Da Kine of Place You'll Love

Since I started the new job and the misses started at home training for her new gig, we really haven't had any us time besides the few moments we relax on the couch together before bed. So on the day where we were both off we took advantage of it, I decided to stay out of the house doing this that and the other for as long as possible. We were doing this and that, we were talking about looking for someplace new to eat, this is every time we want to eat out occurrence so nothing new there. I had planned to take her to Pinkberry the night before, but the time at the gym kind of ran over and by the time we were showered and ready to go they had closed. So while out I decided we would get Pinkberry for sure but that doesn't fill you up.

Mid way through our entire day date the misses and I started to get hungry so we started looking for a small (by small I mean non-chain) place to get some good food, We drove by Da Kine and I'm a fan of food trucks, since the idea of food from a truck is sub par, most food truck vendors go above and beyond when it comes to quality food. So I had the Misses urbanspoon it based on the reviews and the fact we were starving and without any other hopefuls in sight we stopped by (and thank god we did).

We get out of the car and you could smell the wonderful aroma of all things great. It's a small food trailer where everything is cooked out of, they have all types of options on the menu, dinner plates, mix and match, samplers, and more. A few different drinks that you can't normally find, so we walked up scanned the menu, placed our order and watch as they cook our food, then take and hand chop the chicken and fill the styrofoam containers completely full.

We got our drinks and I should have got 2, the coconut water with pineapple was the best I have ever had, and I can't find the brand they sell anywhere else in town. The service was great, very quick to get the order ready. Now the seating is small like only one picnic bench under a tent, but what do you expect from a food trailer? So we opted to get it to go and headed down to cypress point park, found a nice spot under a tree for some shade. Then proceeded to open up the containers, the smell again was amazing as we look at 3 types of chicken Sweet Shoyu, Sweet'n'Hot, and Teriyaki.

All three were good, the sweet shoyu had great flavor and was a perfect match with the Sweet'n'Hot, the only complaint was with the teriyaki was a bit salty, more than to be expected. Besides the over dose of sodium the food was great, the chicken was cooked perfectly, not overcooked. We ordered a side of veggies and macaroni salad.

 I have to say that Da Kine has the only macaroni salad I have ever tasted and liked. The veggies were just steamed bag veggies so you can't really mess up on them. I plan to go back if I'm in that neck of the woods again, the food was great but not worth the trek from my house to just get some grub. If you're in that part of town and looking for some good food for a decent price that will not only fill you but give you something to eat later go check out; Da-Kine Hawaiian Café located at 3316 S Dale Mabry Hwy

Tampa, FL 33629 or visit their website at http://www.dakinehc.com/

We also hit up Pinkberry for some frozen yogurt and fresh fruit, then decided we needed to walk off all the food we ate from Da Kine and walked through Westshore mall for a few, over all the day date went well and I enjoy spending time with the Misses as she is the best company I could ask for.

Philly Lacks Phlava

This is one of the few restaurant reviews I have left to post, still working hard on the new clean eating goal, getting better and better ever day. I was cleared by the cardiologist so that's a plus. I hope to be in the best shape of my life by the time my baby is born 1/1/2012!!

So me and the Misses were out and about running some errands our normal weekend activity. When I got a craving (and I'm not the pregnant one) for a Philly Cheese Steak, after searching for a place close by I broke my code of going to small locally owned restaurants and went to Philly Phlava on the corner of Dale Mabry and Fletcher.

First off the place is small and covered floor to ceiling with signs and posters. Decorated with stainless steel and plastic. The overall look of the place you would think they have to know what they are doing with the sandwiches.We decided to share a sandwich with (onions, peppers, shrooms, and provolone) and some cheddar bacon fries.

 After overcoming the "sticker shock" we take our seat and wait for the food, now I've heard a few good things about this place so I hoped for the best. After realizing they charge for just about everything, air seems to be the only free thing there. Our food came to the table. It was very fresh and hot.

The quality of the food I would have expected from a sandwich truck not a place with philly in the name, the fries were boring and without the cheese and bacon I would have left them in the basket. I rarely ever give bad reviews and this one isn't "bad" really but more of a warning that you can get the same quality from the mall's food court or a sandwich truck for a better price. Their big thing is their rolls and those were just a little better than average.

So until I can find a really good Philly I will just stick to making them at home. So if your out and about and want to see what Philly Phlava is all about by all means stop in and see, but I won't be back. You can find it at; 13149 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33618

A turn for the Healthy!

