Happy to have given Mr. Tequila another shot!

It has become a tradition that when our Chicago friends Lily & Molly come to visit their friend Kerri in Naples every year, we always go to a Mexican Restaurant. Our Miami friends Greg & Charlie always make the drive to join us. The first year we all got together, we went to Iguana Mia in Bonita Springs and had a great time… after many margaritas of course!

The second year, we were going to try Mesón Olé, but it had closed down. Now called Mr. Tequila Restaurant, it is located at 3126 Tamiami Trl N in Naples. We all had a pleasant experience. Dominic and I revisited the restaurant several times after that, always having a great meal.


The flavor of their carnitas (my favorite childhood dish) is the closest to the flavor of the carnitas from the Mexican restaurants in Puerto Rico.

However, for our 3^rd reunion, my Tulane friends Jes, Christian, Damien & Cyrus were in town as well so I made reservations 1 week in advance at Flaco’s (4947 Tamiami Trl N # 110, Naples). A few hours before we were to meet, Kerri called Flaco’s to add 1 person to the reservation and they told her they did not have any reservation for us. I called, tried to work it out with them, but they did not make any attempt to accommodate us. There was no manager or owner to speak to, not that day, not the next day, or the next when I called back. Because of this incident, I have a hard time returning to Flaco's.

Scrambling, I called Mr. Tequilas and they were very happy to accommodate our large party at the last minute even though they were busy themselves. Unfortunately, that night, almost everyone was disappointed with their meal. This discouraged Dominic & I from returning.

Until recently, we found ourselves in the neighborhood and decided to give it another try. We’re so glad we did!  The restaurant was packed (and we were not even in season) so the service was a bit slow and I felt like I was interrupting the server’s concentration every time I had a request, but he took the time to give us his opinion on several dishes.

 I ordered the “Carnitas Platter” and asked if they could make it a little spicy. I am always VERY careful about asking for spicy at Mexican & Asian restaurants. My dish had a nice kick to it and was as good as I remembered.



Dominic was in the mood for fajitas so he ordered the Fajitas Mr. Tequilas (steak, chicken, shrimp & chorizo). He loved it!

 Their salsa is always good and plentiful. It is not spicy at all though. We’ve had their Shrimp Diablo and Chicken Enchiladas and they are both delicious. I had their “Alambre” on that fateful night so I do not plan on ordering that dish again, but I do plan on returning… especially for their XL Modelo Especial on tap!

Mr. Tequila Restaurant

Easy to Make Vodka Infusion & Sangría

Vodka is my poison of choice. I prefer it "on the rocks with a lime" since I am always trying to cut out unnecessary calories! A few years ago, I discovered infusions and immediately looked into creating my own.

Who knew it would be SO easy! 

                                                                                  All it takes is a bag of frozen mixed fruit and a bottle of vodka. Pour everything into a container that can be sealed well and place in a dark cool part of the home for about a week. I usually make it and pour the vodka along with the fruit into a nice beverage jar. It makes for an attractive presentation.  

On this occasion, I returned the vodka (without the fruit) to its original bottle so that I could chill it in the freezer. I then used the fruit to make SANGRIA! My grandmother Julia taught me my Sangría recipe. We use cheap wine. Why waste good wine since you are going to alter its flavor?!

I prefer white wine so I used a bottle of Pinot Grigio, but I added a bit of red wine. I included the vodka infused fruit into the mix, some 7up and a splash of Chambord. Mama (aka grandma) adds Brandy. Yum, yum, yum!

For a great Bloody Mary, try infusing the vodka with jalapeños. I tried it at Blu Sushi and it was DELICIOUS!

OUTSTANDING meal @ Kurrent's in the Marco Island Marriott!

It was Saturday night and we were in Marco Island looking for a nice meal with our friends from Illinois, Joe & Michelle. We headed to the Marriott since no one has anything negative to say about this gorgeous hotel.

