what do I know

Recently I picked up an order from a local pizza place and paid with my credit card. When I came in my food was waiting for me, ahead of schedule, and the girl at the counter treated me well, so I left a tip on the receipt. The next day when I got home, I was looking over the pending charges on my card and saw that the charge from the restaurant was more than what I paid. I called up my credit card company to ask about the charge and I learned something new. If a restaurant offers their patrons the ability to tip on their credit card, the restaurant will typically request an authorization on the card for the cost of the bill + a 20% gratuity. When the manager closes out the batch for the night, the cost of the bill + the actual gratuity is then charged to card. I guess the authorization for the tip is a safe guard that the wait/bus/host staff have the potential to get something out of the check as well.

Maybe I’m dense but I never knew that eateries did this since I usually see the charge after the authorization. I’m a firm believer in tipping, but I always like to check my card activity to make sure that people don’t take advantage. Learn something new every day.

My wife and I stopped by Oasis Shaved Ice this evening and the owners told us that they are going to be extending their hours until 9:00 PM daily with the exception of 10:00 PM on Fridays. For anyone who has driven by after 8:30 PM on a weekday looking for a snack, this is great news! If you haven’t had an opportunity to swing by and give them a try then take the time support a great local business.

When I took my latest job, the president of the company, Doug, took me out to lunch to say welcome. As a force of habit, I got to talking about food. I was excited to find he was just as much of a “foodie” as I am. He kept raving about a former ice cream stand turned into sandwich shop called Rolli’s. I asked around about the place and didn’t hear too much else about it, so I was held off on giving it a try. Boy was that a dumb move. The other day my wife surprised me and took me to Rolli’s before my trip to Oregon. On a side note, she has officially won the wife of the year award (which not surprisingly, she wins every year).

Pulling up to Rolli’s I have to admit, I was a little hesitant. I haven’t had much luck with the sandwich stands in the past but, as always, you can’t complain until you give it a shot, right? After some time looking over the menu, we decided to order the Rolli Original Pork Sandwich (~$6), the Rolli Cheese Steak (~$6), a cup of fries (~$3), and a 24 oz drink (~$2). Doug raved about the pork sandwich so I had to try it. For the Rolli’s Original and Jr. Pork Sandwich, they slice tender, seasoned pork tenderloin onto an egg bun with grilled onions, provolone cheese, and mayo. The flavor behind the sandwich is a little salty at first, but wow, what a great taste; the pork is so tender it melts in your mouth, no matter how big a bite you take. As for the cheese steak, I was really happy to peek over and see them chop and grill a nice rib-eye with onions. The mixture made its way onto a hoagie roll filled with provolone and mayo; we could have done w/o the mayo, but it was good none the less. The fries were skin-on potatoes cooked in what tasted like peanut oil. I would have liked it if they were a little thicker, but worth the order if you like fries. As far as the drinks go, make sure to order the large (24oz) or you’ll have to pay for refills.

Overall, Rolli’s worked out to be a great pick, so thanks to Doug for the suggestion. Every now and then you need a good, reliable place to get a great sandwich and Rolli’s is that place. If you’ve ever passed Rolli’s on your way to the Melbourne mall, don’t waste your time on the crappy food court, turn back around for a great meal.

Rolli’s is located at 620 W New Haven Ave, Melbourne, FL 32901.

NOTE : Keep in mind that Rolli’s only has a 3 or 4 tables and limited parking, so if there is a lunch rush, be ready to take their great food to go.

Well, it’s been a crazy month or so since I’ve posted, but a lot has happened on the Brevard restaurant scene. Here are a few of the tidbits that have crossed my path:

