Candid Florida » Dining

Pitaria in the City

Sandra Friend — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:34:47 +0000

Tucked into an urban Tallahassee strip backing up on FSU, Pitaria is a grill shop serving up souvlaki, pita, dolmades, and other Greek standards in veg and non-veg versions (make mine lamb!). Around for nearly 20 years, it’s obvious it’s an FSU tradition as the back-to-college crowd files in. Falafel, hummus, and fava beans accent the menu. Opa! You’ll find them at 617 W Tennessee, downtown Tallahassee.

In Hamburger Heaven

Sandra Friend — Sun, 23 May 2010 01:49:36 +0000

When in downtown Palm Beach…let the memories lead you into Hamburger Heaven, an oldie and goodie from the 1940s. It was like slipping into the five-and-dime with Mom for a burger, with mile-high cakes, root beer floats, and egg custard tempting! Right in the heart of it all, and yes, they’ll have you out in time to beat the meter.

Put a little South in your mouth

Sandra Friend — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:27:31 +0000

I pulled into the packed parking lot at Southern Sisters in Sebastian because it looked like the in place to be, and what a pick for gluten-free me! The cheeseburger salad was just what I needed after building up a hikers’ appetite. Extensive menu, happy regulars, and cakes (which I can’t sample, dang it!) to die for. Along US 1.

A better buzz at Brewsters

Sandra Friend — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:47:55 +0000

Made a stop in Sebring for a chance to get a little writing done and a bit of a java jolt at Brewster’s, a locally owned coffeehouse along US 27 just south of the DQ & BK. What a delight and surprise. They’re in a little strip mall with a Dominos and ice cream shop, but have a feel anything but strip mall. The wifi wasn’t working, but who cared. The ambiance, decor, and sense of community – everyone passes through those doors – was spot on. If I lived here, I’d live there. But best of all, the coffee. Special of the day: Almond Toffee. I had mine on the rocks. Way to go, Bruce!

Cool down with Dairy Rich

Sandra Friend — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:45:24 +0000

Dairy Rich

One of the things I love most about visiting with my friends in Pinellas County is driving Alt 19 along the coast to stop in at all the funky little eateries and produce stands, many of which have been around for years. Dairy Rich is no exception – a family-owned ice cream stand in Palm Harbor, looking just like the 50s drive-in that it’s always been, and still serving up tasty shakes, burgers, and ice cream sundaes. Cap off a visit to the beach with a cool treat here.

Morning bite at Ted’s Luncheonette

Sandra Friend — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:34:39 +0000

At the table at Ted's Luncheonette

For pancakes and just-perfect eggs, Ted’s Luncheonette has become a favorite along Alt US 19 south of Clearwater. Given the name, I’m sure it’s busy at lunchtime, but I’ve stopped here several times over the years because I love a good hearty breakfast, and that’s what they do. Inexpensive, too, and with that Greek flair you come to expect when traveling in Pinellas County. A great hometown diner that shouldn’t be missed.

A Taste of Hellas

Sandra Friend — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:30:59 +0000

Intriguing Greek pastas at Hellas

One of the toughest things about going to Tarpon Springs is deciding where to eat. Unfortunately (when in proximity to Greek cuisine), during my second day at the area, my business meeting came complete with a lunch. So I had no excuse to choose between calamari at Santorini, or pastistio at Mykonos … instead, I could dive straight into dessert. I walked it off first, of course, in the near-100-degree heat, so it was a relief to step into the chilled room at Hellas and order up a pasta: make mine layers of chocolate and vanilla custard with a touch of mousse. On my visits to Greece, the only place I saw such elaborate baking was in Rhodes, and sure enough, Rhodes has its own Tarpon Springs Blvd – it’s near Halki, where many of the original sponge divers are from. When in Tarpon Springs, always save room for dessert!

Hellas
85 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs
(727) 943-2400

Bread & Butter a Greek deli delight

Sandra Friend — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:59:10 +0000

Bread & Butter Deli, since 1974

Pressed for time, I needed a quick lunch in Tarpon Springs that wouldn’t just be a run through a Taco Bell or Wendy’s, and I found it, serendipitously, by taking a few wrong turns near Innisbrook and finding Bread & Butter, a Middle Eastern (but mostly Greek) deli along Alt US 19, not far south of the golf course. You walk in, you pick out what you want from the deli cases – dolmades or pastitio? Hummus or Baba Ghanoush? – and the server brings it to your table. They have a nice selection of Greek pastries, too.

Bread & Butter Gourmet Deli
1880 Alt US 19 S, Tarpon Springs
(727) 934-9003

A Taste of Lake Butler

Sandra Friend — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:18:06 +0000

Now Lake Butler is truly a Florida backroads town, huddled along the shores of a beautiful cypress-lined lake that they keep all to themselves. It’s another railroad town dating back a century and more, and quiet as the day is long. I know of it mainly since the Florida Trail cuts right through the middle of town, and hikers are encouraged to ask for permission to camp in the city park along the lake. I’ve stopped here before and dined at the Butler Seafood House to my satisfaction before, but this visit had a challenge attached – we were warned the food wasn’t as good as the last visit. And I learned my lesson. Don’t order beef in a seafood restaurant! The burgers, sadly, were uninspired. But the country buffet sure looked good. If it weren’t for all the eager teachers swarming across it, we might have ordered it. I’m not giving up on them yet, especially since the cashier was nice enough to give us a discount for waiting so long for the clouds of young teachers to clear the room. I’d suggest, however, sticking with country favorites and fried seafood.

Butler Seafood House & Grille
315 N Lake Ave, Lake Butler
(386)-496-3700
www.butlerseafoodhouse.com

Peace River Seafood Crabby Delight

Sandra Friend — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:45:23 +0000

For fresh, local wild-caught crab, Peace River Seafood, a funky little shack along US 17 north of Punta Gorda will have you wishing you could eat here every evening. It’s an unpretentious place, an old Cracker house with a talkative parrot on the porch, dollar bills stapled on the walls, and a nautical theme like you’d expect in a seafood house.

But this is no ordinary seafood house. The menu comes direct from the local catch, and the owner himself is a crabber. That means fresh stone crabs in season, blue crab, jumbo shrimp — all of the bounty of the nearby Gulf of Mexico, with a little ‘gator thrown in for good measure, and a fresh fish market to stock your cooler for the drive home. Every evening there’s a different seafood soup or stew, and entrees range from $10-35. If you don’t like seafood, go somewhere else and save the space for us! Open Tue-Sat, closes 8 PM.

Peace River Seafood
5337 Duncan Road (US 17 north), Punta Gorda
(941) 505-8440