A Little Nook

The Center Street Nook was another one of the places Nicole and I knew we wanted to eat during our vacation in Florida. This is one of my favorite restaurants (anywhere) and it is full of local character and charm. It seats about 20 people and this is the first place I think of when recommending a sort of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" type restaurant. When we lived in Jupiter, Nicole and I would occasionally walk to "The Nook" on Saturday mornings and enjoy a heaping plate of pancakes - filled with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and happiness. The staff were always extremely friendly, the food was delicious, and there was a special feeling about being able to eat there - I was very excited about getting to go back!

On our return trip, we decided to go by The Nook for lunch. We were lucky to come at a time when it wasn't particularly crowded and we were able to walk right in and get a seat - this is one of the only times I've ever had this happen. As usual, we were greeted by an extremely friendly waitress who took our drink orders as we looked over the menu. They were serving breakfast (served for breakfast & lunch) and normal lunch items so I was in quite the dilemma over what to order. Nicole went with breakfast (a veggie omelette) and I decided to get a sandwich because I was more in the mood for lunch. I've had many of their sandwiches but I'd never tried a burger of any type, so I ordered the Patty Melt on rye bread.

I miss you sweet potato fries.

The food came out and looked excellent, and to no one's surprise, tasted excellent too. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they provide a creative, unique menu without sacrificing quality or flavor. My patty melt was served on rye bread that had been buttered and toasted, which was a great combination with the generous beef patty, melted cheese, and onions. I don't eat too many burgers/red meat anymore, but I can make an exception when it tastes like this. And to go with my sandwich, I ordered sweet potato fries as my side - which they do a great job with.

To be honest, I really can't offer any sort of critical review about the Center Street Nook. I love everything about it. The prices, especially for the South Florida area, are very reasonable - breakfast ranges from $5-$8 and lunch ranges from $6-$10. The servers are always friendly and the owner is always there checking on tables and talking with guests. And everything I've tasted has been good. They could probably expand to offer more space but that might take away some of the charm and atmosphere. This is one of the special little parts of Jupiter, FL that a visitor must experience - I miss not being able to experience it more often.

The Sweetest Thing

When we returned from vacation last week, I had all these intentions of jumping right back into blogging and posting on a regular basis. Then...the reality of life hit. The issue of being sick slowed me down. The routine of spending most of the day on the computer at work discouraged me from spending more time in front of my laptop when I got home. And what little energy I had was being consumed by our new chocolate lab puppy, Maggie. For people who post to a blog on a daily basis, I don't know how you do it. This whole "being a grown-up" thing is exhausting. But alas, I'm feeling better and have a little more energy and I've got a variety of posts to get out there - including a number of restaurant reviews from all the places we've been to in the past couple weeks.

When we arrived in Florida to start our vacation, we had done our research. There happened to be a Sweet Tomatoes between the airport and the condo, making it a perfect spot to kick off our week of feasting. For my wife, a meal at Sweet Tomatoes is a magical experience. She eats more than anyone I know (and still remains skinny) and she loves vegetables, so she could easily spend two or three hours eating at Sweet Tomatoes. If you've never been, Sweet Tomatoes features an all-you-can-eat (huge) salad bar along with a variety of soups, breads, and other dishes. It's about $10 per person and one of the only "healthy all-you-can-eat" restaurants I can think of.

This particular Sweet Tomatoes, which was in Orlando, had a rather odd layout. I think the space was under renovations but the various food stations were rather spread out. The salad bar was at the entrance of the restaurant and it was a little difficult to make return trips (it didn't deter us) and then the soup seemed to be over in a corner. Maybe they were trying to incorporate some exercise into multiple trips to the different sections of the restaurant?

One Plate...Amateur!

The quality of the food was consistent with every other trip I've had to Sweet Tomatoes. The vegetables on the salad bar tasted very fresh and there was great variety. And I always enjoy trying the different pre-made salads they provide, particularly the Wonton Chicken Happiness salad, which makes me very happy. There was also a nice selection of soups, and I thought the Red Beans & Rice stew was the standout. And with it being an all-you-can-eat setup, you can try anything you want and not worry about whether or not you like it. It's always a lot of fun for Nicole and I - giving us an excuse to be adventurous eaters on a budget.

This was a great way to get our vacation started. We had been eagerly anticipating the meals we would get to have in Florida, and Sweet Tomatoes was definitely a place that was on the list. Afterwards, we were ready to hit the beach and enjoy a week of rest and relaxation...AND MORE EATING!

Spring Break

I apologize for the lack of posting - the beach has taken priority over the past week. I look forward to writing about my vacation...AFTER it's over!

