cookies and code

While visiting family in Louisiana this past week, we happened to be in town for my aunt and uncle’s wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to grab lunch at Nash’s Restaurant in Broussard. Nash’s follows in the well established practice of converting an old home to a restaurant. For some reason, this seems to always give me the comfortable feeling of being in someone’s home rather than lost in a busy or non-descript building. Nash’s decor reminds me of restaurants such as the Veranda in Fort Myers and, the now closed, Strawberry Mansion in Melbourne. Nash’s is an Italian and Cajun restaurant with an Acadian influence who’s head chef is very well known. My cousins couldn’t recommend this restaurant enough to us, so I was stoked to try out the menu.

Even though we had been on a non-stop seafood eating marathon for the entire trip, you just cannot travel to Louisiana and eat anything but seafood; at least a true Cajun should not. I started with a cup of the Seafood Gumbo (~$6) and, trying to stay in the theme of the cuisine, ordered the Shrimp Creole (~$13) with the Italian Olive Mix (+~$2) salad. Others at the table ordered cups of the Shrimp, Crab, and Corn Bisque (~$6) and Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (~$6) along with the Crab Cakes (~$13), Mini Seafood Platter (~$13), the Open-face Roast Beef Sandwich (~$10), and the Seafood Salad (~$13). The seafood gumbo didn’t miss a beat although I did have to season it a bit more than expected. It was a combination of lump crab meat, shrimp, and crawfish made with a traditional roux. It was also served with a large de-shelled crawfish claw which was the perfect garnish for the dish. I heard similar comments about the other soups at the table. The salad was made from a bed of Italian greens with tomatoes, many different type of pitted olives, a quarter of a boiled egg, and dressed with a muffaletta olive mixture that brought every bite together. I will say that for the entree I was a bit disappointed. When I typically think of Shrimp Creole, I picture a sort of rustic dish made with large Gulf shrimp and generously cut portions of pepper and onion in a tomato-based sauce that has a bit of a kick to it. This dish had relatively small pieces of pepper and onion, the shrimp were much smaller than I expected, and without a spicy kick in the sauce, the tomato flavor was a bit more than I expected. That being said, the overall flavor of the dish was still good. The other meals at the table were extremely delicious. The crab cakes were served on a fried eggplant and I believe were made with blue crab meat, so they were had that savory and sweet combination going for them. The “mini” seafood platter was much larger than we expected having fried oysters, shrimp, and catfish. The seafood salad was also a good portion coming with grilled shrimp, salmon, and another seafood item over a bed of what looked like romaine and other veggies. At the end of the meal, our waitress brought out fresh-baked French bread rolls which she had forgotten to bring earlier. We were all full, but the bread was so fresh and hot, we each had to sample a bit of it, just so it didn’t go to waste.

We skipped out on dessert, but I have to say although the lunch entree wasn’t everything I expected, the meal as a whole did not disappoint. If you like spicy food, make sure you request it when you order, but don’t let that discourage you from the great flavors on the menu. The Amberjack with Seafood Au Gratin sauce looked amazing, so I’ll have to make my way back one day. I’ve been told that every occupant of this building has done an amazing job with their food, and Nash’s Restaurant is no exception. Although, it’s a bit of a hike for those Lafayette folks, it’s definitely worth the visit. Don’t be coo-yôn; give Nash’s a try.

Nash’s Restaurant is located at 101 East 2nd Street Broussard, Louisiana.

Having just returned from Louisiana I can definitely say I ate well and often. Since we spent most of our time at our relatives’ homes enjoying crawfish boils, étouffée, rice dressing, po-boys, BBQ, and other favorites there was little reason to go out, but we did get a chance to try a few good places. Early in the trip we found ourselves at Frey’s Crawfish House in Jennings for a family reunion.

Frey’s occupies a large space in the new “Grand Marais Courtyard” building right off of Lake Arthur Avenue, the main strip in Jennings. As with most restaurants in Louisiana, they specialize in Cajun food (if you couldn’t tell from the name). They’ve kept the decor light and easy-going with various juju’s, photos, and murals of Cajun mascots and culture. The restaurant has a full bar in the back with a large set of tables in the main area, booths lining the side wall, and a register up-front.

