Apology as of 01/12/2009

The management of this blog wishes to apologize for the lengthy hiatus that we seem to have taken. It wasn't intentional. It just kind of happened. We are working on getting some new posts up. There are many things that have been discovered in the past months that definitely made life worth living. Bear with us until we can get back on some kind of schedule.

Thanks for your understanding and patience,

The Mgmnt.



Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Blue Highway Pizzeria

Location:
204 North East Highway 442
Micanopy, FL 23667

Type:
Pizza

Experience:
When I knew I was coming back to Gainesville for a visit, this place was on my list of places I had to have while I was in town. It is off the beaten path as it is about twenty minutes south of Gainesville itself, but well worth the drive down there.

The place is kind of crazy and wonderful. There are strange art pieces lining the walls and a true mix of cultures both working there and patronizing the establishment. The dining room is small and cozy, but acoustically works out so that you can't overhear everything the table next to you says. This is particularly good when you have a loud group (me and my friends) come in and sit next to you. 

Blue Highway serves gourmet pizzas with combinations of toppings that you would have to be completely insane or just really high to come up with, but if you try them, you start to believe that maybe coming up with recipes while high isn't such a bad idea. I mean really, eggplant and prosciutto, who thinks this is a good idea? I do now, after trying it. Also their rosemary cheese bread is a great start to any meal in which you are going to stuff yourself to the point of having to unbutton your pants.

And while Blue Highway is known for their pizza, that is not all they have. Not by a long shot. They have some amazing salads. Amazing and large salads. And their sandwiches are pretty tasty too. Although I have to admit, since I only had once chance to go back, I didn't get a sandwich. I stuck with the pizza. It is cooked in a stone oven and I am not entirely sure what they make the crust out of, but it has almost a fizz to it. I am sure they aren't using live bees or anything, but the crust has a buzz. But in a really really good way.

Overall:
As I have said, the place isn't that big, and so there isn't much to say about it. Well other than, they have great food and it is cozy. Oh, I also forgot to mention that it is locally owned and the owner is often in the restaurant and I have had many a conversation with him. Everyone that works there is really friendly and the service is fast. And have I mentioned that the food is great? Worth the short drive from Gainesville to try if you haven't already.
4 Carats

The Pirate House

Location:
20 East Broad Street
Savannah, GA 31401

Type:
Pirate Restaurant... AR!

Website:
www.thepiratehouse.com

Experience:
We left Charleston in the mid-afternoon and were coming up on Savannah when we started to get hungry and figured we would stop in Savannah for dinner. We called a friend who has spent much time in the city and he gave us a few suggestions, one of which was The Pirate House. Having had an obsession with pirates for almost as long as I can remember, I was ready to go to this place.

The directions we received were not that great and at one point we weren't sure we were even on the right side of town and had decided to give up and just find a restaurant on the river, I happened to turn and see the building and we took this as a sign that we were supposed to eat there.

Walking into the restaurant is a little off putting because the entrance way is decorated kind of like a low-rent version of some Disney ride. Luckily for us though, they had the menu out where we could see it and the description of the food sold us on the fact we had to try it. So we went ahead and were seated. As we were led to our table, we found that each of the rooms in the restaurant have a bit of a different theme to them and none of them seem as comical and stereotypically "pirate" as the entrance way. After a short little tour we were seated and not soon after that, we were busy trying to make a very tough decision: what to have for dinner.

They had a couple of specials that evening, one of which was a grilled swordfish steak with cranberry chutney, which is what I finally decided on. However, I soon discovered that the Flounder Belle Franklin is a MUST if you find yourself dining here. That isn't to say that the swordfish wasn't excellent as well, but the Flounder Belle Franklin is to die for. A generous combination of crab, shrimp and flounder and almonds baked under a mixture of butter, melted cheese and an incredible sauce, I honestly can't find fault with this dish. There was plenty of crab and shrimp, and if I had to find SOMETHING wrong with it, I would have to say that for the word "flounder" being in the name, that seems to be the only meat in short supply in the dish, but there was a fairly good sized filet in the dish. As for the swordfish, the chutney was sweet and lent itself very well to the flavor of the fish, but as much as I enjoyed my own food, I kept trying to figure out how to trade plates and get more of the flounder.

