Hit up VooDoo Dog for Bacon-Wrapped Goodness

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Lunch, Review

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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

Posted by in Lunch, Review

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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

Posted by in Dinner, Review

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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

Cajun comfort food at Angelette’s

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Breakfast, Lunch, Review

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First off, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to get to Angelette’s Cajun Kitchen, but better late than never!

I am a big fan of Cajun and Creole dishes, we try to visit New Orleans at least once a year so that I can eat my way through the city. Tallahassee has some decent New-Orleans style restaurants, to varying levels of success (exception the short-lived Tallahassee location of Stinky’s Fish Camp – which had the best po’ boy I have ever had in town).

I had heard that the brunch at Angelette’s was amazing, but it is hard to get from the NE side of town to Southwood on the weekends for us with various activities always keeping us busy. But I knew that I could get breakfast dishes any time there…so why go at lunch?

Eager to get the full experience, I chose a breakfast dish and the hubs got the roast beef po’ boy, with a bowl of gumbo to start. And what a way to start…

The gumbo was rich and flavorful without being very heavy. Nice chunks of sausage and chicken were liberally sprinkled throughout the gumbo, and you can tell the roux was cooked to a deep rich brown. The bread toasts that accompanied the gumbo were light and buttery – perfect to dip and sop up the sauce.

My Eggs a la Duane arrived soon after the gumbo, and it was amazing. It is a crawfish cream sauce over pan-fried grit cakes, seared andouille, and eggs over easy. Not a light dish, but man was it good. The sauce was creamy and well-seasoned, including lots of lovely crawfish pieces. The over-easy eggs became part of the sauce and made a wonderful bite with the grits and sausage.

This dish also came with toasted butter bread (score!) – critical to cleaning up any remaining sauce.

The roast beef po’ boy was not as photogenic, but delicious. The same soft, but crusty bread was used, piled high with roast beef and fixings. It came with a very good traditional southern potato salad, similar to the way my mom makes it but with larger chunks of mild pickles. (Other side options included dirty rice, baked potato, red beans & rice, and Zapp’s potato chips.)

Several times during our meal, the owner checked on us and our server was attentive and quick. I was really impressed by the staff and food, and am itching to bring my daughters here for breakfast on the weekend as the French Toast and the Beignets looks ridiculous. (Early to miss the lines though!)

Angelette's Cajun Kitchen on Urbanspoon