Metro Diner... Jacksonvile, Florida

Metro Diner is located on Hendricks Ave in Jacksonville, Florida. The name might ring a bell for those of you who watch The Food Network. Metro Diner was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with host Guy Fieri. If your lucky enough to be in driving range of this place, then why are you still reading? Go eat now! I am always skeptical of places that get a huge ovation, especially being on Food Network. It's like hearing a movie is fantastic and being let down. Metro Diner will not let you down. It usually has a line down the sidewalk, they have chairs out front. The inside isn't huge but they also seat tables outdoors. The weather is perfect this time of year to sit outdoors. The place looks like a mix between an old house and a diner. A great mix to give you a "comfortable Saturday morning breakfast feel" Inside on the blackboard are always daily specials. Try the flavored sweet tea! At our table we had an order of Eggs Benedict that came with hash-brows, a Crab-cakes Benedict that came with hash-browns, and a soup and sam combo of Tomato Basic Bisque and Chicken Salad. Everything was wonderful and lived up to every expectation. The Crab-cakes on my Benedict were amazing, and the hollandaise sauce was creamy. The hash-browns were actually amazing also! The Tomato Basil Bisque was extremely Basil-ish, which I love. The extra basil gives it the fresh flavor, and the cream makes it float over your tongue. Go give it a try for yourself and let me know what you think! I hope someone will try the CHICKEN AND WAFFLES and give me feedback. I can't wait to visit again.

3302 Hendricks Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32207-5302
(904) 398-3701
www.metrodinerjax.com

Casabella Ristorante, Little Italy, NYC

www.casabellarestaurant.com
Hours:
Sun - Thurs 12am - 12pm
Fri & Sat 12pm - 1am

What we ordered:
-CAPRESE
Fresh home-made mozzarella with tomatoes & basil
-BRUSCHETTA CASA BELLA
Italian Toast with chopped tomato and basil
-CALAMARI DOLCI AMARO
Baby squid in sweet & sour sauce, balsamic vinegar, raisins & pignoli nuts
-FETTUCCINE ALFREDO
with Chicken -$18.50 with Shrimp -$21.50
-PAPARDELLE ALLA FUNGHETTI
Wide home-made noodles tossed with fillet of tomatoes & three wild mushrooms
- PIZZA MARGHERITA
-Lasagna

Breakdown: AMAZING!! I wish I had more words in my vocabulary to describe our meal. The best, must order items of what we experienced were the LASAGNA & THE PAPARDELLE ALLA FUNGHETTI. Everything else was good, but these two were TO DIE FOR!!! Ah, my mouth waters just thinking about it. The pasta in both are fresh and melt in your mouth like butter. The red sauce at Casabella must be the specialty, you can taste the years this recipe has been passed from generation to generation. The atmosphere in Little Italy is always perfect, but my favorite is when it starts to get chilly. Most places have a fire place, cozy feel, amazing wine, and a great view to watch the snow fall. If you're in the area, don't forget to try to Sangria at Casabella, delish!!

Grimaldi's Pizza... Brooklyn, NY

www.grimaldis.com
In the world of pizza, Grimaldi’s is an institution. Grimaldi’s history of coal-fired brick oven pizza cooking can be traced to the first pizzeria in America back in 1905. Coal-fired brick oven cooking gives pizza a unique smokey flavor and a crisp crust that is just not possible with gas, convection, or wood ovens.We had a large cheese, half pepperoni, and it was gone in less than 4 minutes. Have you ever seen the show on Food Network called "Best Thing I ever Ate?" well this pizza joint was featured on it! You can't make reservations and everyone waits in line, even if you called ahead for a to go. The line wraps down the sidewalk and you are called inside by the nicest, upbeat, man in the place. You can walk to the back and watch the pizza being made. The cheese is fresh and stacked feet tall, all the ingredients are overflowing their bowls and look better than amazing. Next time you're in NYC, venture over to Brooklyn. It's a very safe part of town just over the bridge. You can order you pizza to go, sit on the river bank, and take in all the beauty of NYC.

Going shrimping??

So... as you might of heard the shrimp have been running in the rivers... They are now very large and at the best eating size. Make sure shrimping is legal in your state before catching your own. This blog is not about a recipe on how to cook shrimp, but on how to make the BAIT or CHUM BALLS to catch them. This is my personal recipe that seems to work best. I'm sure plenty of other methods work great as well.

I mix in even parts
-Wet Cat Food (fish flavored only)
-Flour (no longer use mud, flour works better_
-Fish Meal
-Rock Salt

Mix well... you can even use a drill to mix depending on the amount you make. I usually do around 4 cups of each. If needed, add SMALL amounts of water. Too much water will mean your patties need to dry out for a few hours before baiting.

After mixing well, form hamburger like patties. Bait the area you will be shrimping just an hour or so before you are ready to throw your net!!
HAPPY SHRIMPING :)

Tuna Salad... from Costa Rica

This might not look or sound appetizing. Trust me, one of the most amazing things to ever happen to your mouth! In Costa Rica they sell canned tuna, as we do here in the states. Certain companies make it with different flavors or add ins. In this case, my favorite, it comes with JALAPENOS! The jalapeno mixture that is a staple on most tables in Sodas (local cafes)includes jalapenos, onions, and carrots. You can see in the picture the carrots mixed into the tuna. After draining the can I usually add : mayo, sweet relish, pecans or walnuts, grapes or raisins, cilantro, onions, and salt/pepper to taste. Mix together and serve with veggies, crackers, or on a sandwich.
Delish!!

Mortons Steak House, Jacksonville (Downtown)

Only a few tables were occupied, the economy is taking it toll. Visited Morton's for my fathers birthday and had a great time. The martinis were fantastic! Pictured: The Tuna TarTar was good, the bottom layer was tomatoes not tuna. I make it better, but the fish was fresh! The smoked salmon platter was also good, but something that is very easily made at home for a fraction of the price. The Ocean Platter was amazing. We ordered it for 4 people, and had plenty! It had oysters, lobster, lump crab meat, jumbo shrimp, and more. Steaks were good, and no other complaints except a lime in a drink that was ordered with no lime. The desserts were a hit! The Grand Marnier Souffle is the best, but you must order at the beginning of the meal because it takes a while to cook. The Creme Brulee and Chocolate Lava cake were close seconds! The cheesecake was wiped off the table because the other desserts were to die for.
Leave me a comment and let me know how your experience at Morton's was!
http://www.facebook.com/SouthernGrub
http://www.mortons.com/

Blueberry Coffe Cake!

Saturday was my Fathers Birthday and I made him Blueberry Coffee Cakes... Please enjoy the pictures! If you would like the recipe please send me an e-mail. :)