05-28-09

05-28-09
I got up early to get another part for the frig as it still had not healed itself overnight. I figured that it had to have something to do with the starting of the compressor and since it wasn't the start capacitor it had to be the start relay. I got the relay $38, still no return on electrical parts, it's either this or a new frig. I put it in, and BINGO it works. That saved me about thirty grand that Dixie would have made me spend for the new kitchen built around the new frig. Add that to my resume, appliance repair technichan. So we are off to have lunch at the oldest continuously open Steak House in Brandon. I remember that Mexico Grande was there before Jesse's. I loved their scorcho sauce on their buritos, man it was hot. But I digress. Frank opened the restaurant as a hamburger joint in 1980 and it grew into what it is today. In fact it is exactly like it was 30 years ago. Same tables same furnishings same everything, just better food. They have added a new bar in the front for busy days but other than that it's the same. It's time for a complete building and furnishing overhaul and cleaning. It's dark in the main dining with a fireplace for cold days(yes we have cold days in Florida)and both bars, the solarium front room has windows and this is where we prefer to be seated, in a booth. We get what I call the Indian Booth, there is a picture of a very somber Indian with the inscription of "THAT YOU MAY NEVER EXPERIENCE THE HUMILITY THAT THE POWER OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT HAS REDUCED ME TO, IS THE WISH OF HIM, WHO, IN HIS NATIVE FORESTS WAS ONCE AS PROUD AND BOLD AS YOURSELF. WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT DID TO THE INDIANS WAS HORRIBLE AND SHOULD BE A WARNING OF WHAT IT CAN AND SLOWLY IS DOING TO ITS HARD WORKING CITIZENS OF TODAY, I'm off my soap box now so back to Jesses. The tables by the windows have a fake tiffany type lamp shade that you will clunk your head on everytime that you sit or stand, even though the server always warns you about hitting them. There is a large fish tank that separates the front room from the main room. You don't go there for the decor you go there for their original "Jesse's Special", a 1/2 pound charbroiled chopped beef, smothered in sauteed mushrooms, crisp bacon, grilled onions and provolone cheese topped with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and their homemade ranch dressing, $8.50, this is what Dixie ordered. When it comes out it looks like a regular salad but all the goodies are hidden until you cut into this Jesse's Original. I went with the their 8 oz. lunch prime rib and a baked potato $9 plus $1.25 for the baked potato. I don't know how Frank's prime rib is so tender and flavorful, I'm just glad that it is. It's a full menu, full liquor, full delicious place to go. Drafts are 2 4 1 all the time except 7 to 8 P.M. The chains may pull in more people but Jesse's taste the best. I'll tell you a funny story about what happened at Jesse's 18 years ago, before I married Dixie. I took this girl, I'll call Teresa because that's what her name was, to dinner. We had been partying on my boat all day and we were in need of substantial food to offset the alcohol. We eat dinner and I ask for the check and I hit the head(oh yeah the men's rest room needs to be redone also). I come back and there are 4 servers around my table. I see that Teresa has passed out at the table and they are holding her up so that she doesn't fall on the floor. I don't bat an eye, I non chalantly sign the receipt, leave a big tip, throw her over my shoulder and out the door I went. So Jim and Judy C. have emailed us and told us about a place that opened about 2 months ago, "Incognito", that is having a Martini tasting tonight between 5 and 7 P.M. naturally we are in. It's located between Mira Bay and Apollo Beach so there is a opportunity to get all sorts of high rolling people. We get there and a guy is playing Sax and singing(not at the same time), pretty good but he likes his long breaks. It is in a brand new South Shore Area shopping center, one that is probably only 10% occupied so I figured it would be empty when we got there. The owner Kevin and Christina(they are married) are there and the place has a decent crowd at 5:30. Carl the bartender gets me an Ultra and frosted glass, Dixie gets the Sampler martinis being offered tonight, they are served in tumbler glasses and each glass has about 4 oz. in it so with 3 samplers that's (where are our 5th graders when we need them) 3X4=12 oz of booze for $6, I said $6 such a deal. Tonight they are featuring The tropical Breeze-Malibu Rum,Blue Curacao,pineapple juice,& grenadine which was super sweet even for Dixie. Next the Pomegranite Cosmo-Kettle One Vodka,Cointreau,lime and pomegranit juice, more to Dixies liking.Last the Show stopper The White Peach Lemon Drop-Absolute Mandrin,peach schnopps,fresh squeezed lemon juice. Like Sears there was Good,Better,Best. This place is not about the food, appetizers and pizza are available but from what I saw It's about the Booze and People,$20.88 for 3 Ultras 1 martini tasting and 1 Full pomegranite cosmo served in a proper glass. It's only been open 2 months and already it has a good following. Jim and Judy are also sampling and they suggest a new restaurant in Apollo Beach, The Waterside Grill(Not on the Water) so we head there. We walk in and what a nice place. There are lots of people eating on the restaurant side. We choose the bar side that has glass partitions seperating the bar and restaurant. In the bar is Bob W. ,Dick C., and Anthony and Kathy D.and a couple of their friends eating and drinking. It's a small world. I introduce myself to Julie, the owner (along with her husband Chris the Chef), and I tell her how great the place looks. Keith and Jeff(from Salutes) are bartending so we decide to eat at the bar. Jim orders the 14 oz New York Strip with mashed potatoes, medium rare and melting in your mouth. Judy gets the gourmet Mac n Cheese, 3 cheeses with chicken, bacon(a little heavy on bacon) and peas with toasted bread crumbs on top. Dixie and I split 3 appetizers, the Everglades Chowder-tons of gator,crab,& conch in a super light cream broth, a little more spice and this is a 10. We also split the Beef Carpaccio with onions capers & shaved cheese, melt in your mouth good, along with Pan lightly seared tuna with sesame seeds, this is how you spell fresh tuna. We are all talking during the meal and Anthony is across the bar and you would have thought we were in NY. We're talking across the bar not caring who hears us, like a big family table, you'll feel right at home in this place. Only opened 4 weeks ago this is THE place to watch in South Shore. Chris was so busy in the kitchen we didn't get a chance to meet. We are headed to Siesta Key tomorrow so we call it an early evening, and out the door we went. See Ya Brian

05-27-09

05-27-09
OK this refrigerator shit is killing me. I figure that it must be the start capacitor, so I get one for $50 non refundable because it is an electrical part. It isn't, and it still doesn't work. Time for a new refrigerator, then it will be time for a new kitchen, I know this crap is going to spread like a cancer so stand by for a new kitchen redo if I can't fix this bastard by myself. So we go buy some more CDs from Urban Trust Bank ( jeeze, you think they were paying me with as many times I have mentioned them). So we are off to pick up Evan and Holly at the airport, they gave me 3 hours notice. We pick them up and head over to the New Whiskey Joes. The old one got tore up 3 years ago when a storm came through the Bay. They finally came up with a deal with the people that own the old Castaway on the Causeway Restaurant. It's right next to the public beach and volley ball court. So we pull up around 2 PM and we are hungry. The place is huge for a waterfront restaurant, it is on pilons suspended over the water. We are seated outside as it is a perfect day. There is a couple, that I swear is in an embrace for 1 solid hour at the waters edge. Our waitress, Carol, bring us bud lights and blue moons and we check out the menu. We started off with an appetizer of fried alligator, crispy and not chewy. I get the PoBoy, fried real grouper sandwich with american cheese on real Cuban bread and slaw on the side. Dixie the chicken salad, standard fare with the wrong type dressing on it but still good, Evan the fresh Fish tacos with chips and salsa and Holly the side salad with a bowl of Gumbo. Everything was wonderful. Good food, good weather, good friends and family. Make this you first stop in Tampa it is as close to Tampa Airport as you can get. So we drop Evan and Holly off at their motorhome that Evan keeps on the Alafia River and he gives me a blown up 8x12 picture of me flying my Cherokee 6 from the last time that I brought him up for a ride, By the way I still have not had anyone send me an email of a picture of me in one of my planes, If you have a digital photo of me in my plane please send it to me as I have none. So Kathy M. calls me up and tells me that Terry, from the old Tadpoles,and his partner Mel have opened up a new restaurant called Belly Buster Burgers so we are off to investigate. We get there and it is a good size place, new, so new they do not even have their beer license and they are giving the beer away, NICE. Christin brings us free drafts. A group of us are there and we order an array of food to try out. Chili chees dogs, chili cheese burger, bacon burger, nacho mama chicken, plain burger, and even a burger salad. They have chicken and other stuff but we all stick with the beef. All burgers are a half pound cooked the way you like it, they also have a full one pounder, beers that are $1 all the time(when they get their license in July, and their full liquor license in August). There is outside dining as well. This is Terry and Mel's 2nd Belly Buster restaurant, their first is in St Augustine, and you can bet it won't be their last. They have a 2 pound challenge, eat a 1 pound burger and 1 pound of french fries and you get a free T shirt. The burgers are juicy and vary in price between 6 and 7 bucks with fries included, I suggest that you get a side of a bowl of their home made coleslaw. So now it's off to Dixies Dockside ,and out the door we went. Dixies Dockside is slow, as it is bike night at CJs, and we finish our beer and out the door we went. Dixie is moving the stuff from the broken frig to our utility room frig and tomorrow Dixie will be getting a new frig if I can't figure it out today. See Ya Brian

