Straying From Our List in Tampa

Brickhouse Tavern and Tap

1102 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.

Tampa. FL 33607

When I am going on vacation, I always do a lot of research on the best places to eat in our destination city. I spend about two to three days looking up where the best food is served. I compile a list with more than enough places to try. We were only going to be in Tampa for a day and a half and I had nine places written down. I knew we would not be making it to all of them, but I did not want to miss out on any great food. We generally never veer from our list, but this is one instance where we did.

My friend Mike lives in Tampa and we were going to be meeting up for dinner with him and his lovely wife on Saturday night. I had mentioned that we wanted to watch some college football while we were eating. He suggested that we meet at Brickhouse Tavern + Tap. This place was not on my list, but I figured a local would know all the great spots to eat.

Brickhouse Tavern has 16 locations open or coming soon. They are spread out across 7 states and cater to what their website calls, "the common man". They are kind of going for a man cave vibe here. They have a section in the restaurant where they have leather recliners, with cup holders and TV trays. There are large TVs plastered on every wall of the place. No matter where you look there is a TV within your line of sight. Most locations including this one in Tampa feature a covered outside patio with a fire pit. Dark colors and wood dominate the dining area, lending to the sleek atmosphere here.

We got here at just about 8pm, and the place was jumping. Lucky for us Mike and Kim had gotten a prime table, where we would be able to see the USC/Oregon game. This place was loud, with spirited rooting for many of the football games. Mike had definitely picked a great place to watch the games, but would the food make us happy that we abandoned our list of places to eat in Tampa?

I must have been hungry because a lot of the appetizers here sounded pretty good. We settled on the Zucchini Curls ($6.50). They took ribbons of zucchini, battered them with panko and Parmesan, then served them with a Siracha ranch. This description really got my mouth watering when I read it on the menu, but it failed to deliver. The zucchini was sliced in tiny ribbons, and the only thing that was prominent with this appetizer was the panko breading. In a fried zucchini, the zucchini should be the star of the show, not the breading. The zucchini was pretty greasy, and not easy to eat. The Siracha ranch was good, but could not save this appetizer.

Mike says that he gets the same thing on most of his visits here, the Steak and Shrooms ($19). The steak here is two tenderloin filets, topped with mushrooms, caramelized onions, and smoked provolone. Side items include fried mushrooms with a piquant sauce, and cheddar mashed potatoes. Mike seemed pretty pleased with his selection. I thought this was a good amount of food for under twenty dollars.

Both Kim and Anthony got the Kobe Burger ($14). I know that about 99 percent of most Kobe burgers on menus are not really Kobe burgers. Kobe refers to a specific breed of Wagyu cattle raised in and around Kobe, Japan. The price for this beef is about ten dollars an ounce, so if this was real Kobe, this burger would cost in the neighborhood of $80. That would be an expensive burger. The menu at Brickhouse claims that this is wagyu beef, hand molded, then topped with sauteed onions, roasted tomato, brie cheese, and roasted red pepper aioli. Kim seemed to really enjoy her burger, but Anthony had a different opinion. He felt the burger was average tasting, and not worth spending the extra 4 dollars for the supposed Kobe experience. The highlights for him with this plate were the tater tots and the solid bun of the burger.

Simple Sabrina did not want to go all fancy like her husband's Kobe choice, so she got the BLT ($8.50). This all-American classic sandwich came with a good amount of thick bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo, all on Texas toast. She really enjoyed this, and I would have enjoyed a bite of it, but she was very stingy with doling out samples of her dinner. I thought she knew I was a food blogger.

This unusual oblong burger goes by the name of the Gun Show Burger ($9.50). It is topped with all the produce you would expect on a burger, along with Swiss cheese, Dijon mustard, and a fried egg. Katie liked her first bite of this burger, but then felt that it became too much. The toppings of the burger really detracted from the burger patty, which was actually a good thing because it was dry and under seasoned. She would not get this burger again.

