Being Italian Means Family and Food

My brother came to visit me recently. We both needed a mental vacation, so we spent a lot of time talking, watching movies...and of course, eating.  We ate. A lot.  Which is one thing that any good Italian knows how to do.

Home-cooking

Of course, we cooked some food.  I put together a salad of epic proportions: spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, blueberries, cranberries, grape tomatoes, croutons, and candied pecans. All with a light raspberry vinaigrette.

Home-cooked simple dinner

We also made a simple chicken dish for dinner one night. It was marinated in a sesame ginger glaze with mandarin orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Then, Steven made some asparagus.  He drizzled it with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs.  I would have added some grated cheese, too.  But to each their own. 

Chicken Tropichop with yellow rice and vegetables

Pollo Tropical
Pollo Tropical is one of my favorite places to eat. They serve mostly chicken, with Caribbean-inspired flavors. I always get the same thing (this is a bad habit I have when dining out): a chicken Tropichop with yellow rice and vegetables, tomatoes, guacamole...And then I add some condiments from the salsa bar, including the mild salsa and cilantro garlic sauce.   I'm kind of addicted. The plantains are also delicious; I enjoy them dipped into the cilantro garlic sauce. 

Bahama Breeze

Sweet Peruvian corn cakes, with pineapple salsa and butter

My brother and I have made Bahama Breeze one of our "go-to" restaurants. We go together every time he comes to visit me. This restaurant is one of the few that I will order different things off the menu every time. Everything I've ever tasted there is absolutely amazing, including their coconut shrimp and everything on their fresh fish menu. I personally really enjoy the salmon with the mojo marinade and mandarin oranges, or the almond-crusted tilapia.  This time around, we started off with the sweet Peruvian corn cakes, served with a pineapple salsa.

For my entree, I got the Paella, which deserves it's own paragraph. Paella is a traditional Spanish dish, known for it's pungent taste and distinct color, due to saffron. It's a rich dish, in the sense that there is loads of flavor and tons of stuff in it.  Paella is made with rice, mussels, shrimp, scallops, sausage, chicken, white fish, and lots of taste. It's absolutely one of my favorite dishes on the menu.  

For more information about Bahama Breeze, and to check out their menu, go to their website here: Bahama Breeze.

Taco Lu

The Carne Royale...deliciousness in a taco

Hands down, one of my favorite places to eat in Jacksonville is Taco Lu, a gourmet taco joint with a funky atmosphere. They have crazy combinations, like pork braised in orange juice and Coke or brisket braised in Dos Equis.  There's one taco that's not on the menu; you just have to know that you should order it. It's the Carne Royale.

Let me explain why this taco is so amazing. It's skirt steak marinated in soy sauce and lime juice, with brie cheese, cilantro, and a grape salsa. Yeah, it's AMAZING.  Steven tried three tacos: the fish taco, the Taco Lu verde (chicken with tomatilla salsa), and the Carne Royale. The Carne Royale was his favorite by far.  Oh, and the guacamole is phenomenal.

Check out the menu here: Taco Lu

Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly

Cookies and Cream

Cupcakes. When did that become such a big craze? They're everywhere...these little stand-a-lone cupcake shops have popped up all over, but this one is my favorite.  The woman who opened the shop (there's also one in Orlando) won Cupcake Wars. Twice.   I've tried a few different cupcakes, but I have two favorites: the Cookies and Cream (white cake, vanilla buttercream, crushed Oreos, and a cream filling) and the White Raspberry (white cake, white chocolate buttercream, and raspberry filling).  They have different sizes, but the mini cupcakes are perfect for a taste.  And don't even ask me how many points they are, because I don't know (or care).  

Check out the website here: Sweet by Holly

Seasonal happenings
Since it's almost Halloween, my brother and I bought a pumpkin. He did a phenomenal job carving it, transforming the face of the pumpkin into a caricature of Jekyll and Hyde.  

While my brother was carving though, I was roasting (and eating) the pumpkin seeds.  Who knew they were so delicious?

Happy Halloween and Happy Eating!