• Islamorada Restaurant, our local Suntree Cuban joint, recently closed for renovation and re-opened as Cocomo’s Grill, a not so Cuban but more island inspired style restaurant. After stopping by for lunch (review to come one day), I found out that the place is under new ownership and has a new wait staff. I think they’ve retained some of the cooking staff since many of the dishes on the menu are from Islamorada’s original menu, but unfortunately tostones did not make it back onto the menu; I also didn’t see any of that amazing key lime butter or panitos on the table. The new menu looks good however, so I’m not that discouraged.
• In crazy, all of Brevard’s restaurants are catching on fire news, Meg O’Malley’s Irish Pub, located in downtown Melbourne, had a fire break out on their rear patio. Smoke damage extended to the building costling about $150K in damages. Here’s the write up on the event for those who are interested.
• Dinners2U, the latest local craze in delivered and prepared meals for the Melbourne area, is doing so well that in the next 6 months, the goal is to open a new location in Viera off of Murrell Road. This is great news for the Suntree area since delivery is not available in our area. I want to order a few more times from Dinners2U before I write them up, but so far it’s home cooked meals for a descent prices (considering all of the food you get with your order). Here’s more info for the curious.
• Leaning Tower of Pizza Restaurant is celebrating 25 years of serving the Melbourne area. They’re running spaghetti and slice specials for the month; buy one of either and get one of the same for $0.25. Leaning Tower is a great establishment and deserves all of the praise that it receives. Swing by, check it out, and show your support for a staple of the city.
• A little birdy told me that the owners of Island Pasta Company downtown have purchased, or are in the process of purchasing, Chowders on US1 in Suntree. From what it sounds like, Chowders will remain a seafood restaurant but look for a new name and menu in the future. Not sure when that future will be, but I’m excited to hear something new will come from that spot. They’ve got a great view and I’d love to go back.
• Cantina Dos Amigos is now back open after being previously closed due to fire. Looks like business is back to normal.

So that’s about all for now. I have some reviews for some Brevard classics coming down the pipe as well as some new establishments with some great potential. Talk to you soon.

As we were walking around the historic district in St. Augustine, the aromas from the candy stores and ice cream shops are pretty intoxicating. We set out on a goal to find a peanut encrusted caramel apple as well as some mint chocolate chip ice cream in one of those fresh waffle cones. We stopped by a few stores but the prices were pretty high, averaging ~$8 per item. That was a little high for us so we kept hunting and found Kilwin’s Chocolates. As you look into the windows you can see people making the waffle cones and there are tables for candy making (maybe in the mornings?). The shop is small but the line was out the door; if there one thing I’ve come to trust when I travel is to look for where the most people are eating, usually you’ll end up with some form of “good eats” (hopefully Alton Brown won’t sue me for using that). We got a huge caramel green apple covered in chopped peanuts (~$6) and a fresh waffle cone filled with mint chocolate chunk ice cream (~$4). Considering what you pay at places like Cold Stone, we figured it was a good compromise on price. The sweets turned out great too, so it was a nice treat for the afternoon. I know Kilwin’s is a national chain, and there are a couple in the historic district, but we really enjoyed it. Guess I have to break my rules every now and then, forgive me :’(

Kilwin’s Chocolates is located at 140 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida.

Last weekend, we went up to St. Augustine to visit some family and see the historic district. We had a great time and when lunch time came around we were starved. My brother said he had heard of a good pizza place on St. George Street called Pizza Time, so we decided to give it a shot. Most of the restaurants in the area seemed to be geared towards tourists, so our hope was that Pizza Time would be different.

I have to give it to the owner of Pizza Time, he’s a smart business man. The shop is small and people are routed in through the front door to stand directly in line in front of prepared pizzas, stromboli’s, calzones, and garlic knots. The food is presented nicely (and looks appetizing) and the shop is lined in murals and pictures advertising its Brooklyn, New York style of food. As you order you wait in line for your food to be heated unless you get a whole pie, in which they’ll bring it to your table. By the time your food is ready and you pay, you find out they accept cash ONLY, but no fears, there is an ATM right next to the cash register for your convenience. This is an all to common tactic for tourist heavy establishments in Florida no matter the theme, the owner gets a kickback as well as the ATM company. We ordered a slice of cheese (~$2.50), a sausage parmigiana roll (~$5) which came with a side of sauce, and a couple of fountain drinks (~$2 each). The slice was sizable, really greasy, and by no means the New York style pizza I’ve come to know; someone should tell them that just because you can make a big pizza, it doesn’t make it authentic. The sausage roll didn’t have much sausage in it, but for the price didn’t taste that bad. The sauce was flavorful but really salty, so I didn’t find myself using it much. We also tried the garlic knots, but as with everything else, they failed to stand out.