Throughout the menu at Brickhouse Tavern they have designated some items as their Brickhouse special recipes, this is one of those items. The Prime Rib Sandwich ($12.50) comes with sliced beef, provolone cheese, onion strings, green peppercorn au jus, and a creamy horseradish sauce. Like most of the items we have had so far at Brickhouse, the description of this out shined the actual dish. The beef was not very tender and really lacked any taste. The au jus and the horseradish followed suit, by adding nothing but moisture to the sandwich. The provolone proved to be too mellow here as well, and should have been swapped with a different cheese choice, maybe Swiss. Very disappointing.

One of the few items that caught our attention at Brickhouse Tavern were their Tater Tots, which is one of the options you can get with your burger or sandwich. Definitely opt for these instead of their mediocre fries. These were fried very crisp, while the potato inside maintained its integrity. Way better than the frozen tater tots I had as a kid. Not something that you always see on menus, so these were a unique treat.

Dessert time, and we passed around the Apple Crisp ($5.50) and Carrot Cake ($5.50). I am very partial to carrot cake, and this one was pretty good. The cake portion was moist, with a pretty good spice to it. The cream cheese frosting was not too heavy on the cream cheese, which is something I like. The apple crisp was good, but I liked the carrot cake better. The apples were abundant and they had plenty of ice cream on this. You could not go wrong with either of these desserts.

Besides the desserts and the tater tots, there was not much here that would bring us back food wise. Our dinners sounded so good on the menu, but they failed to deliver when they hit the table. One bright spot for Brickhouse was that our service was really good. Our waitress Jerrica really kept us well taken care of, and made sure all of our needs were met. I did not think the prices here were too out of control, including the drink prices. They offer over 70 beers here, with most pints selling for less than a $5 bill. If I had to sum this place up, I would call Brickhouse a less sleek looking Yard House, with much worse food. A good place to watch football, but don't expect too much from the food. We shouldn't have strayed from our list of places to eat to come here.

Out of five army airships, (because the highway this restaurant is located on is named after an army aviator in World War I), five being best to zero being worst, Brickhouse Tavern and Tap gets 2 army airships.

For more information about Brickhouse Tavern and Tap, click here: http://brickhousetavernandtap.com/

Tampa Bay Brewing Company, More Than Just Beer

Tampa Bay Brewing Company

1600 E. 8th Ave.

Tampa, FL 33605

I admit it. When we reached Tampa Bay Brewing Company, I was ready to throw in the towel. We had eaten a late breakfast, had gone to Cigar City Brewing for a tour and tasting, and all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and take a nap before we were going to have dinner in about three hours. This was not meant to be. Our merry group of tourists decided to take the trolley to Ybor City. My nap would have to wait.

Ybor City is a historic neighborhood in Tampa. It was founded in the 1880's by cigar manufacturers. For the next 50 years, millions of cigars would be rolled by factory workers here. The cigar factories are gone, but the neighborhood remains a historical landmark. In fact, 7th Avenue here has been designated as one of the 10 greatest streets in America by the American Planning Association. The area has seen a rebirth of sorts with a lot nightclubs and restaurants opening up. Tampa Bay Brewing Company is one of these businesses that has opened up in Ybor, and a place that we decided to take a break from all of our shopping and snapping pictures.

Tampa Bay Brewing Company or TBBC, as some locals and some lazy out of town food blogger's, like myself call it, has been in operation since 1996. In 2006 they moved to their current location, in the centrally located plaza level of the Centro Ybor. The restaurant/brewery is pretty good sized. They have outside and inside seating. They also brew their beers on the premises. They have 16 serving tanks, 12 of which used to hold beer at the Bass Ale Brewery in England.

I had this place on my list of restaurants to try in Tampa, mainly because this brewery was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, but I knew in our current stuffed to the brim state, we would not be eating too much here. The menu here is pretty large, with lots of food items incorporating their beers and ales. All of the usual pub grub is here. Appetizers, burgers, and pizzas can be found on the menu, but they also feature some fancier entrees, like a plank salmon, a center cut pork chop, and even some spicy curry mussels. All of this would have sounded delicious if we had more room, but this was not the case on this afternoon.

