Posts Tagged ‘Florida’

St. Petersburg, FL: Bacon Bitch

Posted: November 9, 2022 in Uncategorized
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Our favorite Bloody Mary that we had while in St. Petersburg was the “Hangover Bitch” at a kitschy restaurant called Bacon Bitch. We love us a good themed restaurant and Bacon Bitch did not disappoint. They really leaned into it, but did a good job of not falling in.

Bacon Bitch has locations in the major Florida cities and is known for its variety of breakfast sandwiches and fun beverages. They basically serve brunch all day every day. Of note, one of their signature drinks is the Hangover Bitch:

Spice & Mix: Bloody Bitch Mix

Fixin’s: Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Hash Brown, Fried Egg, Bacon, Olives, Lemon Slice

Chaser: No chaser offered.

Price: $30

While the price for this drink seems steep (probably one of the most expensive ones we’ve ever consumed, tbh), we justified this by looking at the prices of their Bitches and other drinks. Had we ordered a sandwich and a drink separately, we’d probably be paying close to that. Instead, we ordered this behemoth since the drink essentially has your entire brunch on top.

Both the beverage and the fixin’s were top notch and while I still think it was a little pricey for what you get, it’s worth it for the rest of the atmosphere, complete with cheeky servers and all the Instagrammable photo ops.

Not a bloody you’re going to order often, but definitely one to seek out next time youre in Florida!

St. Petersburg, FL: Thirsty First

Posted: November 9, 2022 in Uncategorized
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Thirsty First was ranked high on a couple of lists of St. Pete’s best bloody marys, so we had to see what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately, their online menu did not make it clear that their Roaring 20s Bloody wasn’t served every day for brunch, so the first time we stopped in there to check it out on a Friday, they only offered us a basic bloody mary.

This isn’t atypical of many places who bring out their special bloodies for brunch, but most places state up front that the drink is only available on certain days/times. In this case, it was a nuance… the bloody was listed on their brunch menu; however, they also have a “limited” brunch menu on the weekdays. It just wasn’t clear what that limited menu included. Now we know it doesn’t include this drink.

Anyway, no sweat. We found another great bloody on Friday to tide us over (see our post on Bacon Bitch!) and came back to Thirsty First on Sunday.

Spice & Mix: House made bloody mary mix with black pepper and smoked bacon infused Tito’s vodka

Fixin’s: Waffles, Jalapeno Popper, Fried Shrimp, Chicken Nugget, Peppers, Pickled Egg

Chaser: No chaser offered.

Price: $15

This drink was half the price of the bloody we enjoyed at Bacon Bitch and seemingly had more ingredients on it… however, the quality of this bloody and its ingredients were about half as good as Bacon Bitch’s. The picture looks impressive with its towering mound of food, sure, but it’s also very monochromatic and full of heavy, fried foods for the most part.

The fixins we received were also slightly different than what the menu promised, namely we did not receive buttermilk fried chicken (at least I don’t think that’s what that chicken nugget was supposed to be?), bacon, or celery.

The taste of the bloody itself was also a little too peppery for our liking.

All in all, this bloody sounded good in theory, but we were disappointed in the end. Maybe it’s because the anticipation of returning to the dive bar twice in order to get it, coupled with the 25-minute wait for the drink to arrive once we were there, had us building it up so much in our heads it couldn’t live up to it. Or maybe it was just a sub-par bloody.

Tampa, FL: Another Broken Egg Cafe

Posted: July 29, 2022 in Uncategorized
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Later post! Totally forgot to post this Bloody from Another Broken Egg Cafe in Tampa, Florida.

We were here shortly before the holidays and I guess this post got lost in the shuffle… this restaurant was delicious! We got the seasonal Gingerbread pancakes with eggnog whipped cream and we can still taste it when we close our eyes.

They also had four different bloodies on the menu. We went with the basic Tito’s Mary and it was anything but.

Spice & Mix: The descriptions on the menu don’t really do these things justice. We don’t remember this having too little or too much spice, so it was probably just right.

