Candid Florida

En route back from Pensacola two weeks ago, I stopped late night at the Taco Bell just south of I-10 along US 129 at the Live Oak exit. Now I’m not a big fast food fan, but long drives after a day of hiking call for a fruitista and a taco quick so I can get back on the road again. Imagine my surprise to find this otherwise typical on the outside Taco Bell transformed into a mini-bistro with an interior bursting with Southwest colors, fresh new fabrics, fancy lighting, a variety of seating … and flat screen TVs all around like a sports bar! It was after 9 PM and the place was hopping. It reminded me of a coffeeshop. It’s the only one I’ve encountered so far in Florida that looks like this. If this is the future of Taco Bell, good for them.

Arriving late in Blountstown after an afternoon of hiking hilly terrain around Lake Talquin, I was up for a hearty meal. Thanks to my friends Marti and Jeff Vickery, who supply the always-so-tasty Big River Coffee to this hometown bistro, I had dinner with them and their son Wesley at the Wisteria Cafe, a fun and funky restaurant just down the street from the Florida Trail and just off SR 20 in a lovingly restored Cracker home on the west side of town.

The eclectic menu includes sandwiches, wraps, salads, and burgers. I tried their chicken salad Waldorf style, and although I am rarely a chicken salad eater, I cleaned my plate. Jeff’s burger looked good, too.  But the kicker was the Key lime pie.  Since I review restaurants for my travel guides, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “we have the best Key lime pie” across the state, and in general … WRONG! Hardly anyone knows how to coax the sour into a pie, but the folks at the Wisteria Cafe got their pie spot-on. I’d go out of my way for this one.

The Wisteria Cafe cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but they are closed Sun-Mon.

Wisteria Cafe
16863 NW Charlie Johns St
Blountstown, FL 32424
(850) 674-2235

Last Thursday’s road trip started out, after several hours on I-75 and I-10, with lunch with a friend and business colleague in Tallahassee.  Compared to the visit that Rob and I made two weeks before for his debut in “Disappearing Ink,” an exhibition of the works of Florida editorial cartoonists now on display at Florida A&M University, this was a very different town.

The Legislature is back in session, and packs of businessmen in suits and ties swarmed through the Capitol like angry bees: not the best time to try and find a parking space, let alone a quiet table at a restaurant down the street from the powers that be. But Sharon steered me to OneOOne, a tasteful bistro just a few steps from the Kleman Plaza parking garage, and we settled into comfortable chairs to chat.

The lunch menu leaned towards tapas, and not wanting a heavy meal, I went for the crab cakes with fruit salad; she tried the shrimp. Both were delectable. 101 appeals to the professional crowd with a slightly daring menu showcasing fresh preparations in a snazzy bistro atmosphere.

One0One Restaurant & Lounge
215 W College Ave
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 391-1309