Trying the Impossible Burger at Busch Gardens Tampa!!

Please note that I had this "snack" in the interest of science only so you, the people, know the truth. ;-)

Tried the Impossible burger. It comes with cheese as an option and lettuce, tomato and pickles on request. Gluten free bun is also available. Side is choice of fries, mac and cheese or veggies. Burger is extremely beefy tasting accentuated by the vinegar in the pickles. Mac and cheese is slightly better than Kraft and seems like it has some Colby cheddar as part of the sauce.

Would I get it again?  Yes - but without the bun, no tomato and more pickles.  

A Little Bit About Me - What is My Perspective on Food?

So, I have this Blog.  And you are wondering what does this guy know about food that I don't and why would I be interested in reading anything he has to say.  I certainly make no claims about being a culinary expert.  My only work experience in the food industry was back in 1980 at a Baskin Robbins located in a shopping mall.    I can tell you I would shudder in fear if anyone ever asked for a triple scoop of the Mandarin Chocolate Sherbet, a flavor that was almost always super soft and prone to not surviving such construction.  The sherbet always reminded me of the times I made mud pies in the sandbox as a child.  Thankfully that flavor was only available about three times a year as Baskin Robbins had flavors of the months when I worked there.  I recall several everyday flavors such as Jamoca (coffee), Jamoca Almond Fudge (see Jamoca and add chocolate and nuts), Pralines and Cream (vanilla ice cream with pralines and caramel swirl) and Rocky Road - in addition to the Neapolitan ice cream staples of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.  All really good ice cream.  Even with all that choice, there were a few customers that would only come in to the store when we had the Mandarin Chocolate Sherbet. I remember one customer who would order two whole 10 gallon tubs of it to take home.

Where am I going with this?  There was always pure joy on a customer's face upon getting something as simple as a scoop of ice cream.   And to see someone who had waited a few months for their special flavor was extraordinary.  Ice cream isn't complicated.  You can make it at home with only a few ingredients.  But if you took a survey, I imagine it would be near the top of the list for people's favorite dessert (or maybe just food in general).  So that is where I come in.  I like simple, delicious food.   It doesn't need to be complex. Give me a hot dog, in a toasty bun with great toppings and it can be a gourmet treat.    A great lobster roll?  Skip the lettuce, mayo and celery,.  Just toast a hot dog roll, lay in some claw and tail meat and drizzle with melted butter.   You will not have a better one.    One of the tastiest snacks I ever had was a bag of corn nuts from a gas station outside of Anatalya Turkey.  Not complicated - just deliciously seasoned.

I am extremely lucky to be able to travel a lot and get to many places around the globe.     I'll be sharing my food experiences with you as I travel the world.  And not just at fine restaurants.  Based on where I have traveled already that could be deep fried scorpion in Bejing's Night Market,  potato chips from a convenience store in Shanghai, or a snack cake from the hotel mini bar in Riveria Maya Mexico.    I hope you'll find this a little different than other blogs out there.   Thanks for reading!!

Final Dinner at the Refinery

 We went to a restaurant that was closing in a week. Chef Greg Baker was the first chef to really elevate the food culture in Tampa and the Seminole Heights area. They were doing a throwback menu from when then they first opened in 2010. We had three small plates of pork belly, Nascargots (escargot hush puppies) and Maple glazed snapper with grit cake. We split an entree simply labelled "burger" (more to come on that later).

The hush puppies had a mustard and a fruit compote that really didn't compliment or contrast the escargot. It was hard to tell these were escargot. If it had a garlic butter dipping sauce or an aoli I think it would have improved the dish. Pork belly was very good with a deep pork flavor. It was served with grits and red cabbage slaw which both cut the fattiness. The snapper was my favorite of the three small plates. It had a piece of homemade maple sausage which really brought the dish together. The crunch of the grit cake was great for texture. It also had my favorite accompaniment of the night: char-grilled whole okra. Never had I had okra prepared this way - and I want it again and again It could be an appetizer all on its own. They were similar to shishito peppers but with a much smokier flavor (and of course not spicy).