As we were leaving, we noticed the man we saw on our way in (that told us “Oh this place has the best pizza in all of town”) was getting free slices from the manager. He was also standing outside (at least as long as we were there) telling other people Pizza Time had the best pizza he’d ever eaten. Hmm … I’ll let you draw your own conclusion, but props to whoever came up with that idea. In any case, Pizza Time was what you can expect from your typical touristy pizza place. Nothing stands out and you have to be conscience that you have enough cash on you to eat. That being said, the staff was courteous and we didn’t have trouble getting a table. I’d give the experience a “meh”.

Pizza Time is located at 124 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida.

When Mediterranean food comes to mind, we are fortunate enough in Suntree to have quite a few places within a few minutes drive. There’s Niki’s, Grecian Garden, Yanni’s Deli, and my new favorite Cedar’s Cafe. Cedar’s advertises itself as a Mediterranean and Lebanese restaurant, but for those who are more familiar with Greek cuisine you should still feel comfortable. Cedar’s is about a 10 table restaurant with indoor/outdoor seating and a great local vibe. The first thing that I noticed when looking at the menu (because I’m cheap) was that they are very reasonably priced. This of course leads to the question, how’s the food and the service? Well no worries, Cedar’s does not disappoint.

A large group of us went out to lunch and called ahead to be safe. Without any problems, we were accommodated and there were no questions when we asked to split the check. I started with a small order of the vegetable grape leaves (~$3) and then ordered the gyro wrap (~$6) for my lunch. The grape leaves came out very quickly, there were 3 in the small order, and were delicious. The grape leaves themselves were nice and thin and the taste wasn’t overpowering at all. They were stuffed with rice and bigger than I expected, so I was starting to fill up by the time my sandwich arrived. Recently I’ve been ordering gyro’s at bars or local sandwich shops, but all you get is the “out of the bag onto the grill” experience. Cedar’s helped to remind me what a gyro should taste like. The gyro wrap came with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce with thin slices of meat. The meat tasted like a mixture of pork and lamb meat prepared on the traditional roasting spit. I would have liked to have shredded cabbage instead lettuce, but the sandwich was great none the less. When the time for dessert came, we were all pretty stuffed, but once we saw the baklava we loosened our belts. There are about 4-5 variations that they make fresh daily and, wow, I will be stopping by more often just for the dessert. I got the roll as well as the pistachio stuffed pieces (~$1.50) and it was some of the best baklava I’ve ever eaten. If you just want to stop by for something sweet, the baklava is definitely worth the trip.

Overall the experience at Cedar’s was great and I feel like I finally have a reliable Mediterranean restaurant to put into the rotation. Did I mention the baklava?

Cedar’s Cafe is located in the Publix Plaza at the corner of Post Road and Wickham Road at 4100 North Wickham Rd, Melbourne, FL 32935.

Recently some friends of ours have been raving about this place beach side that has amazing shaved ice. My first reaction was, “Um, it’s ice that has been shaved into small pieces with juice … wow, sounds great.” Let me tell you, I am idiot for ever doubting them. The place they spoke of is Oasis Shaved Ice. Oasis opened up around last October and slowly has been gaining popularity with the locals. Oasis has a menu of over 20 flavors of shaved ice, each of which can be topped with condense milk (a snow-cap), topped with melted marshmallows (frost it) or have a scoop of ice cream thrown in before hand (stuff it). Flavors range from tropical fruits to sweet extracts to cake-based (that’s right) and can be served in 4 possible sizes, ranging from kids to large. Oasis also offers a variety of coffees and sodas for those, who for some reason, came to a shaved ice stand for something other than shaved ice.

My wife and I drove out on a Sunday afternoon and found cars in the drive-thru as well as one free space in the, all be it small, parking lot. Oasis instantly gave us that great beach side vibe that we’ve come to expect from the area. After about 10 minutes pouring over the choices, we went with a medium, half and half, blue raspberry and pina colada, and a medium Mardi Gras King Cake ($2.50 each). We had heard the cake flavors really tasted like cake but how would it taste in shaved ice? We weren’t disappointed. The pina colada tasted like fresh coconut and the blue raspberry didn’t taste like candy but raspberries. The Mardi Gras flavor was just like biting into a king cake; so much so, that it even came with a little plastic baby at the bottom.

