NYC 2 BIG D: Florida Day 1 – Lemongrass Asian Bistro & Johnnie Browns

My Aunt, a flight attendant based out of Miami, and I recently took a trip to Florida. She needed to retrieve a car that was being shipped to Ft. Lauderdale to replace her older car that she has to drive around Miami in between flights. We were able to meet up with a couple of her friends in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area, including one of my own, and had a blast during our stay.

The first night, we were going to stay with one of my Aunt’s friends, who I will call Boca because she lives in Boca Raton, so immediately after landing from our flight we headed to a Publix and grabbed some essentials: Water, Wine, Champagne, Cheese, Crackers, and Sun Screen. Upon arrival, we popped open the champagne, cheese and crackers. Now, I have to emphasize on one of the cheeses that we bought because it literally the stinkiest, nastiest smelling cheese I have ever encountered and I’ve had Limburger before. When it was opened, my Aunt thought the dog farted, and I thought a dead rotting animal carcass walked in the room. It was so bad that we had to put it in a Ziploc bag and open a small slit if we wanted a nibble. I just had to try this concoction with the un-godliest aroma because cheese is my dear close friend and I will not discriminate against those that are stinky. I better get my gas mask for this one. I quickly opened the bag, took a little slice and tried it.....hmmm….really strong, but really good and would be even better with honey or a fig preserve spread on it. I really liked it! The name of the cheese was Morbier Au Lait Cru made in France. I would buy this cheese again just for the joke potential it has from the stinch! After girl chitchatting for a few hours, we were hungry for something substantial, so we went out for a girl’s night in Delray!

Morbier Au Lait Cru.....Stinky!

Lemongrass Asian Bistro – Delray Beach

Cyberspace: www.lemongrassasianbistro.com

Where to Find It: 420 E Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33483

Food Group: Thai, Sushi

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: B-

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Red Curry

Peeves: It’s both a Thai and Sushi restaurant

Sushi Side

Thai Side

The Jibba Jab:

Asian Confusion. It was two different cuisines, Thai and Sushi, in two different connected rooms, respectively. Why not just separate them into two different restaurants? We came here for Thai food, but were seated in the Sushi room because the patio was full, and then had to stare at the chefs hard at work at the Sushi bar. I studied the menu and was even more perplexed because it was mostly sushi or Japanese dishes with just a few Thai choices. This clearly wasn’t Asian Fusion in my perspective.

We ordered Edamame to tie us over until our mains arrived. I opted for the Steamed Dumplings, my Aunt ordered the Red Curry, and Boca decided on the Green Curry with Tofu. My Dumplings were decent, but the dipping sauce was incredibly sweet and had a very strong molasses flavor. It was too much, so I took a bit of my Aunt’s Red Curry broth and used it as a dipping sauce…..much better…..her Red Curry was delicious. I didn’t get to try the Green Curry, but she ate what she could and took the rest home, so I’m sure it was great.

If I ever return to this area, I’m not sure if I would go back to this restaurant. It didn’t really do much for me. I was indifferent, but our next stop was a bit more interesting!

Green Curry with Tofu

Red Curry

Steamed Dumplings

Johnnie Browns

Cyberspace: www.johnniebrowns.com

Where to Find It: 301 E Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483

Food Group: Bar

How Much to Fork Over: $$

The Grade: A

Faves: Outdoor Seating, Rod Stewart Look Alike, Customer Attire

Peeves: I can't do a one-arm push up on a table!

The Jibba Jab:

We didn’t try the food here, so I can’t rate this place on that, so my A goes toward the entertainment! When we sat down, I had a flash back to the 80’s, especially my Aunt and her friend. It was a Tuesday evening, and I guess that meant it was Rod Stewart night because not only did the singer look like him, he sang exactly like him as well. He also had a few groupies in the crowd with some eccentric attire. We had a blast watching these ladies almost molest the 2 man Rod Steward band! Just take a peek the video below. He put on a wig for the song Maggie, but also make sure to look at the keyboard player. He isn't wearing a shirt! Sexy huh? Then check out the pics.