The Village Sandwich Shop and Grill – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

For my next tasting experience, I venture a little bit outside of Vero Beach and head north to Sebastian to check out a new restaurant that just opened less than 6 months ago.  Owner and Chef, Andy King, has over 28 years experience in the restaurant business and thought it was time to finally open up his own place.  Located right off of US Hwy 1 in the Village Shops,  The Village Sandwich Shop and Grill is definitely a welcome addition to the Sebastian restaurant scene.

We visited the restaurant on a Tuesday evening around 6:00pm for dinner.  Parking is available next to and behind the restaurant, and a few spots out front right off of US Hwy 1.  The main entrance is on the south side of the building.  Upon entry, you walk right into the cozy dining room with open seating.  The restaurant is nicely decorated with colorful tropical pictures and beach themed table cloths.

Chef Andy was expecting us so, he had a few items already lined up for us to try, so let’s dive right in and see what this place has to offer and what we had to eat!

Lobster Bisque – ($4.00) – The wonderful aroma of the lobster coming from this soup was the first thing I noticed as they sat it down in front of me.  Without a description on the menu to reference what’s in the soup, I’m going to guess and say that it was made with a tomato base, shellfish stock, cream, and lobster.  The soup was perfectly seasoned and had the bold taste of lobster in each bite.  It was served along with grilled toast and was excellent!

Avocado & Bacon Salad – ($8.00) – Avocado is something that I like, but don’t eat a lot of, so I was anxious to try this salad when Andy told us about it.  It’s made with chopped romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, crumbled bacon, and is tossed in an avocado dressing.  My first impression was that it was very colorful!  The lettuce was fresh and crisp, the cherry tomatoes were really sweet, and the crumbled bacon on it added a nice crunch and a slight smokiness.  It was delicious!

Crispy Southern Fried Green Tomatoes – ($7.00) – Fried green tomatoes are not something that I would have personally ordered before I started doing food reviews, but now that I have had them at several different places, it’s definitely something that I have come to love, and Andy’s are no exception.  It’s made with fresh green tomato slices that have been battered and fried, served over a spring lettuce mix, and topped with bacon and a chipotle ranch dressing.  The crumbled bacon on top was something new I had not seen before and was very good.  The chipotle ranch dressing was a perfect match with a little bit of heat to it.

Roadhouse Burger – ($11.00) – Now that is one impressive looking burger!  It’s made with an 8 oz beef patty that has been grilled, topped with cheddar cheese, Duroc bacon, pulled pork that has been dressed with a Carolina BBQ sauce, and topped with frizzled red onions.  I cut the burger in half since there was no way I could pick up the entire burger at once.  I nearly had to unhinge my jaw to take a bite!  It was beefy, smoky from the bacon, a little bit sweet from the BBQ sauce, and crunchy from the fried onions.  It definitely had a lot going on flavor and texture wise, and it was fantastic!

Shrimp N Grits – ($13.00) – Shrimp and grits seem to be big in the south, not so much in the Midwest where I moved down here from a few years ago.  I have to admit, this is my first time for shrimp and grits, so I was excited to finally give it a try.  It’s made with fresh local shrimp that have been sautéed with veggies in a Creole cream sauce and served over bacon and cheddar grits.  First off, the shrimp were cooked and seasoned to perfection.  Since it’s a Creole cream sauce, I expected a bit more heat, and would have welcomed it since I tend to like Creole dishes a bit spicier.  The grits were also nice and creamy!

In Conclusion:

With “Sandwich Shop” right in the name of this new restaurant, I thought I had an idea of what to expect when I arrived.  My expectations were definitely turned upside down when I discovered that they are so much more than just a “sandwich shop”.  While we only got to try a few dishes from the menu, everything that we did get to try was really great.  From salads, sandwiches, steaks, chicken and seafood, they definitely have you covered no matter what you are in the mood for.

Have you tried The Village Sandwich Shop and Grill?  What has your experience been with them?  Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.

