Monthly Archives: October 2012

Eat Farm to Table at the Miccosukee Root Cellar

31 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Last week I was able to take my hubs out on a date night to the Miccosukee Root Cellar. I had heard good things, but had no idea what to expect.

The MRC is located right next to Uptown (who I love) across from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (where I was born, woot!). The outside is unassuming, but I was very impressed with the bright but cozy interior.

We were immediately greeted and provided the menu. They have a delightful selection of craft beers and nice wines. My hubs got an Abita and I got a crisp chardonnay.

MRC calls itself a “farm-to-table” restaurant and lists its providers. I was happy to see Sweet Grass Dairy and Orchard Pond farms (Sidenote: the Orchard Pond CSA is fabulous.)

To begin, we ordered the Charcuteries board. The cured meats included beautiful salame and sausage.

They also provided a Dijon Mustard and a Horseradish Mustard with cute little toasts. I have to say that my fave was the pickled veggies. I may have to go back and see if I can take home a jar of the pickled okra, which was outstanding.

I hated to just try one entree on the menu, as everything looked great, so I asked if the chef could make a sample plate with small portions of featured entrees. To my delight, they created a plate with the MRC Meatloaf, a special Barbecue Brisket, and the Braised Short Ribs. We ordered the bacon mashed potatoes and squash for our sides.

If I could eat that over again, I would. Amazing. The sauces were rich and flavorful. You can taste the chipotle in the BBQ, which was incredibly deep and smoky. And the bacon mashed potatoes were everything I hoped. Pure comfort food.

Mershed Perderders!!

I was full to the gills, but in honor of our date night, we ordered dessert. (We had too!) We ordered the Bay Leaf Creme Brulee, although we were tempted by the variety of homemade organic cookes and ice creams.

The creme brulee had a nice floral/herby note, without being to strong and was light and creamy. Really a nice way to end a meal.

I loved the Miccosukee Root Cellar, and could definitely see us coming back with a group of friends to enjoy live music or just a relaxing happy hour.

Check out their music calendar or the menu on their website or on Facebook!

Miccosukee Root Cellar on Urbanspoon

Hit up VooDoo Dog for Bacon-Wrapped Goodness

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

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Today I decided to correct an unforgiveable wrong, which is that I haven’t tried VooDoo Dog yet. I am a big fan of Dog Et Al for a basic hot dog, but I knew that I needed to visit the new fancy hotdog joint in town.

It is definitely an understatement to call VooDoo Dog “adventurous” by Tallahassee hotdog standards. The menu features such selections as the Abe Frohman (Bueller!!), which is served Chicago-style with tomato, cucumber, onions, dill pickles, sweet relish and celery salt, and the Jefferson, which is a bacon-wrapped dog topped with homemade mac ‘n’ cheese and crushed butter crackers. The basic VooDoo Dog is a hotdog wrapped in bacon, where you decide the toppings.

I shared the Abe Frohman, the Jefferson, and the Tijuana (bacon dog with guacamole and sour cream) with a friend, so we cut them in half. An ideal way to eat through the menu, I must say. 😉

Out of the three dogs, I think the one that surprised me the most was the Abe Frohman. The freshly-made relish was almost refreshing – with the pickle and onion adding a great crunch against the porkiness of the bacon dog. Highly recommend.

The Jefferson was as heavy as you think it will be; ideal for a late night where you need a base of pork and carbs. Very rich.

I really liked the sour cream and guac on the bacon dog, Tijuana. However, it needed another texture to balance all of the creaminess of the toppings – I may ask to add salsa or even the relish from the Frohman next time.

Not pictured are the fries, which may have been my favorite part. They were perfectly sized (not to skinny, not to wide) and salty. One portion of fries would feed two people, plus some to spare.

I love the location and the interior. I know lots of people who like to go there before FSU Basketball games due to the proximity. The quirky interior is decorated with 80s records, memorabilia and photos. The staff was friendly and helpful, noting that they would be putting out a new menu soon to replace the blackboard menu.

VooDoo Dog is a welcome addition to the All Saints/Railroad Square area, and to Tallahassee. I hope to visit again soon to try the burgers, but I feel like I need to abstain from eating for a day before to prepare. I’m sure the Abe Frohman will be calling my name next time I have a fancy hot dog craving.

Give it a try or tell me what your favorite fancy hotdog is…

Voodoo Dog on Urbanspoon

Tasty Food at Tasty Eats Beer Garden

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

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As part of the Tallahassee Food Bloggers’ Association “best of” awards, I have been visiting several restaurants that I had never heard of previously (hard to do being a Tallahassee native!) The nominees have been really interesting in many of the categories, and the Asian food category has been the most enlightening.

The one that was a complete mystery was Tasty Eats Beer Garden, in the Railroad Square/Industrial Drive area. I looked on their Facebook page, and was intrigued by Pho Phridays! and the promise of authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

The menu has traditional appetizers, noodle or rice bowls, and a variety of sandwiches/wraps, with some surprising entrees like Sheppard’s Pie. I definitely needed time to decide, so we asked for an order of Spring Rolls.

