Tijuana Flats Hemptation #TFlatsHemp

Hemptation has arrived at Tijuana Flats. With more than 100 locations, the fast-casual Mexican chain does edgy well. You may know their cutting-edge decor, not so typical hot sauce bar, and feisty menu of Mexican favorites. They are taking their edginess one step further by rolling out their new, limited time, Hemptation menu. I was recently invited to sample the Hemptation menu with some fellow Tampa Bay Bloggers including one of my favorites, SandBookWich. (All opinions below are my own).

The three stars of the Hemptation promotion were developed by Tijuana Flats employees in an internal contest. They winners are:

The Pie Roller
A pizza burrito with pepperoni, red sauce, mozzarella cheese, fajita peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Toasted and topped with red sauces, pepperoni, and cheese. Kind of like a supreme pizza in burrito form. I could eat the tortilla covered with sauce and cheese just by itself, it was that good.

Tree Hugger
A vegetarian burrito with roasted poblanos, mushrooms, onions, cilantro cream cheese, crushed tortilla chips, cheese, and queso. I loved the cilantro cream cheese and crushed chips in this!

Sweet Hemptation
Crispy chicken, churros, and bacon with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup, queso, cheese, and onions. Think chicken and waffles wrapped up as a sweet little burrito package. This would be perfect for weekend brunch. This was my surprisingly my favorite burrito of the night.

In addition to these Hemptation features, we also got to try some other Tijuana Flats favorites: Tortilla chips with queso and guacamole, the Atom Bomb, and my new favorite dessert, Banana Empanadas!

The Atom Bomb is a lightly fried tortilla stuffed with cream cheese and diced jalapenos. This was super spicy to me (I'm a spice wimp) but I would love this even more with some sautéed mushrooms stuffed inside.

The Banana Empanadas were the perfect sweet treat to wrap up the meal. Warm bananas with cinnamon sugar and a caramel dipping sauce stuffed into a sweet little hand held empanada package. Tip: Order these to-go and take them home to top them with a big ol' scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Stop by your local Tijuana Flats soon to try the Hemptation menu. These featured burritos will be available until early September. The Atom Bomb and Banana Empanadas are now permanent menu items so you can enjoy them any time. Sweet!

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Marchand's Farm to Fork at the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel #VinoyF2F

The Renaissance Vinoy Hotel is a St. Petersburg landmark. The history and the ambiance of the Vinoy provide charm that you can’t find anywhere else. Since the grand opening in 1925, the historic hotel has played host to countless guests, including Presidents, professional athletes, and A-list Hollywood stars.

I was recently invited to wine and dine my way through the main dining room at the hotel – Marchand’s Bar and Grill. Lucky for us, Marchand’s is open to the public - not just hotel guests.

The six course tasting dinner at Marchand’s featured locally sourced ingredients. Chef Mark Heimann and Chef de Cuisine Ross Clingman turned these locally sourced ingredients into pure food magic. At the presentation of each course, we marveled at the dish presented to us. Each course built upon the last to create a memorable dining experience that I won’t soon forget. Not only did every course look fabulous, they tasted even more fabulous.

The start of a perfect meal

Here is a look at the dishes we tried:

Florida avocado, crisp prosciutto, pickled radish, duck egg, rocket greens, buttermilk dressing

Not your mama’s typical lettuce and tomato salad! This salad was a great way to start the meal, and a tasty preview of the meal ahead.

Spiny lobster cake, celery seed, chipotle-lemon grass remoulade

Before the dinner, I saw a tweet hinting at this glorious spiny lobster cake. I was looking forward to this because I love lobster. What could be better than a bunch of lobster meat stuffed together to form this tasty cake? Mmm. And see those little black squid-ink croutons? They were unique and so tasty. A return trip to Marchand’s would be in order based on this dish alone.

Braised veal cheeks with cabernet linguini, escarole, bronzed sweet onion, pecorino

Lots of firsts for me on this dish. Veal cheeks? Cabernet linguini? They both sound intimidating but were both super delicious. The veal cheeks were melt-in-your-mouth tender. The cabernet linguini was fresh and not too bold or too heavy.

Lake meadow’s game hen, orange-honey crust, charred cabbage, saison beignets

I’m not sure if the best part of this dish was the orange-honey glaze or the saison beignets. I could have easily had a few spoonfuls of the orange-honey glaze and a few saison beignets and been happy. Together, this dish was spectacular. And then…

Fried flounder, corn spoon bread, Andouille stuffed peppers, jalapeño butter

Save the best for last! Just when we thought the meal couldn’t get any better, out came this stunningly delicious (and adorable) plate. The flounder was fried to crispy perfection with a light batter. The corn spoon bread tasted like a spoonful of Southern happiness. Then I tried the Andouille stuffed peppers - a mini bite of sweet heat and the perfect way to wrap up the savory portion of the meal.