Immediately, one of the valet parking attendants asked us if he could help guide us. We asked about dining options and even though we had thought about eating at Quinn's, a casual beachfront restaurant, his description of Kurrents grabbed our attention. Even though the view is not spectacular (it faces the courtyard and pool, not the beach)... the food and service are out of sight!

The only negative I found is something that annoys me often in Naples... The restaurant is visibly EMPTY... it is one of the slowest weekends of the low season and yet, the hostess asks if we have reservations with a "look" as if it will be impossible to find an open table for us.

Moving forward... our waiter, Frank from Jamaica, was lovely... attentive & answered questions with a firm opinion. 

Michelle ordered the 10oz Filet Mignon... delicious, but not worth $48!

Joe, Dominic and I went for 3 different fish dishes, which seems to truly be their strength! All 3 entrees were under $30.

Joe ordered the Ft. Lauderdale Swordfish with Chickpea, Spinach & Smoked Pork Cake, Stuffed Zucchini Blossom & Soy Beurre Blanc. The fish was fresh & very tasty, but I was not a fan of the pork cake. Joe seemed to enjoy his meal though. We all were very intrigued by his pepper foam... it made for an interesting presentation!

Dominic chose the Citrus Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, English Pea Raviolo, Vegetable Ficelle & Soy Beurre Blanc. Fresh, buttery in texture & very well complemented by all other ingredients. Hard to resist! Even Michelle, who does not like fish, loved the taste of the Sea Bass!

I opted for the Pan Seared Red Snapper with Thai Stir-Fry Noodles and Tempura Baby Bok Choy. Wow! This was THE BEST fish plate I have had in a LONG time! Very close to how good the food is at USS Nemo, but wow... I was soooo happy with my choice. Dominic loved my dish, Joe thought it was good, Michelle preferred the Sea Bass. Perhaps the Asian noodles were too rich in flavor, but I love Asian flavors so it was right up my alley!

We did not order one of the appetizers from the Small Plates Menu, but we could not pass up the opportunity to try their Lobster Mac (Cavatelli) & Cheese so we ordered this side to start. It was good, not too rich and not overpowering with lobster flavor even though it had a good amount of lobster meat.

We passed on dessert because our bellies were so full, but the Coconut Crème Brûlée stayed in our minds and a day later we almost went back just for dessert.

Great meal for a special occasion. Bring a full wallet though!

Chimichurri & Petite Pains au Chocolate - NOT together!

Woke up early on Sunday morning to walk Rolex, one of our Home Buddies customers. Then I headed out to the supermarket so I could get the ingredients for 2 non-related recipes I have been dying to make. 

The first was for “Pains au Chocolat” or “Chocolate Croissants”. Most recipes take a few hours, but this one, is for the lazy like myself!

 I first tried these in St. Barths and my favorite memory is of one night (or morning… as it was about 5am) after a leaving the club, my friends and I waited for the bakery to open. It was pouring down rain, we were in a golf cart, they were fresh out of the oven… nothing was more perfect!

I love these things so much that I must consume them on my birthday. Locally, the French Bread Oven & Norman Love Confections have the best! However, if you are (a) on a budget, (b) feel like making some for friends or (c) feel like eating a lot in the privacy of your home… all you need is a few simple ingredients: puff pastry sheets, bittersweet chocolate (if you like dark) or semi-sweet (milk chocolate), 1 egg & a little bit of sugar. That’s it!

 As far as presentation is concerned...

practice makes perfect!

The other thing I was dying to make was “Chimichurri Sauce”. 

Chimichurri is a sauce that is usually served with steak in Argentina. It is available at the supermarket. We’ve tried different brands, but we never seem to like any. This recipe is the solution to our problems!

It is EXTREMELY EASY! All you have to do is buy the ingredients, clean & cut them and throw them in the food processor! Nothing taste better than fresh ingredients too and after you’ve made it a few times, you can tweak it. We liked it as the recipe states.

I bought some skirt steak, pounded it to make it tender, covered it with chopped garlic, sprinkled some adobo (all-purpose seasoning) on it, squeezed a lime on it and let it marinade for a few hours. When we were ready to eat, I threw a bag of Mexican Rice on the stove and grilled the steaks.