I'll Trade You

When Consumer Reports comes out with a rating on restaurants or certain types of foods, I'm generally not interested. If they're assessing the performance of a type of tire or telling me which operating system works best for a computer, I value the research and opinion. But when it comes to who has the best french fries or milkshake, I'd rather find out for myself. So when Consumer Reports revealed that they thought Trader Joe's Truffle Brownies were the best store bought brownie mix, we decided it was time to put this rating to the test.

Sadly, there is not a Trader Joe's in the Roanoke Valley. It's another topic for another day, but it would be AMAZING if Trader Joe's could come to the Roanoke area in the near future. I'm looking at you abandoned Ukrops building. In the meantime, we take advantage of visiting places that have TJ's locations and usually pick up a few items to bring back home. Seeing as how my family takes a trip to the Naval Academy every few weeks to see my brother, we can count on some loot from the Trader Joe's store in Annapolis on a relatively regular basis.

A couple weeks ago, I finally got around to making these highly acclaimed brownies. The ingredients include one full stick of butter, which hurts the waistline but not the tastebuds. And when I poured the mix into a bowl, I noticed large chunks of chocolate that would be mixed in with the batter - hello truffle friends. Making brownies isn't the most complicated baking in the world, so I followed the recipe, put them in the oven, and then eagerly waited for the result. Once the brownies were finished baking, I pulled them out of the oven and again followed the instructions on the box - which included letting the brownies cool for 30 minutes! Agonizing!

After 30 minutes of drooling, I cut into my first piece and took a bite...BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE! These brownies were rich, they were decadent, they were moist, they were heavenly. The chunks of chocolate really put them over the top and provided a fudge-like element. Eating them warm offered an experience similar to enjoying a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut. I quickly realized that it would be a challenge to not enjoy the entire pan of these brownies on my own. I resisted the temptation to hide them from everyone else and offered my family some. Everyone was a huge fan and I don't think the pan lasted much more than 24 hours.

Now, I find myself daydreaming about Trader Joe's brownies. They were delicious, but they could even be taken to another level. With the possibility of adding peanut butter, or caramel, or butterscotch, or coconut...I feel like Willy Wonka. I guess we'll just have to try them all to figure out which way is actually the best. Pardon me, I can hear myself getting fatter.

Get Her to the Greek

Our Tuesday night schedule did not allow us the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day. So, Nicole and I decided to have a belated Valentine's Day celebration by having lunch together on Thursday at The Isaacs Restaurant in Grandin Village. From the people I'd talked to, I wouldn't say The Isaacs has the best reputation, but they have recently changed ownership and we were hoping for a good experience. It's always fun to try a new place, especially one with a little international flair.

Even though The Isaacs focuses on serving Greek/Mediterranean food, we weren't particularly adventurous with our lunch choices. We both ordered the salad bar, which was all-you-can-eat and also came with a selection of three different soups. I tried the potato & feta soup (it was decent but not anything worth bragging about) and loaded up on multiple trips to the salad bar.  At first glance, the salad bar seemed small, but it actually had a good selection of items. Along with a choice of mixed greens or spinach, they had tons of fresh veggies - including red & green peppers, red onions, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, almonds, and cauliflower. There were also some unique additions such as homemade croutons, dill potatoes, greek yogurt, and curried chicken salad. I believe the salad dressings were also homemade. For a simple salad bar, I was rather impressed.

I'd say the salad bar lunch is a very reasonable deal at around $7. My only complaint about our lunch would be that the restaurant seemed under-staffed. For a rather large dining area with a decent amount of people, I only saw one server waiting tables. We had to wait to be seated, it took a while to receive our drinks, and we ended up with a pile of dishes on our table by the end of the meal. I wouldn't blame the server - I'd blame management for not having more people working to provide the waiter some help. They were also pretty slow with keeping the salad bar stocked, which is dangerous when Nicole and I are on the prowl!

Overall, I think the new owners at The Isaacs have things going in the right direction. The food tasted fresh and the prices made for a very good value. I'd assume they are in a transition period and trying to be very careful about labor and costs, but they need to make sure customers are receiving great service. If they can get those issues worked out, I think The Isaacs will do very well.

A Trip to Lew's

Last Friday night, we experienced another culinary adventure thanks to the purchase of a Daily Deal coupon. When I first learned about Groupon, Living Social, and other sorts of daily coupon websites, I thought this was a great idea. Now, I just think these coupons end up being a trap that entices you to spend money to go to a restaurant you have little interest going to - and you end up going right before the expiration date to make sure you even use the coupon. This exact thing happens to us all the time, and it did again this past Friday night when we went to Lew's, a restaurant in north Roanoke on Williamson Road.