The burger entree was my favorite item of the night. A burger cooked perfectly medium with sharp cheddar cheese, a creamy mild aoli and kimchee. The roll was pillowy soft but held up to the meaty burger and toppings. The kimchee had just enough spice to contrast with the beefiness. It was served with Yukon Gold fries which were hot from the fryer and perfectly salted. There was a homemade ketchup which was good but needed some more acid. Such a well composed dish. Simple and delicious.

Dessert was a doughnut sandwich. It had fresh peaches as the filling, torched marshmallow on top along with a fruity sauce. The doughnut itself was a bit stale so while I was expecting a Krispy Kreme "HOT NOW" texture, it was more like a Dunkin Donuts day old plain donut. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the filling and topping were reversed. The marshmallow was so good, it deserved to be the main component. And then I would have grilled the peaches and served with a tart raspberry sauce. But really just small issues since we had such a great meal.

Breathless Resort - Punta Cana Dominican Republic

We stayed for five nights in July 2019.  What follows are many of the tasty bites experienced during the stay.

July 17th -

French dinner tonight at Co Quette:. Angie had artichoke Vichyssoise, Scallops St Jacque and Poached Salmon. I had Salad Nicoise (lettuce, egg and potato with a mustard based vinaigrette), the same scallop dish and Duck Confit. Vichyssoise was excellent with a nuanced (not overpowering) artichoke flavor. The deconstructed Nicoise salad had fresh greens and tomato and a flavorful dressing although would have liked a bit more mustard (minor problem). Salmon was full of flavor and had a sauce that seems like it had been made with lobster shells. Very tasty. Duck Confit was some of the best I have had. Moist, flavorful duck served with a twist on scalloped potatoes. And had a very light orange sauce that complimented the duck and cut the richness just enough. No dessert at the restaurant but we did stop at the coffee shop for a sugar cookie on our way back to the room. We have been up since 3:30am so going to be an earlier night. Will check out the shows over the next four nights.

PRO TIP:  There are two French restaurants.  This one is on Breathless side and Mecure is on the Onyx side.  I would skip Mecure and only go to Co Quette which had much better food and atmosphere.

July 18th - 

Breakfast today was at the buffet called Spoon. A very impressive selection of fruits and hot items. Passion fruit and mango were so fresh tasting. And the tostadas with egg were very tasty. Perfectly cooked "over easy" egg with the green salsa adding just enough spice. And it is the first buffet I have been to that had a Chef/DJ spinning tunes!! Didn't try the Iberian ham but there are three more breakfasts to come.

July 19th - 

Breakfast:. I tried the Iberian ham (Jambone)!! Very good and they had some capocola and manchego as well. Fruits were as good as yesterday. Delicious mango and passion fruit. The pool grill had some crispy fried fish that was really good as a snack.. Fresh from the fryer so it was both crispy and moist. Played a little pool volleyball. Planning our lunch which will likely be a la cart sit down today.

A very delightful lunch at the Strip Grill. Since it is pretty warm,I wanted something lighter so went with a taco trip (ceviche, shrimp and octopus) and a vegetable "cake". All three tacos were good. I just love octopus and this didn't disappoint so that was my favorite. Braised perfectly tender!! The "cake" is best described as a deconstructed Ratatouille. The "layers" were thin sliced zucchini that had been pan fried topped with steamed broccoli. The "candles" were carrot wedges that had also been pan fried. "Frosting" was a very flavorful pomadoro sauce that complemented the veggies. Well done. Angie had a Wok bowl with chicken. It had a teriyaki based seasoning with zucchini and onions. They also had excellent seared tuna (not pictured) on their buffet which I had as an appetizer. Now off to the pool to cool off.

Tonight's dinner was at the same place we went to lunch:. Our waiter was Carlos who we first met at breakfast on Thursday. He must have felt we looked hungry since he brought out some nachos while we waited for our apps. So sweet!! Our selectuon was Santa Monica Salad, Lobster Creme (really a bisque), fried mozzarrella and rib eye. Salad was much like a Cobb salad with a mustardy dressing, fresh greens, eggs, chicken and bacon. A larger portion and a slightly more potent dressing and this would be a great entree salad. Mozzarrella sticks were like you would find at any pub in the US. Bisque was a bit too fishy for my taste. The big surprise was the rib eye. Cooked medium and it had lots of flavor. Served with a minuet (vinegar, minced onion and seasoning) which had the most excellent contrast to the richness of the fatty rib eye. The side items of corn, potato, onion and mushrooms were okay but not memorable. Such a delicious steak. As good as I have had in many US steak houses.