It was one of the least expensive and most succulent meals we’ve made at home. AND… it was the first time Dominic’s parents, Frank & Emma ate something of mine that I didn’t screw up somehow. Overall, a great success! 

Mixed Feelings about Baleen @ La Playa

For our 7th Anniversary, Dominic wanted to go to The CapitalGrille, probably the best steakhouse around! However, I wanted to try a new place. I wanted it to be memorable so I went on the TripAdvisor.Com website and did a search for “romantic restaurants” in Naples. At #10 was Baleen, the restaurant at La Playa Beach & Golf Resort. I had heard some of the Camp Bow Wow customers talk about it so I visited their website. The menu and photos of the view really caught my attention. “You can sit on the sand! How romantic!” I thought.

I called to make reservations and that’s when the lack of “warm and fuzzies” began. I remembered how Dominic had told me that when he called Roy’s to make my birthday reservation, they had asked if it was a special occasion and afterwards, they surprised us with a complimentary dessert. The receptionist at Baleen was cold, didn’t ask anything more than the usual and after I requested outdoor seating, she informed me that it was “not guaranteed”. 

The day arrived and we were so excited!!! Luckily, they did have a table for us outside. Wow! What a view! I had made the reservation for 8pm hoping it wouldn’t be too hot to sit outside and the timing was perfect. The sun was beginning to set and we got to enjoy one of the many beautiful west coast sunsets!

Even though the view is VERY beautiful, the restaurant was full and loud. Because it is in a resort, not everyone there is having a romantic meal so you can hear other conversations and there are kids playing in the background. I would have preferred a more intimate setting.

Our waiter, even though polite, was not particularly friendly. I don’t know if he introduced himself. He certainly did not engage in any type of “small talk”. He assumed we were tourists and perhaps that’s why he didn’t think to ask if we were celebrating any special occasion. After he brought us our initial drinks, he disappeared for about 10 minutes. Then, he appeared to take our appetizer and entrée order. The bus boys were definitely friendlier. They brought us delicious bread and took our photo.

Dominic & I both ordered the “Lobster Bisque” soup. It was delicious with chunks of lobster, but it was definitely on the SALTY side. 

For his main course, Dominic took our waiter’s suggestion and ordered the “Roquefort Crusted Filet of Beef,
Short rib ragout, asparagus, potato crisp, natural jus”. He was very pleased with his selection and so was I! 

 

I ordered the ½ portion of the “Florida Keys Snapper with Yellow tomato fondue and green onion and Lump Crab Hash”. The fish was a bit salty, but then, the hash had a sweetness to it that balanced it all very well. 

I definitely appreciate a restaurant that serves ½ portions since I am usually full after the first course and Baleen had 3 appealing ones. 

We skipped dessert even though they had a warm dark chocolate cake with caramelized bananas & banana foster ice cream with banana caramel sauce that screamed “ORDER ME!” We may have to come back one day just for that, but we probably won’t return for the food. Dominic & I are all about good customer service and places that stand out above the rest. Our waiter didn’t go the “extra mile” for us and the food, even though good, was not extraordinary.

I would gain a LOT of weight if we lived near L'Apetito

A few weeks ago, I had a Home Buddies job in North Naples taking care of 3 funny cats (Asia, Hunter & Jade) and a very sweet Greyhound named Koby. 

Near their home is L'Appetito (2542 Northbrooke Plaza Drive, Naples). A small pizza shop & deli that can do no wrong in my eyes. It was Friday night, we had worked a long day at Camp Bow Wow. We were hungry, but FULL of patience.

The restaurant was full. One of the waiters had called in sick (or something) so the other two waitresses were scrambling to take care of all of the customers. Dominic and I sat down and waited. Within a few minutes, one of the servers greeted us and told us they would be with us as quickly as they could. This meant the world to us! Recently, we decided to give Naples Flatbread a try. We waited for about 10 minutes and watched about 4 servers pass us by. Not once did anyone greet us or make eye contact. We left.

