Bern's

Berns- probably the most famous steak place in Florida. They are known for the quality of the steak, all of the wine, and their huge prices. Let us start with the amuse bouche and the appetizers. The amuse bouche was freshly melted cheese crackers. Oh. My. Gosh. When I took a bite, the cheese stretched and I had to rip it just to finish the bite. The fois gras was cooked perfectly, and it was sitting atop crunchy bread crusts. The juice of the fois melted into the bread, making me crave more. The other appetizer was oyster benignes. Delicious! They were crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside. There was also a salad type thing that had crispy bacon. Mmmm! This was all siting on huge pieces of salt (which were quite salty). I defenitaly reccomend for a main meal to get the cháteaubriand steak, the center peice of a tenderloin (this is a steakhouse, you get steak). I always ask for extra garlic butter because it is so good. The steak melts in your mouth, making you take more and more of the steak. All entrees come with French onion soup, salad, fresh veggies, and a baked potato with chives, cheese, sour cream, and bacon. The French onion soup is super yummy. The melted cheese completes the dish- you get the full onion taste, along with wet bread that has been soaking up the juice. The salad's best dressing is the cleopatra (ceasar). It is homemade and comes with an anchovy sitting atop it. The salad is great with olives, tomatoes, bleu cheese, and lettuce. Everything is fresh and very good. The veggies that I received were shredded carrots with almonds and zucchini. The carrots were sweet against the saltiness of the almonds. The zucchini was freshly prepared and fell apart in my mouth. Last but not least, the potato- I asked for it to be specially prepared in the form of a twice baked potato- So. Good. It had the crunchyness of the bacon and the creaminess of the sour cream underneath a layer of melted cheese. Since I did not go to the desert room this time, I will review the desert alone in another review. Bon appetite!

5 out of 5 stars
$$$$
Ah- mazing quality


1208 South Howard Avenue
Tampa, FL 33629

The Capital Grille

My fellow foodies,
I am sorry for keeping you waiting- I've been eating at wonderful restaurants I can review for you all! So without further ado, the theme of the week is.... Steakhouses!!!! As a meat and potatoes girl, I am excited to share some places with you! Today I will be reviewing the Capital Grille, one of the "it" steakhouses. To start out, the steak carpaccio is the thinly sliced raw meat that melts in your mouth with a sauce that makes you want to lick the plate. The smoked salmon appetizer was above average, but nothing special (except for the crunchy, zesty pita chips on the side. I always get the filet mignon, which never seems to need salt and is always cooked perfectly. For side dishes, I had the truffle fries, au gratin potatoes, and the creamed spinach. Three words for three AMAZING sides- mmmm, mmmm, mmmm! The fries have that nice truffle taste while still staying crunchy and a bit salty. The au gratin potatoes was so good, giving me thick slices and keeping the creamy, cheesy, yummy taste. Last but definitely not least, the creamed spinach. I have been dreaming of that creamy taste and great texture every night since I ate it. The Capital Grille is a great place to eat high end steak and sides. Yumm-y!

4.5 out of 5 stars
$$$

2223 N Westshore Avenue
Tampa, FL 33607

Supermarket Sushi

As the last review of the week, I have decided to rate supermarket sushi. I will compare Publix, and the Fresh Market.

Publix- The sushi here has good flavor combinations, but not the freshness I want. The Hawaiian roll has sliced almonds, avocado, and spicy sauce over tuna and cucumber rolls. The flavors melt together, but I really crave the taste of fresh,smooth tuna rather then chunks of somewhat fresh tuna. Another good thing about Publix is the selection of rolls and sashimi. The sashimi, however, has good freshness, but not as fresh as a real sushi restaurant. The salmon and tuna are sliced beautifully, and with a little wasabi rubbed on the rice- well, it is quite good.

The Fresh Market- The name says it all- the sushi is fresh and smooth! The only downside to this fresh sushi is that the Fresh Market doesn't have that much of a selection, the best roll being the tuna and avocado roll. The fresh tuna and the smooth avocado melt together, giving me what I like in supermarket sushi.

Both stores had good sushi. Another similarity is the amount- both places had 6-8 peices of a sushi roll. This review is for all of you people who want sushi, but don't have the time to sit, order, and have a relaxing meal.


Publix and the Fresh Market have many locations; most carry sushi.

IMPORTANT NOTE

If there is a place that you would like me to review, please e-mail me at thetravelingforkette@gmail.com
I'm always looking for new restaurants to eat at. Thank you!