05-(25-26)-09

05-(25-26)-09
It is Memorial Day and all we do is R & R at the house, hanging out on the dock and waving at passing boats, we cook on the grill and that's it. 05-26-09 Still fooling around trying to get Dixies computers to work so that she can print out her docs for the closing so that she can walk them through at the tax office we have to email from one computer to another because she can do the docs on one but can't print so we are plugging one in then unplugging in the other it's a real pain in the ass but we finally get it done. The refrigerator is on the blink and I check it out with my limited knowledge and I decide it will take a service call from a qualified service person, we really don't keep any food in the house so it doesn't matter because there is nothing to spoil, the ice will melt and that will be our loss. I am out CD shopping around, as I have to do something with the money from the closing. To let you know, Urban Trust Bank is offering 4.5% rates on CDs. I also set up a refinance deal with some friends or ours so the money is now tied up and making more money for us. Urban is located in Walmart in Gibsonton so it's real close for us. Dixie has no phone, she left her pocket book in Glenn and Charlene's boat on Sunday, so we decide to meet for lunch before she heads out, at The Shrimp Boat. We have had dinner here many times. This is the first time for lunch. I walk in and David, Jimmy, amd Larry C, they are brothers, are sitting at a table. I worked for them for 11 Great Years, I have not seen them for about 2 years, and believe it or not time has not stood still for any of us. We all look good, but older, I'll leave it at that. Their son in law was with them and they told him the story about the first time that they took me to lunch at Steak and Ale. Jim and David had ordered their meal and a beer and then I ordered my meal with a beer for my drink, Larry, was a strict Baptist at the time so he was a non drinker, the waitress asked Larry if he wanted a beer with his meal and he replied that he would rather commit adultry, to which I replied "I didn't know that we had a choice". This was in 1976 so if someone tells you a similiar story you know that I said it first. We talked about old times and then Dixie came in and we sat at a booth. The Shrimp Boat is located in La Viva shopping in Brandon Fl, you have to look for this place. We seated ourselves at a booth and Cynthia brought Dixie an Ice Tea $1.95 and me a Bud Light Draft $1 ALL THE TIME. We figured we would stay with the shrimp dishes, I usually get the garlic shrimp appetizer and the fish of the day dinner or their Tuna, which is always great. We are splitting a Grilled Shrimp lunch meal $9.99 and a Chipolte Shrimp meal $8.99. We got one with waffle fries and slaw and the other with a house salad. Garlic bread came with both meals. The Chipolte Shrimp Meal is as good as Bonefish's Bang Bang shrimp but at half the price. The grilled shrimp fresh and not overcooked, served with melted butter. This is one of the places that you never get a bad meal but it never comes to mind when you are thinking about where to go for a meal. We now have their menu on our refrigerator so that we remember to go there more often. They also have Absolute martinis for $6, can't beat that anywhere. Charlene calls me, she is now home from her Jury Duty and I pick up Dixies purse from her house, lucky her she got picked for Jury Duty and has to go back for a trial. We have plans to meet at Cliff Curry's office at 6 for dinner, he suggested an old favorite of his, Caffe Paradiso. Turns out there are 8 of us going to eat Italian on the other side of town on MacDill Ave, but first a toast with a nice red wine, courtesy of the Currys in Cliff's office. There are 8 of us, John and Sherry L., Bill and Kathy M., Cliff and Terry C., and Dixie and Brian(Me). We take 2 cars the Escalade and the Maserati (who knew they made a 4 seater). We arrive 1 minute too late, as now it is pouring rain. We run in and we accidently walk into the wrong restaurant and Dixie tells them we want a table for 8 and they start getting it ready when Cliff tells us wrong restaurant, oops we are out of there. 4 stores down is where we are going, through the rain. We go inside, there is a small greeting room with a nice small wine bar, no one is there, it is a Tuesday night, but inside the restaurant most tables are full, the place seats about 60. We walk in and who's there, Larry and Kathy Jimenez and their son and his girlfriend eating dinner, they live in Plant City, so it's a drive for them, I have high expectations for this restaurant if they drove that far to eat here. Anthony our server bring us a bottle of Signorello 2003 Cabernet that Bill has selected for us. As we are perusing the menu the owner Paulo comes to the table, shakes everyones hand and is joking around with us, it's always nice to be noticed and acknowledged. A small brushetta with fried zucchini as a starter.The appetizers and salads start arriving. I won't tell you who ordered what as there was a ton of food ordered, huge portions of grilled asparagus with garlic and olive oil, calamari amalfitana salad with the most tender fresh calamari I have ever had, fried calamari, house salads, another bottle of wine, fresh tuna steak, today's fish is flounder with a creamy shrimp sauce, veal piccata, veal siciliana, veal chop, all meals served tonight with homemade mashed potatoes and fresh green beansthis is a real Italian place so go with the meat dishes as any place can serve you a bowl of pasta. Another bottle of wine, to finish off the panna cotta, chocolate cake, creme brulee and a cheesecake, forks are flying and corks are popping. A last bottle of wine and good conversation and out the door we went $506.92 plus tip for 8 hungry people. We are headed to Datz Cafe for a late night snack of plates of meats and cheese and some wine, I told you we were hungry. We arrived a little after 10 and they let us in even though they usually close at 10 on Tuesday. Blue the bartender recognizes us, hugs are in order, and we order the snacks and some wine flights, more conversation and it's 11:30 and out the door we went. How can you put a price on old friends getting together. Good times. See Ya Brian

05-(22-24)-09

05-(22-24)-09
I can't sleep so I'm up at 5:30 and I go get the paper and sit down and open it up and it's like deja vu. The headlines are way too familiar and then I look at the date on the paper and it is yesterday's paper. I guess the delivery person had a left over one from the day before and threw it out by mistake. I buy one from the box. Dixie is up unusually early also,it's 7, she gets ready in a hurry and out the door she goes to her office. She is trying to fix her computer for her last closing and it just is not cooperating, she has to hand type the closing forms, whiteing out old forms and typing in new info like she did 25 years ago. At 10 :15 I am working out in the yard and Dixie calls me to say that the buyer is at her office to sign the papers on the building, no appointment he just shows up with 2 loan officers and the realtor. So I have to head up there to sign on the sale. Dixie is still changing paperwork due to an additional fee that a lender put on at the last minute. Finally we close, the deed is done. Dixie is now,like me, officially RETIRED from her job. Even though she had great people working for her and could go away for a month or so at a time she still always worried about her business, now as the Australians say, NO WORRIES MATE. Congratulate her when you see her. We finish locking up the building for the last time and head home to unload the car and truck of the last of a lifetimes work and head out to lunch. We are going to a local Riverview Place, Kazbor's. Kazbor owns all the Hungry Howies Pizza in the Tampa area and he has 6 Kazbors in Florida, his first one was in Riverview. It is connected to a Hungry Howies but he has more than Pizza. It is a full liquor bar with both a bar and dining area with booths, tables and TVs. A menu of sandwiches, pastas, soups, salads, fajitas, along with some of their specialty items gives you a nice mix to select from. Ashley comes to get our orders and brings ice tea for Dixie and an Ultra Draft for me. Dixie ordered the Chicken "Kazadillas"with chedder and mozarella, sauteed onions and peppers with jalapenos, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa on the side. I ordered their Tender beef tips. A kabob with steak, mushrooms and onions on a skewer and yellow rice and black beans on the side cooked a medium. All was perfectly cooked, presented properly and promptly by a proficient server in a pleasent setting. I guess I'm into Ps today. Plenty of good food. $27.49 two full meals two drafts and two ice teas. Not the Ritz but for a lunch or light dinner you won't go wrong. We piddle around the house and it is 6 o'clock and we are going to JF Kicks with Bobby and Mary Kay. They have not been there before. Kicks is a restaurant with a large inside dining area and bar and also an outside bar where they seem to always have live entertainment. Today there is a guy playing guitar and singing. The outside has a big fireplace where when it is cold they have a fire(gas) in it. It looks warm. A mix of locals from mainly surrounding sub-divisions, there seems to be a lot of single girls outside for some reason. Inside mostly familys and couples. They are slammed today as it is Friday at 6:30 when we arrive, it is happy hour so we order a few rounds of Ultra drafts, Bud Bottles and vodka and cranberry from Danielle and we check out the menu and order when Danielle brings the drinks. We order a variety of appetizers, baked brie en croute with homemade chips sliced apples and grapes drizzled with a jalapino sugar cane reduction, seared scallpos wrapped with paper thin bacon on a skewer drizzled with the sugar cane reduction but no jalapino, chicken quesedilla with chedder and monterey jack, and a blackened prime rib sanwich for all of us to split. Great bar food with a real stand out from the prime rib, it was tender and flavorful beyond any we have had before. $68.48 plus tip We take our drinks outside and find an old friend Keith is there with his girlfriend and we talk for awhile and listen to the guy singing and then out the door we went. We are now headed to Dixies Dockside where they have "Corroded Fuse" playing, they have a good following and there are lots of new faces. The lead singer thinks he's Jim Morrison singing without his shirt on, I talk to him for a while(can't remember his name due to alcohol) he seems like a cool guy and we take a picture together, you never know if he turns out to be famous some day. Glen is there but has to take off for the homestead as he has friends coming into town, about 10 minutes later a guy walks in that could be Glenn in 15 years, he looks like him but a decade older. Around 10 the place fills up with the regulars and we are partying till midnight when Bobby K says it is time for them to go home, actually it was time to go home a long time ago I just didn't have the sense to leave.They are riding with us so out the door we went. 05-23-09 I am writing my blog when my phone rings and it is Pete, Vicky Kays son. He is a manager at a Pizza place and he is young with no transportation to and from work so I am giving him my Zuma scooter to get back and forth. Actually I sold it to him for $1 with the condition that when he gets done with it that he gives it to someone else that needs transportation. He agrees and after giving him instructions on the controls, the title, the keys, and the instruction manual he is off. Bobby K came to pick up his H3, he left it at our house last night and we discuss how much fun we had last night. It's now time for lunch so we head off to Tres Amigos.This is a Cinderella Story. The Don Pablos restaurant was closing and the managers were laid off and as they are hauling away the furniture and fixtures, closing down the store, The owner of the property and building calls them and tells them that he is negotiating to purchase the stuff and to stay there untill he finds out if they have a deal with the liquidation company. He works it out to keep the stuff and sets up a partnership with the 3 managers to stay and run the place as owner/partners. So now they own the place instead of being out of a job they own the place. How cool is that? The day we are there, Anthony, one of the owners is making fresh tortillas on the machine flattening them out then cooking them on the grill. The restaurant is huge maybe 8,000 feet with 30' tall ceilings.We sit at the bar where Jen brings us fresh crisp thin chips and 2 bowls of salsa.I get a house margartita and Dixie diet coke.We decide to split the Marios Pork Carnitas. I thought that Dixie made the best Carnitas but these were killer,slow roasted perfectly seasoned pulled pork with freshly Anthony made tortillas sliced tomatoes,red onions,cilantro,and lime wedges,lettuce,sour cream, guacamole, refried beans with cheese on top, and rice. This is frekin fantastic pork, tender and moist it melts in your mouth. It is more than plenty for us to split. $26.71with 2 martaritas plus tip. They are still struggling everyday to keep this place open due to our screwed up economy, they are still saving to buy their $8,000 sign for the front of the building. We are going to DW's party that he is having. It is still raining or should I say pouring. It is 4:30 before it lets up enough for us to head to the Ks. Looks like Dixies Dockside crowd is all there and we all go over to DWs. Bobby and Judy are there along with Heide, so we go out back to his deck on the River. It's funny how sometimes everyone gets together and talks about nothing and then you go home and say, that was fun. Well that was fun, we didn't solve the worlds problems but I had fun talking with everyone. We are going to ABC Pizza for dinner. I can't stand eating inside the restaurant because it is so depressing. Low ceilings, decor from the 70s, dark it just depresses me eating there so we always order ToGO. I have been eating ABC since the first one opened on Hillsbough Ave in 1970 they now have about 8 stores in the Tampa area. They make the 3rd best Pizza that I know of, I always order the small House special and a large Greek salad, sometimes if the baklava looks good I'll get a piece of that, did not look fresh today so I passed. Their Greek salad, shredded lettuce, tomato wedges, grated feta cheese, onions, bell peppers, sliced pickled beets and their own house dressing(no potato salad) is a meal in itself and sometimes is for me but today the pizza is what I crave. It's a thin crust real cheese with pepperoni, onion, bell peppers, the best sausage, meatball, and mushroom combo. Sometimes nothing else will do so I have to have this fix about every 2 months. I love the food but hate their building. Samantha the cute girl behind the counter just graduated from High School so congratulate her when you go. $17.77 To Go. We boob tube it till 11 and now it's time to rest for tomorrow. Oh Yeah Dixie has now moved into 1st Place in the Anthony Bourdain Contest, Thanks to all of you for Voting, Keep up the good work. 05-24-09 It is 11AM and Dixie and I are at Wallmart buying beer because we are going boating. It is noon before we leave Glenn and Charlene's dock for Hula Bay. There are 8 people on the boat, Glenn and Charlene, Tim and Jen, they are friends of G & C from The Panhandle, Mary Kay and Bobby K, Dixie and me. It is a beautiful sunny day with light wind so there are no big waves, smooth boating. The girls are riding up front sitting on bean bag chairs and the guys are hanging around the helm. It is about a 45 minute cruise to Hula Bay. There is a large dry storage place for boats so there is constant boat traffic on this busy Memorial day weekend. It used to be "Rattlefish" but was closed down to the public when it was sold and was going to have condos built around it but the economy took care of those plans. They put in a pool, changed to deck and docks around and now it is an even better layout than before. We arrive and there is a DJ out on the Dock blasting music toward the buildings 200' across the water. There are plenty of new floating docks and a dock hand to help you secure your boat. There is even a full liquor bar on the dock in case you can't make it the 200 feet to the main bar without a drink. We get to Hula Bay and Dukes restaurant is calling us as we are starving but first we have to check out the pool with all the people that have paid $15 to use the pool and Cabanas. Our waitress, Rochelle, brings a round of drinks for everyone. We are all ordering appetizers, Dixie and I got The Maui Ahi, tuna, cream cheese, avocado, and smelt roe wrapped in soy paper: The Sunrise Shrimp Colada, 8 tempura shrimp, fresh pineapple, and cucumber with coconut miso; also Crabby Patties, crab cakes with lime and jalapeno, pan fried with remoulade and avocado aioli. The rest of the group ordered Grouper bites corn meal dusted, a large salad, Beach Tacos-blackened chicken with warm tortillas, yellow rice and black beans; and tempura lobobster fried with cucumber and mango with volcano and eel sauces. More rounds of drinks and we finish eating and it is time to go to the outside downstairs bar where the Jamaican Band is playing. We get a table right next to the band and they are playing and jokeing with the crowd, Dixie gets up and does the big black stick dance, the steel drums are beating, the beer is flowing, the shots are downing, followed by drink after drink. We are in 5th gear with the peddle to the floor, we are flying, this party won't stop. Glenn straps on the bands guitar and gets his instant rastafarian hairover, the girls are dancing, Bobby K gets a hat from the Malibu Rum Girls, Glenn gets presented with commerative flip flops, the Malibu Rum girls are there giving away free shots in little coconut shooter glasses, more beers, more shooters, more dancing. We meet up with Bobby and Judy and DW and Heide's crew, they came by boat also, followed by more dancing and drinking. I will say that this is the best boating bar on the west coast of Florida, it is lacking nothing, great food, 4 bars, booze, beers,babes, pool, muscle men, babes, bands, docks, valets, great service all in a place that is easy to get to by boat or car. We decide to go to River's Edge to show Jen and Tim a waterfront boaters and bikers bar that is not at all like Hula Bay. We are pulling away from the docks with the tunes blasting out of Glenns 1000 watt sound system and we are waving goodby to everyone on the dock, Glenn's boat is named No Drama but there is always plenty. We stop at Fantasy island to swim for a while, boobs are exposed, after a half hour of swimming and relaxing it's off toThe Edge. We go to on the Edge on the Alafia River only after we are trashed, and we are today, as Barney the owner does not keep the place up at all, it is dirty and nasty but we go there as it is the only bar on the River that serves liquor. The place has some docks that they just refurbished so we pull in, their sign is so faded you can barely read it, most of the time there is a band and a few hundred bikers but the place is empty today, there are a whole lot more biker bars now and I guess even the bikers have found a cleaner place to hang out.We are doing shooters at the outside bar. No one dares to use their bathrooms as they are disgusting. Thank God they only serve drinks in plastic cups as I would hate to catch something off one of their glasses. There is a Barney(No L)Stone painted on the patio, the decks are rotting, the siding is falling off the building, you would rather P behind a tree than enter the bathroom, the bar is dirty and dimmly lit. More boobs are exposed more shots are shot and we are now off to Dixies Dockside. We drop off everyone there, because the tide is rolling out like someone pulled the plug, and then Glen and I bring the boat to Glenn's dock. We are too late and we can not get the boat to the dock due to the low water, we are in the mud. We tie up the boat and wade through the River to the dock. I do a burn out on their new driveway(after asking Glenn if it is OK to do) and we are off to Dixies. It's 8 at Dixies Dockside and it too is slow here but many more people are there than at the Edge. Jess is working today, she comes to me and says that some dude is smoking a doober, I tell him that is not acceptable here and that he has to go, he gives me some lip and I show him my not so nice side and he is gone. John N. is there with some friends, I have not seen him for a while and we catch up on what's been happening. It is way past our "we should have been home before now time" so, out the door we went. See Ya Brian

