Mark's Prime Steakhouse - Gainesville, FL

Dinner 8/27/12

Chop Salad - creamy and flavorful!

Delmonico Steak - USDA prime beef cooked perfectly. Melted in my mouth and full of flavor. One of the best steaks I’ve ever had.

Loaded Baked Potato - flavorful, crunchy bacon and cheddar cheese atop a large spud. Classic.

www.marksprimesteakhouse.com/

Vellos Historic Brickstreet Grill - Gainesville, FL

Dinner 8/26/12

Wasabi wedge salad - romaine hearts, bacon, tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles, and wasabi dressing. Every bite has the flavor of all the elements plus a kick of wasabi fire. Excellent.

Though known for their triggerfish with shrimp risotto cakes, they were out of the risotto cakes the night of my visit.

  

Mahi tacos - sweet and spicy. Tender mahi fish with a spicy rub, blackened, with a sweet sauce and Asian cabbage. Gives a Asian feel.

 Red fish and chips - corn meal battered red fish atop roasted Yukon gold potatoes with a watermelon salsa on top. Potatoes leave much to be desired, but the light fish and unique watermelon salsa make the dish.

Banana caramel Cheesecake Xangos - banana wrapped in a flour tortilla and then deep fried, cut sushi style, and then drizzled with caramel and chocolate.

http://www.vellosbrickstreetgrill.com/

Palm Valley Fish Camp - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Lunch 8/26/12

Fried gator tail bites with a mild ranch Remoulade aioli. Cornmeal batter and tender gator meat.

Raw oysters - very mild flavor.

Shrimp & grits - "Herby and garlicky" flavors with plump shrimp and creamy grits. The best shrimp and grits I’ve ever had.

Pan fried fish with bay fries and turnip slaw - turnip slaw has hints of horseradish and thin strands of turnips. Tangy and creamy. Fries are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Seasoned lightly with old bay seasoning before they were fried. The fish was a very flaky, panko coated cod on a Po-boy bun with a thin tartar sauce.

http://www.palmvalleyfishcamp.com/

Food Glorious Food - Tallahassee, FL

Dinner 7/28/12

Shock Top Lemon Shanty beer
FGF potato chips with bechamel sauce and blue cheese crumbles
Pan fried grouper with collard greens and cheese grits
Gnocchi with bacon and cheese grits
Zucchini fries
Cranberry Bread Pudding
Hummingbird Cake

Beer - I've had Shock Top wheat beer before, but the Lemon Shanty added a whole new dimension to this wheat brand.  The lemon allowed the heavier wheat beer to leave me refreshed.

Chips - fresh potato chips, onion flavored cheese sauce, tangy blue cheese crumbles.  Light and delicious.

Gnocchi - like eating bacon and cheesy hashbrowns in the morning.  A little too salty, but great flavor.

Grouper - bold collard green flavor with a flaky, buttery pan fried fish.  It's topped with shoestring potatoes and sitting in a bed of cheesy grits.  Nice meld of flavors.

Zucchini fries - exactly how you would imagine fresh zucchini in an onion ring batter and then deep fried.

Cranberry Bread Pudding - Dense bread pudding drizzled with caramel and sitting on a lake of Vanilla creme anglaise.

Hummingbird Cake - If you have never had one of these, you have no idea what you are missing.  It's best described as a banana bread cake with cream cheese icing.  FGF has the best around!

foodgloriousfood.com/

Coosh's Bayou Rouge - Tallahassee, FL

Lunch - 7/26

Seafood Gumbo
Shrimp Po-boy with Onion Rings

Gumbo - Nice balance of seafood, andouille sausage, and rice.  Coosh is from NOLA and knows how to make gumbo right!

Po-boy - The bread is either flown in from NOLA or baked in-house, because it is the perfect Po-boy bread...crusty on the outside, flaky on the inside, and not too "bready".  The original remoulade sauce to top the sandwich with is out of this world.  Like onion rings, try them Coosh's way!

www.cooshs.com/