MG Eats Smokey Bones in Kissimmee

Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, 2911 Vineland Rd, Kissimmee, FL. More locations.

Smokey Bones bbq has always been a good place to eat. They came out with a Late-Night menu that worked into my schedule on a Saturday night to make a visit. Great prices and nice choices that last from 10pm until close every evening. I like eating at their bar. A large wrap around bar with a multitude of TV’s, some hi-top tables and booths are available as well as their dining room.

I’m pretty finicky when it come to burgers, but theirs never disappoint. The LN menu offers a  1/2 lb Premium Burger with cheese, none of the others are offered on this menu, but for 7 bucks, I don’t need avocado and bacon. They are cooked to order and I love that. Let’s add Smoked Wings $7.00, and the Loaded Cheese Fries $5.00. A beer seems the perfect pairing for this mix, and they were having a special, $2.95 for a Blue Moon. Score!

The cheese fries came first and dang, they looked amazing! A hefty amount of seasoned French fries covered in cheddar jack cheese, bacon, chipotle mayo, sweet BBQ glaze, green onions, tomatoes, and ranch dipping sauce. Yes, it could be an entire meal and you’d be completely happy, just wash it down with beer and it’s all good. My PIT (Partner in Crime) wasn’t sure about the sweetness of the bbq sauce on it, but after a few bites, I had a hard time keeping up! Damn, I want some now…my is watering!

The chicken wings came and they were very good. I probably would have like them better naked, instead of the sweet glaze on them. I like to dip into my own sauce, because if you don’t like their sauce, the whole plate is ruined. Nice hint of smoke though.

The burger arrived and it was cooked to perfection! Not many can get the Rare temp correct, but they mastered it. It has your basic sides, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles. I put some ranch dressing on it and it was on! Delectable burger. Lots of flavor and a tummy full of happiness.

Go to smokeybones.com and view their Late Night menu. It’s a good one for late night noshing. Super specials throughout the week from their regular menu, lunch and dinner.

Their best Sammy is the Pulled Pork and it is on the menu for $6.00. You can’t barely get a crappy fast food sandwich for that!

4.5 out of 5 points

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mad Girl Eats TooJays Gourmet Deli in Orlando

TooJays Gourmet Deli, The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips, 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL. Other Florida locations.

A great place, with a variety of choices. When it gets sweltering hot in Florida, I tend to enjoy cold edibles. The Triple J sandwich pictured above, is one of the tastiest….and pretty sexy lookin’! A grand roll up of corned beef, roast beef, turkey, swiss cheese, and coleslaw with Russian dressing all in-between their bakery-fresh exquisite rye bread.

This sandwich hits the right notes: soft, chewy, crunchy, creamy, rich, sweet, salty, bright, and tangy. A perfect blend of textures and flavors. If anything, get a side of Russian dressing and add more, if you’re saucy and roll that way. I am!

I’ve had their Tongue, which is awesome, breakfast entrees, and their divine bakery. Every visit to TooJays, I come away happy and satisfied. I’ve never had a bad meal! Generous portions at decent prices, and fab staff. Muah!

5 out of 5 super salivating sandwich points!

Mad Girl Eats La Spada’s in Orlando

 

La Spada’s Original Cheesesteaks and Hoagies,  1010 Lee Rd, Orlando, FL.  Locations in Sanford and Orange City also.

This shop comes from a deep lineage of fine sandwich shops, starting in 1938 in Atlantic City, NJ with the family’s first Hoagie shop. Family carried forward the tradition and blazed a trail of new shops in Pennsylvania, then the Ft Lauderdale area of Florida, and now Orlando. The La Spada’s know what they are doing! The superior level they have maintained through the years, shows in every bite.

I ordered their original Cheesesteak. Steak, grilled onions, and white American cheese on a homemade Hoagie roll with sweet peppers. Succulent and simple. ATTENTION! This is the best Cheesesteak I have had outside of Philly. I love that they chop up their steak and don’t leave it in long pieces to make it hard to eat. This mix of meat and melty gooey cheese is perfection. The onions and peppers just add to the party going on in my mouth. Great fries too!

My partner in crime and I stopped in on a whim, split a 10″, moaned and groaned with every bite…. and ordered another. It was just that fantastic! Their Meatball Parm looked incredible and will be one for the next visit!

Hours: Mon – Fri 10:00am to 5:00pm,  Sat and Sun 11:00am to 4:00pm. Conveniently off of I-4 and Lee Rd exit, located in the far end of a strip mall.

http://laspadas.com

5 out of 5 bites of bliss. Mangia!