Atmosphere – 4 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 4 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

The Village Sandwich Shop and Grill Website

1103 US-1, Sebastian, FL 32958

(772) 581-8666

 

Taco Dive – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

My next tasting experience takes me down to 14th Ave once again, and this time to Taco Dive!  Located in the previous Counter Culture location, they opened their doors this past summer on July 20th.  Owners Allison O’Connor and Bonnie Turk both left their secure careers as educators behind to venture into the restaurant business.  Their first location has been open for a while and is located in Fort Pierce.  Banking on their first successful location, they decided it was time to branch out and open a second one in Vero Beach.  So far it has been a hit and definitely a welcome addition to the downtown Vero restaurant scene.

Upon first entry into the restaurant, it was nicer inside than I was expecting.  I guess with a name like “Taco Dive” I did not know what to expect.  The other surprise was that it was a sit down restaurant, and not counter service.  I figured due to the size of the restaurant and type of food they served, you would simply order at a counter, and they would bring it to you once ready.  The interior of the restaurant has been changed quite a bit since the previous tenants that occupied the space.  It has that industrial gastro-pub style decor with dark stained wood table tops, metal legs and dark grey walls.  Reclaimed wood pallets hang on the walls, and an old spring mattress is suspended from the ceiling that has been outfitted with Edson bulb light fixtures.

Now on to the food!  Let’s jump right in and see what I had to eat!

Smothered Tots – ($7.00) – The first item they brought out for us to taste was this wonderful dish!  It’s a pie plate full of tater tots that have been baked until golden brown, then smothered with their house made queso, and topped off with diced jalapeño’s.  The tots were nice and crispy, the queso was full of flavor, and the jalapeño’s added just a little bit of heat to the dish.  This is definitely a fun shareable appetizer and a great way to start your meal.

Taco Bella (Left) – ($5.00) – A lot of my readers are always asking me about vegetarian options in Vero, so I thought it was a good idea that I try one and let you know my opinion about it.  This taco is made with a flour tortilla and is slathered with guacamole, then it’s filled with marinated portabella mushrooms, arugula, black bean corn salad, and topped off with diced tomato and a wedge of lime.  Upon first bite, I was able to taste the black beans and the tomato’s, but not the mushrooms.  They could have used a little bit more seasoning for my taste, but everything on it was very fresh.

Irish (Middle) – ($5.00) – I’m a huge fan of NY Deli, so I decided to try the corned beef taco.  It’s made with a flour tortilla, house made corned beef that is slow roasted in cold barley soup (beer), and topped with sautéed cabbage, tater tots and spicy mustard.  The corned beef was definitely the star of the show.  It was as flavorful and salty as I expected it to be, and I could actually taste the beer it was slow roasted in.  The cabbage added a nice texture variation, and the spicy mustard was a great way to top it off.  I will be getting this one again on my next visit.

Steak (Right) – ($5.00) – My wife was with me for this review, and steak is one of her favorites, so we decided to give this one a try.  It’s made with a flour tortilla, marinated beef tenderloin, shredded cabbage, diced tomato, thinly sliced radishes, and topped with queso fresco crumbles and their cilantro Dive sauce.   The steak was fantastic!  It was very tender and had a nice beefy flavor.  The cabbage and sliced radish added a nice crunchy texture, and the queso and cilantro Dive sauce added a creaminess to it.  It was so good, we were fighting over the last few bites of it!

BBQ Pork Torta – ($7.00) – Now this is not something that I expected to find on the menu at a taco place.  It’s made with slow roasted pork, tossed in a Carolina BBQ sauce, and topped with a pineapple slaw.  The bun is from Miranda’s bakery in Fort Pierce.  I’m into BBQ and consider myself an experienced pit master, and this is really good pork.  With just the right amount of BBQ sauce, the pork was moist and tender.  The slaw was crunchy, a little sweet, and delicious!  This is one amazing torta!

In Conclusion:

I’ve had the opportunity to dine here twice now and both times I’ve been really impressed.  It is more upscale and trendier than I thought it would be, but still casual and family friendly.   While their main menu offerings are Mexican inspired, they do offer some additional choices that will please just about any diner.  Almost everything that comes out of the kitchen is scratch made so they can accommodate just about any request you might have.  From salads, nachos, tacos and tortas, to having some really great local beers on tap, this is definitely not your average “hole in the wall”

Have you tried Taco Dive?  What has your experience been with them?  Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.