Kaiko's Sushi Bar and Japanese Restaurant

"Hi, Charlie!" are the first words that leave my mouth when I walk into Kaiko's. Charlie is the main sushi chef, and the main owner of the sushi bar. It is a family- run business, where the only male server, Dan, is Charlie's nephew. Everyone is happy and enjoying working, while the customers are happy and enjoying their food. Every time I go there, all I get is sushi. I have heard that the other foods are good, and I have tried some tempura from the sweet people sitting next to me. They have teriyaki and tempura- if you are feeling adventurous, try the deep fried crickets which are very crunchy. Onto the sushi! The yellow tail, tuna, and quail egg with smelt roe are the best actual sushi/sashimi.The yellow tail is a creamy, smooth fish that does not have any over powering flavors, like the tuna. The tuna is great with soy sauce, because acidity complements it. The quail egg with smelt roe is amazing. When you take it all in one bite, it is like everything explodes: the quail egg pops and oozes, the roe pops a million times (reminding me of popping bubbles as a kid), and the seaweed breaks with a crack, and everything falls apart. There is not only sushi, though. The rolls that I always order is the Haha Special (Tuna, fresh salmon, smelt roe, and scallions), the Scott (Tuna, salmon, yellow tail, avocado, smelt roe, and tempura chips), and if you ask Charlie to surprise you, he will always give you a new roll that you almost always have to say, "Charlie, I think you need to put this roll on the menu." This fish is always fresh, and even though some other places have more variety, the quality of the sushi is always a winner to me.

4.5 out of 5 stars

$$-$$$

The portion is a regular size.

2475 N McMullen Booth Rd
Ste F
Clearwater, FL 33759

(727) 791-6640

Sakura Sushi

This week's theme is SUSHI!

This restaurant is in East Lake, Florida. My first time being there was with close family. When we walked in, we were greeted by one of the two sushi chefs named Owen. After we were seated, Owen came over and told us that the other chef had made up a new roll, and if we would like to try it, tell the server about the "new, special roll". We then ordered the sea urchin sashimi, Evan roll (which I think has shrimp tempura, avocado, and spicy sauce with crunchy chips on top- If this is wrong, please comment or e-mail me at thetravelingforkette@gmail.com), chicken and vegetable tempura (the vegetables being broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus), the Red Dragon roll (tempura tuna, salmon roe, tuna, and avocado topped with a spicy sauce), the special roll (which was tuna and roe with a vinaigrette, topped with avocado), and the Pacific Roll (which had salmon, tuna, and cream cheese).  All of the rolls were fresh, but according to my family, the sea urchin was not as fresh as it could be. All of the fish melted in my mouth, and the chicken and vegetable tempura was perfectly crunchy, and no greasy oil seeping into my mouth. I highly recommend this, and I will be coming back!

4 out of 5 stars
$$
The quantity was pretty big, and the quality was great.

3438 E Lake Rd
Ste 16
Palm Harbor, FL 34685

(727) 784-1111

West Tampa Sandwich Shop

The West Tampa Sandwich Shop is one of the most famous Cuban places in the Tampa Bay area, known to have the best and most traditional Cuban food. The West Tampa Sandwich Shop is great for when you are in the mood to go Cuban. I tried the Palomilla steak (breaded and fried steak), the steak sandwich, moros (black beans and rice), plantains, and yucca (a potato like root in mojo), and the Cuban sandwich. The Palomilla was amazing with that little crunch. The steak was thin and cooked perfectly. I also got it with onions on top, and a little bit of lemon. The lemon taste was there, but not overwhelming. The onions added a good crunch and flavor. The steak sandwich was okay, but it was more like a hamburger sandwich then a traditional thin steak sandwich. Although the mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions definitely complemented the meat, I could not get over the low-ish quality of the meat. The Cuban sandwich made up for the steak sandwich. There was salami, ham, and shredded pork. All of the meats were sliced thinly, and the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions added crunch and flavor perfectly. The moros were creamy and tasted like my grandmother used to make. The sweet plantains were sweet and had softness to them that make me smile when I tasted it. The yucca was great, with lemon- y, garlic flavor that satisfied my hunger for saltiness. Yummy!

4 out of 5 stars
$$

The portion is huge for the price.


 3904 N Armenia Ave

Tampa, FL 33607

(813) 873-7104