. Top with crystal sugar.

Bake in 350 degree convection oven for 13-15 minutes until top is brown and crispy.

Allow strudel to cool before slicing or transferring to serving platter.

The most popular Medjool date brand in the U.S.

Wednesday night, Tampa Bloggers and local media gathered at Pane Rustica in South Tampa to eat, drink and be merry at a holiday party sponsored by Bard Valley Natural Delights and hosted by ZEST.

Natural Delight’s Medjool dates were front and center for the evening.

Debbie Frangipane and Jeff Houck

Pane Rustica created a menu that showcased the diversity of dates, the “little gems” originating from Morocco and known for their natural sweetness and nutritional value. Interesting tidbit, Tampa is one of the largest consumers of Medjool dates in the U.S., along with Orlando, Miami and San Antonio.

The evening started off with Bloggers sampling Mascarpone, Lavender, & Almond stuffed Dates and Grilled Prosciutto wrapped Goat cheese-stuffed Dates while watching a risotto cooking demonstration where Debbie Frangipane, aka Dolce Debbie on Twitter, integrated dates into her recipe.

Finished Risotto with Dates, Watercress & Walnuts from cooking demonstration

Nina Stanley, publisher of Panache Vue magazine said she came to the dinner “a little scared” because she had never eaten a date in her life. She told us that she was pleasantly surprised about Medjool dates’ versatility and taste.

The versatility of the fruit was on full display in the flavor-filled family-style menu. Bloggers noshed on platters of Arugula salad with Dates, Oranges and Marcona almonds, an interesting composition of Pumpkin Ravioli with Medjool dates, Cured Olives and Dried Cranberries, a Medjool date & Sage-stuffed Pork rack and Medjool date, Walnut and Watercress risotto.

For dessert, a Medjool Date, Apple and Pistachio strudel topped off the night. Stay tuned for the recipe for this easy dessert, a perfect complement to holiday pork dishes.

Isabel & Ron Laessig

A little link love: Thanks to the following for attending the Natural Delight’s Holiday Party:  Isabel Laessig from Family Foodie, Cara Barone and Megan Sign from Healthytampabayliving.com, Jodi Fritch from HashtagFoodPorn, Nina Stanley from Panache Vue magazine, Tracy Guida from My Other City by the Bay, Monica Caretto from SweetBites, Jim Webster from Gastroblog, Jeff Houck from TBO’s The Stew, and Elizabeth Dougherty from the Food Nation Radio Network.

Easy no-cooking Thanksgiving options

Still stumped about what to make for Thanksgiving? How about reservations? The Palm, The Columbia in Ybor City and Cassis American Brasserie in downtown St. Petersburg are all serving Thanksgiving feasts. Open Table has an up-to-the-minute list and you can make reservation on their site.

Also, one of our favorite spots in Tampa Bay, The Sandpearl is serving Thanksgiving Day brunch and a 3-Course prix fixe dinner featuring traditional Thanksgiving dishes as well as other seasonal specialties. The cost is $59 per person for either brunch or dinner and $19 for children ages 3-10. (brunch includes unlimited champagne and mimosas). For reservations call 727-674-4109.

Still want to eat at home, but not have dirty dish duty? South Tampa’s Pane Rustica is offering an expanded holiday selection of pies and tarts (like pecan, cranberry and blueberry pie and pumpkin cheesecake) as well as a full Thanksgiving catering menu for $20/per person that includes turkey and four sides.  Orders must be placed by November 21. Tel: (813) 902-8828.

Events by Amore has a catering menu sure to please the entire clan. Featuring a selection of three different turkey preparations and all the fixings– like pancetta & red skinned mashed potatoes, lemon brown butter french beans, spiced candied yams, apple and  pecan stuffing, roasted gilblet gravy, hearthbaked rolls, pumpkin creme brulee AND apple pie.  The menu serves 8-9 people and is reasonably priced at $189. Tel: (813) 287-2253.

Want to do some of the cooking, just not all of it? Smoke Barbeque & Grille is selling already-smoked turkeys and hams.  Tel: (813)-254-7070. This year, Sweetbay is selling already deep-fried turkeys for $2.99 per pound- a lot less mess (and disasters diverted) than taking on the fry daddy all by yourself. And Insiders say Granny Bubba’s pies and cakes are the best (especially the apple pies) and they deliver!