When we settled in to order, I was pleasantly surprised to see all of my favorites on the menu. Being that I can never seem to get good Catfish in Florida, I decided to give the small catfish platter a try (~$10), ordering it with a side of steamed vegetables. The meal was preceded by an iceberg lettuce salad and when the entree arrived it was accompanied by a small cup of jambalaya. The jambalaya was a mixed combination of white rice, lump crab meat, shrimp, and crawfish in a tomato-based sauce which was, on a whole, nice and spicy. The catfish was breaded in a seasoned cornmeal mixture and fried being served in a 3 half-fillet portion. The steamed veggies were a combination of yellow carrots, red peppers, green beans, and squash (I believe). Overall a comforting meal, with perfectly sized and tasty portions. There were about 14 dining in total, so luckily, we got a chance to try out a good portion of the menu. The Shrimp Po-boy and Oyster Po-boy (~$9 each) were served with a really generous amount of fried seafood, lettuce, and tatar sauce. I saw a gentleman across the restaurant who had a huge order of rice and gravy that looked delicious, but by that point any more food would have done me in; I definitely had to pace myself for the eating marathon that is vacationing in Louisiana.

Overall, Frey’s Crawfish House is a great local restaurant that is doing Jennings proud. I love the fact that they have a website with a menu with prices on it; most big city restaurants can’t even seem to get that right. I can’t imagine that there are many local dining choices like Frey’s in Jennings, so if you find yourself traveling, out by exit 64 on I-10, take the time to stop by and enjoy a great Cajun meal.

Frey’s Crawfish House is located at 919-A-North Lake Arthur Avenue, Jennings, Louisiana.

When I first moved to Brevard, I wondered what it would be like living near the coast and, of course being a crazed foodie, what would I think of as the quintessential eatery after a few years. After living in the area a few years now the answer to that question stares me in the face every time I pass one of Long Doggers’ locations. Long Doggers is what my wife and I consider a solid place for lunch. We usually hit up the Post Road location, but the South Patrick and Indialantic locations are also really great. No matter which location you hit up, the atmosphere reflects the lay back, beach going lifestyle of the coast with a definite focus on surfing.

One of the best parts of Long Doggers is its simple and fresh menu. This time around we ordered the Regular Dog Day Platter (~$4) and the Dolphin Reuben (~$8), a sweet tea (~$2), and a water. The Dog Day Platter comes with your choice of regular or foot long hotdog (+$1), a pickle, coleslaw, and a choice of side; we opted for the onion rings. The Dolphin Reuben is a generously portioned Mahi fillet served in a white bun with sauerkraut and thousand-island dressing along side coleslaw and a pickle. As always our meals came out hot and were delicious. As an added plus, Long Doggers’ seafood options are just great; I especially enjoy the Grilled Tuna Sandwich seared rare (~$8). We haven’t tried the entrees before, but I’ve heard good things about them as well.

As with most places we frequent, the staff is attentive and accommodating. They’ve always got some type of surfing video running on the TV and have outdoor and indoor seating available. If you’re looking for a reliable place for casual eats, look no further than Long Doggers. You’ll find lots of locals and tasty food; hell, it’s such a staple you’ll probably find yourself buying a t-shirt after a couple visits.

Long Doggers in North Melbourne is located at 2870 Post Rd, Melbourne, FL.

So it’s Friday and that means seafood until Lent is over. I’m in Milton, FL which is located near Pensacola and after driving up and down through town, I found a pretty cool little seafood restaurant called the Shrimp Basket. There are only a few of these in Florida and Alabama, so I’m going to qualify it as a local joint so I can post about it. Let me start out by saying, holy fried food. A quick look at the menu and it’s obvious what I’m talking about.

We ordered the Corn Fritters (~$5), a couple draft beers (~$2 each), one fried combo basket with clam strips and large shrimp (~$13), and one fried combo basket with crawfish tails and fish (~$13). Each meal comes with shrimp coleslaw, hushpuppies, and an option of red potatoes, fries, or potato salad. All of the food came out fast, freshly fried, and in gigantic portions. The corn fritters weren’t as hot as I’d like, but they tasted good and were stuffed with corn nibblets. The shrimp coleslaw was tasty, the hushpuppies were a little mushy inside, and the potatoes were pretty standard issue. The batter for the seafood was good; the fish was grouper-like, the clam strips were pretty normal, and the shrimp and crawfish tasted fresh.

