Tampa Burger Aficionados ---- ACHTUNG!

When I visit a new non-ethnic family restaurant, often I'll try their burger to see what type of effort is made... I do that all the time, but a couple years ago, for about a month, I bounced all over the area, and over all the bridges trying burgers from every recommended nook and cranny, and although some were OK, I can't say I hit many jackpots... Man, I sure miss Jimmy Mac's!

Some friends and I do that with Cuban Sandwiches too, but that's another topic we'll talk about soon... 

I still have yet to try a couple of the newer burger places that recently popped up, but because of the nature of my business, when I heard there was a specialty burger joint on wheels, I had to track her down because we'd inevitably be crossing paths from time to time...

A couple weeks before my standard New Years' resolution is no time to be planning the exploration of an interesting, newly discovered, but thankfully limited, menu ----- but I finally sought out the Burger Culture food truck at their supposedly frequent (lunchtime) location at Kennedy & Henderson, next to State Vacuum... 

With food trucks, you can never be sure where they'll be so it's best to check their FB page... 

Here's theirs... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burger-Culture/232020266846654

A few days ago I had a KILLER Gyro at Mr. Souvlaki on Pinellas Avenue in Tarpon Springs so I decided against the Greek Burger for now... I love love love a sandwich of Thanksgiving components, so I was excited to see a 'Thanksgiving Burger' on the menu, consisting of a Turkeyburger, stuffing, cranberry, and gravy!  

Yeah, it was just Thanksgiving--- and yeah, last week I made a big ol' 'Thanksgiving Wrap' that turned out surprisingly well---- and even though I'm not a turkeyburger kinda guy, I'll try their Thanksgiving Burger before the end of the week... If it's ANYTHING like what I got today I'll be getting another one to go...

Ya know, for my wife...

I still had another job scheduled so I passed on the Santa Fe Burger after a future-flash of me squishing Guacamole & Pico de gallo all over my cleanest dirty shirt---- so I went for the 'Cajun Burger', just to order something already...

Do I want fries? Yeah, sure...

Near the bottom of the menu it said 'Add Patty $2.00' ---- "Excuse me, could you make that a double? Pink inside if possible?" 

She said; "Medium rare?"

I opened my eyes wide and shook my head yes...

Still, I wasn't excited about getting a Cajun Burger... I thought they were gonna overdo 'something'...

People have enough trouble getting a plain burger to taste good---- the odds were they were not going to nail it...

Have you ever ordered a Cajun type burger, or one of those other infrequent specialty burgers from Checkers? I love my salt, but the sodium, and whatever other over-the-top flavor boosters they use often hit my tongue like battery acid and cause a heartbeat in my left ear halfway thru the meal...

But everything was being grilled and made fresh... The burgers sizzled and the fries gurgled in the oil... While very friendly & professional, they moved like a machine putting my order together, and in a few minutes I walked to the passenger side of my van, hopefully facing away from judging eyes, small children, or security cameras, and I set up a towel like a tablecloth on the seat...

When I opened the burger-styro I giggled a little, like a maniac...

Sometimes people post pics of burgers or sandwiches and all you see is the bread...

I might not express it right then, but I get mean inside when a burger is smaller than the bun... I won't stand for it! ;-) Certainly that rule doesn't apply to backyard BBQs--- I mean from a burger place...

Man, I almost screwed myself out of years of invitations!

But look at this gift they made for me... And they were so casual about it... Like they were serving me something normal...
This post is getting crazy, I need to wrap it up... 

The bun was soft and fresh and I immediately tasted a depth of grill flavor in the dripping- juicy- beefy- lightly cajun seasoned burger patties... The damn Chipotle secret love sauce (not what they call it) was gorgeous, the mushrooms were juicy, with some falling into the pool of captured burger juices in the styro, only to be scooped back up by the last few bites of burger...

When I was done I felt compelled to yell RAAHH! scaring flocks of birds from trees and telephone wires...

The fries were fine... Crispy, fresh, golden, well salted and peppered as you can see... For me, there's a slight flavor dimension that's missing, keeping them from being 'great', but it's not much of a tweak... Oil type or species of tater, I'm not sure...
Hell, some of that Cajun sauce would be the schniz!
--- but I'm not really talking about condiments...

Now here's the thing---- normally I advise that for a truly transcendent  burger experience, often you'll need to order a double, medium rare---- but, but, I'm not going to say that you need to order this mammajamma...

This was advanced scarfage!