05-21-09

05-21-09
So we are now down to the wire on Dixies office, I meet the tow truck company at the office at 10 (they were right on time)and they have a roll on 650 there to pick up the 8'x8'x20' storage container that we have in the rear yard. The truck is too long to manuver in the back yard around the retention area and a large tree so they also bring in a 450 shorty to pull the container away from the tree where the big truck can load it. More money naturally. The guy gets it loaded and I meet him at my house where I will use it for more storage for stuff that we don't need but can't throw away. I had to cut back the bushes to get it where it is going and the guy even helped me move the cuttings away, then he puts it exactly where I want it, and gives me a bill for $150. Cheap considering two trucks two guys and 1.5 hours. Courteous, prompt, service from "English Towing". Call them if you you need a tow, tell them Brian Towed you about them. So it is time for lunch. We head to the Oaks. Karen from Sue Curd Accounting told me to check this place out since we have not been there for several years. When it first opened it was A1A Cafe. A change in ownership and a few years has aged this place nicely. The mature trees hang over the building with its tin roof. The country side porches have been enclosed and air conditioned for modern day Florida living. They kept the original bar which is a replica of a tower on a large sport fishing boat, one of the few things that I did like about A1A. Tall open ceilings with exposed AC vents type interier design. Angela is our bartender waitress, she brings ice tea for Dixie and Ultra draft for me. They advertise that they are home of the 1/2 pound burger and 1/2 pound grouper. They also have a full menu, sandwiches with reuben to grouper, steaks, chicken, pastas, salads, and soups, you'll find something that you like. I get the special of the day, fried chicken and slaw instead of fries and Dixie a caeser salad with blackened chicken. Dixies was great. My chicken tasted great due to the spicing of the chicken and the perfect crispy fry job, BUT there was no Breasst(I have to misspell so the censors don't xxxxx out the word). I like my chicken like I like women, with Breassts, good creamy slaw. but no Breasst. 2 Drafts 2 Ice Teas 2 meals $21.83 plus tip. Food is same price for dinner menu. Once again it is raining so I am just chilling out at the house relaying closing info to Dixie as she has no internet at the office because we gave away the server computer too soon. Dixie gets home and is all pissed because not only is the internet not working but she can't even get the papers to print out the forms that she needs, so she has been hand typing everything for her last closing. It's a combo, half conventional and half SBA loan so it's a nightmare of paper work. I fix her a Smirnoff and ruby red and she chills out. We were going to dine with John and Sherry but with the rain they just wanted to stay home. We head to Ruskin to Ybor Grille one block off US41 on Shell Point. We are seated at a booth in the front and we are checking out the menu and CiCi shows up and we are ready to order. We start with a pitcher of homemade sangria and a fresh salad and a crab roll (just like"The Seabreeze" on the Causeway used to make before they closed down) and cuban bread with olive butter. The meals arrive and they are huge, Dixie got the Chicken fricasse "special of the day",Tender spiced chicken over yellow rice with olives, capers, and garlic, and 4 sweet fried plantains($11.25). I got the Taste of Ybor. Ropa Vieja which is spiced tender shredded beef, Picadillo which is spicy ground beef,potatoes, olives, and capers in a light tomato sauce, and Moho roast pork, black beans and yellow rice and chopped spiced onions($11.95). This is good stuff. We can't possible finish all of the food so we get a square box and nicely arrange the left over picadillo in one corner,some roast pork, some ropa vieja and some chicken fricasse in the other corners. Some black beans and yellow rice in the middle and a fried plaintain to top it off, I name it the Four Corner dinner and out the door we went. Headed to Dixies Dockside it is still raining. I forgot that they had Karaokee or I would have just gone home, we gave The Four Corners for her dinner. As everyone knows Karaokee means I can't sing but I can drink, and the people doing it here are the worst I have ever heard. Jeep and Grizz are hanging outside watching the show and by show I mean the girl passed with her face in some guys lap, notice how I left out names here. This is not normal for Dixies Dockside so everyone is going outside to check her out. Joe and Kathy are talking at the bar and we join them and catch up with Carol on the goings on. A guy sticks his head into the order window, this is his first time he is at Dixies Dockside and get this, he is there because he read about the place on The Travel Channel Anthony Bourdain's show and get this, he recongizes Dixie from the pictures. Dixie is now Famous.The bucket is gone and so are we, so out the door we went. See Ya Brian.