Overall, I was in the mood for some fried seafood and, not surprisingly, it wasn’t hard to find a place in the Florida panhandle to satisfy. The staff was extremely courteous and we got our food so fast, I had to assume a marathon pace to keep up. The Shrimp Basket was a great stop for the first day of my trip although the prices did seem a little high. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to shower so my skin doesn’t feel like it did when I was a teenager.

The Shrimp Basket in Milton is located at 6389 Highway 90, Milton, FL 32570.

Every time I go get my hair cut, the lady who cuts my hair talks about how much she loves the Island’s Fish Grill out near the beach. She always goes for dinner and says the prices are high, but she suggested my wife and I try lunch since it’s a much better deal. Well, today we decided to give it a try since we haven’t tried a new place in a while.

Let me just start out by saying, eating at Island’s Fish Grill has been one of worst experiences I’ve had since moving to the Melbourne area. Not only are the prices extremely high, even for lunch, but the service was so terrible that my wife and I wondered if the waiter (the only one they had working) just didn’t like us. Let me explain.

We arrived about 30 minutes before lunch ended to the small restaurant and were seated amongst 3 other couples who already had their food. We put in our drink orders and looked at the menu; they have a small lunch menu totaling around 8 to 10 items. About 15 minutes later, we placed our lunch order. We only had an hour and a half to eat, so we decided to keep the order simple. We ordered the chicken Caesar wrap with fries ($10.50 which was the special) and the local snapper sandwich with the soup of the day, Manhattan clam chowder ($11.00), prepared with jerk seasoning (+$1.50). We also got water and a Sprite ($2.50). We waited for 40 minutes to get our food during which about 4 more couples came into the restaurant, had their drinks filled, re-filled, and even got their food. When our food finally did come, we washed it down by chewing on the ice in our glasses because we didn’t get to talk to our waiter again until we got our check. I could have sworn my sandwich was supposed to be ~$2 less but by the time we were able to leave it wasn’t worth debating; also my usual patience was already worn far too thin.

I could go into my thoughts on the meals (I did like the fish) but I’m not going to give anyone reading this review any insight to the quality of their food; it’s the least this place deserves. The only thing I can say is unless you like waiting long amounts of time for food that comes with poor service and a ~$30 tab for a couple sandwiches, then Island’s Fish Grill is not for you. You pay to be eat on a road near the beach and for the potential to eat what the local fisherman provide. Bonefish Willy’s is a much better alternative with a great view, food that is just as fresh, and a bigger menu. Maybe one day when I’m really smug and realize I’m better than everyone else I’ll go back.

Island’s Fish Grill is located at 111 5th Avenue, Indialantic, FL 32903.

On Sunday, my wife and I were coming back from the mall and decided to drive towards the coast to find a local place to eat. We found the Sunset Waterfront Grille and Bar just east of the Banana River on SR 520 and figured we’d give it a shot. The restaurant has a huge outdoor bar and dining area (as well as a small indoor dining area). The view is amazing. There are plenty of folks pulling their boats up and grabbing a beer. The vibe of the restaurant reminded me of a few places we used to go to in Fort Lauderdale, that were on the water, that we really enjoyed. The menu was your average bar and grill menu with a focus on seafood. Entrees averaged about $16 a plate with most of the fish selections priced around $18 (ahi tuna, mahi, grouper, etc).

We ordered the Steak Caesar sandwich with cheese (~$11) and the crab cake sandwich (~$9). Both meals came with coleslaw and a pickle. The steak was really thin and fatty and the Caesar Salad that it was topped with had a lot of dressing. I could tell that the crab cake was fried in oil that was too hot; the outside was dark and crispy but the inside was mush. Both also came on soggy buttered buns. The staff was cordial and we got our food really quickly, but I wish they had taken a little more time in preparing it.

Overall the view was really great, but I don’t think we’ll be back because of the quality of the food. The prices seemed a little high too, considering that there are great, and reasonably priced, restaurants in the Brevard area for seafood. If you want a great view of the river, you can give it a shot, but I didn’t care for it.