I think this burger was so well thought-out, and so tasty, no doubt it would be great even as a single patty burger... Not for me---- but for you...

Put it this way; if you get the double and you're with respectable company or on a first date, ask for a knife and a fork... Otherwise go by yourself, or with someone who will tell you without rolling their eyes in contempt that you have Chipotle love sauce on your ears...

To be honest, I didn't get a drop on my shirt...
It paid to stand up and lean forward like them boys in Chicago eatin' those beef sandwiches!

Bye double Cajun Burger---- see you again soon...

A mildly humorous experience at an Indian restaurant today...

I was passing by and spontaneously decided to pop in for the lunch buffet…

Maybe my 3^rd or 4^th visit…

I ate a fairly large plate with mostly Goat Curry & Veg. Biryani (seasoned rice & veg.), and a second smaller plate with shredded yellow sweet cabbage, Palak Paneer (spinach and cheese), and Tandoori Chicken ‘Wings'--- something I've never seen before... Nice big flat sections, which I prefer… They were excellent in that style and cooked perfectly... I took the advantage to celebrate the Goat Curry because it was much less boney than what I often find… Very soft rich meat, brown sauce, not too spicy --- just great…

I was pretty much at capacity, even leaving a few bites on the plate self-consciously, when a waiter appeared out of nowhere with a plate of Tandoori Chicken and placed it on my table... Two legs, two thighs…

I looked at him confused, quickly and clumsily removing my ear-buds so I could tell him he brought the order to the wrong table, when he said very humbly; "I remember from last time you didn't like how it was and I made this fresh to give to you"...

I responded with a smile; "thank you, I DON'T REMEMBER, but thank you--- that's very nice"...

And it was unbelievable... A really nice gesture...

A Man vs Food moment, I took a few deep breaths and got to chewin'...

But here's the kicker...

I'm pretty sure he had me confused with some other magnificent bastard, because I don’t remember ever complaining at this restaurant---- but coincidentally I do have an opinion on the potential beauty and potential ugliness of Tandoori chicken...

There's a timing balance that has to be achieved for it to be right, and juicy...

It's marinated in a spiced yogurt, and if it's left too long the yogurt can over-soften the chicken to the point of mildly sour pre-digestion... When that happens it gets pasty, you really can't taste chicken, and it's not juicy... 

The Tandoor chicken wings and thigh pieces I had moments earlier were excellent --- clean, smoky and juicy, but this special delivery was the ol’ lip-twitcher... Gloppy and wet with the marinade and mushy on the inside... I wanted to wipe it off with a napkin, but didn’t want to offend, because the waiter was real close by… I still don’t, and I’m hesitant posting this at all, so please allow me to be vague…
I’ll do another post for this restaurant soon, with pretty pics of a few unusual items, because I love the place…

It’s just that it felt like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and I wanted to share…

Gulf Coast Po' Boys--- Largo, Florida

A job fell through and my schedule loosened up on a recent rainy, grey afternoon. I posted a Facebook invitation asking if any friends wanted to get together for lunch and order too much… It was last minute, and as expected I got a few ‘wish I coulds’, and one suggestion by a friend with an increasingly solid history of recommending good things, that if I haven’t yet,  I should try the Oyster Po’ Boy at Gulf Coast Po’ Boys in Largo… He wrote that their signature Dirty Roast Beef Po’ Boy was real good too, but the Oyster hit home for him…

Being an oyster fanatic, I was a little startled by what I felt was an inspired recommendation...

I remembered reading an enthusiastic posting on Chowhound about this place; the killer Po’ Boys, the warm casual vibe, and the friendly owners, so I tapped the coordinates into VZ Navigator and followed the hood ornament  to 312 West Bay Drive in Largo…

Everyone mentions that it's a small place, and it sure is… But many of my ‘owning a restaurant’ fantasies involve a small cozy space like this, and it ended up being just as I imagined it could and should be--- a couple guys behind the counter obviously enjoying what they do, yappin’ with regulars, expressing appreciation, while moving fluidly thru the motions of putting orders together, with gloved hands--- thank you… Not that I’m preoccupied with goyms--- I’m so not… It was simply my first evidence that these guys are continuously honing their edge, and answering questions before they’re asked…

Anthony & Michael

My next clue was that as orders were being taken, even during banter, long rolls were splayed and lined up cut side down on the big flat top to be toasted lightly and brought to life--- thank you again…

Every now and then I’m served a sandwich on a roll seemingly right out of a bag, which almost always diminishes the experience… The bread will always remain a separate entity if it’s dry, flavorless, and cold… Of course if the bread is carefully chosen, fresh, and fairly moist, you might get away with minimal to no treatment, but not a generic mass produced hoagie roll...