We also ordered a desert which was a combination of white and dark chocolate mouse and covered in strawberries. It was almost as good as the meal itself. I am not a big chocolate fan but this dish will make a chocolate lover out of anyone. Like seriously, I dare you to try it and not like it. Half-way through desert we were interrupted by a Jack Sparrow look-a-like who tried to weasel our deserts away from us. I am pretty sure he was there due to the pirate theme of the restaurant, but part of me wants to think that they just let pirate-looking homeless people into the restaurant for historical re-enactments or some such. However, much to my dismay, I later saw "Jack Sparrow" giving a tour of the restaurant. Apparently this restaurant is set in one of the most historical buildings in Georgia and has been an inn and tavern for sea-farers for over 200 years.

Overall:
Had The Pirate House been just a pirate themed restaurant, it would have been all right. Had it been a pirate themed restaurant with amazing food it would have been pretty damn good. But it is a pirate themed restaurant with amazing food and a very long (and often bloody) history. That to me says that The Pirate House has character and charm coming out the wazoo and a head of kitchen that has the talent to outdo that character. If you are in the area and haven't tried this place, do so. If you aren't in the area, get there. Seriously. Right now. I am waiting.
5 Carats


Tuesday, April 1, 2008

City of Charleston

Before moving on from Charleston, I wanted to review the city. I had never been there before and I guess I was kind of expecting it to be a lot like Memphis or Nashville. Those being the only two southern cities I have spent much time in other than Atlanta, but I don't classify any other city in the same category as Atlanta. 

I was actually really surprised by Charleston. Or at least the parts of it that I spent my time. And I am going to admit, that most of my time was either in the downtown area, a part of town that I was told was called "West Ashley" and then out at the plantation Middleton Place. So I guess I didn't see the WHOLE town. But the areas that I did spend time in were a lot of fun.

Downtown offers a lot for visitors to do, no matter what time of day you want to do it. During the day, there is a shit-ton of shopping to do. Either on King street (which is where most of your high end retail stores are located) or on Market (which was sort of like a glorified flea market), you can find pretty much anything you could care to shop for. 

There are also horse drawn carriage rides around the historic areas of downtown. And I would highly recommend these to anyone. They are a lot of fun and aren't too expensive and you would be surprised about some of the history of the city. Like every Floridian school child, I was subjected to St. Augustine (oldest city in America and every school child is made to go in the 4th grade) a few times and that is fun. Even going back as an adult I had a good time. But I guess I forgot that Charleston has been around almost as long. So there is a lot of history there. The main difference I noticed, was that Charleston has a lot of houses and buildings that date back a few hundred years, while St. Augustine only has a few really historic buildings and then most of the houses and such tend to have been rebuilt at some point. 

But the city isn't just about history. There is a lot more to do than that. The city is also known for its plantations and most of those have exquisite gardens. You could literally spend a week just touring different gardens if you were so inclined. My sister also assured me that many of the plantations have incredible art galleries contained within but my schedule was too tight to fit any of that in although I might have to go back to find out for myself. 

I guess I cannot get through this review without mentioning food, even though for the past two weeks, that is all I have been talking about. I heard somewhere that Charleston is one of the top five cities in America known for food. I don't know if it is true, but I wouldn't doubt it. In the words of my Aunt, "It is possible to have a bad meal in Charleston, but you have to be trying pretty damned hard." I will stand by that quote. There were a few places that I wasn't extremely stoked about, but by in large, the food in this city is amazing. If you go there, I dare you find a restaurant without a single redeeming dish on the menu. And if you find yourself trying new food in this city, be sure to sample some of the "low country" offerings. Similar to creole cuisine, this simple southern style of cooking is decently unique and definitely worth trying, especially if you like seafood.

As for the night life, there is more than enough of that. Charleston is home to a few colleges and universities which lends itself to having plenty of young people out and about however it isn't just the youngsters out making you feel old and crusty. There are plenty of adults out, but it all depends on where you go and spend time, especially after dark.

