QUICK BITE: Taco & Tequila Fort Myers

Some tasty and very unique tacos and fantastic elotes for a late lunch/early dinner!! 

 The elotes were the best I have ever had!! Sweet, well grilled and topped with paprika, mayo and cocita cheese.    Also went with three tacos.  Chicken Pancake (a twist on chicken and waffles), Cheeseburger (all the standard fixings) and Firecracker Shrimp (needed more firecracker!!). 

When you're in Fort Myers and craVing a different kind of Mexican cuisine, give this a try.  

Dinner at Aldo's Italian in Fort Myers

A great Italian meal at Aldo's!!  Some wonderful bread.   Warm, soft with a crispy crust.  Didn't really need butter, but why not?   

Then a savory lasagna with three types of cheese. And I added the homemade Bolognese sauce which simply made it indulgent.  Along with a meatball on the side.  

Also tried the chicken parmigiana. A thin pounded cutlet which has been lightly breaded and fried.  It was served with a sauce that was more like a ragout.  And the penne was served with a delicious marinara.   Had never seen a dish like this served with two different red sauces.  

Jollibee - How's the signature food at this popular Asian fast food restaurant?

Jollibee is an acclaimed fast food restaurant in Asia and has quite a following in the Philippines.  There was a location in St Petersburg Florida where I was staying.   I could try this place without using my passport. 

You're greeted by Jollibee him or herself!! Would I "get it"?

Decent fried chicken.  Crispy and moist.  I got the two piece  original recipe and there wasn't any seasoning I could detect other than salt and pepper.  If that is all it is supposed to have them it was a success.  But fried chicken should have some additional seasonings in the coating.  If I returned, I would try the "spicy" version.

The Jolly Spaghetti was okay but reminded me too much of the canned Franco American spaghetti I had growing up.  Right down to the sweet sauce and sliced miniature hot dogs.  Again it needed some sort of seasoning.  

The chicken was served with a pretty good chicken gravy which I used for dipping.  First time I had seen that served with fried chicken that didn't come with mashed potatoes.  

Glad I tried this place since I have only read about it's popularity in Asia - specifically the Philippines.  The food was good but not sure I need to return.  I didn't "get it".   

Dinner at Baleen Kitchen - Redondo Beach

After arriving into the San Pedro pier from our 15 night Hawaii cruise, we headed to our hotel for the next three nights.   We decided to stay in an area of Los Angeles we hadn't been before: Redondo Beach.

This is definitely a surfside community. Lots of businesses that focus on the ocean.  There is also a large pier and boardwalk area where you could hire a boat to take you on a sunset cruise or a fishing charter.  Also restaurants and shops.  

We arrived at the Portofino Redondo Beach hotel about 9:30.  Check-in wouldn't be until 3PM.  That can be one of the challenges in a hotel stay you book for after a cruise.  You have to leave the ship early, but most hotels don't allow you to check-in until mid afternoon.  But they had a room available now if we would pay a $75 early check-in.  Of course we would!!    So we headed to our room for the next three nights.  

We hung out in the room for a couple of hours until it was lunchtime!!  I had looked up some local restaurants and Captain Kidd's seemed like a good fit.  

This is a combination of a fresh fish market and seafood restaurant.  All kinds of fish, crab and oysters!!   Prepared in many ways. We decided to get one order of the fish tacos and one order of shrimp tacos.  They were both so good. Highly recommend this place of you visit this area.  

After a  walk to run an errand at the bank, we strolled around on the boardwalk.  They have a lot of restaurants and shops. Plus a brewery.  We'll be checking that out one of the next two days.  

We then headed back to the hotel and watched the seals as they "serenaded" us with their songs. Our room faces the ocean. There is a rock wall protecting the shore and the seals apparently love being in this protested area.  They huddle around one buoy. Apparently playing King of the Mountain ".  

We had 6:30 reservations at Baleen which serves as the hotel restaurant although unlike many hotel restaurants, this is a separate building just steps away from the lobby. 

We selected a table by the fireplace which would be nice on this chilly night. 

We started with the calamari and the Noble Chop Salad.  

The calamari was so expertly prepared.  It was large pieces of squid that had been braised along with small planks of chorizo, diced onions, sliced jalapenos and minced garlic. It was so tender!!  The perfect bite was to get a little squid and chorizo along with a jalapeno and make a bruschetta with the toasted slices of bread.  

The salad had a great sherry vinaigrette tossed over crispy lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. The chef also includes some crisped quinoa and candied pecans.  Those really made the dish by adding some great crunch!!

For mains, we both went for the Bolognese with tagliatelle.  This felt like a great dish for a cool evening.  And we weren't disappointed!! 

