A visit to The Fresh Market

Welcome to The Fresh Market!

I drive by The Fresh Market almost every day, but somehow had never ventured inside. Located in the heart of 4th Street North in St. Petersburg, The Fresh Market is a welcome competitor to the 2 Publix Supermarkets just a few blocks away.

I decided on an impromptu visit to the Fresh Market tonight, after hearing about their great selection of prepared foods. I loved the comforting vibe of the store, the layout, and exploring everything they had to offer. I was able to snap a few pictures in between deciding what I should try for dinner.

Is that enough beer for ya?

mmm, wine

Lots of Burt's Bees products. 

A few of my options for a quick dinner

My favorite part! The cupcakes looked great

More of the bakery - yum!

So what did I end up with for dinner? Sushi and chocolate hazelnut cheesecake, of course!

I look forward to returning to The Fresh Market and trying more of their food soon! 

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Macaron Throwdown

Are you ready for a throwdown?

French macarons are believed to have come to France from Italy by the Medici's in the 1700s. Since then, the French macaron has been an iconic and tasty staple on the French pastry scene. Today, macarons are gaining popularity in the US and taking over the cupcake as the newest dessert trend.

Macarons contain simple ingredients - ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar. Making them is a skill and often takes a few attempts to get it right. The macaron cookies are flavored to gain their signature colors, and filled with a cream, ganache, or frosting. 2 macaron cookies stuffed with delicious frosting equals one fabulous treat!

St. Petersburg is now catching onto the macaron trend. Within .1 miles from each other, Le Macaron and Cassis American Brasserie are serving up these pretty French delights! To celebrate my love of all things French, and the opening of Le Macaron, I decided to have an impromptu macaron throwdown.

The competitors:
Le Macaron and Cassis American Brasserie

The challenge:
French macarons

Packaging:
Le Macaron carefully wrapped the macarons in tissue and placed them in a box, sealed by a sticker.
Cassis threw them in a big box, no wrapping. The logo was stamped on the box and not quite as pretty.

Cost:
$0.95 each at Cassis and $1.80 each at Le Macaron

Accomplices:
Le Macaron is a simple store - macarons, chocolates, and croissants.
Cassis has a rotating menu of cakes, tarts, truffles and more (including a special treat for dogs). They also have a full restaurant next door.

Flavors:
Le Macaron had about 14 flavors of macaron available, while Cassis had 6.

Service:
Le Macaron had 2 French gentleman helping guests. The French accent really adds to the experience. For a moment I felt I was at Laudree or Hermes in Paris.
Cassis had 2 people working behind the counter at the bakery. I was greeted with a smile, but no French accents...

Taste:
All of the macarons were delicious!

Overall:
I am happy eating Macarons from either location. Both have French owners and know how to make macarons well. Le Macaron has the edge of making you feel as if you are at a small shop in Paris, but Cassis is better if you want more of a variety of sweets. I did prefer the variety of flavors at Le Macaron (fresh mint, walnut, coffee, chocolate, chestnut, and more!) to those at Cassis (banana, raspberry, lavender, caramel).'

A quick photo of the stars at Le Macaron

Gourmet chocolates and croissants

Some of the treats at Cassis

Cassis has a large variety of baked goods to choose from

Banana and lavender macarons from Cassis

Pretty packaging from Le Macaron

Chocolate macarons are my favorite, if you couldn't tell

Check out these great sweet shops!

Le Macaron

203 1st Street NE - St. Pete

Cassis American Brasserie

170 Beach Drive NE - St. Pete

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727 Food Now

I am very excited to share with you a service I am sure I will be using a lot! FoodNow is a new local food delivery service - delivering your favorite restaurant meals straight to your front door.

There are currently 13 restaurants that can be delivered to my zip code including Grattzi, Bowled, and Fred Fleming's. I have heard that Casita Taqueria will be added soon. The order process is simple - visit their website, place your order, and answer the door when the delivery driver shows up. The only extra fee you will pay is a convenience fee, ranging from $3.99 to $7.99. The restaurants have minimum delivery orders as well.

I am looking forward to placing an order with FoodNow this week!

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TacoSon Mexican Grill - St. Pete location

Welcome to St. Pete, TacoSon!

TacoSon Mexican Grill has been open in Tampa for over a year. Today (December 4^th) is the grand opening of their St. Petersburg location. TacoSon St. Pete is located in the former home of Panchero’s Mexican Grill on 22^nd Avenue North. Since this is so close to home, I had high hopes of good Mexican food to make up for the waste of space that was Panchero’s.

I decided to take a chance and see how TacoSon was doing on their first day of St. Pete business. The grand opening special, tacos for 99 cents, drew me in. How could I pass that up? In addition, it would help me figure out how much potential the place has. If they can’t make a good taco, how good can they really be? I ordered 5 soft tacos on flour tortillas: 2 Pollo (chicken), 2 Carne Asada (steak), and 1 Cochinita Pibil (shredded pork). I also ordered a small Chips and Guacamole for $1.50 and a medium fountain soda ($1.89). Grand total was $9.92 after tax and tip. Not bad for lunch for 2 people.

Sauces on the table - chimichurri and TBD?

The order is placed with the cashier, and the food is brought to your table once it is prepared. I waited less than 5 minutes for my to go order to be ready. Driving to TacoSon, placing my order, and driving home took less than 15 minutes round trip.