The coaster on the table told us that beer is our friend, so there is always room for friends right? So by that logic there is also room for beer. Even though we had just been to Cigar City Brewery, both Anthony and I wanted to try the beers at TBBC. Lucky for us they had a sampler, so we could try all of the beers they offer. They always have nine brews on tap, plus a rotating selection of seasonal beers. Our sampler included ten glasses that Anthony and I got to drink from. I am by no means a beer aficionado, but some of these were not to my, or Anthony's liking. Both Anthony and I seemed to favor the lighter choices on our beer journey here. The True Blonde Ale, the Wild Warthog Hefeweizen, and the Red Eye Amber Ale were some of the ones that stood out for us.

We did not have much room for food, but we saw the Iron Rat Stout Shepherd's Pie ($11.00), and could not be persuaded  from trying it. The owners of TBBC are from England, so I had very high hopes for this, and it did not let me down. This version of Shepherd's pie used chopped sirloin, assorted veggies, a rich sauce, white cheddar mashed potatoes, and then a cheddar jack cheese over the potatoes. The result was one of the best shepherd's pies I have had. We had no problem finishing this off in record time. The veggies were cooked to a perfect crispness, the sauce coated the well cooked beef nicely, and the potatoes were light and fluffy, with a good hint of cheese to them. We were all tempted to order another one of these, but dinner was only three hours away.

I do not like reviewing a place just based on one dish, but I really wanted to share this shepherd's pie with all of you. I wish we had more time at TBBC, and were not so full from eating and drinking. at other places. I watched the Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives video on YouTube, and the other items they made on the show looked equally as good. The service on our visit here was pretty solid. Our waiter made sure we were well taken care of. The atmosphere here seemed pretty laid back. Not too stuffy, but definitely not a dive. We heard the trolley in the distance and knew that it was time to get back to the hotel. Nap time had finally come, and I knew I would be dreaming of the shepherd's pie for sure.

Out of five cigars, (because of the link between Ybor City and the cigar industry), five being best to zero being worst, Tampa Bay Brewing Company gets 3 cigars.

For more information on Tampa Bay Brewing Company, click here: http://www.tampabaybrewingcompany.com/index.php

We Have Landed at Aguila Sandwich Shop

Aguila Sandwich Shop

3200 W. Hillsborough

Tampa, FL 33614

Our first full day in Tampa, so we, of course, had to start our day with a solid breakfast place. We were going to be playing tourist all day, so we definitely needed something to fuel us for a long day of taking pictures, seeing the sights, and shopping for souvenirs. Of course with the time change, we got a slower start to the day than we thought we would, so it was actually closer to lunchtime than breakfast. I had no doubts where we would be headed for breakfast on this day, Aguila Sandwich Shop had our names written all over it.

Aguila Sandwich Shop is another Tampa restaurant that has been featured on TV shows. Adam Richman included one of the sandwiches from Aguila's on his popular show, "Adam Richman's Best Sandwich", and also his, "Man V. Food" show. Since this restaurant had been featured on both of Adam's shows, I really had high hopes for this sandwich shop.

We got to this tiny, house-like restaurant at 11 on a Saturday morning. The place was packed, but we got lucky and found the only open booth in the restaurant. The restaurant was pretty loud and bustling with activity. Aguila's has been around since 1986, and looking around it does not appear that much could have changed since that time. Not a dirty place, but this is the kind of restaurant that the term, "hole in the wall" could have been coined for.

After sitting for a couple minutes, the owner Mario came over to our table to explain the menu and take our order. I had recognized him from the TV show. His smile stretches across his face, and his pride in the food he serves is very evident. Writing this blog we have met many restaurant owners, and I would be hard pressed to think of an owner that has as much pride in his food as Mario. I watched him throughout our visit here, and he greeted and took the orders of every table in the place. It was a very friendly vibe here, but let's get down to why we were here the food.