It's really pretty basic...

Tampa restaurants can’t hide from their Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspections as now, there’s a database published by the Tampa Bay Business Journal that allows the public to easily see exactly how many citations each restaurant has gotten of the past few years. (This is all public record)

The database can be found here, and is searchable by name; zip code or the number of critical violations a restaurant was cited.

I searched the database, sorting the list by the restaurants with the most serious violations and I was shocked to see some of my favorite Tampa eateries on the high end of the list. But, when I clicked through and saw what violations are considered critical—I was able to exhale a small sigh of relief. While there are good reasons for some of the regulations that are well beyond me, to me, the fact that a kitchen door needs a better handle doesn’t really amount to a “critical” food safety issue. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation disagrees. We do agree that food temperature, cross contaminated utensils and hand washing violations do rise to that level and unfortunately, too many “good” restaurants made the list for those types of bad practices.

Some nights Mister M and I already feel like we are in a food rut.  I think I would have rather not known of these violations and continued on our way in blissful ignorance.

What do you think of the list? Any surprises?

Dispel skepticism of your cooking skills with a great Thanksgiving plan

This is M & Co.’s first year hosting Thanksgiving at our house.  It looks like we are going to have a houseful and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate my favorite holiday!

Family members probably think I didn’t detect the sounds of concern in their voice when I said that I was hosting Thanksgiving this year. (“Ohhhh, well that sounds interesting,” said my dear Mom initially.) So, I plan on putting on a feast to end all feasts that will quiet this skepticism once and for all.

For this, I need a plan.

As inspiration, I started thinking about dinner parties I have had in the past that were successes and the other ones I’d rather forget.

One horror story involved a kitchen sink that backed up into the bathtub in the only bathroom of my 1920’s style apartment.  I tried to hide the massacre behind the shower curtain, but the whole apartment smelled like old beef bourguignon– it was just plain gross.

Thankfully, unlike that apartment, our house has modern plumbing and a working garbage disposal, so we should be able to avoid what I like to call the “bourguignon incident.”

One overarching theme that seems to work for me when I plan dinner parties is something my friend, Patricia Rossi, preaches: “Kindness, not formality. Relationships not rules.” Essentially, treat guests like you’d want to be treated and you can’t go wrong. It’s a good start.

Here are a few other tips to pull off a memorable Thanksgiving dinner:

The menu is key. Be cognizant about recipes that require a lot of TLC at the end of cooking. The ideal Thanksgiving dish is something that you can make ahead or something that cooks for a long time in the oven. Do as much as you in advance so there will be only one turkey with its head cut off.  This allows you to be able to mingle with your guests and enjoy your time with them.  (There are even great recipes for make-ahead mashed potatoes! I will be posting my recipes throughout the month of November, so stay tuned. )

Don’t focus on only using the most expensive ingredients. Select one or two special items and make the most of other ingredients. I like Thanksgiving on the more traditional side, and none of these recipes require pricey ingredients. It’s comfort food! I do plan on getting all my fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market to insure they are of the best quality. It’s less expensive and I think it really can make a difference in how your food tastes.

You may be tempted, but do not make something for the first time when you are hosting Thanksgiving. I’m guilty of this dinner party faux pas on more than one occasion. I’ve been gloriously successful with some recipe experiments, but other times, failed miserably.  (I made too-spicy chili once that my friends were thanking me for even the next day. People thinking of my cooking during bathroom breaks after they leave my house is not the impression I strive for.) New recipes are not worth the extra level of stress, so give any new recipes a dry run.

I like taking on a cooking challenge just as much as the next gal, but not EVERYTHING has to be homemade.  If it’s presented nicely, no one will notice or care—most people are just happy to be invited as a guest to someone’s home.

But, with that being said, nothing leaves a lasting impression like a homemade dessert. Even if you have just “assembled” other courses, or even bought take out for your Thanksgiving feast, people appreciate the time it takes to make a homemade dessert and take that warm and cozy memory with them when they leave.  Make your dessert before you make anything else.

Play some sort of music. It alleviates awkward pauses in conversation. This goes without saying: turn off the football during dinner. Not to sound preachy, but it’s a rare occasion that you get to sit around a table with your nearest and dearest. TALK TO THEM and use your DVR if necessary so you can watch the games you want.

