La Terresse - Miami Beach (South Beach), FL

 Complimentary H'oeuvres

 Rose Wine 

 French Bread

 Escargot La Terresse

 New Zealand Rack Lamb

 Lobster Thermidor

 Mashed Potatoes

Tiramisu

 

 

 

La Terresse

22 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
(786) 899-0037

www.laterrassemiami.com

 



Frenchie's American Diner - Coral Gables, FL

Duck Confit Club

 

Cheeseburger

Curry Moules Frites

Cozy, cute, chalkboard menus; a truly lovely lunch spot!

Frenchie's American Diner
2618 Galiano Street, Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 442-4554
www.frenchiesdiner.com

Apolline - Uptown - New Orleans, LA

Rose Lemonade

 

Cinnamon Bacon

 

Crispy Confit Chicken & French Toast

 

Grilled Hanger Steak

 

 

 

Service was spotty (and it was pretty empty) and the food, besides the cinnamon bacon, was less than stellar. There are definitely better Brunch options.

 

 

Apolline
4729 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115
(504) 894-8881
www.apollinerestaurant.com

Visit Tampa: Datz, Piquant Epicure & Cuisine

Datz - Palma Ceia - Tampa, FL

 

Prickly Pear Mimosa

 Biggity Big Big Burger

 Hare of the Dog

 Bacon Cinnamon Roll

Food was okay, service was okay, it was just that, okay.

Piquant Epicure & Cuisine - Hyde Park - Tampa, FL

Hot Chocolate 

 Banana Bread French Toast    

 Ham & Gruyere Crepe

Scrambled Eggs & Cheese

Cronuts & Cookies

 

A French touch on the American breakfast, plus they have some really great cronuts.

 

 

 

Datz

2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL 33629

(813) 831-7000

www.datztampa.com

Piquant Epicure & Cuisine

Hyde Park Village, 1633 W Snow Ave, Tampa, FL 33606

(813) 251-1777

www.piquanthydepark.com

Visit Washington DC: Cafe Soleil, Zenebech Injera and Don Juan Restaurant

I arrived in Washington, D.C. late in the afternoon which gave us time to do a little site seeing.

 

 

 

We were a bit tired and lazy, so we ended up just finding a place nearby. The place we found was Cafe Soleil. We were drawn in because of the happy hour specials, but since we didn't inquire about it until after being seated, we didn't get any of the specials because we didn't want to move to the small bar. I still got a drink called an Orange Crush that can only be described as like a Mimosa but a lot lighter and more watered down.

 

Service was horrible and ridiculously slow. You know it's really bad when there is contemplation to leave because you get seated and it takes over 10 minutes before you even get menus; let's not even talk about the time it took to get water much less anything else.

 

The menu options weren't that appealing, but I really wanted the Steamed Mussels which by the way were really mediocre (tasted frozen) with about half of them not even open.

 

I felt like the Mussels were not going to be enough so I also ordered the Spicy Blue Cheese Onion Flatbread. It taste just like it sounds, too much going on that it was pretty gross.

 

My fiancé had the Hiedenberger which he describe as a fake Big Mac.

 

Based on that disastrous dinner, I vowed to make the next day about getting some of the better food DC has to offer. The first stop, Zenebech Injera for Ethipopian. I ordered the Kifto, but my fiancé mistakenly ordered it well done when wanted raw, so it was disappointing. It was a huge plate of food that could serve multiple people for a good price.

 

 

Stuffed we decided to do a little more site seeing before we continued stuffing our faces.

 

Next stop, Don Juan Restaurant, for Salvadorian food but really I just wanted to get some Pupuseras. Overall the food was pretty tasty and again a huge plate for a great price.

 

But, before headed home, we finished off the DC trip with some cupcakes from Sprinkle (we really wanted some from Baked and Wired but the line was huge and I hate to wait). As the cupcake revolutionizers Sprinkles definitely impressed.

 

Washington DC is a great place to visit because it's such a melting pot and offers easy access to a great variety.

Café Soleil

839 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20006

(202) 974-4260

www.cafesoleildc.com

Zenebech Injera

608 T St NW, Washington, DC 20001

(202) 667-4700

www.zenebechdc.com

Don Juan Restaurant

1660 Lamont St NW, Washington, DC 20010

(202) 667-0010

www.donjuandc.com

Tomas Bistro - Central Business District - New Orleans, LA

We arrived at Tomas Bistro at about 5:30pm (since we had someplace to go afterwards). We had made a reservation in advance so we had no issues getting a free table but despite the fact that the restaurant has just opened, it was empty anyways. There was only one other table when we got there and only a handful of tables were there when we left at about 7:30pm. 

The ambiance is pretty much grandma's rustic dungeon. The only thing missing were doilies on the table but that was reflected in the window curtains anyways. I am probably not really in their age demographic so that was not much of a bother. What irked me was the darkness of the restaurant and it would have annoyed me more had I not been seated by a window.

The service was typical French; proper and uniformed. Service was good. Our server was knowledgeable and personable and more importantly, water remained filled. It really isn't a big deal but my OCD had me wondering why crumbs weren't removed from the table especially considering the type of service they appear to offer.

The drinks were good. I had a glass of Prosecco but my fiancé (I always say boyfriend and am struggling to get used to that) had not one but two Rum Punches. It had the right balance, although I will say the orange juice stood out. Still, it was tasty and refreshing. It was not particularly boozy to taste, but had the desired intoxicating effect. 

We started with the Crabmeat Pontchartrain. I get so excited when I have a dish with crabmeat and it actually has crabmeat. The avocado was fresh and the flavor was on point I was just a little salty that the portion was so small and I had to share.

After eating such amazing Rack of Lamb at a different restaurant, this one just didn't deliver (not to say it was bad). It came with Tomato Provencal and that didn't help its case. It was very mushy and kind of gross. 

The Rabbit Au Poivre was tasty, I'll give them that. It just could have been slightly more tender but had a lot of flavor. The problem was the sauce on top. It was too thick and I don't want to say it but was similar to something I'd expect from a mix (which at their prices I hope wasn't).

We finished the meal with the Maricabo Warm Flourless Chocolate Torte. I will put it this way, if you have a chocolate craving you will be satisfied. 

The food was overpriced and at those prices the food just does not seem as enjoyable as it should be. With so many restaurant choices in New Orleans you can definitely find someplace better to eat. It is by no means terrible just not a place I would ever tell someone to go to.




Tomas Bistro
755 Tchoupitoulas St New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 527-0942
www.tomasbistro.com