Well it looks like my recipes from here on out are going to be more on the healthy side. Last Thursday I got a call from my doctor after seeing them that Wednesday and being in the ER twice a few months back complaining of chest pains. That while we are trying to figure out the root of the chest pains, they found out I have a fatty liver and if I don't change a few things around I'm gonna be in well.....not the best shape. So now I plan to correct all the food and lifestyle mistakes I can. Especially since I found out about 5 weeks ago I'm going to be a new Daddy!!!

So I doubt I will do 1 restaurant review a month now. I have about 3 that im still writing, but after that it will be slim to none. I now have to rework all the amazing things I cook on a regular basis so it is liver and calorie friendly, but now I'm on a mission!! I have been eating healthier for the past 6 to 8 months but I have slacked on portions, caloric intake, and exercise. Well its changing, I plan to make my self write down everything I swallow, work out for at least 6 hours a week.So I'm going to post before and after shots (& maybe progress pictures too)....

 

 I have already cut out soda months ago along with fried food... So this is my farewell to junk food, huge portions of red meat, restaurant food, loads of my wife’s homemade baked goods and all other sorts of delicious-ness I have come to love, but it will all be worth it to be 100% healthy again and I get back into the shape I use to be so its a win, win. I just have to REALLY stick with it this time instead of losing some weight and being satisfied and going back and eating not so great and just maintaining the weight I lost but not losing any more. I have to do it, not only because I want to look and feel better....because I'm going to have a new baby in Jan!!! So wish me luck and pray for me! I hope all these changes come easy for me. So be on the look out for healthier recipes and more blog of my babble!
 
I will leave you with a recipe my wife made me the other day, I have to say this is by far better than i ever expected, and is my new favorite "healthy" lunch.
 
Orchard Chicken Salad

3 c apples (your choice), chopped small

½ lemon juice (to stop the apples from browning)

½ c celery, chopped small

4 c baked chicken (topped with basil, parsley, & rosemary) cut into cubes

¼ c golden raisins

¼ c dried cranberries (I used dried cranberries infused with cherry juice)

¾ c mayo (or just enough to incorporate everything together)

½ ts celery seed

salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and spread onto a whole wheat tortilla. Top with spinach, tomato, or cheese if you like.

Eat & Enjoy!

Taco Taco........Bus.?.

So if you Live in Tampa (and I happen to) you've heard about the 24/7 Taco Bus and if you haven't you need to figure out why? Its kinda like a landmark around these parts.

Like I said I have heard about it, but never have I tried it. Not because I didn't want to, its just a little ways from my usual stomping grounds and I usually get sidetracked and end up going elsewhere when we plan to go there.

That all was gonna change, after waiting for the mail to run (new company I work for mails checks) we head out to do some normal saturday errands. While out and about I ask the misses if she's up for some mexican food, and her being my wife she said of course when am I not! So we head down toward Hillsborough Ave to this famed Taco Bus, now don't let the name fool you......well it is a bus, but also a sit down restaurant. We pull up and the place is packed, and from what I've heard this is to be expected.

As we walk in there are only 2 seats left and there at the bar so we grab a menu and take a seat. More people walked in and soon had frowns on their faces that they had to either stand and eat or sit out side (a big no no in florida unless its water side or night).

We look over our menus and with some help from out waiter we go with the carne asada burrito combo with rice and beans. Our waiter took our order then rushed off to do the other 99 things he was doing. The food is made in an old bus out on the side of the building and they have a few updated buses too, but the original bus is still where the magic happens.

This hangs on the wall across from us, gotta love tampa and CL!

As me and the misses set there at the bar and look over the other menu items and notice the breakfast part of the menu (note to self come here for breakfast). We tried their hibiscus lemonade, which wasn't half bad. Our food comes, it smells delicious and looks great. Even though its on styrofoam served with plastic utensils, it's all about the food and nothing else here at the Taco Bus.

We both unwrap our burritos and take a bite, the burrito was over flowing with beef, with hints of tomato, onion, shredded cabbage, cilantro, and cheese. As I drew closer to the end of this fantastic burrito the ratio became closer to even, instead of the hints of toppings like it started, but there's no complaining here! The veggies tasted so fresh, well everything tasted fresh. Something you wouldn't expect from the name, but I've grown to realize to expect the unexpected. We made no joke about devouring our lunch combos. The food is better than any Mexican food I have tried in Tampa. It blows Moe's, Chipotle, and all the other chains away. From fresh food, to great atmosphere and the biggest one its ALWAYS OPEN!

