alohameisha
Working on being a Fit Fabulous Foodie! paleo, crossfit, running, biking, cooking, dining and drinking as local as possible in Jacksonville, FL
Sunday, October 05, 2014
Tower of Terror 7-miler?
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Swimming Yesterday Indeed!
I missed the boat! A fresh local seafood shop opened in murray hill YEARS ago and I knew nothing about it. They were further down the street toward cassat but have now moved to a more prominent location in a strip mall on Edgewood ave after the library before the bakery.
Sign up for the newsletter and you'll find out what just came in http://www.swimmingyesterdayseafood.com
I got the email saying they had little neck clams from cedar key and I had to swing by. I picked up some fresh grouper which was AMAZING! Maybe the freshest grouper I've ever had firm, not fishy and tender. I got two dozen clams and the grouper for $16.67.
More fish are coming tomorrow and I'll be swinging by again to get some more.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Marking My First Half Marathon at the Ravenous Pig
As race weekend approached I decided I needed to kick off the weekend with a fab lunch. I had been seeing a lot of social media buzz about the Ravenous Pig in Winter Park. I caught up with a friend and kicked off an amazing weekend with a great meal. This also inspired me to make sure I find fun places to stop when I travel because life is too short for chain food from a drive up window.
The short rib sandwich was probably my favorite and all these goodies powered me over the finish line at my first half marathon!
Rock shrimp tacos |
deviled eggs |
Champagne at noon don't mind if I do! |
short rib sandwich |
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Hands on at Blue Bambo
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Folio Weekly Bite Club: Crabcake Factory
I was excited to receive my invite for this month's Bite Club for three reasons (1) I love seafood and (2) I heard wildly different comments from friends who had been to the Crabcake Factory and (3) I had yet to go myself.
I arrived and the bar was large and open with natural light, it's important to those stuck inside an office all day. I started my evening with an local brew, Intuition Ale Work's People's Pale ale and even commented to Jay Magee that beer is an excellent pairing with seafood especially crab.
The appetizers were passed as we mingled at the bar.
The Jumbo Lump Crabcake Napoleons with tropical fruit salsa were not just pretty the crab "dome" was moist and crabby not bready. Whatever they use to bind it is pretty genius because it doesn't overtake the crab. It was better than the homeade crab cakes I make for myself last weekend and I thought they were pretty good but no compared with this. The fruit salsa gave it a nice tang.
The Ahi tuna and jumbo lump crab meat timbale has all my favorite ingredients; seaweed salad, lump crab and ahi and I could make a meal of these alone. At this point I'm realizing the Crab Cake Factory is back to the glory I heard so much of. The seafood is really fresh, crab and ahi can taste can get fishy if not fresh enough or stored properly this was not the case at all of all the foods I sampled.
The buffet portion of the evening featured;
- Cream of crab bisque
- Louisiana seafood gumbo
- Tossed mixed greens served with homemade champagne vinaigrette
The champagne vinaigrette was delicious and really tasted great with the strawberries on the salad. I enjoyed all the fresh veggies and was happy it wasn't calorie-laden with croutons and cheese. If this is the house salad I'd be happy to get it instead of the iceburg lettuce-shredded carrot-substandard dressing that a lot of places like to call a house salad.
Check out the crab claw in that gumbo! While it would be too messy for me to eat crab like this the claw adds a lot of flavor. For fear of filling up I took a small bit of the gumbo broth and was impressed the roux was great flavorful not watery not oversalted and had a nice spicy kick.
For dinner we didn't have to choose we had a selection of main dishes on one plate;
Sea scallop with lemon beurre blanc, jerk Mahi mahi and Crab stuffed shrimp with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The mahi seemed to be overcooked but the rub was tasty. The scallop and crab stuffed shrimp were delicious and the sauce was light, lemony and divine. The mashed potatoes and aspargus also had the sauce drizzled on top.
I didn't really have room for dessert but I ordered the bread pudding and the caramel sauce it was served with forced me to finish the whole thing!
Knowing that Chef and his son Christopher are back to return the Crab Cake Factory to the glory people spoke so highly of makes me feel this is just the sort of place that can do really well in Jacksonville. Good location for beach dwellers, specials nightly, fresh seafood, great homemade sauces and a friendly atmosphere should help them bring business back through the door. If I lived closer it would be a nice place to grab a drink and some apps and I hear the brunch is a must to try. The grand reopening is coming soon so check the website for details.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Folio Weekly Bite Club: Uptown Market
Menu
Hors d'oeuvres: small Canapes (smoked salmon, Shrimp ceviche, spanish tortilla)
I can never go wrong with smoked salmon especially paired with creamy cucumber it' classic fresh and light. I admit I did not try the spanish tortilla because I have been eating so many eggs lately. |
The pinot grigio paired nicely with the two appetizers I tried. Very tasty with the acidity of the ceviche and the smokiness of the salmon. |
Black Hog Organic Field Greens and Heirloom Tomatoes, Crispy Prosciutto and Champage vinaigrette, dinner rolls and butter.
A great start to dinner I really enjoyed the tomatoes and crispy prosciutto |
This Cuvee de Blanc was sweeter than the first glass I had but not too sweet. I remember Chad comparing it to a Reisling or Gewürztraminer . |
Duck cooked two ways. Mandarin roasted duck legs with asian vegetables and seared duck breast served med rare with citrus sauce.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine served with cous-cous. Braised lamb with apricots and roasted vegetables served with lemon scented cous -cous.
Black Hog Farms Organic Chicken cooked in Riesling. Pan seared chicken on the bone, braised with chicken stock, riesling, tarragon and cream served with pan roasted vegetables.
Chicken looked lovely and I had a taste but I really enjoyed the duck & lamb much better |
Loved these root veggies |
I was last in line and the fingerlings were gone I'm sure they were great but I'm glad because I had plenty on my plate |
The lamb sauce was very rich and the cous cous soaked up the juice perfect with it |
Before I even tasted it I guessed the lamb would be the star, maybe because it happens to be a favorite of mine |
The lamb's glamour shot |
I choose the duck, a small piece of chicken, lamb, root veggies and the cous cous it paired well with the syrah. The lamb and duck were outstanding! |
I skipped dessert and went with a second glass of syrah! |
Sunday, May 01, 2011
James Beard Foundation Dinner: A Dream Team Assembled
The table setting was gorgeous and unique no table cloth just a silver finished table and bunch of white hydrangeas |
Before each dish the chefs spoke about the dish from the kitchen while the sound and image was shown in the dining room this really gave it a very intimate feel. |