Atmosphere – 5 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Address: 1901 14th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Phone: (772) 999-3607
Hours: 11:00 am til 9:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, 11:00 am til 10:00 pm, Fridays and Saturdays, closed on Sundays

Rita’s Italian Ice – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

As someone who lived in the Midwest for most of his life before moving to Vero, I got to experience the changing of the seasons.  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and the “Ice Cream” season.  What is the “ice cream season” you ask?  Most of the really good ice cream places tend to close up for winter since their products are not in high demand year round, especially when temperatures are below freezing outside.  One of the advantages of living in a warmer climate is we don’t have to suffer through the “ice cream” season and wait for the good ones to open back up in the spring.  Living in the south and a warmer climate definitely has its advantages.

My next tasting experience takes me over to Rita’s Italian Ice.  They are located off of US Hwy 1 in Vero Beach.  It’s nestled back in a shopping center near Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  I have to admit, I’ve not personally tried Rita’s because I did not think I would be a fan of the Italian ice.  I’m not a fan of snow cones, so I made the assumption that I would not like Italian ice either.  I could not have been more wrong.  The texture was WAY different that I was expecting and with the added custard or flavorings, it was smoother and creamier than I thought it would be. I was really surprised how good it was and how much I liked it.

Let’s dive right in and see what this place has to offer and what I had to eat!

Mango Vanilla Gelati – ($3.91 Inc Tax) – A Gelati is a combination of a flavored Italian Ice in the bottom of the cup, then it’s topped with their soft serve custard.  First off, the vanilla soft serve custard is fabulous!  It’s very smooth and creamy.  It has a higher fat content than regular ice cream does which helps give it that luxurious texture.  We ended up digging around the custard to get down to the mango Italian ice in the bottom, and it was really good too.  I can see why this is a top seller and a customer favorite!

Lemon Misto – ($4.33 Inc Tax) – Doesn’t that look like it would be refreshing on a hot day!  It’s made with Italian ice, real lemon with chunks of lemon peel, and a vanilla custard cream all blended together.  The flavor was bright and refreshing, and the texture was like a creamy slushy.  The vanilla custard, in this case, was more like a flavored heavy whipping cream, instead of the frozen soft serve custard, which made it easier to drink through a straw.

Brownie Sundae – ($5.62 Inc Tax) – I was excited to try this next one since brownies are one of my favorite desserts!  This is made with their vanilla soft serve custard, hot fudge, chunks of brownie, mini chocolate chips, whipped cream and a cherry on top.  The custard was smooth and creamy, the hot fudge was warm and delicious, and the chocolate chips added a nice texture variation.  The brownies had that satisfying chewy texture we all love about them, just like the little one bite brownies I think all of you foodies know about.  Hands down, my favorite dessert of the night!

Pumpkin Vanilla Gelati – ($3.91 Inc Tax) – In keeping with the time of year, Rita’s is offering this seasonal customer favorite!  It’s made with a pumpkin spiced Italian ice in the bottom of the cup, and their vanilla soft serve custard  on top.  The pumpkin spice flavored Italian ice seems to be a little bit creamier than I expected it to be, and the flavor was just right.  This holiday treat won’t be around much longer, so be sure to stop by soon if you would like to give it a try!

Blendini – ($4.44 Inc Tax) – Most every ice cream shop has their own version of this popular treat, and Rita’s is called the Blendini!  This is made with their vanilla soft serve custard , mint chocolate chip Italian ice, and Oreo cookies all blended together.  While it was thick and required a spoon to eat, it seemed a little bit lighter than others I’ve tried at the other competitors, and I think that is due to the addition of the Italian ice blended into it.  It was still rich, thick, and delicious, but not as heavy as you might expect.

In Conclusion:

Rita’s Italian Ice is definitely a contender with all of the other “ice cream” shops that we have around town.  Their custard and Italian Ice are second to none, and they definitely have a lot of variety for you to choose from.  My wife is a huge fan of ice cream, so we go out for it on a frequent basis.  Now that my misconceptions about Italian ice have been debunked, I definitely think Rita’s will become a regular stop for us when we are craving  sweet Italian treats!

Have you tried Rita’s Italian Ice?  What has your experience been with them?  Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.

Atmosphere – 4 Forks

Service – 4 Forks

Food – 4 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Address: 1355 US-1 #9, Vero Beach, FL 32962
Phone:(772) 770-0100

Hours:

Wednesday 12–8PM
Thursday 12–9PM
Friday 12–9PM
Saturday 12–9PM
Sunday 1–8PM
Monday 12–8PM
Tuesday 12–8PM

 

Wawa Celebrates Grand Opening of New Store in Vero Beach!