At L'Apetito, it didn't matter "whose" table it was. The servers were working as a team and soon one of them was advising us on their many pasta dishes. Dominic went for the "Chicken Marsala" and I, knowing well how good their pizza is, opted for the personal pizza and a small order of their boneless chicken wings... HOT... should have gone for the "inferno". As we feasted on the tasty food in front of us, we sipped on the classiest of wines... "Carlo Rossi's Paisano". 

We were very disappointed in the end because despite the fact that we were strategically seating in front of the cannoli shell storage and kept drooling at the anticipation... they were out of the filling and we were unable to indulge!

Sadly disappointed by Salsa Brava in Naples Park

A few days before trying out Salsa Brava (10265 Tamiami Trail North, Naples), I had walked into Amigo's on the East Trail with pessimism and after reviewing the seemingly "gringo-friendly" menu, my pessimism got worse. Luckily, that day, I was very pleasantly surprised.

The complete opposite happened to me when we visited Salsa Brava. It is a simple and clean restaurant. All of the patrons were Mexican until we walked in. The menu was full of promising choices and then... we asked the waitress for suggestions and advice and she didn't seem confident in her descriptions of the menu items. She was very slow and unengaging. 

They were out of "gorditas", so I ordered 2 sopes, one steak and the other "al pastor" (pork). They were very disappointing.  Its a bit hard to describe, but the "massa" didn't taste great. It tasted like it had been fried once and then again later on. It tasted a bit stale in our opinion.

 

We also ordered the steak "a la Tampiqueña" which was very good when we ordered it at "El Rincon de Mexico". The dish consist of cheese topped steak on top of cheese enchiladas with salsa verde, rice and beans. 

The enchiladas with the salsa verde were DELICIOUS!!! However, the steak's seasoning was heavy on the black pepper, something I DESPISE! The only way I was able to eat the rest was to cover up all traces of pepper with the beans and the salsa verde.

Perhaps the tacos are good, but with so many other better choices, we probably won't return soon to find out.

Negative Nancy is Pleasantly Surprised at Amigo's Mexican Cafe

 Dominic and I are obsessed with Mexican Food. The more authentic, the better... even if the 's exterior is somewhat scary. There are 4 restaurants on the East Trail in Lely within a rock's throw from one another.

Twice, we have eaten at El Tapatio (11157 Tamiami Trl E) and enjoyed its authenticity especially their sopes, which are hard to find in SWFL. Their gorditas are also really good! I can never remember if we like the steak or the pork. Unfortunately, we like one, but not the other!

Last weekend, we decided to try one of the other neighboring restaurants. We chose Amigo's (11263 Tamiami Trl E) since our friends and Camp Bow Wow customers, Dan & Katie Varano have eaten there. Dan, who owns and operates AAmco Transmissions on 3030 Davis Blvd, shares our love for Mexican food. We constantly share recipes and suggest new restaurants to one another.

We walked through the door of this uninviting strip mall unit and found a large inviting restaurant with several tables and booths, a huge assortment of hot sauces and a stocked bar! Much more elaborate than El Tapatio.

I was very tired and cranky over the weekend so my attitude was not very optimistic as I read the menu. It had Cuban items, Mexican items, Tex Mex items... I felt like it wasn't as authentic as I had hoped. There were no "traditional dishes" or "specialties". Just your basic burritos, enchiladas, tacos & fajitas.

I cringe when I there is no "asada" for the tacos and they use "lettuce & tomato" instead of "cilantro & onions" to top them off. I prefer corn tortillas, but it's not the end of the world if they only have flour tortillas. To me, these are all indicators that the food will not be as authentic and that the flavors will be bland.

Again, we were pleasantly surprised! Dominic ordered a Burrito with steak & guacamole. He was very happy. I could not decide, so I ordered a combo with a Chicken Enchilada with Salsa Verde (had a kick, but not by Mexican standards), Pork Tamale (really delicious... even better with a bit of the Salsa Verde) and a Pork Taco (I should have started with the other two!). The dish came with the best Mexican rice I've eaten in a while. 

