18 Hours in Orlando

18 hours in Orlando.  By no means a foodcentric voyage and yet I managed to eat a stupid amount of tacos and some kickass BBQ.

The purpose of this baby road trip was to head to House of Blues and see the sold out Imagine Dragons concert with Atlas Genius and Nico Vega opening up.  My friend went out of town so I was lucky enough to borrow his wife for the evening.  Best. Copilot. Ever.

I scooped her up and we were off to enjoy the traffic nightmare that is I-4 at 5:30pm on a Friday.  We missed the window to "Pass the Line" at House of Blues (which is an awesome feature that I fully recommend if you have the time; buy an entree/sandwich and pass the whole crazy line) so it was out to the streets of Downtown Disney to find a quick bite.  We made it about 100 feet before spotting a food truck.  No need to look any further.  Last thing I expected to come across but I'm extremely happy we did.


Behold Truckeria:

Fast, reasonably priced and tasty. You've a plethora of options in Downtown Disney but this place is worth a shot if you don't have time for a sit down meal. The guys in the truck were super friendly and happy to chat. Exclusively at DD, hopefully they roll out the tacos to other spots. 

Chipotle Pork with Tomato Salsa and Cilantro Cream and Mahi Mahi with Slaw and Pickled Peppers.  The proteins were juicy and flavorful, especially and surprisingly the Mahi.  I ate mayo without complaining and the pickled peppers provided just the right amount of heat and texture.

Concert.  Epic.  Mind blown.  I have a thing for drums and holy crap there were so many drums on that stage, at one point four band members including the lead singer were pounding away and I was thinking very dirty things.

Checked into the hotel. I named my price on Priceline and got a sweet room for half off.  My money needs to go towards food and drink, people, not overpriced hotel rooms.  We ventured to downtown to meet up with one of my favorite chicks who was randomly in town.  After some truly bizarre time spent at Barbq Bar and Eye Spy we went to get grub at Gringos Locos because what else are you to do at 2:30 in the morning but go wait in line for what seems forever with drunks, hipsters and a delightful variety of party people for tacos.  That said, TOTALLY worth it.  I did not take pictures.  I DID get a variety of tacos and a beef empanada.  I got beef (too sweet for my taste), pork (always reliable) and chicken (the best of the bunch which shocked me; packed with flavor).  The homemade empanadas were obviously so.  Crazy crispy and like none I've ever had but I regret getting the beef because again, too sweet for my liking.

Why is Crystal the best copilot ever, you ask?  Because this is the second time I've taken her to a concert and both times she's fed me chips and queso while I drive. Also, she knows Orlando quite well so no need for navigation.  And to top it all off, she's hilarious.

Sleep.  Wake.  Off for BBQ at 4 Rivers Smokehouse.  I had it on good authority from Todd at Tasting Tampa that this was the best BBQ in FL and it was confirmed by my copilot so I found myself for the second time in less than twelve hours standing in a lengthy line for food.  Annnnnd again, totally worth it.  Beyond worth it.  Most of you have already seen the pic on my FB page but here it is again in all its unpretentious glory.  I feel your envy deep in my soul and it's justified.

Sweet Tea, Collards, Smokehouse Sliders o' Pulled Chicken, Burnt Ends and Angus Brisket, Smoked Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon and the aptly named Chocolate Awesomeness.






I don't think I need to say much.  Crys ordered a half rack of St. Louis Style Ribs, Mac &Cheese and Texas Cornbread and got The Itis in under ten minutes.  That's gotta be some sort of a record.  Go here, wait it out and eat your freaking face off.  Just make sure you aren't too far away from somewhere you can lie down and head to Nap City.  The ambiance is ideal, the staff seem truly happy to be there (wouldn't you be?) and they've thought of everything. From wash basins out in the open made from barrels to a bevy of To Go supplies, this joint has you covered. I'll be back for sure.  There's simply too much to savor on the menu.

We made the voyage back home in a car that smelled of BBQ heaven. I brought home leftovers because being Itis'd out is no way to drive, y'all.  Safety first!

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The Cocktail Countdown!

I ate mayo.  Yup, you read that right.  I ate mayo and I didn't even complain. That is the level of my dedication to trying anything (within reason of course).

So, The Cocktail Countdown presented by Tasting Tampa.  January 19th. Five restaurants.  Ten specialty cocktails paired with tasty nibbles. Tampa Bay Brew Bus chauffeuring us through the streets of Tampa.  Magical?  Hilarious? Scrumdiddlyumptious? You bet your sweet ass it was.

Before I get started let me share some things.  I've been to quite a few Tasting Tampa events (they're probably sick of me, to be honest) but no two events are the same.  Each is a new adventure.  You meet the most amazing people who truly appreciate all the creativity and hard work that goes into these events.  Which is why I love the restaurants that participate.  Most don't need the extra PR nor do they financially benefit but they do it for the love of food and sharing their craft with those who'll be grateful. Once again, thanks to Tasting Tampa for bringing us all together.

But I digress.  Back to the countdown...

Hold up, I need to preface the rest of this post by stating what should be obvious.  What's to follow could also be a small study on the effects of alcohol.  My clarity will absolutely diminish by the end.  You tell me how many notes you're taking whilst drinking your ninth cocktail. To sum up, I'm going to keep this simple so please enjoy the pics and brief descriptions I'm able to provide. Moving on.

