Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Florida Day 2 - Casablanca Cafe, Rocco's Tacos, Macabi's Cigar Bar - Ft. Lauderdale

Casablanca Cafe
Cyberspace: www.casablancacafeonline.com
Where to Find It: 3049 Alhambra St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Food Group: Mediterranean
How Much to Fork Over: $$$
The Grade: A
Faves: Outdoor Seating, Across the Street from the beach, Wine, Truffled Burrata Salad
Peeves: The name makes you think it’s a Moroccan restaurant

The Jibba Jab:
After meeting up with another of my Aunt’s friends, who I will call Hooty because she is a hoot to be around, we made our way over to Casablanca Café for some pre-dinner drinks and an appetizer.  Supposedly, this is a place that my Aunt and Hooty used to frequent back in the day, so I was excited to encounter their old stomping grounds.  I loved the place before even walking in because it was across from the beach, had a great patio that was packed with people and it just seemed to be calling my name; inviting me in to have some fun.  Of course, we couldn’t get a seat on the patio, so we sauntered over to the bar and luckily found 3 seats.  We took a peak at the menu, ordered a bottle of wine, and no hummus this time around, we chose to share the Truffled Burrata Salad (you know me and truffles).  Tip:  We turned it into an appetizer by asking for some pita bread, so we could use the burrata as a spread.  I could smell the truffles immediately after the server placed the dish in front of us.  It was a big ball of fresh burrata, which is basically an outer shell of fresh mozzarella stuffed with a mixture of cream and mozzarella, but with an addition of black truffles.  Outstanding!  It was so creamy, silky with a hint of the earthy pungent taste of truffles.  I wanted more, but decided to save room for our next food venture…..Rocco’s Tacos.
Truffled Burrata Salad

Truffled Burrata Salad - Inside




Casablanca Cafe on Urbanspoon



Rocco’s Tacos
Cyberspace: www.roccostacos.com
Where to Find It: 1313 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Food Group: Mexican
How Much to Fork Over: $$
The Grade: B
Faves: Tableside Guacamole, Pulled Pork Taco Special
Peeves: Very Loud



The Jibba Jab:
We met a close friend of mine here, who just moved from Houston to Miami a few months ago, so I’ll call her H&M, for some Mexican grub.  Hooty recommended the place because she thought it would be a great place to write about on my blog.  The place was very vibrant and mobbed with people.  Loud music was bumpin’ in the background making it a little difficult to catch up with H&M even while sitting right next to her.  After desperately trying to here our server describe the specials, we were able to make out Pulled Pork Tacos, so we started with that, an order of tableside guacamole, and of course, margaritas.  Now, the tacos came out before the guacamole, and when the guacamole came out, it was already made.  Where’s the tableside?  We were quite upset!  Also, we noticed the table next to use first, get the tableside guacamole experience, and they got salsa on top of that.  Where is our salsa?  Apparently, you have to order it.  What?  A Mexican restaurant that won’t give you complimentary chips and salsa?  Toto, I guess we are not in Texas anymore!  What kind of state is this?  Well, I got over it after having some guacamole and then one of those Pulled Pork Tacos….Man, those were good!  We finished up our food and ritas, and headed to our next destination, Macabi’s Cigar Bar.

Margaritas

Pulled Pork Tacos

Non-Tableside Guacamole
Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar on Urbanspoon


Ummm....Not sure what my Aunt is doing
to that Indian
Macabi’s Cigar Bar
Where to Find It: 1221 E Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Food Group: Bar (no food)
How Much to Fork Over: $$
The Grade: B
Faves: Cigars, Wine
Peeves:  The owners are a bit odd