 

 

 

Mad Girl Eats Paseo in Seattle

Paseo, 4225 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA.

I heard about Paseo on the Travel Channel. It featured the Caribbean roast sandwich that had people waiting in long lines in hopes of devouring it before they ran out. The place was also located in the cool and funky Fremont neighborhood and was sans sign. Who didn’t put a sign out front of their restaurant?! Ok, I knew I was in for kooky and I was intrigued.

So, lunch started early, they open at 11:00am. I was too far away from home to be turned away and come back to Florida without having tried this roast pork masterpiece. There was a line, but nothing too big. I ordered and breathed a sigh of relief they had a little oink for me.

I took a seat in the extremely tiny dining area. Soon it was delivered and looked amazing. A big beautiful crusty baguette loaded with marinated roasted pork, carmelized onions, aioli, fresh cilantro, and pickled jalapeno. Dang! That was freakin’ incredible-edible. The marinated pork was the deee-lish and truly perfected by the addition of the ‘extras’ loaded on. Certainly moan-worthy.

As I sat and ate, the crowd really started to swell. Happy I made it in when I did! They have opened a second location, 6226 Seaview Ave NW, in the Ballard neighborhood, so your luck just doubled. If you’re ever in Key West, they opened a Paseo there as well. Doin’ the bonus boogie on that!

I would have loved to have another sammie to-go, but the line was long and I had my turn. I should have ordered two! Anthony Bourdain and his show, The Layover on The Travel Channel, were at the Ballard resto a few months ago. He knows his stuff. So do I.

Either way, get yourself there. You can thank me…. and Anthony, later. 😉 On my Top 10 Best Sandwiches in the U.S.

Both Seattle locations closed on Sunday and Mondays. Free street parking.

http://paseoseattle.com

5 out of 5 perfectly marinated Caribbean kisses. Muahz!

Mad Girl Eats Angie’s Subs in Jax Beach

Angie’s Subs, 1436 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL.

Need to grab a sandwich going to or from the beach? Angie’s Subs is your spot. Eclectic, laid back, and friendly staff…with mad delish sandwiches and some of the best southern sweet tea this side of Great Granny’s house. Cold subs, Italian subs, and their “Old Stand By’s” give you many versions to choose from and offers an array of salads as well. Always seeking something different, I ordered The Sweet Tedd T, off the Old Stand By’s menu. You soon learn, anything with their special Peruvian sauce on it, is the way to go.

The Sweet Tedd T. had roast beef, turkey, bacon, provolone cheese, Peruvian sauce, and I had it with Knick Knack (coleslaw) the first time, and with lettuce, tomato and mayo the second. The sub is toasted in a pizza oven that creates a bonus of added flavor, instead of the common steamer crapola. The atmosphere added to my decision to try the Funky Fusion kettle chips and I couldn’t pass up their highly touted Best Sweet Tea in Town.

Go sit and wait for your sub to be delivered, you can’t help but notice the uber cray cray array of decor. Very entertaining…and my type of place when I want complete coolness and no bull. You will also notice the gigoondo squeeze bottle of Peruvian sauce on each table. I couldn’t wait to try, so I open up my Funky Fusion chips and added a dollop of Peruvian sauce. Addictive! I highly recommend the combo, and heightened funkdified flavor.

Toasty warm sandwich delivered. Both literally and figuratively. This will flip your flip-flops folks. The Sweet Tedd T. is a winner! The mix of meats, cheese, sauce, and Knick Knack is mouth-watering. Definitely have the Knick Knack on your sub, if available. The crunch and sweetness is a smart contrast.  Next visit, The Peruvian sub and The Jack Del Rio Grande is what I’ll be diving into.

If you want a memorable sub, hit up Angie’s near Jax beaches. One of the best subs I’ve had in a very long time.

As seen on The Travel Channel.

Open Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 11am-4pm

5 out of 5 kowabunga points for awesomeness, dude.  😉

Mad Girl Eats Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa

Skippers Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Rd, Tampa, FL 33613.

Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America show, on the Travel Channel, intrigued me to try the star sandwich, the Blackened Grouper Reuben. So, I made my way to Tampa and found Skipper’s Smokehouse. It is quite a place. It looks like a big swamp shanty. Very VERY casual, relaxed wait staff, and southern-back-woods-Redneck-ishVille atmosphere.

Order up for the sandwich of choice, and the Smoked Gator Ribs shown on the Travel Channel’s Man V. Food. The sandwich came on marble rye, a beautiful piece of grouper perfectly seasoned with Cajun spice and blackened to the right degree. The swiss, sauce, and sauerkraut were the right combination to balance it to amazing-ness. Adam Richman moaned after his first bite, I moaned after my first bite. OMG…frightfully delish. Definitely on my top sandwich roster!