Sunset Waterfront Grille and Bar is located at 500 W Cocoa Beach Cswy, Cocoa Beach, FL.

This weekend we met up with my wife’s parents for dinner at a local fish house called Bonefish Willy’s Riverfront Grille. My wife and I have eaten lunch here quite a few times and really like the food, so we were eager to try out the dinner menu to see what was different. Bonefish Willy’s has a really great location right on the river south of Lake Washington Road on Pineapple Drive. Inside dining is available but the bulk of their seating is outside on the deck with the tiki bar overlooking the river. The building itself could use some major work, but the food is worth overlooking the “amenities”. As far as beers, they have your basic domestics on tap as well Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale and Guinness as well as a decent selection of bottled beers.

So for the evening we showed up between lunch and dinner and we had our choice of menus. We ordered the Maryland Crab Cake appetizer (~$9), the Island Chicken Caesar Wrap (~$9) which came with pasta salad, the Grouper Willy sandwich which came with pasta salad (~$9), the Snook Bruschetta Pasta (~$22), and the Sea Scallop dinner (~$20). The wrap is a typical chicken caesar wrap but you can have the chicken prepared as cajun, jerked, or grilled. The grouper sandwich is really good and served on pumpernickel with pineapple coleslaw and cheddar cheese. The pasta salad is possibly some of the best pasta salad I’ve ever had. The appetizer came with 2 crab cakes that were made of lump and claw crab meat, fried, and came with a side of remoulade; I will definitely order these again, they were delicious. The dinner meals were a little more of a dissapointment, but the dinner menu has some awesome looking choices so I would just suggest trying something else besides what we ordered. The Sea Scallops were served in a mushroom and white wine sauce. We found that even though the scallops were very tender, the sauce gave the scallops a bit of a bitter taste (they were also a bit sandy). The Snook Bruschetta was angel hair pasta with a large piece of snook and a diced tomato and scallion mixture on top, then topped with melted mozarella. The cheese was a bit too much for the meal and I found myself putting a lot of lemon on the dish to mask the flavor. For dessert, we ordered our favorite, the Brownie a la mode (~$6) which is a light chocolate brownie topped with chocolate sauce and coconut served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. There were also a couple coffees and teas in the mix (~$2 a piece).

There were a few menu items off the dinner menu I’d still like to try (e.g. – coconut curry chicken), but I think we may stick to lunch going forward if for nothing else but the price point; the prices seem to be 3x that of lunch for dinner. Just for the sake of mentioning, the jerked Mahi-Mahi sandwich is another great choice from the lunch menu.

Overall, Bonefish Willy’s is a great restaurant in a great location that could use a new building. The quality of the food is great and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone in the Brevard area that is looking for a great place for lunch.

Bonefish Willy’s Riverfront Grille is located on the intercoastal at 2459 Pineapple Ave # B, Melbourne, FL.

Today for lunch, my wife and I decided to hit up a local favorite of ours, the Pineda Crossing Bar and Grill. Pineda Crossing is a casual gourmet restaurant that has been in Melbourne since the mid-90′s. My wife and I try to go for lunch instead of dinner since the prices are so much more reasonable. The restaurant isn’t much to look at, but don’t let looks be deceiving, the food is worth to visit. In addition to a great menu, they’ve got a couple of good beers on tap. The cuisine is mainly American with an assortment of steak, sandwiches, seafood, and salads. Initially, we found out about the restaurant from a friend of ours, but we continue going back for one thing and one thing alone, the soup. Don’t get me wrong, the food is really great (and once you see what I had today you’ll know why), but the soup “is to die for”. So far I’ve been able to try the She-Crab, Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Zucchini, and Black Bean. Who knew you could make a cream of zucchini soup?!? On top of that, in fact quite literally, they always find cool accents to add as toppers for the soup. So far I’ve seen cheese, onion, croûtons, and popcorn.