We began on the patio at Pelagia Trattoria. If you haven't been you are seriously missing out. It was beautiful outside, breezy and a great start to the afternoon.  That's right y'all.  Day drinking.  This party started at 2pm.  My introduction to Tasting Tampa was a 13th Step dinner at Pelagia Trattoria so it was quite fitting to start here.  Not only that, I sat next to a couple I met at that very dinner.  I adore them and we've stayed in touch.  I could tell it was going to be a good day.  On to the food and drink!

Self-infused Honey Jack with house made ginger ale and fresh lime paired with a BLT Bite.  The drink was my favorite of the day.  Refreshing with a kick. The bite was an heirloom tomato filled with bacon and mayo served on an arugula pesto made with arugula fresh from Pelagia's garden.  The bacony goodness, ripe tomato and fresh arugula made me forget all about that evil mayo. 

The Pelagia Equinox (go for the house infused grappas, stay for the food) and duck breast with golden quinoa and a blueberry reduction.  There's more to that duck dish but I haven't perfected my shorthand.  The drink was a bit on the sweet side for me but combined with the duck it was perfection.  Easily my favorite pairing of the day.

We left the fabulous Pelagia and strolled up the stairs to Zen Bistro.  I've done my time (and sake bombs) at the Westchase location but hadn't been to the International Plaza spot.  We loaded in and took over the place.

The drink was Buddha's Hand served with Angry Hamachi and Supersonic Spicy.  The rolls were awesome. I was happily familiar with the Spicy and the seared Hamachi with the fresh jalapeno was so tasty and textural.  As for the cocktail, I enjoyed the muddled blueberries.

Next up was Vietnamese Meatloaf (more like meatball) on Prawn Chips.  I'm half Vietnamese so I won't say much about this dish.  There was flavor.  I'll never turn down a meatball and I love me some prawn chips.  I will say that it was a little hard to eat.  I never quite caught the name of the drink but it had vanilla vodka, chocolate bitters, Cointreau and orange juice.  It was an odd pairing but I enjoyed it on its own.  For some bizarre reason it reminded of a Vietnamese iced coffee.  I have no idea why. 

Time to roll!  Who doesn't love getting on a luxury bus and being offered beer or water?  I chose one of each.  I was in it for the long haul.

On to Ciro's Speakeasy and Supper Club.  Sexy and intimately lit, I was seriously rethinking bringing a female friend.  I'll be back...if I can get the password.

Oysters and a Russian Spring Punch.  I could have eaten a platter of these oysters and would have had they let me.  They actually placed a plate of four down then rescinded when they realized we were only two at the table.  Lesson here folks is when someone gives you oysters you eat them and eat them quickly.

Beef Tartare and a fantastic drink that I do not know the name of.  It was strong, delicious and I drank both and let my friend finish the Russian Spring Punch (not that it wasn't good).  If any of my fellow Countdowners can offer up some details please comment.  

We're going to Datz, baby!

I love Datz.  And not just because they were nice enough to provide us with menus.  I love Datz because when I moved to Tampa from South Florida two years ago I was searching and hoping for some interesting restaurants.  I went to Datz, had some Duck Sliders with Duck Bacon and Caramelized Onions and I knew life would be okay.  It's been on ongoing love story for too many reasons to bring up right now.

A playful and tasty mimosa.  But I truly hate to say that the ceviche wasn't up to my table's standards.  We were tough critics, ceviche aficionados, if you will, so we were a bit underwhelmed.  It hurts to say that but I've gotta be honest.  Another factor is that our collective love of Datz had our expectations sky high.

If you cannot appreciate a cocktail called Honey Badger then you are the opposite of Batman.  It was served with Smoked Pork Satay.

Back on the bus.  We're all buzzed.  I claimed the last beer.  BOOM!  We're going to Grille One Sixteen South Tampa.

Once again intimately lit but this place is beautiful.  I loved the ambiance and wasn't even cranky that they were pitting my drunkenness against my limited photography skills.  I have no idea what the drink was, something to do with lavender and we had some Tuna Tartare.  Honestly, we were served the dessert first but when we got a hold of this we didn't even care.  It was worth the wait.  I vaguely recall the cocktail being tasty as well but I won't even pretend that I know. I actually don't know which cocktail went with what.  Let me just stop and say that I'm a very responsible drinker but I was having such a great time that note taking went out the window.

What is this drink?  I don't know.  But that's a house made doughnut.  And that rind has a tongue-like quality to it.

The Brew Bus brought us safely back to our origination point.  To say that it was an interesting ride back would be an understatement.  It was hilarious.  And if you didn't believe me about the amazing people you meet here's a story for you.  A Countdowner gave another his watch.  That's right.  Gave it to him.  He admired it (as did I, which is how I learned the story) so he GAVE it to him.  Wow.

All that in roughly four hours.  We ended the day with hugs and intoxicated affection.  And I couldn't be more grateful to have been a part of it.  See you all next time?

(I may have enjoyed some drinks while writing this so as to provide some accuracy...or something like that.)