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

November 30th, 2016

One of the most highly anticipated new business openings in Vero Beach as of late has been the new Wawa station being built on US Hwy 1.  While Wawa does sell gasoline, most people say they are a restaurant and convenience store first, and a gas station second.  I’ve heard the rumors about the food being really good, but honestly how good can gas station food be anyway?  Everything that I did get to taste today was fantastic!  I was really surprised by all of the variety and options you have to choose from.  They have breakfast options that are available all day, soups, salads & wraps, hoagies & sandwiches, freshly made snacks, and quick grab and go options as well.  I hope to be going back very soon to do a complete food review, so stay tuned for that in the upcoming weeks!

To place an order for a food item, there are kiosks throughout the store.  You tap the screen to get started, select your options, place your order and get a ticket with an order number.  You then take that ticket to the register and pay for it.  I was told that they hope to have your order ready in only 5 minutes, so from the time of placing it and paying for it, you should only have to wait a short time for it.  I plan to test this out on one of my next visits to see if they can actually get them done in this short of  time.

Grand Opening Festivities

The store officially opens to the public tomorrow, December 1st at 8:00am.  Their Grand Opening festivities start at 10:00am.  There will be a parade of Wawa’s milestones, local representatives, members of the police & fire departments, and Wawa management and conclude with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  The Grand Opening event will conclude with Hoagies for Heroes, a hoagie building competition between local police and fire departments, who will face off in a battle of bravery, skill, and sandwich-making expertise.  The winning team will win $1,000 to be donated to their local charity of choice.

Below is a photo gallery of my visit today!

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About Wawa, Inc. Wawa, Inc:

A privately held company began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960’s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is the all-day, everyday stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. In 2015, Wawa was named “America’s Most Beloved Convenience Store” by a Market Force study of 7,000 consumers, and in 2016 Wawa was recognized by Forbes as one of “America’s Best Large Employers”, a survey-based ranking of employers offering the best associate experiences and strongest opportunities. A chain of more than 730 convenience retail stores (almost 500 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, built-to-order specialty beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides, and snacks.

The Vero Beach store is the 101st store in the Wawa family, and the 29th one to open in 2016.

Address:  1180 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach, FL 32960

Phone Number:  772-323-8736

 

A Vero Vine Thanksgiving

This year we had out of town relatives and “The Food Guy” here for Thanksgiving. We each decided to make a few dishes to spread out the work and add some variety this year. Stacy managed the mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, the cranberries, gravy and the world famous “Cook Family” broccoli casserole. Tom was on turkey duty, the stuffing, a dark chocolate cream pie, and deviled eggs.

This year we decided to keep it simple and make everything traditionally from top to bottom. The one exception was our dessert there we went completely ‘Over the Top’. Have a look at our Vero Beach Thanksgiving meal. If you are interested in any recipes or want to share your own we would very much appreciate you sharing with us this holiday.

The Turkey

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After 3 and 1/2 hours, this beauty emerges from the oven.  Tom and Stacy made an agreement before the baking to each share one “turkey oyster” each, which is usually a special treat for the one who carves the turkey.  The trick to keeping the breast moist is cheesecloth over the top and basted each hour with chicken stock and butter.  I learned this trick from Martha Stewart and have had successful results each year.

The Gravy

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We took all the drippings and started simmering. Slow and steady is the pace stirring in the flour.  Once thickened, we put it in the blender with all the giblets to make a very smooth texture and rich taste.

Deviled Eggs

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Creamy goodness best describes the texture of these light and fluffy bites. Tom prepared these with extra care blending all of the ingredients in a food processor to a smooth consistency. Then used a star tip and an icing bag to fill each egg.  They were then topped with sweet smoked paprika.

Mashed Potatoes

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As simple as it gets, Russet Potatoes, butter, salt, white pepper and half and half. Hand mashed and stirred to a fluffy consistency. Baked before serving to brown the hills and valley’s created with a spoon as a finishing touch.

Broccoli Casserole

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Stacy’s grandmother’s recipe. Always a favorite. The trick is the layers. It’s rich and a delicious compliment in between your turkey and mashed potatoe bites.