Fixin’s: Lime, Olive, Carrot, Okra, Celery and Bacon. Yum!

Chaser: None offered.

Price: $10.99

We found out this is a chain restaurant, but it was very good and we highly recommend this breakfast spot if there’s one near you!

Englewood, FL: Farlow’s on the Water

Posted: December 3, 2021 in Uncategorized
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Next stop in Florida? Farlow’s on the Water for a Jamaican Jerk Bloody Mary.

Spice & Mix: “A unique blend of Absolut® Lime & Peppar combined with organic Bloody Mary mix served in a hurricane glass rimmed with our Jamaican Jerk seasoning.”

Fixin’s: Lemon, Olive, Jalapeno, Celery

Chaser: None offered.

Price: $10.50

This restaurant is very good; we dined here twice during our week-long stay. Excellent seafood and an extensive food and beverage menu. This bloody, however, is not one of the better things on the menu. We tried a couple other cocktails that we enjoyed much more. There is nothing special about the bloody and even with the jalapeno and seasoning, this drink didn’t have a lot of heat. Save the calories and the alcohol for another specialty beverage instead!

Englewood, FL: Blue Pineapple

Posted: December 3, 2021 in Uncategorized
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From Up North, we headed down south as our travels next took us to Englewood, Florida. No less than four days after we had our first wine-based Bloody Mary, we were invited to visit the Blue Pineapple Bistro where all of their bloodies are made with a wine-based alcohol! Seriously, what are the chances?

Blue Pineapple has multiple bloodies on its menu which double as entire meals. Choose from cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, crab, antipasto and more:

And, although they each retail for $20, consider it your lunch/dinner and a drink. We made the mistake of also ordering

Spice & Mix: House mix with a wine-based alcohol

Fixin’s: SO MANY. They vary by the type you order. See photos above!

Chaser: None offered.

Price: $20

We decided to go with the cheese burger slider bloody and were not disappointed. Bacon, sliders, onion rings, pickles and more topped this delicious beverage and, again, you couldn’t tell that the drink was made with wine instead of vodka. The drink was super smooth and delicious.

The atmosphere here was also great. We sat on the patio in the sunshine and listed to live music by an acoustic guitarist while we dined.

This place is a must-go if you’re anywhere within 20 minutes of Englewood. Add it to your list and come hungry!

St. Petersburg, FL: Rumfish

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

Our final Bloody Mary in Florida was my favorite, but I have to say it is because I had a little more say in the matter.

Before we go into details, here are the original stats on this drink at Rumfish:

Mix: Unsure… it was sweet and tasted “vegetable-y” to my companion. I think it was Campbell’s if I had to take a guess.

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: One lime and two olives, originally, but we took care of that.

Price: $?

We were here for a brunch buffet ($25/person), so I picked up some Bloody Mary essentials at the buffet and used them to spruce up the drink. Crab, shrimp, asparagus, cheese, meat…. ah, I almost felt like I was back home for a minute there.

I really wish restaurants outside of the Midwest would catch on to this trend. Especially in places like Florida, where they have a heavy population of defectors from the cold weather states!

Aside from having to doctor up my own drink, the brunch here was quite good and filling. We also enjoyed seeing the indoor aquarium, where people also have the chance to swim with the fishes!

Cheers!

 

 

St. Petersburg, FL: Postcard Inn

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

We headed to the Postcard Inn for lunch and some football watching on Saturday.

I don’t know about you, but I really can’t watch football without a Bloody Mary in hand, so that’s what I ordered.

Postcard Inn (1)

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Three olives, 2 lime slices, 1 lemon slice…and  side of celery sticks.

Price: $?

I think my dining companions were sick of me lamenting that the Bloodies were subpar in Florida so far, so they gave the waiter a bit of a hard time. They told him I like Bloody Marys with a lot of fixin’s… so he added an extra olive and lime slice and brought me a side of celery.