As we polished off the plates thoughts of something sweet entered my head. I has saw a small dessert section of the menu so I reached and grabbed one. The only hard thing was to place the order, our waiter as mentioned above was doing about 100 things from the normal refills, to plating food, on to planning a catering event with the table behind us. He soon came over and asked how everything was, and took our order for Tres Leches Cake which the menu noted it was baked in-house so we gave it a try. Now I have wanted to try Tres Leches Cake for awhile but never got a chance until now. As hard as it was to get the waiters attention I can say this, our order was taken quickly our food and dessert was brought even quicker and drinks never went dry.  Back to the dessert, he placed it in front of us and we dug in, then stopping to take a pic, what can I say when the food is this good I almost forget about doing this.

We finish our dessert and pay our tab and head out to finish up our Saturday. So if you're looking for Authentic Mexican  for a great price and a fun location; Be sure to check out the Taco Bus at 913 E. Hillsborough Ave, Tampa FL 33604
813-232-5889 Their site is; http://tampatacobus.com

They also have a newer St. Pete location at; 2324 Central Ave St. Pete, St. Pete FL 33712. I haven't ate there so its on you to go and try it.

So if you're craving authentic mexican style food from ceviche, tacos, burritos, chilorio, and quesadilla be sure to stop in at the Taco Bus.

Tortilla soup recipe

Chicken:

1 (14oz) Chicken breast

Lime

Cover chicken with lime juice, then sprinkle with cilantro, marjoram, basil, paprika, dash of oregano, and black pepper.

Soup:

Evoo

1/4 c onion

1/8 c carrots

Squeeze 1/2 lime

3 tbls Cilantro

1 tbls Marjoram

1 tbls Basil

1 tbls Paprika

1/2 tbls Cummin

Dash celery seed

Dash sage

Salt

20 Grinds of pepper

1 can (14.5oz) Chicken broth

1 can (14.5oz) Fire roasted tomatoes

1/2 c Frozen corn

1 can (15.2oz) Black beans, rinsed

1/2 c Water

2oz diced green chilies

Bring to boil

Bake chicken on 350 till it reaches a temp of 160-165, shred in food processor.

Grill 4 corn tortillas on stove top, put shredded chicken in bowl, pour soup over chicken, cut/break the tortilla in to triangles and serve on top with a lime wedge.

Eat and Enjoy!

Celebration and a cooter!!!!

So I make ends meet always have, its just in my DNA. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a hustler, and that I've been identified as one at pretty much every job(mainly sales gigs) I've ever had. You can also ask around, I'm the guy that can make a dollar outta 15 cent... So I embrace this and know I will with Gods help make it. So that being said, I've been out of work for a few months, and been doing what I do with help from my amazing wife, who is also unemployed due to a company having no moral code whatsoever, she's better off without them. I would much rather work a full time job, than make money here and there to pay bills. I like a regular paycheck to pay bills and my money I make here and there(all legal may I add) to go and have fun with. I've worked so many B.S. jobs that I could write a book, so to find out I got hired on at a international lending company, with great pay and even better benefits I was thrilled. So my wife decided to apply and not use all of her unemployment benefits, low and behold after weeks of the website glitching every time she tried to contact them her phone rings. After her conversation they wanted her to come in the next day, so we did and everything seemed to go very well......seemed.

So we decided to hit the beach for a lil celebration and relaxation. Out of the blue I sold another electronic cigarette kit so there was a lil extra money so I decided to treat my wife and myself to one of our favorite beach side spots. Plus I wanted an excuse to write another restaurant review style blog. So as we are pulling in the round about off of Clearwater Memorial Causeway I tell the wife to take the second right instead of our normal way to Sand Key Park. She looks puzzled but when she ask why I think she had already answered her own question, but I told her anyway.... We're going to Cooters to celebrate before we hit the beach for the rest of the day.

 We get there right in the middle of happy hour (from 3-6 daily), so after navigating their rather small and packed parking lot. We walk up on their wood deck and are greeted right away. We decided to sit on there deck, the weather was perfect and a great breeze was coming off the gulf. We meet our waitress and place our drink order, and since its happy hour they have .50 raw oysters (on of my favorite foods).

When our drinks come I place an order for some oysters, and we start to look at their daily specials and browse the menu. We wanted something filling but light enough we could go straight to the beach and not feel to full. So the oysters come and were amazing nothing new here.

We decide, order some sandwiches, the Misses went for their Fisherman's Ruben and I chose their Philly Cheese Steak. We finish off the oysters and take in the scenery (not an inch of wall is uncovered).