Sweet Potatoe Casserole

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Simple, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and brown sugar, this gets cooked twice before the marshmallows are melted on top. We like to char the top to give a slightly crunchy texture under that fluffy top.

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Is it relish or a sauce? We just call it cranberries. Not too sweet and a bit of tart is just right. A hint of clove in that brown sugary goodness. We use this to compliment every other bite.

Stuffing

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This is Tom’s grandmother’s recipe. What makes it so special you ask? It’s not so much the ingredients but the application as he stuffs it under the skin and in the cavity  of the bird.  This is where it picks up the extra flavor and stays so moist!  So simple, yet so good!

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

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Almost 100% from scratch, the only cheat was the Nutter Butter cookies crumbled for the crust.  We  then made a chocolate ganache with 60% dark chocolate chips and combined that with a block of cream cheese.  Then we folded in some whipped cream to lighten it up a bit.  To top if off, we made a peanut butter whipped cream and added some additional crumbled nutter butter cookies on top for decoration.

Other Desserts

You gotta get yourself a Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pie. Warning: Explicit Language. View Video.

Your local Vero Beach Foodies ready to pounce on some Turkey ‘n fixin’s.

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Give a shout out to your “Food Guy” or “Food Gal” in the comments below and tell us what your favorite dish was this holiday or even share a recipe.

From our families to yours, have a great holiday. See you around the town.

The 2016 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

It’s that time of year again as I head back to the 2016 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival and try all of the different dishes as we take our “trip around the world”.  Disney does a really great job in keeping with the authenticity of the dishes, yet making them palatable for the majority of the public that are not that adventurous of eaters.  I did notice that some of the more “exotic” items that were on the menu last year were not here this year.  I’m assuming that they did not sell as well as they had hoped.  A lot of the same options that I reviewed last year were back again, so I tried to sample some new ones, while still trying the standout dishes from last year to see if they are still as good, if not better.  My article will be a little bit different this year,  I will not feature everything that we ate, and just focus on my “Top ATE” dishes this year.

Without further ado, let’s jump right in and see what I had to eat!

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#8 – Germany – Schinkennudeln – ($3.75) – Coming in at number eight is a Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese.  The dish was like a hash brown casserole that had diced ham and what tasted like gruyere cheese in it.  If there was actual pasta in it, the texture seemed more like the shredded potatoes than  pasta to me.  Flavor was subtle, and I think it’s one of those dishes that would taste better the next day after the flavors have time to fully come together after being refrigerated.  Overall not bad, just not good enough to make it to the top of my list.

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#7 – Mexico – Barbacoa Enchilada – ($5.50) – Next up at number seven is this Barbacoa Enchilada from the Mexico booth.  It’s made with a corn tortilla, filled with beef barbacoa,  topped with Oaxaca mole sauce, and garnished with fried onions.  The corn tortilla was soft and had good flavor.  The beef barbacoa was seasoned well, the mole sauce was full of flavor and had just a tiny bit of heat to it.  I was a bit confused by the fried onions on top, as this does not seem traditional to me, but it did give a nice texture variation to the dish.

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#6 – Ireland – Warm Chocolate Pudding – ($3.75) – The first dessert to make my list is this wonderful chocolate pudding.  The pudding is not what you would expect  when you think of pudding, at least not for me.  It’s firmer than you think it would be, yet quite soft at the same time.  It has a cake-like texture, yet somewhat like a firm set pudding.  The custard sauce over the top tasted like Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur and was lightly sweetened.  The pudding was warm and had a wonderfully rich dark chocolate flavor.

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#5 – China – Beijing Roasted Duck – ($6.50) – Duck is one of my favorite meats, so it’s no surprise that this made it to my number 5 favorite dish this year.  It’s made with roasted duck and served in a steamed bun with hoisin sauce.  The duck was perfectly cooked and the skin was crispy.  The steamed bun was soft and very fresh.  The hoisin sauce was sweeter than I expected it to be.  At first, I actually thought it was plum sauce which is more traditional with roasted duck.  It was garnished with red onion and chives.  It was fabulous!