05-(17-20)-09

05-(17-20)-09
Sunday is R and R day. It has been raining most of the morning but by 2 it is just a drizzzle. Howard picked up Vicky at the airport, she has been visiting Cristy, and they got to our house at about 4:30. We cook out on the grill, just burgers, corn on the cob, yellow squash, baked beans, and sweet potatoes.Howard still feels like crap but is putting on a good front, Vicky is tired from the trip back from Colorado, and we are still beat so we call it an early night. 05-18-09 Monday, we are at Dixie's office still preping for the sale. The shredder guy will be there tomorrow so there's no turning back after that. We go out about 2 for a late lunch. We decide on Angelina's. They are located on busy Hwy 60 with minimal parking on the front. We have not been here for 2 years. Everything looks the same except now they have the mandatory flat screen TVs. We get to order off of the lunch menu. The meals come with salad, mixed greens, cuke,and tomato and homemade creamy italian dressing. It also comes with a huge loaf of hot bread with parm cheese and garlic all over the top of it with a side of marinara sauce. I got a bud light and Dixie a ice tea, they do have a full liquor bar. Tasha comes out with the meals. My multi layered lasagna, meaty and cheesy. Dixie got the chicken picatta with butter lemon sauce capers and a side of pasta with red sauce. Something wasn't quite right with the picatta, we just couldn't put our finger on it, it might have been too much butter sauce, Is that possible? $24.04 not including tip. Figure bigger helpings for dinner and double the price.There are better places to go if you want to impress but here you get clean, homecooked, solid Italian food. We go back and do a little more cleaning and packing then call it a day. For dinner we don't have a clue what to do. Sometimes eating just gets boring, you shovel something in your mouth just because your internal clock says its time to refuel. We decide on an old favorite of ours. Cody's Orignal Roadhouse. This is one of those places where you throw your peanut shells on the floor. We sit at the bar and Cristy brings us two bud lights, pints at the bar are always 2 4 1. George the resident bar sitter is there,and as an avid Gator fan we talk about the girls softball team 53 to 3 winning season and the daily happenings. Cristy brings us their, all you can eat salad, witl their homemade yeast rolls and cinnamon butter. My 1/2 rotisseree chicken with baked sweet potatoe is as good as it looks and Dixies beef filet k bob comes out tender and cooked perfectly medium rare, Grilled with onions and tomatoes and a sid of fresh brocolli. My appetite is back and we finish it all. Good solid food in a friendly bar. Say hi to George for me because he is sure to be there. $30.57 with 3 beers x2 =6.,without tip. Nothing much else going on so out the door we went. It's boob tube at home, as Bruce sang "57 channels and nothin on"05-19-09 We got to the office and today is again trash day, time to throw out all of the junk that Dixie has accumulated since we bought her building over 10 years ago. I think Dixie has kept everything that she ever brought into this office. After 3 hours of bagging and throwing, there were 3 of us because Claudia was nice enough to show up and help, my truck is filled to overflowing, after lunch I bring it to the dump and there is 720 pounds of trash, I know this because they weigh the truck before and after you dump. You say after lunch, where did they go for lunch? Ok I'll back track. After the truck is loaded we are waiting for the shred all people to come as there is about 4 tons of paperwork that has to be shredded for confidentiality purposes. Also we are waiting for Greg to show up from BIKERSCAP as we are donating 7 of Dixies computers to them. This organization gets computers, fixes as necessary, wipes your old info off of them, cleans them up and donates them to schools so lower income kids have better access to computers and can learn computer skills. We were going to sell them, as all were powerful xp pro systems but we figured that they could use them more that the $ we could have sold them for. Greg is a talker and I have to tell him that we are in a hurry and lets get the stuff loaded and get you out of here. If you have old computers that work but you are upgrading call Greg at 965-4477 or contact him at http:www.bikerscap.org he will pick them up and donate them to a good cause. Tax deductable. We call the shredders and they won't be there until 1:30 so we get to sneak out to Estella's, which is 2 blocks away, for a quick bite. This is another local restaurant that we have not been to for two years. Last time we were there we got entrees with ground beef and they were flavorless and really nothing to write home about. We go inside, the place is all cleaned up, nice Mexican decorations, the usual stuff, it has been expanded since it was two brothers restaurant. It also has a huge dining/waiting deck in front, they have put in a rose gardens that blocks the view of Hwy60-not the sound but the view- , they also have a large seating area on the side. We are seated inside at a table that faces the front. The chips that they bring out are also thinner than the last time we were there, we like, along with home made salsa, a nice medium heat. No charge. I order the lunch Burrito supreme, available in ground beef or chicken. The waiter says get the chicken, obviously they still have the same unflavored ground beef. Dixie gets the Enchelada Mexicanos. We both have work to do so it's ice tea for both of us today. The food shows up so fast, I barely had time to take any pictures, which is good, we are in a hurry. The chicken burrito was loaded with moist flavorful chicken along with sour cream lettuce and a slice of tomatoe. Dixies cheese enchelada is covered with cheese sauce as well as chunks of roasted pork on top, guacomole, sour cream and lettuce and slice of tomato. Both quick, both fresh, both flavorful, both really quick. Exactly what we wanted today, the working man's lunch. We get a call and the shedder guy is there, we were just finishing up and I pay the tab $21.23 without the tip and out the door we went. The shredder guy is backed up to the storage building and is already loading the boxes, there are 200 outside and about double that inside, he realizes that he will have to make another trip tomorrow because his truck will not hold all the boxes that we have. I head home with my fully loaded truck and decide that instead of putting them curbside for the trash man to pick up I would just run it down to the 672 landfill. I make a detour to Dixies Dockside as I have a dozen trash cans that I figured that Jeff could use, then I get to the dump. You have to show a copy of your paid tax bill showing solid waste is included paid and then you can dump for free, I already had this printed out so I'm OK, It has been raining for 3 days so it is a mud hole, hot dog. I finally get to use my 4 wheel drive. I follow the paved road untill I get to the stinky mud clay sloppy road and follow a loaded dump truck in. He unloads and the guy directs me to an area for pick ups, you get to drive through mud about 1 foot deep. I'm locked in hi 4x4 so I didn't even spin a wheel. I dump my load and head home. On the trip back I notice that the aroma of the dump is sticking with me, When I get home the stinking mud is doing what stinking mud does, stinking, and sticking to my truck. I have to wash it and that kills and hour, the next time I go 4 wheeling it won't be in my truck. I get cleaned up and we are going to our monthly Rooster meeting at Stingrays. Cocktails at 6. It is the old Shells that closed down in Brandon. The interior is the same layout except it has been updated and newvowed, Shell on steroids. Everyone says how much better it looks. We are all at the bar and Jen the bartender is keeping up with the 13 or so of us, it is happy yappy hour and all beers $3 on tap are 2 4 1, bottled beer are normally $4 but hapy hour $1 off. All wells are 2 4 1. We make full use of the 2 4 1s and then we are seated at 2 tables. Everyone got a little of everything. Nice crab cakes, conch fritters, grilled shrimp, blackened mahi, fried platters, pasta with shrimp, shrimp scampi, peel and eat shrimp, salmon, tuna and my favorite their mahi italiano. To add a salad was only 99 cents so salads it is. We have two servers so drinks and appetizers and food service was no proplem. The owner Ken came over to introduce himself and to make sure that everything was good. We all had a great time. The place is fresh, fresh decorations, freshly refurbished and fresh food. Our bill with 2 beers and two 20 oz house martaritas(always only 3.95) Mahi Italiano, Crab cake appetizer and house salad $42.44 including an 18% gratutity for our large party. That's a good deal. We finish up and out the door we went.05-20-09
Today is an early day as there is still a lot to do at the office for closing down and the shredder people are supposed to finish picking up sometime between 11 and 1 also Kim our cleaning lady is coming at 9:30 and I do not like to be here when she is working. I am out of the house at 9:15, which is a freakin milestone for me, check the P.O. Box for junk and bills and off to the office. I make 2 more trash runs bringing trash bags to my house to be picked up tororrow curbside, I'm not going back to the dump. It is now 1:15 and the shredder people still are not here. I call them and they said the guy is running late which puts him at a 2 oclock arrival, I have not had anything to eat all day, I told the girl that a phone call would have been nice since I have been waiting and still have not had lunch. 2:35 and the guy calls Dixie's phone and says it will be 20 minutes. I hear that he is going to be late and start yelling in the background so he can hear me. Have you ever noticed that when someone else is on the phone how brazen you can be, I'm telling Dixie to tell him we have been waiting since 11 blah blah blah. Still it is not going to get the guy here any sooner. So Shane shows up and we load the copy machine up into his truck and naturally the shredder guy arrives and wants us to move and it is all I can do to control myself to tell him that if he had been here on time blah blah blah. Oh well this is the kinder gentler Brian and I don't shoot him. We finish up and decide that we will just have a early dinner and skip lunch. We get cleaned up and decide to hit The Italian Kitchen. It is 5 P.M. when we get to The Kitchen. Melinda greets us and we get our regular table. Stefano is cooking tonight. She has been working 7 days a week as business is slower than usual. The place is finally finished being finished. The owners have been doing improvement themselves for 2 years and the place looks great. Tile,drywall faux painting, cornice, fans, all the details and it has finally all come together. We get a couple of Ultras to get us started while we figure out what we want to eat. The kitchen is visible from the main dining area so they are not hiding anything. Wine bottles and expreso machine on display. There is going to be a large private party tonight so they are getting the room ready. Warm bread and oil and spices and BUTTER arrive. I get the chicken veg soup and it is meaty and loaded with potatoes, celery pureed carrots and other vegggys in a nice thick tomato base. Dixie got a ceaser salad. We get a bottle of Sangeioveise $22 and the meals arrive. We are both hungry so no splittingmeals tonight. I got chicken parm as I always do for dinner (For lunch I always get bow tie pasta with chicken, their signature dish.) with a side of pasta. Dixie got the daily special, 8oz filet mignon and grilled shrimp with bow tie pasta and grilled veggys. All great as always. They have daily specials, live music on some days. This is as close to a neighborhood restaurant that you will find, not a chain and they hug you when you come in. Good food, service Upscale and not a chain. $64 plus tip. Did I say not a chain. After the meal we head to Dixies Dockside for a round of abuse from Carol, my favorite bartender. It's Wednesday and everone seems to be showing up, I buy two buckets to share with everyone and the time seems to fly by and next thing I know it's, out the door we went. See Ya. Brian