I don’t even know how to explain why these rolls were so good. The wrapper was light and crispy, the interior was flavorful and moist. Even better was the spicy Asian mayo dipping sauce.

I got the Beef & Onion Vietnamese Rice Bowl and the hubs got the House Noodle Bowl. My Rice Bowl was a pretty arrangement of beef/onions, cabbage (lightly pickled) and carrots over rice. This was served with a Vietnamese Vinaigrette that was light, salty and sweet with a hint of fish sauce (one of my fave ingredients). The beef and onions were nicely spiced and the rest of the elements complimented each other very well, enhanced with a drizzle of sriracha.

The noodle bowl was arranged similarly; the House version features beef and shrimp. The hubs enjoyed it, even though he wasn’t feeling very well. The crispy onions were a nice touch adding some additional crunch and flavor. He even got another spring roll, which I completely coveted.

The one thing I wanted to try was the Pho, but apparently that is only available on Pho Phridays…I may have to make a quick stop on Friday too. 😉

The restaurant is housed in a blue and red caboose, in a great little artsy neighborhood that includes art galleries and vintage shops. They also have a large shady outdoor seating area (the “beer garden”) that looks like a great place to hang out, especially with the weather getting cooler.

I would highly recommend going at lunch. We were the only customers today, but I would imagine that Pho Phridays are probably more populated. They are very active on Facebook, so make sure to “like” them so that you can hear about the specials and events.

FYI: The map on Urbanspoon seems to point to the center of Tallahassee, instead of to the restaurant location. If you turn on Railroad Square from Gaines Street, you go over the train tracks and take a right onto McConnell Drive. Then take a right on Industrial Drive, it will be the blue and red caboose on the right-hand side.

Tasty Eats Beer Garden on Urbanspoon

Yummy seafood at Pepper’s Mexican Grill and Cantina

11 Thursday Oct 2012

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Tallahassee has an interesting assortment of Mexican food establishments. We have the chains (El Jalisco, On the Border etc.), some locally run (La Hacienda and La Tapatio are my faves) and even some Mexican groceries and food trucks (La Tienda, Tacos Gringos) that offer takeout.

One of our go-to spots is Pepper’s Mexican Grill and Cantina on Capital Circle (sort of across from Sam’s and Sonny’s). It is a small Florida chain, and has consistently been a favorite for my family.

An entrée that I continue to order is the Mariachi. It is mild white fish and fresh shrimp grilled with onions, tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos. It is served with rice and beans (delicious!), but is a great low-carb dish if served without.

Spicy!

This dish is fresh and filling. I love the jalapenos, but they can be moved to the side to reduce the total heat. The grilled onions/tomatoes/cilantro make a great sauce that elevates the fish and the shrimp.

The chicken nachos were ordered by one daughter and the other got the cheese quesadilla. The nachos are huge (even the kid’s portion) and they are yummy. Covered in shredded chicken and queso, they would be plenty for an adult as well.

Peppers’ service is generally pretty fast, even on crowded nights. The parking lot fills up, but because of some fairly spacious outside seating, you are usually not going to have to wait very long. The restaurant is clean and bright, and also features a nice bar area.

I have also had their Fish Tacos several times and think that they are some of the best in Tallahassee. (Cabo’s is a close first). Definitely worth a try and is one of their lunch deals.

This restaurant is not well-known for those who don’t live on the SE side of town, I would encourage you to try it at lunch as it is only 10 min tops from downtown.

Peppers on Urbanspoon

Come for the Curry, Stay for the Naan at Essence of India

03 Wednesday Oct 2012

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I would like to share one of my favorite hidden gems in Tallahassee, Essence of India. Before I started coming to this restaurant, I had convinced myself that I was never going to be able to eat and enjoy spicy food, ever. But I hated that I had never tried Indian cuisine, so I went with a friend to Essence of India.

I fell in love with the chicken curry.

Let me describe it to you this way. Imagine a deep yummy gravy with chicken chunks swimming in it, over fluffy rice – accompanied by fried bread that you can dip in the gravy. Yum.

Forget preconceived notions of “exotic” or “curry,” and instead think of “comfort,” “gravy” and “fried bread.” Also, the dishes are flavorful without the heat. So if you like mild or no heat – the mild curry will be fine for you.

When you arrive at Essence of India for lunch, you are immediately seated. As soon as you order, you get a light lentil soup and salad. These are basic additions to the lunch entrees and a nice way to begin. I like to mix a little of the onion/chile chutney to the salad to provide more flavor to the dressing.

Not long after, you receive your entrée along with a large plate of rice and a basket of naan – fried bread. I like to make a pile of rice and top with generous spoonfuls of chicken curry or butter chicken gravy. On this visit, I had the butter chicken, which has more of a tomato base to the gravy, but uses similar spices as the curry.

Get in mah belly.

I have the butter chicken pictured above in the lower left corner and the chicken curry on the righthand side. Look at that bread…mmmm.

This is a great lunch. Perfect for a cold or blustery day. I like to get it “hot” (not “Indian hot”), which is just spicy enough to get your nose running, but not painful.

Take a chance and try Essence. And if you need company, please take me. 🙂

Essence of India on Urbanspoon