The food comes and smells amazing, then the wife has a moment of greatness and suggest we trade half of our sandwiches of course!!! (I was feeling a bit down about not ordering seafood as an entree this close to the beach, so she solved that.) This Fisherman's Ruben was perfect, just like a ruben minus the corned beef and add blackened mahi, my Cheese Steak had the right amount of peppers, shrooms and onions to complement the rib eye. So good I almost forgot to take pictures.

We chow down and swap thoughts on each others choice of sandwich and ponder what to eat next time we come back. After we finish our plate...well baskets... We decide there's room for dessert and since its Florida we opt for Key Lime Pie. We get our Pie and its placed on top of this green sauce so the wife has to taste it to see what it is.....gotta love her always up to be a guinea pig. Turns out it was a Key Lime sauce/gel, that complemented the pie rather nicely. The pie was good, not enough key lime taste for me, tasted more like a key lime cheesecake of sorts, but it completed the meal great.

We get the check this place has amazing food, but it's even better if you're on a budget! So we tip and head to the car, with sand and salt water on the mind.

If you're looking for a great west cost beach side spot that's great on the taste buds and even better on the wallet be sure to check out; Cooters at 423 Poinsettia Ave. Clearwater Beach, FL 33767

http://www.cooters.com/

Plus its just a stones throw away from one of our favorite beaches located at Sand Key Park. We hit the beach after feeding the meter, find a spot on a rather empty beach(just the way we like it).  We walk the beach for awhile, noticing a wedding taking place down on the far end. So that spun off talks of ideas for our vow renewals and such. Then we get back to our spot and head into the water. It was nice luke warm water, after chilling in the waves for a bit, we decide to go relax on shore. And relax is what we did, it was so peaceful just laying on the shore with the love of my life by my side it was truly a gift from God. We just laid there for over a hour or more, then some tourist plop down about 20 or 30 feet from us, which is no big deal. Being born or living in Florida for any given time you get use to a few things; Tourist, Snowbirds, Lovebugs, Mosquitoes, and a thousand other annoying things we deal with to live in paradise. The only issue we had with the tourist after they entertained us with all their picture taking and amazement of the surroundings. Then they start to feed the seagulls and if you've ever did this you soon realize what a mistake you just made. What seemed like every seagull on the beach was flying over us and to them. They keep feeding them to get more pictures, and keep feeding them and keep feeding them...it didn't stop...

 Then the seagulls start to hover and me not wanting to have to shoot a bird for dropping a deuce on me and the lady. We decide to call the day quits, so thank you annoying tourist for making us miss the sunset and ruining the mood and flow of a great florida day. But we live here so enjoy your trip, this is our backyard! That alone makes me okay with them doing what tourist do. We head back home shower up and enjoy our night...

Well enough of my rambles that started out  as a restaurant review. See you never know with me...   P.S. To my lady, I love you!

Breaking the Cherry......

Well a quick rundown of me, I'm what you would call and old soul. I have had a great deal of ups and downs and now I'm doing my best at keeping the ups going. Lived all up and down the Eastcoast of the states. I'm very persistent and can do just about anything; ask and see.

 I'm a Baptist, who's married to a wonderful woman since 2001, I have two amazing boys, I love to cook, wrench on a car, get tattooed, practice photography, play with guns, art, writing, spend time doing nothing whatsoever with my wife, helping her bake (I'm the cook she's the baker), trying to get our business off the ground (ElectricCupcakes.com), and about a million other things.

                                             (Me & the Misses)

                  

Food is one of my favorite hobbies you could say; I'm kinda of a foodie or more of a cookie as I'd rather cook than go out to eat. I love most all cuisines and will try pretty much anything once. I love experimenting in the kitchen.....but I do like to go to smaller privately owned restaurants to see what they have to offer. Not a fan of chain restaurants, haven't really ate fast food in a hot minute and I feel so much better since I cut it out. Plus I'm really picky as to quality of food now, If  I can make it better in my kitchen at home I feel jipped when I have to pay the bill, seeing as I could have made twice or 3 times the amount of food for the same price and ten times as better. So I started leaving reviews when I was unhappy and now I'm doing the blog thing so I have my own space to bitch and moan or to show you how to make great food at home.

This blog is going to be a jumble of recipes, reviews; everything from restaurants to products, DIY stuff, and me bitching and moaning about whatever I feel the need to ramble on about....but knowing me this list will grow and the blog will be more than the average person can handle...(charlie sheen moment....winning. LoL) but for real I’m going to try and get at least a new post up weekly, or at least that’s my plan. So subscribe to my blog, pass it on and enjoy!