05-16-09

05-16-09
Well it's noon and time to start getting ready for Spencers big party on the Alafia River. He has a great house for entertaining, Tiki Bar, under cover shady area to put out all of the food that people brought. Spencer is single and has every toy know to man. You can tell he takes care of his things and that he takes great joy in keeping everything perfect. You can tell he has worked hard and is successful. Well back to the party,there are 6 different kinds of chicken, wings, pork, sausage, dozens of potato salads, macaronni salads, desserts you name it and it showed up. Spencer does not drink but he still has Kegs of Miller lite, wine, and frozen drinks for his friends. Spencer is in the Rough Riders, also a boat club member, he has a go fast boat that he keeps on his boat lift, he also knows just about everybody on the River. He likes to bike around town, he has a killer Harley so anybody who is anybody is there. We get there and 10 boats are already rafted up to his dock but we get lucky Truit and Kelly who live two doors down wave us over and we get to tie up to their dock. Bobby K and Mary Kay raft up to us, Two Dogs Todd to their boat and Shane to Todds boat. We walk into the place with our cooler filled with beer and the Band is playing, people are eating, he actually has several tables so that you can eat sitting down. There are people on the outside deck, people on their boats, people at the Tiki Bar, people on the top(less) deck and walk way, people in the side yard where he has frozen margarttis and pina coladas for the taking. He's a Gator fan so naturally there is a Go Gators on the machine. 3 Port o Lets, and a trailer for the trash. This guy has this party stuff figured out. Some Girls laying out topless on the front of a boat, people eating and drinking and just having a good time. The main band finishes up and then Elvis (Bill Lindsey) shows up and does his whole show, Madison Square Garden Music- I know I heard him live there in 1969. Bill is the most realistic Elvis, some guys look like Elvis and some Guys sing like Elvis but Bill does both. Dixie and Charlene get a photo with him. There is a guy making drinks with a gas powered blender. Even Evan and Eilene and Laurie and Mike set up chairs in the shade across the canal in their back yard to listen to the music and watch the "show". Naturally Hollyrock and Crystal are there and Crystal likes to show her tits so I am taking pictures of her boobs with just about everybody. I think ABT Rick enjoyed it the most. It's about 5 and the sky just opens up. It is pouring down, a monsoon. It rained for about a hour strait so everone had to get under cover so now everyone is shoulder to shoulder trying to stay dry. We have all run out of beer and are now just raiding any cooler we can find. Any Port in a Storm. Soon as the rains stops it looks like the mass exodus that it is. The local boaters head up to Dixies Dockside for some more liquid refreshments and to listen to the band that they had. So Bobby K gets there and his boat is doggin it and he opens up his below the deck access and finds out it is filled to the top with water. After all the rain going into his boat and also Todds boat was pumping water into his because of where his bilge pump discharged. To top it off his bilge pump was barely working, it was just pumping a trickle then it stopped completely. We pull the plug to try and run the water out. This will take a year and a half and we decide rather than sinking the boat we would put it on Charlie and Dori's lift and let it drain out and Bobby K can put a new pump in it tomorrow. Luckily we run across Glen and Charlene and they follow us there and then bring us back to Dixies Dockside. The party at Dixies finally comes to a close for us and we've had enough fun for this day and out the door we went. I want to tell Spencer Thank You for the GREAT PARTY. I know everyone had large time. I know how much work that it is to put one on as successful and entertaining as his. Charlene if you would forward this to Spencer I would appreciate it, I do not have his email. Thanks Spence, See Ya Brian

05-15-09

05-15-09
I had pick up my RX at Walmart. I have switched my prescriptions to them because if you tell them that you don't have any insurance they will fill a 3 month RX for $12, just don't tell them you have insurance even if you do, it's cheaper than going through your insurance. So we are going to Ybor for lunch today, we have passed by Bernini hundreds of times but have never stopped in. They have outside seating which we usually choose over the inside but today we are inside. The place is very nice. Once you pass through the doors you are transported from the USA directly to Italy. Old world tall ceilings with raised steps and real cornice inserts, brick oven imported from Italy, faux walls, half circle windows you get the idea. Jemma our waitress brings me their least expensive house cab (Avalon $6 and decent) and Dixie an ice tea. Jemma tells us the daily specials and unlike most other places the price for each special. I hate having to ask,how much is that? Dixie gets today's special, cheese risotto with shrimp, artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes, basil, just flat out delicious, I got their signature dish, pistachio crusted REAL grouper and this is real grouper-there has been so much catfish and such passed off as grouper that most people don't know what they are getting- with garlic mashed potatoes and broccolini with a marsala brown butter sauce. Jemma brings out warm Italian bread with oil and spices (we ask for butter) and also torino bread sticks. Before the meals comes Jemma delivers a knock down dead salad of mixed greens, dried cranberries, red onions, blue cheese, pine nuts, and balsamic vinegerette dressing, sounds ordinary but everything meshed just right. Both meals were the lunch size, which is just right for us even for dinner. Somehow we had room for their creme brulle served with ripe strawberries and the plate drizzled with raspberry sauce. They call it "to Die for" creme brulle, good and creamy with just a hit of what tasted like butterscotch, whenever I eat the carmelized sugar off the top I always remember the taste of marshmallows cooking on a campfire. Dr Bob, the father of the owner- he is a retired pediatrician dentist- greets you, seats you, checks on you and basically makes you feel at home. There is an upstairs bar and dining area that is open on weekends and for special parties. There is also a hidden room for really special people. This is a place to dine when you are not in a hurry, enjoy. A great meal for only $32.80 tip not included. If you go for dinner double the portions and double the prices. So we are walking past Carmines and we stop in for a beer. They are famous for their devil crabs, garbanzo bean soup, cuban sandwiches, black bean soup. We have had these many times over the years and we have never been disappointed. Today we are just there to have a beer. They redid the inside about 3 years ago and it is much nicer, cleaner, and open than it used to be. The bathrooms are still a nightmare so if you go don't have to really go STAY AWAY from the rest rooms. They make the Pressed Cuban sandwiches behind the bar along with the crab rolls, all the other food is prepared in their kitchen in the rear. Full liquor is available. At night time there is band playing and they also set up the outside bar, upstairs the large room can be reserved for private functions or the big Gasparilla Parade viewing. So it's a beer today and out the door we went. We are walking back to the car and pass by a new place, Mema's Alaskan Taco. Now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard. We get there about 2:30 and there is not a soul in the place. Laura the counter girl shows us their tacos. The taco and meat (either beef, chicken, gator, fish, shrimp, or Tofu are pan fried together. We did not have a good experience with the beef as it lacked flavor and spice and was like a rubber hamburger. Bottle beers are $4 and a small taco $2.50 pretty hefty considering that they are on 8th Ave and not 7th or even Alaska for that matter. Their nachos are crispy and cheesy. They must cater to the late night people that can't or don't care what they are eating as long as they are eating. Be forwarned that the only bathroom that they have is around the outside of the building and all the way to the rear. I would definetely plan on escorting your wife or date back there, if it's night time you might want to be packing some heat. The place is clean, even the bathroom. We are gong to go back some day and try all of their varieties of tacos, they have got to be better than that rubber hamburger. So we are driving down 41 when I decide to stop at Starkey's Bar. I have not been in there for 30 years or so. We belly up to the bar and order two Ultras in bottles and Natalie offers cold frosted mugs for them. The place looks good, it has been redone since I was there. Pool tables, stage set up for the weekend bands, It is in a tough area of town and does not look like much from the outside- the word to describe it is seedy- it is a real working man's bar, blue collar and callouses. They have a small package store where they sell booze to go. It is a full liquor bar, martini glasses that get use everyday. There are 10 people in the place but it is Friday and when work lets out you will be shoulder to shoulder. Randy the guy next to me is from Texas and has been working here for a year. His favorite word is fxck, he tells me that he is fxcking from a town of 38,000 fxcking people, that people in fxcking Tampa drink more fxcking beer than they do in fxckingTexas, that we sure do have a lot of fxcking parades, but over fxcking all he likes fxcking Tampa a fxcking lot. Well I tell him it's been fxcking great talking to him but we have to fxcking go, and out the fxcking door we went. Only in Riverview/ Gibsonton. And yes they do smoke inside Starky's, they smoke alot and with the low ceiling it will make even a smoker take notice. We vow to do Showtown, Road House, and Rivers Edge, the trinity of trash. Tim G. called to see if we wanted to do dinner but we are still stuffed from lunch so I tell him next week would be better. We are now home and you probably think that it is time for bed but Dixie is redoing her face, it is 7:30 and we are headed to Dixies Dockside. We get to Dixies and the band Tune Raider is playing. A good old rock and roll band, they do ZZ Top, CCR, classic rock oldies with some Light Blues thrown in, this is my favorite band that Jeff brings to play. The regulars are all there and a bunch of younger newbies seem to be starting to show up, we'll have to see how that works out. It's 10:30 and Spencers big party is tomorrow, so out the door we went. See Ya Brian.

05-14-09

05-14-09
I checked the rain gauge and we had 4" of rain last night, when it rains it pours. We have sold The building where Dixies office is located and have to get all the stuff out before closing on the 22nd of this month. I am always a little aprehensive about any sale until the check clears the bank, but I have been assured by Henry B. that everything is in order. After doing an extensive check list of what needs to be done we have worked up an appetite for lunch. Today we are going to Wings Gone Wild located in Regency Square. There are 2 of these places here and in South Tampa on Bay to Bay. I have had lunch there twice before, both times having good wings and good service. My first visit was right after they just opened, everything clean, neat and well new.This time our visit was not quite the same. Counters looked like they needed cleaning, it was like they clean but don't detail clean every night, and as any one who has ever run a place knows, you have to clean everyday and then continously during the day or it just builds up without you noticing (the customers notice). Don't get me wrong I have eaten at a bunch of dumps but this place is trying to be upscale.We ordered 16 wings($11.99), half mango habanero and the other half Jamaican Jerk, served with 4 pieces of short celrey and two containers of so so blue cheese. Wings were good but a 4 star heat rating next to the habanero is wrong, they are at best medium a 2, a great sweet flavor but not much heat. The Jamaican Jerk, a smokey mild heat wilh a nice tang. Nicky our server could not drag herself away from talking to someone that she knew so we didn't get any inside info. Finally Adrian saw that we were ready to check out so she took the check up for us. This could be a great place, a nice upscale beer and wine bar, nice furnishings, hip decorations and of course several TVs. Instead they are a just like any other joint slinging wings and beer. Too bad for them. I hope the one on Bay to Bay is holding up better.Two drafts and two diet cokes and 16 wings $18.96 without tip. Oh yeah they have specials on Blue Moon $4.75 for a pint, We'll be back every Blue Moon,Maybe they clean every Blue Moon, Well see. I hit a litle rain on my bike heading back home, but not enough to wash off the love bugs. I was standing on the dock when I got home looking at the River and realizing how great we have it right here in our back yard, our neighborhood. The rain is turning the yellow plants and grass to green after yesterdays rain. Now I'm sitting here getting the wanderlust again, its been almost 3 weeks and I feel it is almost time for another Road Trip. The Wanee Festival is coming soon and I am looking forward to the music and meeting new people there. I still don't have a reserved spot but I am calling the campground everyday checking on availability. Right now I have decided that if power is not available I'll do somewhere else. I'll let fate decide, Power- Go, No Power-No Go. Only time will tell. I guess I don't know what I want to do. I am one of those people that just can't relax, even when there is nothing to do I'll find something to piddle. I call my condition playdefecit, everytime I get to the point I should be relaxing I've got to do something, work hard play hard, I've been this way my whole life. I never had a vacation for more than a week untill I was 38 years old. I took 2 weeks off and finally realized I was killing myself, working my way to an early grave. When I got back to work I gave my notice. My plan was to slow down and just build a few houses a year, next thing you know I'm building one a week with my brother Jim. After a few years this got old, so we both decided to take some time off and relax and then the housing market went in the dumper, somebody was looking out for me, telling me, now's the time to do something different. I just haven't figured out what that thing is. One thing I do know, I won't be opening another bar. I like bars but not behind the counter, I want the drinking fun, side. Well I'm done rambling for now, time to go find a bar with an ice cold beer. We head over to Beer Shed and bike night has been rained out. Bill Lindsey,probably the best Elvis impersonator is playing, but not as Elvis. We drink a bucket, listen to music and then head over to Dixies Dockside. Karaoke is playing and boy does it suck, too loud, too hard rock. Got a short bucket of Ultras and talking to Joe and Kathy and Rick when Tim and Tracey come in, they are still hooked on Blue Moon, and everybody is starving so T&T pick up some Taco Bell and we head to our house for fine Taco dining and drinks. It's always good to entertain in your own house, you always FEEL at home and you don't have to drive home. Life is Good. See Ya Brian