It’s not hard to guess that we had a good experience, but here’s the kicker. While we eating, the woman working counter (she may have been the owner) drove away, drove back, walked up to us and asked, “I know this was your first time visiting, what did you think?” Wow, talk about the personal touch. This is why I love local businesses and will always patronize them. It looks like they can even take the business on the road with their own refrigerated truck. If you haven’t been by Oasis Shaved Ice, then do yourself a favor and go. Not only are you in for a refreshing treat, but it’s something you don’t get everyday with a great side of service.

Oasis Shaved Ice is located about a quarter-mile south of the Pineda Causeway on A1A in Satellite Beach, FL.

NOTE: Oasis Shaved Ice doesn’t take debit/credit cards, so make sure you bring CASH. Also, since this post was written we’ve tried Strawberry Cheesecake, Mango, and Grape which were equally great.

Well, another Friday night and we wanted pizza. There are plenty of places that we know of which can satisfy this craving, but it was time to try out a new place. Primavera Italian Restaurant was the pick this week. Primavera is located in the YMCA plaza on Wickham. Every time we swing pass by the restaurant it is packed, so we figured this has to be a good sign.

We showed up during the dinner rush but were seated promptly in the back, near the kitchen. We ordered a large pie with cheese (~$10), an order of garlic breadsticks (~$2), a side salad (~$3) with garlic parmesan dressing, and a couple of sodas (~$2 each). The salad came first and was a bit lacking with one cucumber, one tomato, and a few carrot shreds over iceberg lettuce. The dressing however was really good being made of a combination of parmesan cheese, minced garlic, and oil (I’m guessing). The breadsticks were baked fresh for the table with a buttery, garlic flavor that’s easy to enjoy. All was actually going pretty well until the pizza came. We were really hoping for a New York style pizza, but we were met with a pretty bland rendition of cheese, sauce and dough. The pizza was hot so that was nice, but the sauce tasted like something from everyone’s favorite canned chef. After one slice each, we decided to end the meal. I will admit it was tastier cold, but all pizza starts to retain a certain flavor once its chilled. As we were leaving, they had fresh baked loaves of bread that you could take home with you on the counter, so that is a plus. I would like to note that our waitress was also very attentive, so that is definitely another plus.

After some discussion, we’ve decided that we’re going to give Primavera another shot but next time stick to the entrees instead. I’d suggest staying away from the pizza though, it wasn’t a good experience. Hopefully we can find something we like next time. If anyone has any suggestions on what to try, I’m definitely open to hearing them. For now the jury on Primavera Italian Restaurant is still out.

Primavera Italian Restaurant is located at 6300 N Wickham Rd #122, Melbourne, FL.

Well after getting back into town, we decided to end our trip with a visit to a good and reliable Melbourne establishment, Leaning Tower of Pizza Restaurant off of Wickham Road. Leaning Tower has been around for over 23 years, and of that time, my wife’s family has been patronizing them for over 20 years; heck, I’ve been going for over 3 years and love it. Leaning Tower is a family owned business that offers New York style Italian cuisine for reasonable prices. The restaurant is small, but the staff is courteous and very attentive. We quite frequently call our order ahead so it’s ready for us when we sit down and today was no exception.

We ordered the All Beef Stromboli (~$7) which comes baked with sauteed onions, ground beef, fresh spices, red wine, black olives, and mozarella and comes with a side of sauce. We also ordered the Hot Steak Sub (~$6) with peppers (+$0.50) which is made with real steak, onions, and provolone cheese. The sauce, although not as hearty as some may like, is very flavorful and tastes great. In the past we’ve also ordered their tossed salad for the table and it’s a great iceberg lettuce salad with tomatoes, red onion, and carrots; I like their Italian dressing too. If you’re in the mood for pizza, they make a great New York style pie; we order a large with cheese (~$11) for lunch sometimes and really enjoy it.

Leaning Tower is a true Melbourne establishment with great food. They’ve focussed on staying a small and quality establishment that produces a consistent product. They truly do abide by their motto, “NOTHING FANCY, Just Good Food!” If you haven’t tried them yet, stop by and visit.

Leaning Tower of Pizza Restaurant is located at 681 N Wickham Rd, Melbourne, FL.