Today we ordered a bowl of the Southwestern Corn Chowder (~$5), a dinner salad (~$4.50), and one of the lunch specials, the Seafood Strudel (~$12) which came with rice, broccoli, and a cup of the soup. The meal as always comes with classic fresh-baked white dinner rolls. The soup was very zesty and was topped with a few popped kernels of popcorn and had a nice mix of onion, celery, potatoes, corn, and a cream base. We ordered the salad with homemade honey mustard and homemade champagne vinegarette dressings which we enjoy. The seafood strudel was made with a pastry crust and filled with fish, shrimp, and lump crab meat. The combination of the flavors was excellent and made me jealous that I only got so much and had to eat the rice and vegetables (which were also very good). We skipped dessert because we ordered so much food, but the key lime pie (~$5) is very good.

Unfortunately, as we have found out time and time again, the quality of the service at Pineda Crossing is really hit or miss. The staff is always courteous, but sometimes getting your food may take a while. That being said, we really like Pineda Crossing, especially for lunch, and will continue to patronize it demanding more and more of its soup.

Pineda Crossing is located on US1 near the Pineda Causeway at 2515 Roberts Rd., Melbourne, FL 32940.

Last week, my wife and I in our usual willingness to cook, went out for dinner. We ended up, by the suggestion of a colleague, at the Enigma Cafe on A1A in Satellite Beach. Our tipster usually takes his family for nice dinner at what he said are reasonable prices. Since we’re always up for something new, we gave it a shot.

As far as the vibe of the restaurant goes, you notice almost immediately when pulling up to the restaurant that its got a cheesy paint job. It’s painted in sea-foam and pastel colors and has a “by the ocean” vibe (this is probably because it’s across the street from the Atlantic). Despite the paint job, the building looks relatively new and well constructed. From what we could tell, the inside of the restaurant is very clean as well. When we entered, there was a lounge singer performing in the bar, but after 30 minutes or so he was replaced by a jazz band. We were seated almost immediately (it was a Friday night), so that was cool and there seemed to be a healthy mix of people of different ages, which I always find encouraging. During the meal, the server seemed like a nice kid, but the service ending up being average.

We ordered the Shepard’s Pie (~$11) and the Chicken Parmesan (~$12) as well as added the salad bar (~$3 per person) to our meal. The waiter dropped off some really great garlic bread and the salad bar was the cleanest salad bar I’ve ever seen with some amazingly fresh ingredients. I’m usually against salad bars for cleanliness reasons, but I was shocked at how ridiculous they were about wiping everything down and keeping ingredients from being mixed together. I think what was nicest about the salad bar, was that it was just that, a really good, fresh place where you could assemble a salad; I didn’t have to wait behind the hungry guy in front of me grabbing 80 chicken wings to get to the lettuce. Unfortunately, I think the bread and the salad were the best part of the meal. I ordered the Shepard’s Pie, because the majority of other items came over pasta, and I’m not a huge pasta fan (I can boil it at home for less). The mashed potatoes topping the pie were dry and the stuffing was as mixture of beef, carrots, peas, and corn that was definitely over cooked and could have been frozen previously. The meal tasted, and looked, like it had been baked as part of a larger dish and kept under a heat lamp. I didn’t care for the Chicken Parmesan either. The sauce tasted was very thin without a lot of flavor and the cutlet was a cutlet; it kinda felt like a Chef Boyardee style meal. Since I ate literally none of my meal, which is unusual for me, even if I don’t care for it, we ordered dessert. We got the Chocolate Lava Cake (~$5, I think) a cup of coffee (~$2) and a chocolate martini (~$8). The cake was spongy and served with two huge scoops of ice cream and whipped cream. I kinda felt like I was eating a Little Debbie snack cake with hot fudge on it unfortunately.

Overall, I believe Enigma is living up to its name; I’m not sure what to think of it. The portions were large, but the quality wasn’t up to snuff with what I would have preferred, especially for the prices we paid (although I did like the salad and bread). I will admit, it is possible that I’m being unusually harsh. I wasn’t as hungry as I usually am when we went out and my wife, who usually likes similar things, did enjoy her food. That being said, I’m willing to give Enigma Cafe another shot. I am definitely doing so, however, with hesitant taste buds. Here’s to me finding something I like that’s not over pasta.

Enigma Cafe is located at 1024 Highway A1A, Satellite Beach, FL