The Jibba Jab:
This is one of Hooty’s favorite spots, but she thinks that the wife’s owner is far from nice.  I have to say they both were a little off their rocker.  First, the place is very small and narrow, and the bathroom is at the very back, so you can see who goes in and out of it.  The owners got a little freaked out about a woman who was supposedly in the bathroom too long.  They thought she was doing drugs back there, but it was quite obvious that they were far too paranoid because the woman seemed fine and she hadn’t been in the bathroom that long.  Next, they seemed to rush us out the door shortly after arriving.  They clearly wanted to go home and didn’t really care about their customers.  Oh well, I really didn’t notice all too much because I was in awe of the 2 Naval Officers in their whites sitting at the other end of the bar.  This is purely a fascination of Top Gun and nothing else because I am very happily married to a wonderful and dashingly handsome man.  I was quite obsessed with Top Gun when I was younger and even wanted to be a pilot because of it, so seeing these guys in their uniform made me a little giddy.  I had already had a few drinks, so it made it that much easier for me to go talk to them, and I am so glad that I did.  I told them my love of the movie and how thankful I am that they are fighting for our country.  They were extremely nice in return, and even ended up showing me pictures of their families.  Also, I found out that they are going to be in NYC at the same time I will be there for NY Fleet Week.  I was amazed, and they invited me to go see them fly.  I am so there!  They just made my day, and then some!

Hooty and H&M had to check out early because they had to get up for work the next morning, but my Aunt and I decided to keep hitting up the town.  We wanted to find a few other bars further down the street, so we tried to hail a cab, but found a woman riding a pedicab instead.  She was an interesting character, but very nice, and she took us to a spot where a few swanky bars/clubs were located.  We tipped her quite well.  Having no idea what bar to go into, we just picked the one that looked less bumpin', if that's possible.  Well, we didn't stay around there very long because the place was filled with "douche bag dumdums".  Now, we thought it was a good idea to head downtown......and we ended up dancing with Haitians at a Reggae bar.  Yep, that's the truth.  What a crazy night in Fort Liquordale!!
Myself with the 2 Naval Officers

Florida Day 2 – Ocean's Beach, Bar, and Bistro

Ocean’s Beach, Bar and Bistro
Cyberspace: www.oceans234.com
Where to Find It: 234 NE 21st Ave, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
Food Group: Seafood, American
How Much to Fork Over: $$$
The Grade: B-
Faves: Outdoor Seating looking at the beach, Mojitos
Peeves: Food was mediocre

The Jibba Jab:
On our second day in Florida we decided to have lunch somewhere that overlooked the beach, so we found Ocean’s Beach, Bar and Bistro.  I couldn’t have asked for a better view of the beach while dining.  We immediately ordered a pitcher of mojitos and the Lobster Hummus to munch on until Boca’s husband arrived to dine with us.  The mojitos were extremely refreshing and the perfect cocktail to sip on while people watching.  Granted, we saw quite a few hot bods walk around, but they were usually covered up, so I must say, why is it that the women who shouldn’t be revealing too much are always the ones who do?  I guess it’s the combination of sand, sun and water that makes certain people think they are “hot stuff” when clearly they should be covering up their derrières instead of having their cheeks bounce around in between a thong.  The same goes for the tatas!  As I digress. 


Boca’s husband arrived, so we all polished off the Lobster Hummus while ordering our entrees.  I decided on the Citrus Sesame Seared Tuna Salad because I saw the tuna came with seaweed salad, which I absolutely love.  I know it sounds crazy weird, but it’s delicious….and nutritious… ..now I’m bustin’ rhymes again.  The other patrons at the table ordered the Grilled Vegetable Wrap, Poached Pear Salad, and the Dolphin Sandwich.  Everything was…..mediocre….nothing exciting, but nothing to remember, which is quite typical for a restaurant on the beach.  You pay for the view. 
Mojitos

Lobster Hummus



Poached Pear Salad

Grilled Vegetable Wrap

Dolphin Sandwich

Citrus Sesame Seared Tuna Salad

The Girls




Oceans 234 on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Florida Day 1 – Lemongrass Asian Bistro & Johnnie Browns - Delray Beach

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
Lemongrass Asian Bistro on Urbanspoon


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.

Groupie 1


Groupie 2 and 3 on the way!

Check out those tights on her!

Look closely, the woman is down at that guys crotch level.

Yes, he is doing a one-arm push up on a table!

Finally, a face shot....Rod Stewart, right?


Johnnie Brown's on Urbanspoon