Now we are at the nightly show!! Waiting for SHOWTIME!!

July 20th - 

Today's lunch was back at Strip Grill. Veggie Sushi Tempura and Braised Salmon. The sushi was decent but needed a bit more crust and a spicier sauce. Salmon was the winner. More like pan seared and cooked medium so it was still moist. Well seasoned with a nice crust. Served on top of creamy potato. Played more pool volleyball (that served as my exercise today - no gym).

Dinner tonight: We went the French restaurant at the Now Onynx resort next door. Pear and Blue Cheese Salad, Gruyer Cheese Souffle, French Onion Soup, Seafood Crepes, Baked Salmon and Caramelized Chicken.

July 21st - 

Dinner tonight (last night) was at Culinaria. Beet salad, seared tuna, sesame scallops and spicy octopus. Beet salad - let's say nothing except they didn't respect the beet. Not my favorite. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the seafood here has been really good. Tuna didn't disappoint. Nicely seared but still medium. Scallops were first I have had that were completely coated in sesame seeds. Also a nicely cooked medium rare. Octopus was the highlight. Had a nice heat to it and also braised until it was tender. The seasoned mashed potato was a good contrast to the spice. A great last dinner at this resort.

Bierfest at Busch Gardens Tampa

Bierfest at Busch Gardens Tampa!!

I have been going to this Beer Fest since it started about three years ago.  They have a very large selection of beers to choose from although this visit was about the food.  The 2019 event runs on Saturday and Sunday only from 8/17/2019 to September 8th, 2019 (including Labor Day)

 #ThrillsOnTao  

You can buy the beer and food samples individually.  Food is between 7 and 9 dollars.  I didn't buy any beer samples so not sure how much those are but guessing about five dollars.  If you plan to get more then a few food samples, your best value is to get a lanyard which has "punches" for 5 or 10 samples.  Five samples are 29.99 and 10 are 49.99.  And also remember you can share a lanyard between multiple people. If you are an annual passholder (not Fun Card) they have a special 12-punch lanyard for the price of the 10-punch.  These are good values if you only plan to use them for food.  As you can see on the menus, most food is $7 or more. So if you got 10 samples valued at 6.99 each, you are saving about $20. 

TOP TIP:  They can also be used for the beer samples, water and bottles of soda,  These aren't good uses of a "punch" in my opinion.   Instead, buy the water, soda or beer separately.  Also remember that the punches can be used throughout the festival.

Started off with the brisket taco and the jerk chicken taco,

Brisket taco was the winner of the two. The crispy jalapeno strips really added to the smokiness of the brisket. The jerk chicken needed more jerk flavor and I didn't taste any smoke in the pineapple.

Next up was a melt!!  This was the Short Rib and Brie melt.

Short rib and brie melt. Well seasoned tender short rib and melt brie. The addition of the horseradish really helped cut the richness of both meat and cheese.  

Then onto some fried items.  

Bacon Mac and Cheese bites and Reuben Croquettes.

Reuben croquettes. Needed more sauerkraut. Was really just corned beef and cream cheese. Basil park dipping sauce needed some flavor - any flavor.

Mac and cheese bites. Cookie cutter variety but I give them points for keeping it moist inside. The bacon mustard dipping sauce was dynamite. I would do shots of that and skip the bites.  Nice chunks of bacon mixed with the sweet, smoky and spicy sauce.

Next up was some sliders!

Bratwurst slider. The deli mustard helped with the fattiness. I would have liked more vinegar in the slaw.

Schnitzel sandwich was dry and the sauce was strange. Sort of a muted honey mustard. The spritzing crew was here to help cool us off!!!

They also had a booth where they served adult floats.  The Hard Coffee Float and Maduro Float were outstanding. Hard coffee was like a gas station Cappuccino (in a good way).Cigar City Brewing Maduro stout and vanilla soft serve was a perfect match.

I am always wanting to try anyone's take on a good chicken wing. They also had sweet potato fries.

The chicken wings were well fried. I got them with the sesame orange glaze which where the citrus was a good match for the fried wings. The sweet potato fries were very crispy and had a marshmallow sauce drizzled on top. It was just enough sweetness for me.