05-13-09

05-13-09
Well it looks like everybody North of us got rain but not a drop for us yesterday. Maybe todays the day. I sent out my emails and blogs and now it's time for lunch, imagine that. We are going to Portales Restaurant in Gibsonton. Located in a strip mall that has seen better days,This combination restaurant/grocery store caters to Mexicans as the owner Julissa told me. Outside there are two entrance doors, one for the resaturant and one for the grocery, inside they are interconnected but nicely divided. I will not say that this is authentic Mexican as "Authentic" has been way overused. I will say this, It is owned by Mexicans, run by Mexicans ,caters to Mexican, the cooks are Mexican, the waitress,Gilma, is Mexican, the customers are Mexican, in fact we were the only English speaking people in either the restaurant or the grocery. When you first walk in you see signs of all of the dishes that they have and a number by it, I thought that there was a line to get on but they have table service, I can't stand waiting in line and ordering food.The place is spotlessly clean. There are vases with fresh cut roses on eash table. Home made Sangria, strawberry Daiquiri, pina colada and margaritas on the rocks or frozen are available(wine based) along with soft drinks and beer. Gilma brings fresh made crisp and flaky chips with salsa (not red in color) made with fresh chopped ingredients from the grocery and a side of beans not quite refried topped with fresca(Mexican) cheese to get us started. We decided to split the House Special. A combination of jalapeno peppers, onions, Mexican fine chopped chorizo, cheese and chicken witth beans and yellow rice on the side along with lettuce and tomatoes. We opted for 1/2 flour and 1/2 corn tortillas, both soft. 2 Bud lights for me and 2 diet Cokes for Dixie.Splitting was the way to go, we are both satsified. $22.03 without tip.This is Real Mexican Food catering to the way Mexicans like their food, it just so happens we like it too.The grocery has everything, bakery section, pots and pans, canned goods, meat market, fresh fruit and veggys, all with a Mexican customer in mind. Either place you go Gringos are welcome. If you have any questions the employees have limited English speaking skills however, the owner Julissa speaks perfect English and Spanish. You know it's fresh if they need anything they just walk to the grocery side for more ingredients. Bienvenidos a Portales. Tim G. calls me up and we are planning on hitting CJs bike night and then get something to eat. About 5:30 the sky finally opens up and delivers the needed rain. I can hear the gratitude of my grass, it is much happier now. Bike nights off, so we decide to go to The Shrimp Boat, and then the rain just keeps coming and we decide to stay home. Spagetti with meat sauce and a salad made at home. We split a bottle of "Double Dog Dare" Cab.(Calf.) We get this stuff for $3.99 a bottle plus 10% off if you get a case. When we first found it a Wines Plus on Dale Mabry they had a special on it for $2.99 and we bought 4 cases. This is a great cheap cabernet sauvignon that you can seve to your friends, and yourself, and everybody's impressed without breaking your bank. See Ya, Brian

05-12-09

05-12-09
I'm starting off with a request. Anyone that has a picture of me and my airplane (Archer or the Cherokee 6) please email a copy of it to me. I have pictures of my planes but none of them have me in the picture. Thanks. I 've been busy snoozing with Peanut keeping me company and watching the Price is Right, did you know Bob Barker dosen't host this anymore, Drew Carrey does, life goes on. We finally decide where lunch will be today, Acropolis, located in what will eventually be a walk around bedroom community, Winthrop. They have one in New Tampa and one in Ybor and I predict that this restaurant will be the next big Chain to come from Tampa/St Pete. Outback, Shells, Hooters all started here and their business model allowed them to excell and expand. Acropolis' Recipe: select a nice building with 16' tall ceilings in a convenient location, serve good Greek food along with American Favorite Standards in sizes that people can either split or they can take home for lunch the next day,charge a low price but one that allows you to still make money, give 2 4 1 homemade Sangria and Margarittas all day every day. Happy hour 3 2 7 everyday, everything is half price. All drinks, all beers, all BOTTLES of wine included. Great service. Hookahs that come in 28 flavors can be had on the outside dining areas. Once the word gets out to the rest of America we will be seeing this restaurant everywhere, get here now so you can say,I remember when they started. We sat at the bar for lunch, Damon brought me a beer and ice tea for Dixie. Food arrives,I got the Acropolis salad, lamb gyro meat piled high over mixed greens, potato salad, olives, greek peppers, red and green peppers, 1/2" thick piece of Feta cheese,tomatoes, pita, tzatziki and greek dressing. Dixie got the Spanakopita, light and flaky Fila pastry dough stuffed with spinach and cheese and served with a greek salad. Unfreakingfreshbelievablygood. There's a new word for Webster. This stuff was good. During our meal Damon filled us in on use of the hookahs, their specials, steroid use in baseball, he made the first batch of the day of Sangria and Margaritas in the large decanters for the rush later on in the day, he told us about the napkins that they throw and the plates that they break and the musician they have and basically he told us everthing we wanted to know. Good employee, the manager came over to make sure our meals where fine. For dessert we split a choholate baklava, a little chilled but still good as anything sweet you can think of eating. All food perfectly presented, I don't think they missed a trick. This will now become one of our regular hangouts. Oh yeah only $26.75 without tip. I get home from lunch and Bob and Barb from Boss Pump and Well already have my pool pump running again even though I only called them this morning, that's good service. I just got a call from John Lynch. After I drop Evan and Holly off at the airport they are picking us up at our house and we are going to a new place. We will have a cocktail before heading out to let rush hour traffic subside and then we will be headed to a new place, Datz Delicatessen & Foodie Market, over by the MacDill area. It's actually cloudy outside today, hope it rains, we haven't had rain for a month, let's hope todays the day. John and Sherry show up at 6:30 and we have a cocktail, we are still trying to duplicate the Bon Ton Rum drink but we still don't have it zeroed in yet. Practice practice practice. We luck out and get a parking spot right in front of the place. It is a huge place, over 6000 sq.ft.of pure heaven sent specialty foods. Finally a place that has a niche for the good stuff. They have outside and downstairs tables available, but we opt to wait for a table upstairs. First we check out the market downstairs, there is a band playing (they have live entertainmet 7 days a week), it is the open ceiling design, tall ceilings with exposed beams and AC venting with nice brick work mixed in. The first case holds their 75 specialty beers, next the dessert case, next their 150 kinds of cheeses, their fresh homemade salads case, there is a wall of 20 different kinds of breads,15 different kinds of bagels, 100 kinds of sandwiches, 1700 bottles of wine. This place has got it all. We sample some proscuitto sliced right off the leg as you watch, unfreakinfreshbelievablygood, there's that word again. We head upstairs to wait at the bar,Blue the bartender brings Dixie and I a wheat beer Oberon, or something like that, and Sherry and John opt for a flight of wine, "The Lighter Side of Italy", it comes on a place card with the name of each wine so you will know what to reorder. They don't have liquor so Blue handles the pours for the whole place. It is a Tueday and the place is packed. When you have them packed in on a Monday and Tuesday you know you are doing something right. They have flights of cheese, Charcuterie Flights, Cheese and Charcuterie Flights, Wine Flights. The Flights are the easiest way to sample all the stuff that they have. The main menu is incredible, it goes on and on and on, Full meals, snacks, soups, salads, specials of the day, sandwiches, beers, wines, you need to plan on spending a half hour just looking before you order. We are in grazing mode so we sample their homemade chips with blue cheese and chives sauce drizzled over them, and then we try three flights of different cheeses, ham and salami. The "Goodfellas" (3 different salamis) being all of ours favorite with the "Menage A Trois" (3 different cheeses) coming in a close 2nd. Their sommelier, Pam or Pat, (we are now into drinking mode so I'm not sure), came over and explained that she buys the wine wholesale and then only charges retail at the restaurant, how refreshing is that! No gouging of prices. We tried a flight of "Killer Cabs" and decided on a bottle of B.R. Cohn Cabernet (the best of the flight) $25.99 a bottle, to go with what we were eating. Blue brought out a Flight of desserts, that's right flights of "Fantasy", carrot cake, orange cake, and chocolate cake with truffle chocolate bacon balls. Holy crap this is good stuff. Totally satisfied that's it for us. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, could not do enough for us, Josh(who has been working there only 5 days) broke his back to make sure we were taken care of, Blue the bartender,the girl behind the counter that carves the hams, Aaron the trainee, Rook our waiter, Michelle, Leigh, Jess and if I forgot someone I appologize, everyone was GREAT. This is like Walt Disney World For Foodies. $130 not including tip. We'll be back.See Ya Brian

05-10-09

05-10-09
The pool guy shows up and is doing his thing when he knocks on the door and says the pump took a dump and needs to be repaired, I may have to go back to work if this keeps up. Evan calls up and wants to go boating so we figure on going to Circles, however the wind is still howling and we change plans to go to Cafe DuFrain, we do not want to get the snot knocked out of us crossing the unprotected bay. So we get to Cafe Dufrain and they look at us like the Beverly Hillbillies just walked into their place,hey we're on a boat.We used to go to this place every week when we lived Downtown Tampa however today something seems to be "not like I remember". The place still looks good,new,clean and modern,I just can't put my finger on it. We decide to eat outside on the shady side and Sandra,she is the only one working,takes our order.Ice Teas today. Evan got the special of the day sauteed soft shell crab on Cuban bread and side of potato salad.Dixie got mixed green salad with green and orange tomatoes and blackened chicken.Holly got the other special,grilled salmon and a small side salad.I got the grilled chicken sandwich with avocado,tomato,jalapino cheese and a side of yuca fries.All good, however Evan and I went away hungry as the servings were that small. I have always preferred quality over quantity but these servings were really on the child size,four fries?We split a Key West lime pie which was just tart enough and so creamy it just melted in your mouth.The pie was so good Evan licked the plate,We really are the Beverly Hillbillies.$78 with tip,and we don't even have a buzz,Ouch.I figured out what is different,the place is empty inside,every other time we have been here the place was packed.Time to hang out at Fantasy Island. A few people are there and then they leave and the Island is all ours. There is not another person coming around for the 3 hours that we are there,just like the restaurant, and then I remember that it's Monday, "other people " have to work. This is the curse of the unemployed, nobody to play with.Time goes by way too fast when you are having fun, next thing we know it's 5 o'clock, we head back in, clean the boat and I hit Sweetbay for some grub to cook up dinner on the grill. Nothing beats a homemade burger grilled with blue cheese and Havarti on top. Sweet potatoes,baked beans,corn on the cob,potatoe salad, sweet gerkin midgets, tomatoes, onions,grilled squash for our sides. I told you we got shorted for lunch and we were hungry. Watching the boob tube and kicking back, Life is good. See Ya Brian