We started our Aguila's adventure with a Ground Beef Empanada and a Chicken Empanada ($1.99 each). These freshly made empanadas had a very solid and flaky crust, which did its job of holding the meat inside. The meats were seasoned very well. The chicken was tender, the ground beef had a little zing to it, and these were a steal at less than two dollars. Not a bad start to our meal.

Both Sabrina and Katie were in a breakfast mood, so they both got the Regular Breakfast Sandwich ($3.95). This huge sandwich came with three eggs, cheese, and choice of breakfast meat, which they opted for bacon. The crusty bread here was a highlight for Katie. They both had issues with the cheese used on this sandwich. They described it as a very processed cheese. Not sure if it was processed, but the texture of the cheese was all wrong for their taste. They did say that the eggs and bacon were cooked well though.

I usually am in a quandary when I am at a place that serves Cuban sandwiches and medianoche sandwiches. I never know which one to get. Lucky for me, Anthony decided to get the Media Noche ($4.75), so I did not have to make a choice on this trip. This would be Anthony's very first time having a medianoche, and I think it is safe to say that he is hooked. The Media Noche differs from the Cuban sandwich by having a sweeter egg bread. Anthony also veered toward the less traditional route by adding lettuce and tomato to the sandwich. The sandwich also comes with the customary mustard, pickle, roast pork, and ham. Anthony seemed very pleased with his selection.

Since Anthony had gotten the media niche, that left me with the Cuban Sandwich ($3.95). This Cuban was as good as the one I had in Miami. Starting from the outside and working our way in, the bread was crusty and toasted perfectly. The Swiss cheese added more moisture than it does flavor to the sandwich. The meats bring the saltiness. The roasted pork here is cooked for four hours, and could definitely stand on its own. The mustard brings a little tang, and it is not traditionally on a Cuban sandwich, but I added some mayonnaise to add even a little more moisture to this sandwich. I have said it before, and will probably say it again, this is one of the most balanced sandwiches ever invented. The Cuban sandwich at Aguila's is in the upper echelon of the Cubans I have had.

As much as I was raving about the Cuban sandwich, the Steak Sandwich ($4.95) was just as good. The steak here was thin cut and very tender. The mojo sauce, which is a citrus and garlic sauce brings this sandwich to a new level. I would eat this mojo sauce on everything if I could. Dried onions are then added to the sandwich for a little texture, and then the sandwich is pressed. What a simple, but yet fulfilling sandwich. If I had to try only one sandwich here on my next visit, it would be hard to choose between the two I had on this trip. Even though Sabrina did not want to try this sandwich, she did eventually, and she became an instant fan. For a sandwich to make Stubborn Sabrina change her mind, that is a powerful sandwich.

The last item we had at Aguila's was the Mango Shake ($2.75). Mario talked Sabrina into ordering this one, and she mentioned this shake at least 20 times on the rest of our ten-day vacation. Most fruit shakes are overly sweetened, but not this one. It still had the sweetness from the fruit, but it was not over the top. You can tell that they use real fruit here. Great consistency to the shake and it was very refreshing.

As you can probably sense from the above paragraphs, Aguila Sandwich Shop definitely did not disappoint. I would even go as far as to say that this restaurant is a must not miss kind of place when you are visiting Tampa. Their hours are a little funky, (they are only open from 6-3pm and closed on Sundays), and their location is kind of off the beaten track, but with all of these obstacles to overcome you will be rewarded with a great sandwich when you get to Aguila Sandwich Shop. With this food as our base, we were ready to tackle everything that Tampa had to throw at us.

Out of five eagles, (because Aguila in Spanish means eagle), five being best to zero being worst, Aguila Sandwich Shop gets 4 solid eagles.

