Suzanne Calling

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...

The other day, I decided that studying during my lunch just wasn't going to cut it and asked a coworker to leave campus for lunch, because I needed conversation instead of solitude. He suggested 'a really good sub place', and that is how we ended up at Subs n Such. It's a basic, no frills kind of sub shop, with walls lined with antique bottles of soda, coolers filled with hard to find varieties of other sodas and a menu signboard from the 80's, one that you place the blue plastic letters on a white background. My friend suggested getting the steak and cheese, and I did, opting for it as a pressed Cuban. While the meat was microwaved, it still had good flavor. It was then pressed with mozzarella, lettuce, tomato and onions. The whole package was perfect- good crunch on the bread, just the right amount of mayo, fresh tomatoes, not too much onion, and ample lettuce. The best part is that it had great flavor without being greasy. The bonus was that I g...

A friend of mine began selling the Younique cosmetics line earlier this year and to say she's been doing fantastic with it has been an understatement. The main draw to this beauty product line is their Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes , and the pictures I've seen Robin post have shown this to create a dramatic difference in the length and fullness of eyelashes. As Robin has two daughters who perform, dance, and participate in pageants, it made sense that she'd find such a product and rave about it-her girls definitely have a use. But what about the everyday cosmetic wearer? Someone who doesn't really need a dramatic look? That was my question, as I didn't really wear a lot of makeup due to my allergies. Recently, though, I found good high quality brands and began wearing makeup again-stuff that doesn't make me want to rub my face non-stop. Mascara was one of the few things I never had a problem with, but if I rubbed the rest of it, then the mascara looked wei...

Today, Ed and I ran some errands and planned to get some lunch. Neither one of us could really decide, but somehow, we'd settled on Shingetsu, so Ed could have sushi and I could have tempura. Alas, with their new ownership, Shingetsu currently is only serving dinner. Both of us were trying to figure out something nearby, and Lings was just too much food for lunch, so Ed suggested Gosh, and off we went. He'd been before, I haven't. The main reason I don't typically go to sushi places is that while I like it, I usually max out on 3 or 4 pieces, grow bored, and want something else. As Gosh's menu showed more variety than sushi, it was a good balance. However, once I looked at the menu, the sushi grabbed me more than the entrees. That said, the vegetarian menu is a winner. We sat at the sushi bar and a server suggested getting an egg roll appetizer. That sounded good. Now, a lesson for the uninitiated: Egg Rolls are fat and short, spring rolls are skin...

When you have a crazy, busy schedule, trying to eat good food can be a challenge. Consider the days that you leave home for work around 6am and don't get back until after 9pm. Bagged lunches are boring, but fast food isn't good for you. The more I'm reading about my specific health issues, the more I'm seeing that I need to step up the healthier intake. It's something I actually enjoy, but finding the options while at work can be tough. Then about a month ago, a coworker said she was going to SoFresh for take out, did any of us want to try it. I jumped on the menu and was really pleased with the options, and ordered a tuna salad that had perfectly grilled ahi and enough for me to enjoy for two lunches. Still, I had no idea where it was until yesterday, when I decided to hit up the Sweetbay shopping center for some stuff for the class I TA. There, where the EVOs used to be, is SoFresh, next to the other lunch places I like to frequent, but shouldn't so of...

One of my co-workers and I take a class together and as a result, we occasionally go out to lunch together. This past week, she suggested Acropolis, and I agreed-because hey, I can never enjoy too much Greek food. The second reason for going is that I've been to their Ybor and Riverview locations, both of which have been great. The New Tampa location is in the same strip mall as Mr. Dunderbak's, also reviewed here, so it was about time that I switched from driving by to dining in. When dining with my companion, there will always be an appetizer. Today's choice was the Tirosalata, a dip that is similar in texture to tsitsiki sauce, but made with feta, oregano, and olive oil. It was rich, garlicky, and creamy, served with warm pita quarters-and they brought more when we spread ample amounts on the pitas supplied, quickly running out. I actually ordered Chef's favorite from Acropolis, Pastitsio, a cousin to baked ziti. It's pasta tossed in a tomato sauce, t...

Twin Peaks is like Hooters, if it was up north and in the snowy mountains. Servers in short shorts and plaid tops from which those 'twin peaks' runneth over is the uniform, but other than the sex appeal, this isn't a Hooters rebadge. For one: Twin Peaks offers up their own beers (two varieties), as well as a plentiful assortment of other brews from smaller companies, and the small print at the bottom of the beer menu indicates they have those major label brews. Still, Ed was tickled to get a manly sized Bell's Oberon, while I went with a girl-size of Abita's Purple Haze. I saw that they had the lovely Leinies, but the hanging decor indicated it was Canoe Paddler, which we'd tried last month and weren't thrilled with. Beers are served extremely cold in frosty mugs-in fact, mine developed icebergs! The menu is small, and leans towards hearty, manly-type meals. This is a good thing when you're feeding two locusts and a husband with a big appe...

Our favorite restaurant was sold. I should have realized, the last three or four times I got pizza for take out, the always present Manuela was not in the kitchen sporting her ubiquitous pink baseball cap. Still, the pizza was as good as always, so I assumed that I was picking up on nights she wasn't there. The other night, though, my friend Allen suggested Italian for dinner and Romeo's is always my first choice for that. Our server was one I didn't know. He answered my question about Manuela not being in the kitchen with 'Oh, you didn't know? They sold the restaurant a couple of months back.' This was before our entrees arrived, and I said the pizza was just as good. He told us that Manuela and Lino sold the recipes along with the restaurant, so we should expect the same quality food. He was right. My favorite, Penne alla Russa, was just as creamy as always, the garlic knots left me wanting to lick the plate, and I ordered some desserts to go, ...

One of the Tampa restaurants we've been visiting since soon after moving to Florida has been Mr. Dunderbak's . Thanks to a chance stop in a downpour at Epcot when the boys were small (we're talking 2 and 5 here), we found that each of them loves German food, and as a result, we try finding more places serving wursts and spaetzle. After Gameteen's first visit at the current psych practice, we visited University Mall, where Dunderbak's was a surprise find, shoehorned into a storefront. The've long since moved into a strip mall on Bruce B. Downs that has several quality restaurants, and several storefronts that lie vacant, but Dunderbak's has always been the draw for us. We pretty much plan that if GameTeen is seeing the doctor, we're having a German meal. Operant conditioning came into play the other day, because I had the doctor's appointment, Ed needed to drop me off on the USF campus and GameTeen was with us-all factors that scream Dunderba...

Deja vu? Yes, I had a Gyro while in Daytona last week. Heck, I'd probably eat Greek food every day, if I had enough decent options in Lakeland. I don't, which means that if I'm driving along Kennedy Blvd, near West Shore, I'm hungry, and there's a sign for a Greek place I haven't tried (Neon, even-but it was daytime), then you can bet money I'm stopping. Gogos Greek Grill is definitely in the camp of "I'm glad I stopped." It's a quick casual that does for Greek what Chipotle and Qdoba do for Mexican food-elevates it beyond fast food. The menu is limited, but there are enough variations that one can get their fix of this cuisine, even if their favorite isn't there. It's a good sign when you walk in the door of a place, just after opening, and the tables are topped with 'to go' orders and a half dozen employees are grabbing these huge orders and hurrying to deliver them. The smells were spot on for Greek food, but I...