It goes to show you that you cannot judge a place before you taste the food. Even though the items on the menu seem very "gringo friendly", the flavors are definitely worth coming back again!

Exceptional Service @ Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

For about 10 years now, every time my mother has gotten on an airplane to visit us, she has clipped the Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine ad from the airplane magazine and begged us to take her! I am ashamed to say that to this day, we haven't! We finally decided to try it for my birthday. 

                                                                               The most impressive thing about Roy's, in our opinion, is the service. We checked in with the hostess and they greeted me with "Happy Birthday" wishes. They also had this greeting card made especially for me!

We ordered the "Crunchy Golden Lobster Pot Stickers" as an appetizer and we were less than thrilled about them. The waitress, who was as sweet as pie, brought us a sample of "Lakanilau Roll" to help alleviate our slight disappointment. We are not fond of cold sushi rolls, so it wasn't our "cup of tea", but I am sure those that do like cold sushi rolls, would love this appetizer!

Dominic ordered the "Hawaiian Misoyaki Butterfish with Lemon Ginger Soy Beurre Blanc" which he LOVED!!! The rice helped soak up the sauce which made for a nice match. I do not care for the texture of the Butterfish, but the flavors were delicious!

                                                I ordered "Roy's Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Maine Lobster Essence". Mine was a much lighter dish than Dominic's and I enjoyed it very much. 

  Even though the service at Roy's is above most and their fish was fresh and their sauces were delicious, Dominic & I both agree that we would return to USS Nemo before returning to Roy's as their flavors were superior in our opinion.

To end the evening, we were surprised with a complimentary decadent chocolate souffle... and a few weeks later, we received a hand-written Thank You card in the mail from our server. So many details made it an extraordinary experience ideal for a special occasion. 

Pedrosa Family Favorite - Waffle House

When I was a teenager, my mom, my brother and I would road trip around the south east and commonly ate at various Waffle House locations along the way. We loved walking in through the door to hear about 5 different staff members yell out: 'Morning! 'Morning! 'Morning! It was the best start to the day! 

So for those of you who find the Waffle House disgusting or dirty, I must disagree with you. Maybe it is because of the many fond memories that I relive with every visit, but I just LOVE eating here... and the low low prices cannot be beat!

 

 

Dominic & I like
  sharing the Breakfast All-Star Special, which includes eggs, a choice of meat (yummy crispy bacon), toast,  a waffle and hash-browns. We usually get the regular (plain) hash-browns, but on this occasion, we felt like trying something new. We got them "capped" (mushrooms), "peppered" (jalapeños) & "smothered" (sauteed onions). We should have also gotten them "covered" (melted cheese). We originally thought it would be too much, but it may have been better with a little bit of cheese!

 

While I like pancakes, french toast and the like, I never order them at restaurants because I get tired of too much "dough". That's why I love the waffles at Waffle House! They are so thin, you do not get full immediately!

To complete our meal, we also order a Texas Toast Egg Sandwich. Every single item was delicious. The service is always superb even if they are full and running at top speed. 

Yeah, the coffee ain't great... but as far as being considered "dirty"...  I think its hard to be dirty when your kitchen is open for the entire restaurant to see.

Rosedale Brick Oven Pizzeria - Food OK. Service, not so much

Rosedale recently opened up at 1427 Pine Ridge Road in Naples. Dominic stopped by one afternoon to get lunch take-out. It took longer than he expected.

He had ordered an Italian Sausage Sandwich, which he enjoyed. He did say he would not order it because it was too messy to eat with your hands. I ordered a Margherita Pizza, which was very tasty. Neither one of us was overwhelmingly impressed, but when we heard that our friend and Camp Bow Wow customer Mark, had joined their team, we knew we had to try it again!

Last week, we were in the area and decided to grab a bite. Unfortunately, it was Mark's night off. When we walked in, there were a few other patrons, but within minutes, we were the only customers in the restaurant. Even though I could have ordered something different, I ordered the Margherita Pizza. I can eat pizza every day so its hard for me to pass it up when I see it on the menu. Dominic ordered the Rigattoni Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Meatballs.