Now I will admit that the city is pretty image conscious. Dress nicely, and you will find yourself gaining the respect of most of the people you encounter. You can also gain respect and envy of the citizens of this great city by name dropping. Either that you know important people in the town or an expensive hotel that you are staying at, it doesn't matter, but this town respects money. The trick I will continue to use if I ever go back, and feel free to use it as well, just as long as I am not there doing it first, is that your sister/daughter/brother/son/other close relation is getting married at one of the exclusive plantations. Middleton Place works well but there half a dozen others that will work just as well. Pick a relation that works with your age and then tell anyone that asks why you are in town about the wedding and instantly, respect and envy. It worked for me for my entire stay... even though it was the truth.

The only real complaint I had about the city was that on a weekend night, it is impossible to get a cab out of downtown. It took me over an hour and a half to finally get one and then I had to share it with three extremely drunk girls, one of which wound up puking out of the window. I am sure, that I was exactly like this in my college days, but as I get older, I don't want to be subjected to this any more if I can at all help it. It makes me feel bad about my youth. So if you find yourself in downtown near last call, go ahead and get a cab early or you seriously won't be able to find one. But even that minor fault wasn't enough to keep me from having an amazing time in this city.

Overall:
The city has great food, plenty to do to keep you occupied for at least a week's time and has some good ol' southern hospitality. Before visiting, I had no idea what the attraction to the area was, and I can say now that I have reformed my point of view. I love Charleston. I definitely will go back some day. And if anyone wants to meet up there and have a good time for a while, just let me know, because I only need a small excuse in order to head back. I highly recommend visiting at least once.
4.5 Carats

Joseph's Restaurant

Location:
129 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401

Type:
"Lowcountry" Diner

Website:
www.josephsofcharleston.com

Experience:
This was place that we had breakfast on our last day in Charleston. So for those of you who want me to stop this reviewing of restaurants, you only have to wait for me to do a few places from Florida and then we will get back to our normally scheduled reviews, already in progress.

Once again, it took a while to get our group together to go out for breakfast. Joseph's was recommended to us, so we thought we would give it a try but we showed up with a group of 7, literally 10 minutes before they closed in order to switch over to lunch. They sat us anyway.

The service was really good (although this could have been in order to get us out more quickly) but no one ever complained that we were there. Apparently one of the ladies who worked there remembered some of our party from the day before when they had eaten there and was asking us all about the wedding and since I had my camera made me show her pictures. It was the little moments like that during my stay in Charleston that made me really understand what "southern hospitality" is. Memphis may be located in the south, but seems to be missing a lot of those southern charms that are associated with the south.

The restaurant itself is kind of quaint. There isn't anything really flashy about it. But when you tasted the food, you realize that the family who runs the restaurant doesn't need flash. My mother and I split two different breakfasts because neither one of us could make up our minds. The kitchen went ahead and split each of the breakfast entrees onto separate plates for us. The little touches in serving really make it feel like you are being taken care of. At least, in my opinion. 

But even if it wasn't for this the food was still very good. They have sweet potato pancakes that are just too good for their own good. They are so good that even though you want to savor them and eat them slowly, there is no way that that is going to happen. I also had half of one of their omelets. It wasn't AS good as the pancakes, but that isn't saying that the omelet too wasn't wonderful. The only complaint that I had about the food was that the hash-browns were a little soggy but I am chalking that up to the fact that we walked in as they were trying to close. 

It would have been nice to stay around and have lunch there, but as we were all trying to get back on the road, there just wasn't time. But I am very glad that I was able to have breakfast at least.

Overall:
Service was great, and extremely friendly. Food was very well presented and tasted amazing. Minus the hash-browns, but that could be explained away. I wish that we could have spent a little more time but we were trying to rush it a little in order to get out of their hair so they could prepare for lunch. On my next visit to Charleston, I will definitely have Joseph's on my list of places to eat at, and I would highly recommend that you do the same.
4 Carats