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#4 – Belgium – Belgian Waffle – ($3.75) – We had this dish last year and it was one of our stand-out favorites, so we definitely had to try it again.  It’s a traditional Belgian waffle served with berry compote and whipped cream on top.  The waffle itself was crispy, but I do wish that it had a tiny bit more malt flavor to take it over the top.  The berry compote was both sweet and tart at the same time and was delicious!

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#3 – New Zealand – Lamb Meatball – ($5.25) – I was a surprised at first when I received the dish pictured above, especially when I was expecting a meatball and got this.  I never actually saw the meatball, I just assumed it was in there somewhere.  It’s served in a bread bowl with a spicy tomato chutney served over the top.  I picked up the entire bread bowl and took a bite.  It was delicious!  The bread was soft and very fresh, yet held together under the meatball and the chutney very well.  The meatball was perfectly cooked and juicy, and the tomato chutney was sweet with a tiny bit of heat on the back end.

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#2 – Brazil – Escondidinho de Carne – ($5.00) – When I received this dish, I was really disappointed in the presentation.  I was hoping that it would taste better than it looked and thankfully it was way better than I expected it to be.   It’s also known as “Little Hidden One” and is a layered meat pie with mashed yucca.  In the bottom there is seasoned ground beef with mashed yucca on top, then it’s baked to a golden brown .  I would describe it as a Caribbean Sheppard’s Pie.  The seasoned ground beef tasted like the filling in an empanada, and the mashed yucca was smooth and creamy.  My wife and I were fighting over the last few bites of it, it was that good!

And finally the #1 dish from this year’s EPCOT Food & Wine Festival 2016 is. . .

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#1 – Canada – “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon – ($7.75) – Once again the Canadian booth continues to impress me with their offerings, and moving up from my number two spot on last year’s review is this fabulous wild mushroom filet mignon!   The filet was cooked to a perfect medium once again and is served with sautéed mushrooms in a truffle-butter sauce.  The cut of beef was extremely tender, the mushrooms were perfectly cooked, and the truffle-butter sauce was full of flavor!  An outstanding dish and well deserving of the number one spot on my “Top ATE” list!

In Conclusion:

How much did all of this fun cost us you ask?  We were really surprised when we got home and totaled up all of our receipts.  For everything that you saw in this post, and two people sharing each dish, our total was only $63.25!  Last year’s total was $64.25, so we ended up saving $1.00 this year!  Not too bad for all that we had.  Our total for the day, with a tank of gas and parking included on my wife’s annual pass, was just a little over $85.00!  Next year I will check the menu’s and see if they have made a dramatic enough of a change for me to go back and do this again, otherwise I will just wait a few years and try again when they have some newer dishes to offer.

Polo Deli – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

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My next tasting experience takes me over to the island side of Vero Beach, and this time to the Polo Deli.  This is the little brother to Polo Grill which I reviewed a few months ago.  Owners Kelly and John while traveling in Paris, came across a shop called Davoli and just fell in love with it.  It’s a gourmet deli and a specialty food shop that has been around for a long time.  They loved it so much, they decided to open their own version of it right here in Vero Beach.

It’s located at the south end of Ocean Drive, just down the street from Polo Grill.  They do have a parking lot that is located just off of Flamevine Lane for your convenience.  They primarily focus on take out since there is no dining room or outdoor seating available.  The day I had lunch there it was a beautiful day, so we just walked over to Humiston Park and had our lunch on a picnic table.  Polo Deli offers specialty sandwiches, salads, prepared dinner entrees, steaks, cheese, crackers, snacks, and of course a huge wine selection.  They just re-opened for “season”, so I thought it was the perfect time to give them a give them a try.

Now on to the food!  Let’s jump right in and see what I had to eat!

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Conch Fritters – ($12.99 per lb) – Up first to wet our appetites were these conch fritters.  We received them cold, but I think you can specify that you would like them warmed up.   They were chock full of conch and did not seem to have much filler in them.  The sauce served alongside was creamy, sweet, and had a tiny bit of heat.  My dining companion thought he tasted horseradish in it, but I did not.  I did taste what seemed to be seasoning salt.  They were really good!