Although we were the only customers in the restaurant, we had to call out for the server so that we could get our waters refilled and so that we could receive a basket of bread. Dominic We were somewhat surprised when Dominic did not get a salad with his pasta, but since not all restaurants include a salad with your meal, it was no big deal.

When Dominic's meal arrived, it came with sausage instead of meatballs. We waited for the waitress to check to see if everything was good with our meal, but no one came. I finally got up and let her know there had been a mistake. By the time the meatballs arrived, Dominic had pretty much finished his meal.

On a positive note, both entrees were very flavorful. Dominic enjoyed the Vodka Sauce and my pizza's ingredients were obviously fresh. The problem is NOT the food. It's the service.

We believe it was the owner that was nearby our table and quickly passed by to ask if we were doing well. We said "yes" since by then, our glasses were full and we were enjoying our food, but I feel, he could have asked for more "in-depth" feedback as to our experience.

The next day, I saw our friend Mark and let him know about our experience. We truly hope they can re-train their staff and turn things around because they have a good product, but customer service is crucial!

Sunday Southern Home Cooking - Lobster Mac & Jalapeño Cornbread

A while ago (and I mean a LONG while), we visited a fish market and bought lobster meat (we think)... it could have been crab meat, but regardless... this morning I finally took it out of the freezer and decided to make some *lobster* mac n cheese! And what goes better with mac n cheese than CORNBREAD!

I selected Food Network's Lobster Mac and Cheese (the ingredients appealed to my taste) &  AllRecipes.Com's Absolute Mexican Cornbread because I wanted jalapeño cornbread.

I started with the cornbread since it takes 1 hr to bake. I wish I had listened to Dominic when he suggested we buy fresh jalapeños. That was the ONLY disappointment. The cornbread was not spicy AT ALL! You couldn't even tell that I put jalapeños in the darn thing! 

However, this recipe makes for the BEST cornbread I have EVER tasted. That includes NOLA's House of Blues jalapeño cornbread, the surprisingly tasty cornbread at Nervous Nellies a few weeks ago, Atlanta's Mary Mac's and seriously, any other cornbread I've ever eaten! 

If only it had that jalapeño taste / kick I was craving!
Ah, that only means I have to make it again sometime soon!

I made a few substitutions to the "mac n cheese" recipe to make myself feel a little better about eating a meal prepared with 3 sticks of butter by using "vegetarian" macaroni pasta & low fat cheddar cheese. It did not change the flavor one bit. I also don't think it made a difference in this calorie bonanza! Dominic and I seem to disagree on how "fishy" the lobster flavor was. He would have preferred to not include the lobster into the mac n cheese after he cooked it. I thought the Gruyere Cheese mixture had such a strong taste that it took away any "fishiness" from the lobster.

Even though I enjoyed my meal, I do not think this mac n cheese is something I would cook again. It was EXTREMELY rich and Dominic was not keen on the lobster flavor. It also makes for a LOT of servings. I made enough to fill two 8" x 8" pans and we only ate half of one (froze the other). The cornbread was done in a 9" x 13" pan and is good for 4 people since everyone will want seconds!

Monday Night is Trivia Night @ The Pub at the Mercato

A few Mondays ago, Lauren Janelle, also known as "Bandit's Mom" at Camp Bow Wow  was going with some friends to The Pub at The Mercato to play Trivia. Dominic knows I've been dying to play trivia at either The Pub (Mondays at 7:30pm) or at the Boston Beer Garden (which I thought held it on Tuesdays, but there's nothing currently on their website) but no one ever wants to go! So off I went to meet Lauren and her two friends.

You can play trivia at any table in the restaurant, but I would recommend you sit inside if you want to hear the questions and the music better. They have several Happy Hour specials but most of them end at 7pm so you may want to arrive a bit early to take advantage of the great deals. I think the "fish & chips" was 50% off... tempting, but I decided against it.