For more information about Aguila Sandwich Shop, head to their website here: https://www.aguilasandwichshop.com/

Time for a Taco Field Trip to the Taco Bus

Taco Bus

913 E. Hillsborough

Tampa, FL 33604

When I heard we would be coming to Tampa to start our vacation, I immediately went to the Internet to see what restaurants have been featured on TV. For the most part we usually have good luck with restaurants that have been featured on the Food Network, Travel Channel, or any other network that showcases restaurants. Taco Bus has been featured on two of my favorite restaurant related shows, Man V. Food and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, so it was a slam dunk that we would be showing up at the Taco Bus during our Tampa stay.

Taco Bus is becoming a Tampa institution. They started 20 years ago serving their food on the streets. This was long before the food truck craze of today. Now they have four permanent locations around the Tampa area, and still have a thriving catering business. With some locations being open 24 hours a day, there is always an opportunity for hungry Tampanian's to get their taco fix. Now it was our turn to see if all of this attention has been warranted for the Taco Bus.

Sabrina and Anthony's flight did not get into Tampa until 10, so we got to Taco Bus pretty close to 11. We were also going to be meeting my good friends, Mike and Kim, who live in Tampa. This is the flagship location of Taco Bus. They have numerous buses parked on this large lot, many of which I assume are their catering trucks. Throughout our visit, there was a steady stream of customers, but not as busy as I had imagined. Mike said that the line grows longer late at night, because that's when the bars close. Lucky for us we did not have to deal with any drunken fools, so we ordered our food at the window and waited for it to be brought out to us. After about five minutes this is what had appeared.

I wanted to get a wide variety of food, so I started with three different varieties of tacos. The best of the three was the Fish Taco from Guaymas ($2.99). This fish taco could easily go up against any fish taco in Southern California. The Swai fish was battered and fried perfectly, the white cream sauce was on point and the cabbage added some nice texture. The Pollo Taco ($2.99) was the next best. I usually shy away from chicken in Mexican restaurants because it gets overcooked, but this was not the case here. The chicken was juicy, tender and well seasoned. The tortillas were pretty legit as well. They held all the contents, and you could tell that they were homemade. Solid chicken taco. The worst of the bunch for me was the Barbacoa Taco ($2.99). Whenever I eat barbacoa I always expect big flavor, and this one failed to deliver. The braised beef was barely tender, and definitely left me wanting more out of this taco.

Katie got two items to try as well. The Carne Asada Quesadilla ($6.79) was filled with a good amount of meat, but was way over-priced at nearly seven dollars. I never understand why quesadillas need to be so expensive, not just here, but in all places where they are offered. Kind of a pet peeve of mine that will have to be discussed at a later time. Katie was most excited about her Butternut Squash Taco ($2.99). Here the squash is topped with pico de gallo, cotija cheese, and cilantro. This veggie-centric taco really got Katie going. She liked the freshness of the vegetables, and felt this taco was a great alternative to people that wanted to forgo meat items. I tried a bite of this, thought it was okay, but not really my thing. I will not be turning vegetarian anytime soon.

Sabrina and Anthony shared a Two Taco Meal Deal ($8.89). Sabrina had the Barbacoa taco we mentioned before, while Anthony had the Lengua Taco, which he found to be pretty good. What we did not find to be good was the beans and rice here. The beans and rice needed to light a flare gun off, because they were so lost here. Both side items failed to impress any of us.

After eating at Taco Bus, I can definitely see why they are so popular. The main food items are all pretty good. This is not the best Mexican food you will have, but it is really solid. Taco Bus could easily be transported to Southern California to open up shop and fit right in. I think part of the popularity of Taco Bus is a geographic thing. Tampa is over 1700 miles away from Mexico, so the lack of great Mexican food really showcases the Taco Bus. Mike said that this is basically the only good Mexican food in town. Being from So Cal, he tries to eat here as often as he can. We all enjoyed this restaurant and can see why it has been highlighted by so many television programs.

Out of five crossing guards, (because where there are school buses, there are usually crossing guards close by), five being best to zero being worst, Taco Bus gets 3 crossing guards.

For more information about Taco Bus, check them out here: http://www.taco-bus.com/#!