I knew very little about Lew's, other than hearing my grandparents constantly rave about it. However, my grandparents tend to have strange tastes in food and restaurants, so this did not give me a great deal of confidence. I was very skeptical when I would hear my grandmother say, "it's so good because they make everything fresh." When we pulled into the parking lot, Lew's did not strike me as the type of place that would place a high priority on fresh ingredients. The decor is...interesting. It reminds me of a basement that someone is trying to decorate with whatever they find at garage/yard sales and thrift stores. The booth didn't really fit against the wall and they had a nice TV but it was kind of tucked away awkwardly in the corner. It wasn't terrible, but seemed to be "under construction."

Deluxe Pizza

As for the menu, it looked to be typical American/Sports Bar food. They offered burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and a few entrees. We ordered a plate of Beer Fries for the table and I ordered a Deluxe Pizza as my meal. The Beer Fries arrived before the rest of the food and I thought these were the highlight. A bit on the greasy side, but crispy and had good flavor. My pizza was more on the underwhelming side. As a Deluxe Pizza, it was topped with pepperoni, sausage, ham, mushrooms, peppers, & onions. I would have liked it more had they put the veggies on while the pizza was in the oven, but those were thrown on after the pizza had already cooked. The sauce wasn't particularly good and the crust was nothing memorable. It wasn't disastrous, but not worth getting again. Actually, that reflects my thoughts on the entire experience.

I'm not sure I understand the appeal of Lew's. The service was okay, but we had to wait a while before anyone noticed our table. I wouldn't consider returning based on the flavor of the food. And the atmosphere certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Suffice to say, next time Lew's puts up a Daily Deal coupon, we'll show better judgement and hold off on making that purchase.

Snapping the Turtles

Down by Coach K Court

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I had a chance to attend the Maryland/Duke game this past Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. My dad and I were fortunate to attend the game with a couple who are huge Duke fans and have one of the most ideal set-ups I have ever seen for attending a sporting event. We met them a few miles away from the university and rode in with them because they had a parking pass - not just any parking pass, I think we had a parking spot closer to the gym than Coach K. And because we arrived early, they were able to take us courtside as the teams were warming up, making sure we got a few pictures and a chance to see the players up-close. It was my second time attending a game at Duke, but it had been over 8 years since my first visit and it was cool to see a few of the new things that have been added to the arena. It was awesome to see a new national championship banner hanging in the rafters along with some additional retired jerseys and some other banners celebrating specific accomplishments.

From our seats

One of the best parts about attending the game was the aspect of this being Duke's first game since their improbable comeback victory over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In a sense, this was the opportunity for the Cameron Crazies and the Duke crowd to celebrate the victory and congratulate the team on their win. The pregame introduction of the team included a highlight video from the UNC game and concluded with Austin Rivers' game winning shot - which brought the crowd to a deafening level and was the loudest it got in Cameron Indoor Stadium the entire day. However, even amidst all the post-UNC euphoria, Duke still had a game to play against a physical Maryland team. The Blue Devils got off to a slow start and struggled offensively in the first half, but played with a defensive intensity that had been missing for much of the season and really disrupted the Maryland offense. The offense picked up in the second half and Miles Plumlee did his best Dwight Howard impersonation as Duke put the Terps away in a decisive victory.

Here were 3 things I noticed during the game:

1. The Cameron Crazies don't realize how important they are. This student section has the ability and reputation of being the most intimidating crowd in the country, but this group isn't living up to it. They don't have as much energy and they seem to lose interest unless Duke is playing very well. As Coach K was walking off the court going into halftime, he gave the Cameron Crazies a piece of his mind and appeared to be yelling at them in an attempt to get the more involved in the game. With only three home games remaining, I hope they make the most of their opportunity.

2. 

   Cameron Crazies

   Andre Dawkins is a head case. It's one thing to be a streaky shooter - it's another to be a player who completely checks out of the game when his shot isn't falling. Unfortunately, Dawkins seems to be the latter. Andre has the athletic ability to be much more than a catch-and-shoot perimeter player, but he is content to stand outside the 3-point line and jack up threes. I've also noticed an increasingly disturbing trend of him trying to instigate issues with the other team. It's time for Andre to just shut up and let his play do the talking.
3. Miles Plumlee played BIG. Everyone talked about the number of rebounds Plumlee had, which was phenomenal - but that wasn't the only thing that stuck out about his game. Plumlee was the most assertive I've ever seen him. He was setting good screens on the perimeter and then rolling hard to the basket and calling for the ball. He also did a great job of establishing low post position and making himself a big target for receiving an entry pass from the perimeter. If Miles continues to play with this type of confidence and aggressiveness, Duke becomes a completely different team.

For a college basketball fan, seeing a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium should be on your bucket list. For a Duke fan, seeing a game at Cameron is something you will never forget. Having a chance to experience the history and excellence of this great program is something truly special. And it's always good to Duke dominate Maryland.