5 soft tacos topped with cilantro, tomato, and onions

The tacos are served with shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro, and tomatoes. Soft tacos normally run $1.99. Cheese is an additional 25 cents per taco and sour cream is 30 cents (dislike!). Hard tacos include cheese and sour cream for $1.99. The Carne Asada was very salty to me, and very fatty. The chicken was well marinated, and the pork was tender and moist. The guacamole was smooth and pale. I wondered if it is mixed with sour cream? It was nowhere near as good as Chipotle’s guacamole, but for $1.50 the price is right. The guacamole was filled with cilantro, onions, and tomatoes. A large Chips and Guacamole is $4.50. Also available are Chips and Salsa ($1.25 small, $2.25 large) and Queso and Chips ($1.75 small, $4.50 large).

I will definitely pay TacoSon another visit in a few weeks. In addition to tacos, they have other Mexican classics (burritos, tortas, tostadas, flautas, chimichangas, nachos, and ceviche). They also serve breakfast: scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions, cheese, your choice of meat (chorizo, ham, turkey ham) in a burrito, taco, totra, or plato. TacoSon runs daily specials, which are $5.75 for lunch and $6.75 for dinner.

www.tacosonmexicangrill.com

2510 22^nd Avenue North

St. Petersburg, FL 33713

727-851-9800

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Other notable dining experiences

Below are some notable dining experiences I have had over the past few months:

Roy's Restaurant
"Hawaiian fusion cuisine"
Tampa, FL
Crispy pork belly, trout, hot chocolate souffle

Stonewood Grill and Tavern
"Oak grilled steaks and fresh seafood"
Brandon, FL
Steak and bleu cheese flatbread, filet and portobello ravioli, coconut cake

Conch Republic 
"Grill and raw bar"
North Redington Beach, FL
Calamari, potato skins, tilapia, fish tacos, seafood pasta

Cafe Alma
"Tapas, wine bar, grill"
St. Petersburg, FL
Crab stuffed mushrooms, wild mushroom ravioli

Sorry, no pictures right now... but that gives me an excuse to go back.

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Update on my Bucket List of Tampa Bay restaurants

I have been doing plenty of restaurant exploration,  I just have not had time to update my blog. My goal for 2012 is to take far better care of my sweet blog. Pun intended :)
Below is an updated list of restaurants in Tampa Bay that I want to try. I have bolded the items I have completed so far.

400 Beach Seafood Tap House
Burrito Boarder
Cafe Alma - Completed!
Carmelita's Mexican
Capital Grill
Cassis American Brasserie - Completed (drinks and dessert only)
Ceviche
The Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge - Completed
J Alexander's
The Lobster Pot
Parkshore Grill
Red Mesa Cantina - Completed
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Square One Burgers
Wright's Gourmet House

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Carrabba's - New Cucina Casuale menu

I love Carrabba’s! Not just because that’s where me and my boyfriend went on our first real date, and not just because it’s fresh Italian cuisine just 5 minutes from home. I love Carrabba’s for being good to their customers, for not being the McDonalds of Italian food (ahem, Olive Garden), and for being absolutely delicious!

I am a member of the Amici Club at Carrabba’s. If you are not yet a member of this fabulous club, what are you waiting for?? Last July, I was invited to a dinner and wine pairing event, hosted by Fabio Viviani of Top Chef. Imagine my shock when I saw an invitation to an event featuring one of my favorite Top Chef (Top Scallop) contestants of all time! The meal, the wine, and the company were amazing. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to attend an Amici Club event, so I was pleasantly surprised to open my e-mail and find out about a tasting for the new Cucina Casuale menu.

What a welcome! 

This was a lunch event at my local Carrabba’s. The restaurant was open only to guests of the Amici Club. I attended the event solo but enjoyed the good company at my table. My tablemates enjoyed complimentary sangria while I had a classic Coca Cola. We were served the classic Carrabba’s fresh baked bread with olive oil and herb dipping sauce. Delicious as always! And if the bread isn’t reason enough to go to Carrabba’s, I am not sure what else is! (Except maybe dessert… stay tuned.)

Our tasting started off with Ribs Agrodolce. These are not your traditional BBQ ribs! The baby back ribs are braised in a herb and red wine sauce, and then cooked on a wood fire grill with a sweet and sour glaze. These were great, a little sweet but savory. The ribs were served with housemade potato chips. I believe our server said these could be ordered as an appetizer or a full entrée.

Next we tried the 2 new ciabatta sandwiches. First was the Grilled Fish Ciabatta sandwich, featuring wood fire grilled tilapia with baby arugula and tomato basil vinaigrette. The flavor of the fish was excellent. I am a big arugula fan, and a big fish fan, so this obviously won me over. Next was the Chicken Parmesean Ciabatta. Classic Chicken Parm served on Ciabatta bread. These sandwiches were served with wood fire grilled vegetables, but come with housemade potato chips usually.

Grilled Tiliapia Ciabatta (left) & Chicken Parm Ciabatta

Finally, it was time for dessert. My absolutely favorite part of any meal! There are no desserts specific to the Cucina Casuale menu, which is fine with me, because the traditional Carrabba’s desserts are amazing! We had a choice of dessert shooters: Tiramisu, Dessert Rosa, and Chocolate Coconut Mousse. How can they force a girl to decide? After much internal deliberation, I chose the Dessert Rosa. On the regular menu these mini (guilt free) desserts are just $2.25 each or 6 for $12.

The next time you are in the mood for fresh Italian food, stop by your neighborhood Carrabba’s. And while you’re online, visit their website to sign up for The Amici Club. I just might see you at the next club event!

Check out Carrabba's for the fabulous specials!

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