A Slice of NY in Tampa

Eddie and Sam's New York Pizza

203 East Twiggs St. 

Tampa, FL 33602

Vacation time. We had just flown cross country and needed something to eat, while we were waiting for our friends to arrive six hours later. We had plans to go out to dinner as soon as they got to town, so we wandered the nearly deserted streets of downtown Tampa. It was a Friday afternoon after 5 pm, and most of the restaurants were closed for the night. Walking down a side street we stumbled upon a pizza place that sold slices, and more importantly they were open. This place was no mirage, it is Eddie and Sam's.

Eddie and Sam's has been in Tampa since 1998. I am always leery about pizza places that claim they are selling New York pizzas, when they are not located in New York. Sam and Eddie's seemed different though. They believe that what makes NYC pizza so great is the water from New York. They feel so strongly about this, that they import water from New York state every month. This water, along with the dough becomes the base of their pizza, which they hope is the closest New York pie you can have without leaving the sunny state of Florida.

When we entered the restaurant it really did feel like it was the pizza place we visited, just off Time Square. They had about ten varieties of pizzas behind the glass case, just waiting to be heated up. The restaurant was long and narrow with not too many places to sit, but they also share a space with the gelato place next door, and there were plenty of seats available over there. The girls behind the counter were very nice when we ordered our food, and it came out within five minutes. This is how it came out.

While we were waiting to order everyone was getting these Garlic Knots ($3.00 for six), so we followed the herd. The picture does not show it clearly enough, but these were about the size of a baseball. They were served with a decent marinara sauce that I used sparingly. The reason I used the sauce so little was because these had tons of garlic and butter on them, which already gave the roll a great flavor boost. The insides could have been a little less doughy, but these should be tried when coming here.

Katie always seems to gravitate towards the White Pizza's, and here it was no different. The Bianca with Spinach and Artichoke ($4.00) was her choice. This big slice came with garlic, mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, spinach, artichoke and a ricotta blend. Katie called this pizza tasty, and it brought her back to thoughts about our trip to New York a few years ago. She liked the creaminess of the ricotta, with the slight bite from the artichoke. This pizza is definitely made for people that like a subtler pizza, which as you will see in a moment, mine was not subtle at all.

Yes, we were going to be eating in a few hours, but I could not make up my mind as to what slices to get, so I had to get two. The one on the left is a Buffalo Chicken Pizza ($4.00). This one popped with big time flavor. They did not skimp on the chicken, bacon, buffalo sauce, or ranch dressing on this huge slice. I really liked the whole pieces of bacon on this one. The chicken was cooked well, and the buffalo sauce gave this pizza some life. The crust was good and crisp on this slice. The Meat Lover Pizza ($4.00) is every carnivores dream. It came with sliced meatballs, Boar's Head ham, sliced sausage, and pepperoni. Again they did not go light on the toppings here, but this slice needed to be left in the oven a little longer. The middle of the crust was a little on the doughy side. I would have liked it better if the crust was crisper. Not a bad slice of pizza though.

While we were sitting there enjoying our pizza, a family of four was gracious enough to allow me to take a picture of their pizza. This 20' Cheese Pizza ($16.50) looked like it could easily feed a party of four. I usually do not like just cheese pizza, but this one looked good. They have an even bigger sized pizza that comes in a 28 inch size. That one might collapse the table.

There might be something to all this New York water talk. These slices really did remind us of the pizzas we had in the Big Apple. We liked that you could get a good variety of pizzas by the slice at Eddie and Sam's. The slices that we had really tied us over until it was time for dinner a few hours later. Prices here were not bad at all. We felt we really got a bargain getting out of here for under $20, and having full stomachs after our meal. We walked by here a few other times during our brief Tampa stay, and I was definitely tempted to go back in, but we had other Tampa destinations to hit while we were here.

Out of five guava's, (because one of the unofficial nicknames for the city of Tampa is the Big Guava), five being best to zero being worst, Eddie and Sam's gets 3 guavas.

For more information about Eddie and Sam's, click here: http://www.eddieandsamspizza.com/