Don’t go crazy with dinnerware and glassware. Most people don’t mind keeping their fork or using the same wine glass when you change wines.  It’s much easier to wash six wine glasses then say, 18.

Finally, with respect to cleanup, if you are hosting a non-holiday dinner party don’t ever let guests help with cleanup, no matter how tempting it is after a long day of cooking and entertaining. The only time that this doesn’t apply is for Thanksgiving. Most likely, you’ve been slaving in the kitchen for at least two days to get this meal on. Unless your family members are diplomats from a foreign country, let them help you clean the kitchen! Those who don’t offer to wash dishes can wear pilgrim hats and Indian feather headdress for the rest of the day, which should put an annoying kink in their neck as they nap while you clean up.

Bring on the Bird!

It almost makes me—deep breath here—embarrassed to be called a foodie.

South Florida Blogger Frodnesor who writes the blog, Food for Thought, may finally get the last laugh. A few times, he has written about his distaste for the foodie term and I always come to its defense, for one reason because I never thought it was all that pejorative and for obvious reasons–like it’s in the name of my blog and my twitter handle–I actually liked it.

Now, I’m not so sure.

Is fried chicken only bragworthy to foodies if it's made by a celebrity chef?

A few months back, New York Times Restaurant Critic, Frank Bruni, wrote a column highlighting a public spat between Anthony Bourdain and Paula “I haven’t met a stick of butter I didn’t like” Deen.

The short story: Bourdain publicly scolded Deen in an interview, saying her dumbed-down cooking, tells “an already obese nation that it’s O.K. to eat food that is killing us.”

Seriously? America is dealing with an obesity epidemic because of Paula Deen? She is certainly a convenient scapegoat, but like Bruni asserts, there’s something else at play here.

Bruni called it culinary elitism.  I call it a “have versus have-not” mentality.

For a lot of hardcore foodie types, being interested in food no longer is about enjoying the process of cooking, or the ingredients, or the company that you share a meal with. It’s more about how exclusive the source of the ingredients, or the how limited the seating was at whatever farm to table event you attended. You can eat fried chicken with your head held high, but it’s only noteworthy as Bruni astutely points out, if it’s made by David Chang or some other chef du jour.

These days, being  a foodie for some, seems to center around bragging on Facebook, rubbing the 600 faces of your closest friends into your highbrow gourmet escapades.

If this is what it means to be a foodie, then I’m having an identity crisis and need to find a new name for this blog because I’ve fallen off message.

Jeff Houck, Tampa Tribune Food Writer and all around nice guy, has also felt the wrath foodie indignation. In a recent edition of his blog, The Stew, he discusses the hell he catches when he checks into chain restaurants like Chili’s and The Spaghetti Warehouse on Foursquare and Facebook. Follower comments range from playful (“To be followed with a trip to Cheesecake Depot?”) to rude (“Why are you there? Certainly not for the food”).  Houck explained, he always tries to support the independent restaurant owner, but sometimes he can’t get in on a busy night, which is a problem when you have a family who needs to be fed.

Yes foodies, dinner can be because you just gotta eat.

Like Houck, I actively seek out independent restaurants to support, because I believe it’s good for the economy and on most occasions, they offer healthier and tastier choices than chains. But there are times when who is around the table—like for instance, getting the Houck family around the table for a birthday party at The Spaghetti Warehouse—trumps any “foodie” principle.

We can’t all eat at places like Le Bernadin five times a month but missing out on those sorts of high price tag experiences does not define how delicate your palate is or how discerning your tastes, no matter how many of your Twitter posts tell me it does.

This couldn’t have been exemplified more clearly for me last night as I had an extended conversation with a coworker that I’m getting to know at my new workplace. He had fallen across ZEST and we started to talk about food.  He started the conversation by sheepishly saying that “he wasn’t a foodie” like me, but then, with a twinkle in his eye, went on to tell me about his Puerto Rican roots and how his mother-in-law cans produce every summer for the winter months– becoming more and more effusive as he described the simple family dinners his grandmother would cook using whatever ingredients they could get their hands on.

I told him that he was selling himself short. He had a very keen interest in food, which makes him in every sense of the word, a foodie.

But thinking about it further, maybe foodie doesn’t mean what it used to and we need to come up with a new word.

Any suggestions?