TK's at the Villa Mayfair Restaurant - Coconut Grove, FL

This place threw me off a little bit. The vibe of the restaurant was very elegant, but then they had servers wearing t-shirts and jeans. So, it was a bit confusing as to what the experience was going to be.

 

 

I started off my meal with the Watermelon Salad. It was very refreshing and extremely delicious. I was pretty impressed something so simple could taste so good.
 

My friend had the Fish Sandwich as their entrée. They were not impressed since it isn't really was not impressive but still liked it.

 

My dish I didn't love so much. I've had Mussel countless times and this was the least memorable. Their bread choice was a good selection, but didn't make these mussels stand out. I like the bread more than I liked the Mussels and the they broth they were cooked in.

 

For dessert I had the Pineapple Flan. I enjoyed the flan, but wished they had used fresh pineapple instead. I basically ate the flan, but avoided the pineapple, those got left on the plate.

 

In the end, the food matched the outfits not the décor which left me a somewhat disappointed. Then the services was quite slow and inadequate. The food was not horrible but as an overall experience, I likely would never come back.

 

 

TK's at the Villa Mayfair Restaurant

2901 Florida Ave, Miami, FL 33133
(305) 774-1500

www.tksvillamayfair.com

BlueMoon Seafood And Chophouse - Coral Springs, FL

I went to their former affiliate in Lauderdale By The Sea about two years ago, and as I recall it was not too bad of an experience, but overpriced. Now that this location has decided to separate and revamp itself, I decided to give it a try. This locations is definitely not as nice as the Lauderdale by the sea but it was nice enough. I did however find the staff to be more laid back and a bit more friendly though.

 

We were starving so we decided to jump right into our food. My fiancé had the 16 oz premium choice NY Steak. As a steak lover he was very satisfied with the size and cut. He like the taste of the port wine demi very much.

 

I had the Lobster and Shellfish Pan-Roast. It had a little bit of everything in a spiced brandy-tarragon cream. It was not spiced, but still had good flavor. I was very happy with the amount of seafood that was in the dish.

 

What we missed out in an appetizer, we made up with dessert. Instead of sharing, we decided to order two desserts. The first was the Icky Sticky Caramel Torte. It was sticky but not icky and really good.

 

The other dessert option was the Jamaican Coconut Rum Crème Brulee. It was tasty (its not too difficult to make a crème brulee), but promises of coconut rum flavor failed to deliver. It was pretty basic.

 

My final take on BlueMoon Seafood And Chophouse is while the food is good, the prices are a bit outrageous. The restaurant is located in a shopping center and is not offering anything out of the ordinary so I am not sure they warrant charging almost $50 for a plate of food. However, it is up to you to decided.

 

 

BlueMoon Seafood And Chophouse

10317 Royal Palm Blvd, Coral Springs, FL 33065
(954) 755-0002

www.bluemooncoralsprings.com

Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse - Miami Beach, FL

I very rarely visit a steakhouse, but I wanted to do something special for my man, and since we were spending the weekend in South Beach, I figured a dinner at Smith & Wollensky, right by the water, would be a very nice gesture on my part.

Although I planned about a week before to have dinner here, mostly because of the ambiance; on the actualy night of out dinner it was really windy and regardless of all the planning, we ended up dining inside. Without the outside setting, Smith & Wollensky just wasn't very impressive and since we were seated in a small dining room, in a corner next to were they put the plates to serve and to clean, let's just say the ambiance wasn't for me.

This was Thanksgiving night and we already had a big lunch, so neither one of us was too hungry. Although it stopped us from ordering appitizers, it didn't stop us from ordering drinks. It's very cliche, but m drink of choice was a South Beach Mojito. It was a great cocktail, but I was disappointed in the size and the South Beach price.

Again, it was Thanksgiving, so service was a little slow and granted the restaurant was packed. They offered us the special menu, but I was not looking for a fluffed overpriced meal of turkey and stuffing and requested the regular menu. I ate theCoriander Seared Tuna, because it came with a jalapeno-lime sauce. Don't know why I said medum when I should have said rare so I was sad when it came and it was almost completely cooked (beyond medium). It was decent (could have been better had it been rare), but it I felt flavor wise it need a little something and I am not a fan of the thick cut.

My man, went for the Filet & Jumbo Stuffed Shrimp. He said the steak was good, but this is some high priced steak and at those prices, I was expecting a more excited reaction. The jumbo shrimp with lump crab meat was off the chain though (or so I thought).

Even though I dissed the Thanksgiving menu earlier on in the evening, I really wanted the Pecan Pie and our waiter made sure to accommodate our request. I loved it, but I am also obsessed with this dessert in general and try to get it any chance I can.