Plant City strawberry cannoli and banana cream pie duo

Dessert is always a requirement for me. Marchand’s dehydrated local strawberries and turned them into this cannoli shell and stuffed it with a smooth creamy filling. This duo also contained a deconstructed banana cream pie. Both mini desserts were refreshing and light. This was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Along with every course we had a pairing from Marchand’s in-house sommelier. As if the food wasn’t enough, here’s what we enjoyed sipping on throughout the evening:

Chardonnay – Hahn SLH Estate, California

Sauvignon Blanc – Starmont, California

Malbec – Trivento Amado Sur, Mendoza Argentina

Jai Alai IPA – Cigar City Brewing, Tampa

Key West Sunset Ale – Florida Brewing, Melbourne

Prosecco – Mionetto, Italy (does this place know the way to my heart or what?!)

You can have your own Chef's Surprise Tasting dinner at Marchand's (with or without wine pairings) or try these dishes a la carte. There are lots of other dishes on the current menu I'd love to try, like the Lobster and Oxtail Ravioli Duo and the Sea Scallops. 

Another awesome feature of Marchand’s is the new tabletop sommelier. This iPad feature has the full bar/wine menu, suggested pairings, and other nifty features. You’ll even be able to save and send yourself notes on the drinks you enjoyed so you’ll be able ask for them again at a return visit or purchase them to enjoy at home.

After this exquisite dinner, Marchand’s is moving up to the top of my list for go-to special occasion dining. There’s no need to spend lots of money on a chain steakhouse when you can have locally sourced gourmet fare for practically the same price. To top it all off, you can’t beat the charm of The Vinoy for any celebration. And even when not celebrating special occasions, Marchand’s is perfect for your next date night, girls night out, or whenever you’re in the mood for a delicious meal.

PS: Marchand’s also has weekend brunch, sushi on select nights, and a special prix fixe menu. I can’t wait to try these soon.

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Brew Over Ice giveaway!

Let's face it - Florida is hot all year long! We may get a few weeks of cooler weather, but most of the year there is no need to wear anything more than shorts and flip-flops. There is also not much need to drink anything that isn't cold! An iced coffee is almost always my choice over hot coffee. I was really excited when I saw that Keurig has a brand of Brew Over Ice K-Cups that I can use to make iced coffee or iced tea at home.

I have been able to try a few Brew Over Ice K-Cups, and so far my favorite is the Donut Shop Sweet & Creamy Regular Iced Coffee. I was surprised how "sweet and creamy" it was right out of the brewer. (You can tell from the picture below too!) Unlike past attempts to make iced coffee at home, this one tasted like what I would get from a local coffee shop. I did add a splash of vanilla creamer for a hint of vanilla flavor. It came out perfect!

Brewing, brewing...

Brewed.

If you prefer tea over coffee, Brew Over Ice also sells many varieties of tea. I tried the Strawberry Pomegranate from Vitamin Burst, and Peach Iced Tea from Snapple. Both were great for an afternoon pick me up.

Brew Over Ice has offered a prize package to one of my readers! 
Congratulations to Tabitha W!
To enter to win, leave a comment with what Brew Over Ice flavor you would most like to try! 
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter after you leave your comment. 

Prize package includes: 

3 Brew Over Ice K-Cup samples 

A Brew Over Ice plastic tumbler so you can take your tasty drinks on the road with you

4 Brew Over Ice drink coasters

A light up Brew Over Ice ice bucket with ice tongs

Even if you don't win the prize package, you can still feel the love from Brew Over Ice! You can download a $2 off coupon to try the Brew Over Ice K-Cups of your choice, or enter to win $10,000 cash!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received a free Brew Over Ice package including K-Cup samples in exchange for this review.

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Homeruns on the field and in the kitchen

Dads love baseball. Dads love grilling. Sounds like spending time at a Rays game for Father's Day weekend is a great idea! The Tampa Bay Rays have a great promo going on this weekend as they take on the Kansas City Royals. With the Rays Ticket Tandem you'll be able to get a Rays apron at any game this weekend (June 14th-16th)!

The aprons are designed to look like the jerseys that the players wear. The apron is a perfect gift for dads this Father's Day weekend, or the perfect addition to any cooks apron collection. It's also a different take on the traditional baseball shirt or jersey gift. I received a copy of the apron to try out - and I'm sure you'll love it too! Support your home team while cooking up some good food. Perfect!

Click here to purchase your tickets!

While you're at Tropicana Field, be sure to check out Everglades BBQ! I'm sure dad would love a Pulled Pork Sandwich while he watches the game.

Also happening at the Trop this weekend -

Saturday June 15th - Vow renewal on the field after the game. Deadline to register is Thursday 6/13
Sunday June 16th - Kids 14 and under get a pair of Jeremy Hellickson headphones (while supplies last) & post-game concert with the Imagination Movers. Also - Bark in the Park is back!

Go Rays!

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