The Smoked Gator Ribs on the other hand, were not. Doused with bbq sauce, tiny portion, lacking smokiness…just not good all around. The server never came back to ask how the meal was. She would have found out. When only 2 bites are taken and leave the rest,  then ask for a box…wouldn’t you wonder what’s up? Anyway…

If you don’t mind lackadaisical service and shanty ambiance ( I thought was charming), the Blackened Grouper Reuben is worth the visit. Skip the Gator ribs and try the Cajun popcorn (crawfish tails), Smoked Fish Dip, or Key Lime Pie instead.

http://skipperssmokehouse.com  Restaurant, bar, music venue.

4.75 out of 5 points for Adam Richman’s sandwich pick.  3 out of 5 for everything else.

Mad Girl Eats Datz in Tampa

Datz, 2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL.

I was anxious to stop at this gastropub after viewing their extensive online menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So many interesting nibbles and bits that intrigued me, I knew I had to sashay my way over to Tampa and live it for myself. Let’s go lunch!

They had just changed their menu for Spring, so I was a bit disappointed one of their star players, stuffed meatloaf sandwich, was not on the new menu for lunch. Oh well, they have enough other mad cray concoctions to put a smile on my face…now the problem is, which ones to try? Forever a gourmet hamburger lover, Datz’s “big a$$ burgers” had to come my way. Ten ounces of 100% ground chuck, cooked to order (rare please and thank you), topped with my choices of pepper jack cheese, roasted peppers, and applewood smoked bacon teamed up to be the magic combo. Triumphantly rare and perfectly seasoned, this big a$$ burger was happy dance worthy.

Next up, I couldn’t shy away from the chicken n’ waffles blt. I yearn for items I don’t make at home…nor have never tried before. Ding ding…order me up one on both accounts. Holy chicken, Batman….I am in love!  Boneless fried chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato, maple-jalapeno aioli, all gently tucked between two cheddar belgian waffles. No, I’m not freaking kidding. For real, this is a feast for the eyes and the tummy. Big luscious pieces of fried chicken with all the toppings were in total sweet and savory harmony… and the waffles. The waffles were sent from heaven. I have dreamt about this sandwich since devouring it. A definite “must-try” item for everyone, and on my top 10 list of Best Sandwiches Across America.

By the way, both sandwiches were accompanied by Datz’s homemade sweet and salty potato chips that had an incredible blue cheese drizzle, topped with green onions. These chips can stand on their own. The drizzle sent them over the edge of jubilation. Crunch crunch ahhhhz.

The interior of Datz is very cool, the staff is excellent (Elena rocks), a brewski lovers paradise, and a foodie lovers hot spot in Tampa.

Datz’s bakery, Dough, located next door, opens in April. I poked my head in and this is not your average bakery/coffee spot. Let’s just say, red chandeliers float my boat, big time. I’m sure the menu will live up to the interior design. Beyond words!

http://datzdeli.com

I will return to this gem. Have my chicken n’ waffles blt waiting for me….. 🙂

5 out of 5 sweet and savory points of perfection.

P.S. The stuffed meatloaf is available for dinner. Go for it! As seen on The Travel Channel’s, Food Paradise.

Mad Girl Eats Al’s Italian Beef in Chi

Al’s Italian Beef, 169 West Ontario St., Chicago, IL .. with more locations.

Another worthy choice for lunch in Chicago..or anytime, is Al’s Italian Beef with many locations throughout Chicagoland. This sandwich is one of my top 5 in the country and definitely worth a try. Like Chicago style pizza and hot dogs, Italian beef is also a Foodie’s battleground as to the best in this city. I pick Al’s! Every aspect I prefer, the roll, the meat, the au jus, giardinere, sweet peppers….it suits my taste buds and makes them dance. You must have the sandwich dipped, it’s the only proper way to eat it, dipped in the warm lovely seasoned beefy broth. If you don’t dip, then don’t bother…you miss the scrumptiousness of the entire experience. And eat it right away. You can also learn the Al’s leaning stance, like Adam Richman did. If standing at the counter to eat, you want to set your feet back a bit and lean into it as to not becoming a hot mess.  Want a kick? Add giardinere. Bonus!

Sorry for the half eaten shot…I couldn’t resist digging in ASAP! As seen on Food Wars, Man vs Food, and Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich In America.

5 out of 5, never disappoints my happy place. A must stop when visiting Chicago.

http://alsbeef.com for menu and more locations.