Freshly made al dente pasta in a savory pork and beef Bolognese. It was topped with a dollop of creamy ricotta along with some fried basil leaves.  There was also a crispy element which we both thought was some kind of bread crumb.  The extra crunch added so much to the dish.  

We also.had an order of the heirloom carrots.  These were small, sweet braised carrots served on top of a yogurt sauce that had charred green onions.  The sweetness of the carrots went so well with the slight sourness of the sauce. 

For a wine, we picked out a 2017

Chianti Classico.  Of course with the black rooster which tells you it is authentic!!  This was only $64 per bottle which was a fair price in a restaurant.

Specialty Restaurant Highlights from Wonder of the Seas

What are some of the dishes you can expect at the speciality restaurants on the (currently) largest cruise ship in the world?  

Had brunch at The Mason Jar which is a southern themed restaurant. This is a brand new concept for Royal Caribbean.  Some delicious cocktails including a PB&J Old Fashioned, complete with mini PB&J sandwiches.  

A massive Cinnamon roll!!

Savory and creamy deviled eggs!!

A Nashville chicken sandwich.  

Blueberry Johnnycakes with pulled pork. 

And at Hooked, a seafood restaurant, some great lunch options.  They start you off with some savory biscuits seasoned with Old Bay Seasoning. 

Then a delicious crab and clam chowder.  

Mussels in white wine!!

Deep fried soft shell crab!!

And the Messy Fish Sandwich where they make you wear a bib!!

Reunion Kitchen Bar

After a great cruise on the Regal Princess on Saturday, we headed to Miami for the night since we would be boarding the brand new Carnival Celebration on Sunday.  After a matinee movie to see the new Black Panther Wakanda Forever, it was time for some lunch.  Not far from the theater was a restaurant called Reunion Kitchen Bar in Aventura Florida. 

This place is known for small plates of food that you eat family style. Nothing labelled as a starter of main.  

We ordered four plates.  

This was the Truffle Shitake Croquettes. 

There was a heavy aroma of truffle which made me a bit nervous since a heavy hand of.truffle can really through off the flavor of a dish.  To my surprise, these were well balanced between the truffle and mushroom. Slightly creamy with a well fried panko coating.  

Next was Crisp Rice with Trout and Tuna Sashimi.  

Instead of using traditional sushi rice, they took that same rice and made a crispy rectangle. And on top of that was either trout or a blend of tuna and spicy mayo. Both so good, especially with the addition of the crisp rice. 

Next was a Beet and Goat Cheese Salad. 

This really highlightes the beets with a great addition of goat cheese and arugula.   It could have used a slightly more acidic dressing to highlight the beets. 

The last dish was a roasted cauliflower.  

This is one dish we have had before at other restaurants.  And while.it sounds simple, it can go disastrously wrong very easily.  I think some restaurants just roast a raw head of cauliflower and hope for the best.  That never works since the outside is done way before the inside.  You need to steam the cauliflower first so that it is almost done. Then you have add your seasoning and roast it.  This version did that and produced a very tendee and flavorful result.  It has some delicious smokey flavor, complimented by a spicy romesco.sauce that has a vibrant tomato flavor and I also think some olives.

Definitely a worthwhile stop.  And the kind of place where you can just order a few things to start. And then if you're still hungry, you can always order more.  My kind of place.

Santa Cruz Tenerife Canary Island for some tapas

Santa Cruz Tenerife is very much like Barcelona. Lots of long streets with shops and restaurants. The central meeting point is an enormous fountain that wasn't operating today. It seemed to be a popular meetup point. We wanted some foods we weren't likely to find onboard the shop. Found a place with a large menu and ordered fried anchovy, croquettes, chorizo and Iberian sausage. And of course some refreshing sangria.  

Many people probably wouldn't order the fried anchovy because they think they will taste like the ones served on a Caesar salad. Or maybe because they are served whole. They actually taste nothing like that. They are mild and fried in a light tempura-sryle batter. A squeeze of lemon is all you need. They do have small bones but you can eat them. Perhaps not for everyone, but I love them. For any Newfies, they are a lot like smelts. 

The croquettes were tasty balls of potato and cheese in a light panko breading. And both the chorizo and sausage were delicious. 

There is a lot happening today on the ship. For sailaway, we were invited to be out by the helipad in the forward part of the ship. Afterwards, they are having a special cocktail reception on Deck 15 with sangria. We also may make our first visit to the dining room for dinner. So far, all our dinners have been in the buffet or The Porch. Then we will likely see the show called The Flyboys which is supposed to be a mashup of all different singing styles. Tomorrow.is our lfinal port of call in Madeira Spain where we have a 4x4 excursion.