‘Course that wasn’t the case here… Their bread was great...

I got there soon after they opened at around 11:45. There were a couple people inside eating, and a couple people in line… Lucky for me, because the place is so small, if I got there any later there might not have been a place to sit down and it would have been difficult for me to take pictures. After ordering I sat on a bar stool at the small counter by the front window, and ended up with an Oyster Po’ Boy and a Dirty Beef Po’ Boy in front of me (with small sides of Cole slaw ‘and’ potato salad) with the idea of eating half of each there, and finishing somewhere down the road… But these sandwiches looked magnificent, I was by myself, and I was on ‘E’… Empty, and also Embarrassed that I was taking up like 3ft of the 7ft (+/-) counter---- but at this point I had it to myself…

Part of me would truly prefer to be an anonymous mystery restaurant guest and sometimes food reviewer, but when I break out my big Canon DSLR and begin arranging the food, it almost always leads to an interaction, often warm and friendly... That was certainly the case this day, with owners Anthony and Michael standing only a couple feet away smiling with curiosity... Michael asked what all this was about…  Probably a little red-faced, I explained that  I was a crazy food guy who was slowly putting together a food blog, and that I talk about food and fun places on the online forums with a bunch of other crazy people--- a couple of whom recommended I come here…

Did I use ‘whom’ correctly?

A minute later Mike walked over to me with a smile and a generously filled container and said; ‘if you’re gonna be talking about us, you have to try our Red Beans and Rice’!

Red Beans & Rice

Of course I was appreciative and touched by the generosity, and as I continued arranging and taking a few pictures he talked a little about how they utilize specific breadings, coatings, seasonings, and techniques to  best complement the various meats, seafood, and other items… 

People started showing up so he got back to business…

A couple came in, smiling and waving, obviously regulars, and pulled up a couple barstools next to me at the counter…  I moved my camera and my ‘Creosote-esque’ abundanza closer to me to give them some room, when the woman looked at me and asked what all this was about--- and I told her what I told Michael… She asked who I was on Chowhound, and when I replied she laughed and got happy--- because she knew me, and I knew her…  It was her enthusiastic thread I remembered reading recommending this place…

So grey and drizzly as it was, this was quickly turning into one of those really special days… The kind of day that might convince me the forces of nature were in reality NOT conspiring to snuff me out…

It’s taken me a couple months to share this great lil' lunchtime adventure, mostly because I‘ve been battling my initial impulse to make it into something bigger…

When I drove off I was practically ready to start a cult, and that rarely happens when there's no alcohol involved...

The past few years I’ve been meeting so many great folks from the worlds of food and drink,  tuned close enough to my frequency, that I don’t think I know what the word ‘stranger’ means anymore…

I'm thinking of dumping it!

----if the Chinese can do without a word for ‘cheese’ for the love of Pete!

But after all the talk, the attention, and the spectacle of me and my camera, I have to do what I said I was there for if I want to go back for the infamous Shrimp Po’ Boy, Catfish Po’ Boy and the Fried Chicken Po’ Boy, and whatever other fun things are on the menu----- and I do want to go back, like, ASAP… 

So, let’s wrap this up with the best part--- the delicious food--- and it was delicious…

Oyster Po' Boy

Oyster Po’ Boy:

The pillowy, fresh, lightly toasted long roll was wonderful, obviously carefully chosen…  

It was served piled with fresh, full-favor, moist, lightly fried, oysters--- dressed with a diced tomato & chopped veg relish, some lettuce, and served with a small container of remoulade… I say full-flavor because all elements of the fried oyster spoke out, stood up, and held their own on the big sandwich… 

It’s that concern, that the feature components of a sandwich might get lost or be diluted by lettuce and tomato that I’ll often order it without, or toss it aside…

But DAMN, if I didn’t love that sandwich ‘as presented’ with just a lil’ extra remoulade, which I had in my hand 3 seconds after requesting it--- a benefit of the place being the size it is…

Flavors, textures, tanginess, spiciness, hot & cold----- I’m goin’ nuts here reliving it…

Dirty Beef Po' Boy

That impressive balancing act was even better articulated with the Dirty Beef Po’ Boy, which when placed in front of me just made me giggle quietly like a maniac…

I was all; ‘really’?