05-09-09

It's another day in paradise. 86 degrees, no clouds, brisk breeze it is a perfect day to go boating. We head to Fantasy Island where lots of people have now discovered, so it gets harder every time to find a place to beach the pontoon. I really like the convenience and roominess of the pontoon, I really do not like the slow speed that it travels. Just beach it, walk off the front, how much easier can it get. Well, the gang is there and everybody is talking about the boat exploding off of Beer Can Island yesterday. Joe Melnick, the famous race car driver, is there with a few babes in tow, they have brought out a blow up island where up to 10 of your closest friends can sit in and drink beer. Who comes up with these ideas? After about a half hour of pumping this thing up everybody hops on. Carlos lends me his hair hat to see how I look with hair. I remember having hair a long time ago however it has been a long time since I have seen myself with a head full. Ah the memories. It's 4 o'clock and time to head to Dixies Dockside. Harley is playing there today and I'm ready for some shade. We drink a bucket of beers and then I realize that we have not had anything to eat for lunch or dinner so we head home to cook some sketties. I still can't believe Joan Rivers won Celebrity Apprentice, Trump should be given flogged for that decision. I usually don't watch the show but I was just waiting for Joan to be fired so I could laugh that plastic faced, loud mouth, old fool back into retirement, where she belongs. See Ya Brian

05-08-09

05-08-09
I'm piddling around around and moving a little slow from yesterday. Dixie and MaryKay are having lunch today so I decide I will go to O'Tooles Irish Pub for a cornbeef dinner. I drive up and there are no cars in the parking lot, things must be slow because they no longer open for lunch weekdays, they now open at 3 P.M. I decide to go to La Septima Cafe. We've been there many times before when we were working because it is close to Dixie's office. I see the specials of the day on the board, Ropa Vieja top of the list and my favorite, I did not even have to look at the menu. La Septina Cafe has been in Brandon since Dahlia Fernandez opened it in 1995. Not located on Seventh Ave in Ybor City, as the name implies, It's located in a real crappy looking strip store in Brandon. Don't let the outside fool you, there is good food on the inside. It is located in what I call "Baptist Central" which means they sell a lot of ice tea and not wine or beer. Beer and wine is available in fact every bottle of wine that they have they sell for only $20, Nice. They seat me in the back room and Kelli takes my order. I'm taking some pictures of the place while I'm waiting and Ron the husband of Dahlia comes to seey why. Same story I tell him about the contest on the Travel Channel and he even invites me into see the kitchen. Nice Guy. The food arrives and the ropa vieja, which means"old clothes", is great. The shredded flank steak is slow simmered in burgandy wine sauce(Take that you Baptist). It is so sweet and tender I thought it was pork and not beef. I get yellow rice and blackbeans with a small cup of chopped onion on the side. The bread is Real Cuban, you can tell by the palm leaf design left behind, crusty outside tender inside, it is served with butter mixed with chopped olives. A great comfort meal and with an ice tea only $9.31 without tip. They have a full desserts available but not today for me. After I pay my bill Ron is telling me how they were featured in Southern living magazine but they pulled the magazine because it was the one with the exploding muffins. He's got luck like me. I thought he looked familiar and we talk a little more and he finally connects my last name to my Home Building Company. Turns out I built their house in My Timber Pond Sub-Division in the 90s. Somebody over hears our conversation and says that she thinks I built her house in The Carriage Landing Sub-division, I'm glad they were happy with their houses. The World just keeps getting smaller. Tonight is Happy Hour at The Rock N Pineapple Restauraunt and Bar and we are meeting a few people there. All the tap beers are $2 till 7 even Blue Moon. I realize that I screwed up and put the wrong battery in my camera so no pictures for The Rock N Pineapple untill I get the ones that I took with Mike and Lauries camera. We are not planning on eating there however appetizers are not out of the question. About 13 people we know show up and we take over their small bar area, Casey and Jason the bartenders are taking good care of getting drinks and beers out. Howie orders the Cuban Black Bean Dip served with fried plantain chips that are sliced long ways. The dip is pureed fine and very dippable with the thin chips. Staci (who hates black beans)didn't know what the dip was but tried it anyway, she deemed it good and couldn't believe it. Next Yucca, long thick cut fries with Garlic Aioli. Something different but still in the french fry category. The Rock N Pineapple is one of those places that the kitchen prepares the food, partially cooks it then serves it on a 1200 degree (800 for seafood selections) heated stone so that you can continue cooking it yourself. This is not exactly my cup of tea, I like the restaurant to do the work not me when I'm paying. We have had the sea scallops, jumbo shrimp, filet of beef (they have Kobe Beef available 8 oz for only $24.99) and all were excellent projects. If you don't mind fiddling with your food you will like this place. Entrees are served with a fresh side salad, all dressings home made. Fresh veggies and a starch (Yes Bill they do have sweet potato fries) come with the meal. Figure on $55 plus tip for two meals and drinks, reasonable for the quality of the ingredients. Only open for 4 months,they did not even have their sign up during our first visit. They are building a customer base, all seats were filled when we left after our happy hour. The group is going to Carrabbas to eat, we get there and it's reported too busy so 2nd choice is Brandon Ale House, then a call says they can seat us. I figure Karma is telling me not to go out to eat tonight and we head for the homefront to pontoon to Dixies Dockside (they have free food tonight) but once again Karma intervenes and the tide is so low we can't get the boat off the lift. On the Alafia River Full Moon at low tide translates to no boating for anyone. We stay at the house and watch the tube and relax for a change. See Ya, Brian

05-07-09

05-07-09
It's a great day and I just finish reading the paper by the pool and notice the area needs some general cleaning, picking up leaves, cleaning the counter tops of the outside bar and I'm thinking I guess this must be my job. I finish the chores, the pool is looking inviting so in I go, first dip this year, water temp is 79 degrees still a little chilly for me but OK. Now that I'm cooled off I've got to figure out what to do for lunch, the pontoon is uncovered and ready to go, we live on the Alafia River, so I decide on Rick's on the River (Hillsborough River). Dixie calls up Charlene and we go to pack up a cooler and realize that we have no beer or water for the 1 hour ride there. Dixie's off to the store. I lower the boat and off we go, we pick Charlene up at her dock,she lives on the River also, and we're off. Charlene and Dixie are talking and talking and I'm thinking that I need to invite a friend for Dixie more often, like we did for the kids when we went on vacation, this eliminates a lot of pressure on me. It's a beautiful no cloud sky ride across Tampa Bay. The pontoon with its massive 90 HP is just a little slower than our last 38' Fountain Boat, we manage almost 20 mph at cruise, oh well when you retire some down sizing is necessary. The 30 or so docks at Rick's are almost all vacant so we easily find a space to dock. It's been a while since we have been to Rick's and I notice that they have painted a nice aqua themed mural on the retaining wall. Rick's has grown from a small building with outside dining for 30 to a much larger complex of mutiple tents, tin roofs, over a hundred numbered picnic tables, plus their inside Area with multiple rooms and bars. There's a staff of a gazillion during weekends and after 6 weekdays. Mellisa our bartender brings a round of Ultras and we order, we all know the menu by heart. I go inside to snap a few photos and Paul the manager comes over and in a nice way says, What the Hell are you taking pictures of ?. I explain I'm doing a review for a contest on the Travel Channel and everything is cool. Food shows up, Dixie and Charlene both got the Caribbean salad, Dixie got Blackened chicken on hers and Charlene got Blackened grouper. The salads are large, mixed greens, strawberries, papaya, mango, manderin oranges, and both came with 2 containers of raspberry vinagerette, not homemade but good. I got the blackened grouper sandwich, nice bun, lettuce, tomato and served with tartar sauce and also a honey mustard sauce. Side of onion rings finishes it off. Another round of Ultras and we finish our meals. I didn't feel bloated just satisfied, we all decided all portions were perfect. Tab for 3 meals and 6 beers $46, it's worth a trip there anytime, either by water or land. We drop Charlene off at her dock and I have to rinse off the boat as the waves on the way back were beating the pudding out of us, I use the word pudding because the sometimes the censors won't let me use the word shit. Time for another dip in the pool, life is good. I should have called this, the week of waterfront bar hopping. We arrive, in our pontoon boat, at The Beer Shed with Bobby Kay and Mary Kay right behind us in their boat. Not as much docking space here as at Dixies Dockside but we find one. It is bike night at The Shed tonight. This is also the 3rd Bike Night of the week. We get there early as I wanted to get a few pictures in the daylight. Domestic buckets are $12 for 6, on special due to bike night. Lisa and Diana are bartending tonight. There is a 2 man band playing music. The cook house is open with Chef John kicking out his much better than expected food, try the shrimp on skewers, but anything that is the special of the day is what to order. We grab some stools on the upper deck under the trees overlooking the Alafia River. The bikes start arriving and things are getting busy. Brian B (30) meets up with his nice "cougar" friend(50) he has just recently met, they are dancing and having a great time. Dixie and Eileen, the co-owner of The Shed, talk out front. This is a hard place to find but once you get here you will feel right at home. It's been here since the late 60s, with its expansion of the outside decks and other improvements it gets a little bigger but maintains its country river charm. Everybody is laid back, be prepared to share your table with strangers when the place is busy. Live music and Karaoke almost every night. Doctors to Farmers, to Lawyers to Construction Workers they all come here.Come by water or come by land. The tide is super low and we are debating over another bucket of beers if there is enough water to get home. Still can't decide so we wait out another buckets worth of time and finally we must leave so "out the door we went". Somebody take a picture of me so I can have one in my blog. After this blog you will see some advertisements if you like just click on one and that's how I get credit for these blogs. Thanks. See Ya Brian