Instead, I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Sliders with blue cheese and the steak fries. I have ordered these before and love them. They cannot adjust the heat on the buffalo sauce which is a negative for me since I love a nice kick and these are very mild, but they are still quite tasty.

 

I never think of The Pub's food as outstanding, but it is enjoyable and since the atmosphere is always great, I never complain. The Pub is great for people watching, a nice cold beer and trivia was a blast! MUST REPEAT! ... Anyone?

Nervous about Nervous Nellies, but how could we resist live reggae?

A Saturday with no work is a blessing. So this past Saturday, we woke up whenever and took our time getting moving. Eventually we headed out to Fort Myers Beach to meet up with our friends Jen & Josie at a rented beach house.

The day was sunny & gorgeous. To us, this is paradise! We took our time as we drove up US 41 and took Bonita Beach Rd up to Estero Blvd. We stopped at doggy beach and talked to a few people about Camp Bow Wow. Then as we approached Downtown Ft Myers Beach, we tried to decide on where to eat. 

Dominic had a craving for "coconut shrimp". He had suggested The Beached Whale, but the only time we ate there, I thought their fish was very salty and not fresh. Parking around that area was also a concern so I headed over to Matanzas Inn where we've had amazing "coconut shrimp". Since the parking entrance at the Matanzas Inn is confusing, I ended up in the parking lot of Nervous Nellies. As we approached the restaurant, we could hear the sweet melodies of live reggae. We were a bit hessitant because it looks a bit too "Margaritaville" but the menu gave us a big indication that the owner of Nervous Nellies used to own Icabod's (in the Old Dwyers Castle on US 41 in Fort Myers).

"This could be good or bad" we said to ourselves. We had eaten at Icabod's once during a concert and the food did not impress us. In my opinion, the owner finds a great location, puts together a HUGE menu, provides quality entertainment and promotes the establishment throughout all forms of media. But that big menu is VERY confusing and I wonder how the kitchen staff can "perfect" over 200 dishes!

Our waitress, Deana (I think) was wonderful. She tried helping us make choices from the menu and she told us that the "house beer" was good so we ordered a very tall glass (22oz?)  for $3! She also brought us a basket of complimentary "corn bread". I was initially disappointed because I wanted it to be warm, but even though it was room temperature, it was sooo delectable!

Of course we ordered "coconut shrimp" which came out lighting fast. They were big and juicy, but hardly tasted like coconut. The dipping sauce was ok, but we were just too disappointed by the lack of coconut.

Then we decided to split the "Chicago Beef" since Deana said it had a "kick". Wow! ENORMOUS! We're so glad we split it! It was very very very good. The fries were seasoned so nicely that we didn't want any ketchup. In the background, No Way Jose played good music by the water.

Lazy Sunday at Home - Slow cooked pork & guava & cheese empanadas!

  Many, many Sundays, we spend lounging around the house doing very little. Some times we do a few chores, we watch TV, sunbathe a bit and cook throughout the entire day!

I woke up this morning and opened the fridge / freezer and started taking out whatever was taking up space that could be consumed! Started off the morning with a very nice Yoplait Frozen Smoothie. Then took out the Crock-Pot and threw in chunks of pork that had been previously seasoned and stored with chopped onions. I poured a beer into the slow cooker and set it for HIGH. A few hours later, the meat was tender to the touch so we chopped it up. Then, with a strainer spoon, we put the pork on buns, topped it with provolone cheese and put it under the broiler for a few minutes.

But when the pork tasted bland, I warmed up a bit of the secret weapon... La Victoria "Salsa Jalapeña". Careful, it is VERY HOT... that's why you need two (or four) ICE COLD BEERS!

While the pork was cooking, I finally made "Guava and Cheese Empanadas" from one of my favorite cookbooks, Steven Raichlen's Healthy Latin Cooking

Substitute pastry dough for wonton wrappers, regular cream cheese for fat-free, bake don't fry and leave the guava alone... let's draw the line there! 

 

They were DELICIOUS! I wonder how "healthy" they are when you eat about 10 of them!