And he was all; ‘yeah, really’…

The portion of meat, I didn’t expect…

The reason the balancing act was so impressive here was because when I picked at the beef on its own, it hit my buds as possibly being too tangy, spicy, and too highly seasoned---- but when I tucked in, getting a big bite with all the elements, suddenly the lighting dimmed, the room slowly spun, and ‘Dreeeeam Weeavah’ filled the air…

I even utilized, and adored, the condiment of ’debris’ served on the side for drizzlin’…

Debris = a bold, clean, concentrated liquid pot roast essence that you’d think would be greasy, but was not…

And that’s how this beef seemed--- like yo’ gran'mama’s best pot roast cooked soft and juicy, coarsely chopped, then tossed on a hot flat-top till slightly blackened, with Cajun spices… 

This is only what I imagine they'd do to achieve this result--- I didn’t actually see it…

I wondered to myself if maybe they made mine extra pretty because I was taking pictures, but since then I’ve seen a couple other images and they all look like mine!

I’m not a potato salad guy but this was creamy, yellow, eggylicious, and I scarfed it! Loved that Potato Salad!

Same with the Cole Slaw… Loved it… Fresh, crisp, clean & perfect with the meal…

Michael told me they were family recipes and on the menu to pay tribute to his parents…

My wife is going to shake her head in condemnation when she reads this, but I put away both of those Po’ Boys and their sides--- and I was pretty darn full when I tunnel-visioned on the fairly generous portion of Red Beans & Rice, but I took it down… 

It was mildly spicy, the beans were creamy, the rice was perfect, it was saucy enough, herb & vegetable flavors were very bright, and I thought it was delicious---- but to be honest, being a 260lb party of one, I thought it tasted just 'a bit' too healthy… 

Michael and Anthony are intensely good looking guys in pretty good shape, and I’m sure they’re lookin’ out for you... I admit I’m not an expert on Red Beans & Rice, I just felt it could have used a lil’ more pigfeets or something for some additional collagen richness & silk… Just a minor tweak…

When I order it again, possibly this week, if I feel the same way, I’m going to stir-in a shot or two of that ‘debris’ and see how that tastes…

Over-all impression?

Food, service, warmth, camaraderie, hospitality? Aces!

Lots of unfinished business--- I’ll be popping in regularly…

I hope you won’t be--- an infrequent patron… 


Hours: Monday through Friday 11:00AM to 8:00PM... 

Saturday 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM...

Closed on Sunday...

Excellent lunch at Tokyo Sushi Bar at Fowler and 56th in Temple Terrace..

A couple times recently when I was out in the Temple Terrace area preparing to hit Cilantro or Jai Ho, I remembered that one of my Chowhound buds highly recommended a sushi place in the area that served something called a 'CD Roll'... That it was a scene, man...

So after a Facebook friend tortured me with cellphone sushi pics the night before, finding myself cruising down 56th Street around 1:30PM I decided I'd seek it out, and I texted for the coordinates... I was 9 seconds away!

It's a pretty little place and everyone was welcoming and nice...

As usual, there's lots of gossiping and giggling 'at me' by the staff and other diners when my big ol' camera comes out...

I asked if it was OK and my excellent waiter said 'sure!'...

Sometimes I'll just smile and mime to the other tables that 'I'm crazy'...

I didn't see the CD Roll on the menu, on the sushi order sheet, or on the multiple boards on the wall--- but when I asked about it my waiter enthusiastically made a point to tell me that the Sushi-dude working that day invented it, and they both asked how I knew about it since it wasn't on the menu... They got a kick that the Chowhounds were talking about it...

I don't know if he made my food extra good because he knew I was going to be photographing it and most likely reporting back, but it was excellent---- and it arrived in a big boat! I LOVE THAT!

All for me---- and the one roll filled it up! $17.00...

Each slice was 3"-4" in diameter and was a decadent, barely managable mouthful... Crab salad, Cuttlefish, Fried Fish, Shrimp, Tuna, Seaweed or Herb Salad...

Sorry I don't know which... I assumed it was seaweed, but in looking at these photos it appears to be a parsley scallion thing... The bow of the boat was filled with a spicy remoulade with 'CD' written in eel sauce!

It really was an inspired combination of textures and flavors...

I ordered a double order of Yellowtail (Hamachi) nigiri as well, since it's been a while since I've had that...

The perfectly fresh, slightly oily, and totally delicious slices were very generous as you'll see in the photo below... Loved it all!

Tokyo Sushi Bar

5711 E Fowler Ave

Temple Terrace, FL 33617-2398

(813) 983-1822