05-06-09

05-06-09
Today Dixie tries to drag me around shopping but I say I'm busy. Later we decide that for late lunch we will go to Beanies in Ruskin. This is a good bar to eat Rubin sandwiches or Beanies(Chicago) Beef sandwiches. I've had their burgers and most other stuff but I always come back to these two. Two new girls working the bar and I don't know if they were tired from the lunch rush or hung over from the night before but they were a little lethargic, they usually have great service. Dixie gets the Beannies Beef, their FAMILY recipe of thin sliced beef, we get the grilled green peppers on the side but usually only eat the the Giardiniera peppers, with au jus on the side all on a fresh baguette, served with their home made chips. I get the Rubin, grilled rye, thin sliced cornbeef, swiss, sauerkraut, and 1000 island, hot off the grill it can't be beat, potato salad is my side(40 cent extra they always point out), since they have Ultra on tap that's what I'm drinking. During the Football season this is the place to watch the Buccaneers as they have a huge cannon that they fire after every touchdown, if the Bucs are sucking they might even fire it after first downs. They have a football table and it is the one we always try to get when the game is on, otherwise the bar is where we are.They even have rear view mirrors at the urinals so you can watch the Game while you are p*ssing. The price is right, Two $2 beers, an ice tea and sandwiches $24 without tip. So tonight we are headed to the CJ Saloon, the old Captain Jacks, on US 301 in Riverview it is their weekly Bike night. So we get there and it is a pretty good crowd. Talked with Sue who we have not seen for about 6 months. They have a bike night special, 2 bottles of domestic on ice for $5, $3 inside(who wants to be there). Sandy's kitchen stays open late, so good country food is available. The usual vendors are there, leather goods, jewelry, and this time they had a hot sauce vendor and a guy that make custom grills. They started their games on bikes, The passenger throws a tennis ball over a pole as you ride under it then have to catch it on the other side. Lame and Boring. We say our goodbys and split ,luckilly we got a good spot up front so we did not have to battle our way out, and out the door we went. I'm setting up for my reviews for Anthony Bourdain on the Travel channel to post tomorrow and I just happen to check out the guy that's ahead of us and I realize that all he is doing is taking a picture of the outside of the restaurant and getting their menu and writing a made up review. Folks I assure you that every place that you read about in my column we have not just passed by it, we have dined there at least once, it's our opinion what we write, not just a fabricated story. It's all about Quality not quantity. See Ya, Brian

05-05-09

05-05-09
Had to do running around stuff this morning. We went to Jesses for lunch planning on doing a review of their food took lots of pictures and then when I got home I erased them all by mistake, that's OK we'll go back and eat another day. Dixie and I rode to Evan's RV and had a few cocktails with Holly and Evan. They just got back from Wally World and are lounging in their chairs soaking up the sun, they bought all of the junk stuff, lights, floating chairs, we now call them the Trailer Trash that invaded us from New Jersey. Today is Cinco De Mayo. Dixies Dockside is having their first Bike Night. Lots of bikes show up, Party Patty is putting it on so you know it will be good. We get there early to claim the outside bar to sit at, Jeff the new owner is busting his ass, better him than me, and has everything under control. Jeff is constantly improving the place and we are all glad that he's in charge of the tiller now. He brought in a couple hundred tacos from S and S Tacos on US 301. The tacos tonight are free, the domestic buckets are 5 bottles for $10, music by Patty free, life is good. For those that don't know, Dixies Dockside is a Waterfront Pub on The Alafia River in Gibsonton Florida, Dixie and I used to own it before Jeff bought it from us. I just love this bar. Relax on the river, come by boat, car, motorcyle, truck or helicopter. The place is always busy Friday Night, Saturday, and Sunday. 3 outside decks that are right on the River. Carol, Jenn and Jess the bartenders will treat you like family so be prepared for the abuse, it's loaded with locals, and with over 150 regulars that I know by name you are sure to run into someone that you know. Back to the Party. Jerry Sweat, Dawn, Genn and Charlene show up, Alan Dirr from AK Cycles, the photographer from Born To Ride,even DW (David Wyatt) who has been a write in candidate for President since 2000(good luck in 2012), even Joe and Heather who I haven't seen since Sturgis 2007. You get the idea, if you were not there you really missed it. They start off with a Taco eating contest, the one that eats the most in 3 minutes wins. 7 big tacos took the win. I forgot to mention Pat also shows up donning his designer bag on his motor cycle and sombrero on his head. Next comes the 3 POUND burrito eating contest. in less than 2 minutes the winner had it gone. Many tried only one succeeded. The night drinks on and everyone is having fun, eventually one by one everyone realizes that tomorrow is a work day (Not for me) and out the door they went. This bar does parties for The Christmas Boat Parade, Halloween, Cinco De Mayo, New Years Eve, Superbowl, Gasparilla, Marriages, you name it and it's done here. You just never know when the big ones will show themselves, so you got to be there. See Ya Brian

05-04-09

05-04-09
Long day for me today. I had my brother Evan and his girlfriend Holly fly in from New Jersey today and I had to pick them up at the airport at 9 A.M., who is up at these hours? Well their plane is late and I could have slept in another hour, oh well it's family. So I drop them off at their motorhome that they keep on the Alafia River by Dixies Dockside. They hit the grocery to provision out for the week that they will be here. I am writing my blog and when I get done I ride my 2009 Street Glide, HD of course, over to their place. We take off to Salutes Sports Bar on Boyette Road. I call Dixie to see where she is and invite her, I get there a few minutes before them and get my hugs from the bartender, Paulette, she has been reading my blogs so naturally she wants to know about everywhere we have been. It's my sober day so I get a Diet Coke, not Pepsi and a menu and wait on them. Evan and Holley show up and we order. Evan's on vaca so a screw driver is in order and house chardonay for Holly. Food arrives and I get Cobb salad, It's also my low fat day, it's a cobb salad like everywhere else except there are tons of chunks of chicken. I couldn't finish it. Holly got the cobb but with a huge piece of grilled talapia, huge, good, couldn't finish it, Evan's meal got lost in the kitchen but shows up a few minutes later.It was the special of the day, steak quesdilla, not bad considering this ain't a Mex place. I'm trying to get points on the Travel Channel Anthony Bourdain contest so in the afternoom I'm rating other peoples reviews. I'm so tired of reading "it was good" I could puke. So tonight is special. we have been invited to dinner at Barb's Hideaway. This place is just a house and Barb fixes whatever she feels like. You are sworn to secrecy not to reveal the location before you are alllowed to get directions. Barb cooks home made pies for the Country Corner restaurant. Tonight John is showing off his newly acquired 55 Chevy, New Street Glides and every type of SUV that you can imagine line the backyard not visible from the street. I am not allowed to photograph the front for fear of Big Brother busting them. Food tonight is simple, crispy outside, tender inside, pan fried chicken, salad, beans covered with shredded pork and a secret recipe scalloped potato. There was complimentary sangria to drink. It's all you can eat and there was plenty of left overs. Everybody saved some room for dessert because there were the best homemade pumpkin, apple, fresh hand picked blueberry, and pecan pies for dessert. You can't put a price on a meal like this, it's like eating with friends and family, because you are. By invitation only. See Ya Brian

05-02-09

05-0209
Today we are going to Sarasota with Glen and Charlene in their Venture 34 with Twin 300 HP Mercs. We leave out about 11, it's a beautiful sunny day 85 degrees, light breeze it will be a great day. We arrive at Mar Vista in Longboat Key. It is nextdoor to Moore's Stonecrab Restaurant. Mar Vista for the younger at heart crowd usually. After docking the boat, it took a few lassooing attempts on my part to get the outside pole, we walk down the deck to the new open air patio with brand new tin roof over. They did a good job of keeping the tropical feel but now you are protected from the sun and rain. The hostess is located outside so don't go looking for her if you walk in the front door. We tell her we would like to eat inside (AC) as we know that we will be outside in the sun all day. The place is owned by the same people that own The Beach House on Bradenton Beach and also the Sand Bar on Anna Maria Island. The inside is exactly as you would expect a beach front bar that tries to look like a dive but really isn't. Ultra drafts at the table we start off with a pound of stone crab claws, size small, cold and with mustard sauce to split. When they came out there was a wiff of fishy, but we tried them and they tasted fine, I tried one that was a little mushy and when I bit into it we found out where the fishy smell had come from, out of the mouthy and back to the plate it went. In this case one bad apple did not spoil the barrel and we finished the rest off. Mustard sauce was a lille too mayo heavy rather than mustard based, as I like. Toni our waitress brought us a round of Mohitos we did not want to get "beered out". Perfect Mohito, not one ingretient overwhelmed the other. Glen and Dixie got the Bistro steak, pan seared New York strip over mixed greens with purple onions, lots of feta cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes, Glenn a homemade thousand island dressing, Dixie opted for the balsamic vinegrette. Charlene and I got grouper sandwiches, hers was blackened and mine fried with american cheese on top, both came with a side of slaw, 3 pickles, onion, toasted bun and tartar sauce. We all cleaned our plates, it was what I believe the correct amount of food portion, so many places try to give you so much you overeat and chunk out. This is a good bar restaurant with a troplical touch that make you feel like you are in the islands, which you are, worth the visit. Our next stop is to Sarasota pass to hang out on the sandbar and Glenn sees a boat that he knows the owner of and we anchor next to them. We drink a few beers talk about the boats and engines and such stuff . Enough of the Sun baking us we are cruising to Marina Jacks. This place has great docking and a dock hand to help you tie up. There are lots of go FAST boats and such, as a boat club had a meeting there. They have an ACed inside for the oldies and Patio dining that's just right for us. There is a guy singing Neil Young songs, a large sit around bar with full liquor. Outside but out of the sun we order Ultras and a pound of steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce. They were a nice size but no seasoning that I could tell, we like heavy Old Bay Seasoning on ours. Didn't stop us from eating them. We go check out a 48' custom go fast fishing that a guy has just finished that is due to be shipped to Washington State. Twin 480 Yanmars push it to 47 mph. It is very utilitarian inside, the interior was designed to be hosed down. Back to the patio a few more beers and we are off to our next stop. The Sarasota Hyatt. We arrived by boat and luckily there was docking for us, nice new docks well maintained with a dock hand to help you tie off. They have a pool with waterfalls, we get in to cool off and wash the salt water off us, the temperature is a perfect 82 degrees. The poolside bar is just right for us. 2 bar tenders, shaded, warm water pool, not crowded but with enough people around to feel comfortable. Couple of Ultras and unfortunately we have to head back to Tampa. The sky has been clear all day and we see the sun setting just as we are in the middle of Tampa Bay. Glenn and Charlene put the boat back on their lift and we take off for Dixies Dockside, where they have 25 cent draft beers tonight because it is Jeff, the owner, 25th anniversary. The band is playing and the place is packed, all the usual suspects and everyone else are there. Both Carol and Jenn are working due to the party. After more beers than I can remember and making a fool of myself dancing and who knows what else that I don't remember, I think I forgot to pay my tab but I'll square up with them today and obviousley leave a big tip for the girls. It is time to drag my sorry self to bed. See Ya, Brian