Suzanne Calling

Yes, I've written about New Moon before, under their old name . This is our go-to for sushi in Lakeland and we tend to visit a couple of times a month. Now that they've completely changed over from Shingetsu since purchasing it from Kay last year, I noticed the Urban Spoon listing had one vote and no reviews. So, link to old review, more pictures and words about this sushi place that makes me worry about what we might find when we move away from Lakeland in a few years. This sushi is THAT good. It's hard to believe, but it has been nearly a year since Kay sold Shingetsu, but I'm happy to say that she left her restaurant in capable hands. We've been at least a half dozen times since the change and would have been a few more (if they were open for Saturday lunch, that is). The sushi is fresh, with several new favorites for Ed and me, especially the Louisiana roll. For a while, the menu had all of the Shingetsu options, plus the additions from the new owners....

As we had plans to visit Brass Tap Saturday afternoon, we set our sights on lunch within Lakeside Village. Ed suggested trying Burger 21, as we'd been looking at the place when it's been closed for the better part of a year. Who was I to argue with that suggestion? Thankfully, my sister saw sliders on that awning and she was excited at the prospect of getting mini burgers. I have to admit, the idea of sliders appealed to me, too, because it made it easier to pass off what I don't finish to Ed. (final score: 3 sliders for me, 5 for Ed.) Right outside the door, there's a sign that has menus in the top. Grab one, because there isn't a menu board inside. Oh, and if you're easily tempted by libations, be warned: they've got plenty of beers on ice right there in front of you. Apparently, they have shakes. I say it, because I was blinded by the beers, but not enough to get one-the plan was to get those at Brass Tap across the parking lot. We all dec...

Last week, I had time to kill between work and picking up my sister at the airport, as she had a pretty late flight in from New Jersey. I asked on FB if any friends were going to be around, and was happy to get a response from L, who was one of my cast members at Disney too many years ago. We needed to pick something toddler friendly, and between where she was and the airport. Urban Spoon came to the rescue and I asked if she wanted to try Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. It sounded good, so off we both went to a new location. We arrived around 6:30 and there were only a couple of tables occupied, but the staff was moving about, active in the operations. We were quickly seated, then greeted by three different servers. L quite liked this, commenting on the nice view of cute servers. They also were rather polite, because we were yakking instead of looking at our menus. Finally, we both selected pizzas and continued our yakking. I debated between a 12" traditional and th...

I wanted seafood for lunch, we got sushi. Still a little frustrated that New Moon isn't open for lunch service, but Gosh delivered the goods. According to Urban Spoon, we've dined at all but one of the sushi places in town. Guess we need to try that one sometime soon.

Some days, a new food truck is paired with one that has food that smells so good and you KNOW it's good that the temptation is to forgo the exploration for the sake of blogging and just get the tried and true. Such was the case Thursday, as Just Smokin' BBQ was there, some 'que would have been good right about then. Instead, I forged ahead with trying the new guy. I'm glad I did. Street Surfer is an apt name for a food truck, surfing the streets of Tampa on a quest to bring funky flavors to the masses. The truck has a great retro vibe. The menu, oh the menu. I was like the couples on house hunters, forced to rule choices out in order to make a decision. Italian beef was scratched off merely because I make a respectable version at home. I didn't want hot dogs, and I was down to the Mojo Nachos or the Shrimp Po Boy. In situations like these, I ask the person on the truck which to get. The gentleman told me the nachos were good, but the PoBoy was b...

We seem to be getting one new contender into the rotation of lunch time selections at USF, and the addition this past week was A Dude and His Food. The offerings were all sorts of 'cheesesteaks' with beef or chicken, then various fries, and the day we saw them, cheese fries or onion rings. They also run a lunch special with fries and a soda for $10. In looking over the menu, I liked the idea of a gyro-inspired philly sub, though I fully expect it to be a huge mess to eat. The staff running this truck were very friendly and fast-an important skill on this blustery day. None of us wanted to be out there waiting for food, so they were speedy. I opted for the special with the drink and fries. I started off with the fries and they were closer to the crispy side and perfectly salted, which makes me happy. Didn't need anything added to them, a bonus. Started off eating that sandwich with a fork, and was afraid to pick it up, due to the quantity of fillings. ...