Come on people, haven’t you seen the Bloodys with sliders on top? Cheese? Meat sticks? I mean, come on, this is Florida! Would it kill you to spare a shrimp?

I appreciate the thought in bringing out the celery, but really wish those snowbirds from the Midwest would teach Floridians a thing or two about how a real Bloody Mary is made.

 

 

 

Tierra Verde, FL: Island Grille and Raw Bar

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

We wanted some really great seafood (particularly oysters), so we headed to the Island Grille and Raw Bar in Tierra Verde.

Here, in addition to the oysters, shrimp and smoked fish, we also had a Bloody Mary Oyster Shooter and one of their Bloody Marys:

Island Grill and Raw Bar Shooter

Island Grill and Raw Bar

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Lime

Price: $?

Here, I wouldn’t waste your time or money on the Bloody Mary.

The oysters are fantastic, so make sure you order enough of those to go around. If you have that Bloody Mary craving, order a Bloody Mary Shooter or two, then move on to a Rum Runner.  Cheers!

 

 

Tampa, FL: Bern’s Steak House

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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While in Florida, we paid a visit to one of the top steak houses in the country, Bern’s Steak House in Tampa.

And, it was more than just steak, it was an entire experience.

The place is much bigger than I was expecting. It seemed like there were rooms upon rooms (each with unique decor, themes and names) filled with people having a great time. Yet, it wasn’t so overcrowded that the service wasn’t attentive.

The entrees here come with a lot of food: soup, salad, onion strings, vegetables and potatoes, so we didn’t need to order any appetizers or sides (however, we did order extra asparagus).

We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink and of course, I had to try their Bloody Mary:

Bern's

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Lemon

Price: $?

Normally at steak houses, I have found that they have excellent Bloody Marys. This one was average, or even a bit below. I wish I would have stuck with wine, but now I know. So, we ordered a bottle of wine with our meal, which was quite good.

Following dinner, we were taken on a tour through the restaurant’s kitchen and impressive wine cellar:

Bern's Steak Wine Cellar

They have a huge supply at the establishment and another warehouse full. They have a 1947 wine that is their most expensive, retailing for $30,000 for the bottle. (We stuck with a more moderately priced bottle this time.)

Then, it was up to the Dessert Room, yes you read that right, ROOM.

This was my favorite part. Located upstairs, each party is treated to their own private booth (but not in the restaurant sense, they are almost like a phone booth instead) where they can select the music they want to hear, their after dinner drink of choice and one of the amazing desserts.

I settled on a pumpkin spice coffee and this peanut butter cup treat:

Berns 2

 

I would not say that the food here is any better or worse than your typical high-end steak house, but I will say that they thing they have going for them most is the dining experience. Until we got to the tour and dessert room, I was not very impressed, but when I left, I felt like I had really enjoyed my laid-back, relaxed evening in an unforgettable setting.

I recommend you check this place out at least once, but don’t waste your time or money on the Bloody Mary. Save it for wine and/or dessert instead!

 

St. Petersburg, FL: Z-Grille

Posted: November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week, we were down in the Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area sampling Bloody Marys.

Our first stop, based on a lunch recommendation and not necessarily a beverage, was Z-Grille.

When we pulled up to the restaurant, I was a little skeptical. It is on the first floor of what appeared to be an office building; however, inside, the place was funky and eclectic, with a definite skater-culture vibe. Skateboards hang as decor and one of the main walls is essentially a skateboard ramp.

The menu is also a little eclectic, but excellent. I had the seafood salad and it was divine.

As for the Bloody Marys… when I inquired as to their Bloody, the waiter was kind enough to allow me to sample the mix. It was quite spicy and had a bit of a stronger texture than most–almost like a salsa.

Z Grille Bloody Mary

Mix: Homemade

Chaser: No

Fixin’s: Two olives, lime

Price: $?

I give them bonus points for the mason jar (love that!) and the salted rim. This drink was probably my favorite in the Tampa area.

Definitely check them out!