The food was enjoyable, but nothing worth seeking out and if it was only about the food, I would never go back there, but, in Miami Beach, Smith & Wollensky has an ideal location and it will always be a little enticing to stop in for a meal or even just for drinks.


Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse
1 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-2800
www.smithandwollensky.com

Morton's The Steakhouse - French Quarter - New Orleans, LA

While it is a chain, I have encountered a few people who recommend Morton's The Steakhouse. I, however, tend to avoid any restaurant with Steakhouse in its name, because I don't exactly love steak. My boyfriend loves steak though and has always wanted to come here so with their participation in COOLinary I felt it was the best time to give them a try and get 3 courses for the $35 versus just the entree for the same price.

Their New Orleans location is located just outside the French Quarter on busy Canal Street. To enter the restaurant you have to take the elevator up to the second floor where you are greeted by their warm and friendly staff and sophisticated dining room. I was very impressed by their staff. They all worked as a team to ensure a magnificent dining experience. It was not a one man show where only your waiter servers you and other employees  just walk past your table like you don't exist. You are acknowledged by everyone you encounter.

At Morton's they have an extensive wine list, and a few interesting cocktails. I wanted to do something different then my usual and selected The Crush. Maybe it will be my new crush, I thought? It was made up of a few ingredients (vodka, Prosecco, grapes, etc) but essential tasted like grape flavor and sparkling wine. It may very well have been a bad choice on my part but I was even more disappointed once I saw the price.

The Ahi Tuna Tower was delish but I wouldn't say it was the freshest tuna or avocado. The chips were crispy and thin how I like them.

The Sliced Beefsteak Tomato Salad was simple yet amazing. Who knew tomatoes, red onions and blue cheese could be so gratifying?

The Baked Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp was heavenly. I liked that they were baked not fried because the combo of the grease and the richness of the sauce could have caused some serious stomach issues. The Shrimp was surprisingly light and stuffed with a decent amount of 100% crabmeat. The Parmesan Cappellini was saucy but not overwhelming and the capers add a nice tart flavor that didn't overpower. I accompanied the dish with their Steamed Broccoli which apparent had Hollandaise sauce but I didn't notice.

Steak is what Morton's is all about, so don't think we were going to leave without at least ordering the 6oz Filet Mignon. My boyfriend order it Medium and they delivered on that. It was tender with a juicy pink center otherwise known as a succulent cut of meat. It did lack flavor but was well cooked. The steak was paired with the Chicago-Style Horseradish Mashed Potatoes which was a great accompaniment.

For dessert, they had various options including a choice of souffles. The Grand Marnier Souffle sounded the most interesting so I went with that one. It was a little too wet in the middle and too rubbery on top. I was having trouble cutting through the top with my spoon so I ended up eating around it but the flavor of the dessert was good. It wasn't too sweet.

I didn't love the Cheesecake. It was very basic with just a strawberry on top. The cake was extremely dense and tasted like taking a tub of cream cheese and eating directly from the container.

Although the desserts failed to excite me and I wasn't fond of my cocktail choice, I was impressed by the Stuffed Shrimp entree. Plus, I really liked the ambiance and service was remarkable so it made me like a restaurant I otherwise wouldn't.


Morton's The Steakhouse
365 Canal St New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 566-0221
www.mortons.com

Outback Steakhouse - Davie, FL (Locations Nationwide)

 

Whenever I go to a restaurant and look at the menu I am not automatically drawn to the steak. My taste for steak has been a recent revelation and I only like it in moderation or masked in dishes like tacos. So, with all that said, I have never been to Outback Steakhouse.

Being my first experience, I was surprised to learn that they have just recently started opening for lunch on the weekends, which I thought was weird for a chain restaurant. So since I went for lunch and this is a new offering, it wasn't very packed. Our server was pretty standard, but he did his best to be tentative. The manager came out to greet us, so I appreciate the fact that they were trying to provide quality service. The decor didn't reflect that though, the restaurant had more of a diner feel.

They start you off with wheat bread. It's pretty similar to the one served at Cheesecake Factory. Although it was pretty good, Cheesecake Factory is a lot better to me. But I liked that it was served on a board better than the typical bread basket.

As I said, I'm not into steaks so I went with the Bacon Cheese Burger. I didn't like it. It was overcooked and the bun was a little dry. The bacon was nice and crispy; I could eat that alone all day. The fries were alright.

My boyfriend got the Outback Special (6 oz) Steak with a loaded baked potato. He liked his food especially for the price and thought the steak was really good.

It was overall a pretty good first experience but since I'm not a steak person, without someone else wanting to go, I probably won't, but I'm assuming if want pretty good steak at a great price, this is a good place to come.


Outback Steakhouse
14830 Griffin Road Davie, FL 33331
(954) 430-2223
www.outback.com