Another food truck not currently on Urban Spoon. We need to fix this, people need to read the reviews on these awesome eats. Today's lunch choices at work included the really good 'Que of Just Smokin', but I hadn't tried the Pasta Bowl yet. In the interests of sharing feedback on these places, I opted for pasta today. There was a good variety of items on the menu, split evenly between sandwiches and pasta. Pesto was calling my name, so I went with the Pesto Pasta. It is served on rotini, with some sun dried tomatoes and an ample topping of fresh parmesan. The bread was soft on the inside, had crust with tooth and was a nice complement to the pasta. Too much pesto is not enough in my book, so I would have loved more pesto. That said, there was some great flavor in this fresh made pesto, and ample tomatoes. I'd get it again, but I think I might try that caprese sandwich next time.

We have food trucks on the USF Health campus Monday through Thursday. It has proven so popular, that most days, we now get two. Today's were Roaming Gourmand and I Wanna Wok. Both looked so good, but I opted for Roaming Gourmand today. The empanadas were really good, beef with diced onion and a little bit of heat on the back end. I had Cholula at the ready, but they really didn't need it. These were a win. These are Chip's chips. They're fried fresh, then served with a roasted onion dip. If they offered more dip, I would gladly take it and spread it on just about everything, it is that good. Meanwhile, this is I Wanna Wok. The menu looks awesome and it has had rave reviews. I will make this my stop the next time they're here. How can you resist cool names like these?

Those of you who usually read my blog are probably thinking "ANOTHER Greek place?" Yep. Especially when this one is a stone's throw from work. The beauty of this place is the freshness of the ingredients. The salads are made to order, the pitas soft and fresh, the fries thick cut wedges, wonderfully marinated meats and crispy gyro loaf slices. They have wonderful rice pudding and baklava-which I understand is made for them at Hellas in Tarpon Springs. Everything is prepared to order, so there may be a few minute wait. It is worth it. They do a rewards program and according to my points, I've been there 8 times. Fresh, high quality Greek food will draw me every time. I've enjoyed Souvlaki, that Gyro platter, Greek salad, Pastitsio, and both desserts. Not one thing has disappointed. The platters have been big enough that I usually have leftovers to enjoy the next day. I understand there are 5 locations with more franchised locations coming. They ...

Caribbean food for lunch, Indian for dinner, what else would you call it? While there are plenty of places to eat on campus, there are no dining places in the immediate vicinity of my office, so I have to leave. (What's kind of sad is that a place they took us to during orientation and I really liked, is on the opposite side of our pretty large property). So, that means I will explore for a while. I didn't feel like the places I'm familiar with, and spied Jerk Pit and got a jerk pork salad. It was decent,but I've had much better jerk foods before. The weird thing, and I don't know if it's me: if the seasoning is off, maybe a bit too bitter, I notice I have this overwhelming urge to have chocolate after eating some jerk foods. Could that be a defense mechanism to coat the bitter? For dinner, I have a standing date with a former coworker, and we went back to Cafe Roti. This time, I went for an old favorite, the Korma, but with beef. That sauce is so f...

Chef is just like me, in that there is hardly a soup that he will not eat. His favorite is probably my chicken basil curry, but if there's a pot of homemade soup, the boy will probably eat half of it himself. Last week, Walt Disney World posted a recipe on their Facebook page, that of the beloved Beer Cheese soup and I had to make it. lt's good and hearty, most definitely a meal when you have it with some hot, crusty bread. So last night, I made a pot of it. Knowing my son, I made a double batch. It was good, but I think it needs something more. Haven't quite figured out what, but there will be some tweaking to make it our own, maybe a little bit of roasted garlic. Meanwhile, Chef opted for a big bowl of that for dinner tonight, because he commented that he hoped their were lots of leftovers and that it was 'AWESOME.' I know my kid. The double batch was the right thing to do. And if you're curious, this is Le Cellier's Beer Cheese soup, cour...

Back when I was doing Tasty Thursdays at Mom Dot, I put up the recipe for Bolognese sauce and it never made it over here. I don't think the recipe is still on Trisha's site after the revamp, but a blogger I follow (actually, on Twitter) mentioned getting spaghetti squash and needing a sauce for it. To me, that needs a full bodied sauce, and I immediately offered up my recipe for Bolognese sauce, which is Ed's absolute favorite. She told me sure, and I messaged her with the recipe (Tweeting it would have taken forever!), and since sharing it, I've had a hankering for the rich, meaty sauce. I made some tonight, and figured I would share it here. This is definitely a food of love thing, low and slow simmering gives you a better flavor. Once you've browned the meat and cooked the onions down, you can even do this in the crock pot while you're at work, the choice is yours. Depending on how long you cook down, this makes 5 or 6 quarts. Bolognese sauce ...