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Floridian Shaker Salad – ($7.99) –  I’ve heard of and seen shaker salads before, but not had an opportunity to try one yet.  The Floridian is a quinoa and wild rice salad with dried apricots, shallots, a layer of lettuce, and diced chicken, with a mandarin sesame ginger salad dressing.  First, you take off the lid, remove the dressing.  There is another piece of plastic that needs to be removed that separated the dressing from the salad.  Once removed, you pour the dressing over the salad, then place the main lid back on and just shake it up.  We then poured it into a bowl and tried it.  It was awesome!  Everything was super fresh, the dressing had an Asian twist to it, and the chicken gave it that kick of protein it needed.  I’m definitely going back soon to get another one of these, it was that good!

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Swedish Chicken Sandwich – ($9.99) – One of the newer items on the menu this season is this chicken sandwich.  It contains sliced chicken breast, brie cheese, and Lingonberry sauce. You have your choice of bread it can be made on.  You can choose from a French baguette, whole wheat baguette, or a croissant which was my choice.   The croissant was buttery, light and flaky.  The chicken is sliced from a roasted chicken breast and is hormone & antibiotic free.  It was perfectly cooked and still very juicy.  The lingonberry sauce was sweet and tangy and took this sandwich over the top with that sweet and salty flavor combination that is so good!

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Hot Ham and Brie – ($9.99) – Stacy Cook was my lunch date for this review and this is his favorite sandwich here.  It’s made with sliced Duck Deli ham, brie cheese, lettuce and tomato on a French Baggett.  The ham was very fresh and sliced the perfect thickness, the brie was melted over the top and was very creamy.  I can see why this has been one of Stacy’s favorites and why it stays on the menu from year to year, it was fantastic!

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Chocolate Chip Cookies – ($0.00) – Why is the price zero you might ask?  That’s because you get one cookie with each sandwich or shaker salad purchase for FREE!  They are baked fresh in house each day and are a soft cookie with tons of chocolate chunks in them.  We let them sit out in the sun as we ate lunch and they were warm and gooey from the sun reheating them.  They were really great and a perfect way to round out our wonderful meal!

In Conclusion:

I’ve been hearing great things about this cool little ocean side deli and my experience here did not disappoint.  Everything that we tried was beyond fresh and full of flavor.   While I have not been to Davoli in Paris to make a comparison, Owners Kelly and John have done a great job putting a place together that I’m sure reflects similar offerings and atmosphere right here in Vero Beach that they can be proud of.

Have you tried Polo Deli?  What has your experience been with them?  Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.

Atmosphere – 5 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 5 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Polo Deli Facebook Page /  Polo Deli Information Page

Hours:  Monday – Saturday – 10:30am til 3:00pm Closed on Sundays

Address: 2916 Cardinal Dr, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: (772) 231-4091

 

The Yellow Rose Cakery – Business Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

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As a kid growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, my mom would always make my birthday or other special occasion cakes from “scratch”.  She would grab a box cake mix and a jar of icing off the shelf at the grocery store and make an 8 x 11 cake for me.  It was always frosted nicely and she would decorate the best she could, so to me, this was as great as cake was growing up.  As I got older and more interested in culinary arts, I actually took a special home economics cake decorating class in elementary school.  We learned all about baking and how to decorate cakes.  My final project was a Star Wars R2-D2 cake that I think turned out pretty good considering my age and experience level!  Later in life I was still interested in cake decorating, so my wife and I took a class from JC Penney’s when they used to offer them.  I never really got that good at it, but it was definitely a lot of fun and I did learn a thing or two about cake decorating.

In today’s cake making and decorating world, it’s a totally different animal than what I learned many years ago.  The baker has to be a visionary and an artist.  They have to take an idea and make it from nothing.  At The Yellow Rose Cakery, that visionary is Andi Brown.  She is the brains and artist that creates some totally amazing cakes for her customers.  From the basic to the extreme, she is able to take care of all her customer’s needs.  I had an opportunity to sit down with her recently and sample some of her cakes.

Let’s dive right in and take a look at what Andi made for us to try!

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All we could say was WOW once we saw what she made for us to try.  These are known as The Yellow Rose Cakery Industrials design and are $65.00 each and serve 20 people.  The price may vary slightly depending on the level of detail you would like, so be sure to ask Andi for additional details.  With these 5 cakes, there were over 100 servings of cake and there were only 6 of us at the tasting.  Needless to say, we all got to take a bunch of cake home.  Below I will dive into each individual cake and will give you the specific details of each one.

Let’s get started!

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This is one of her birthday cake designs and is 1/2 white and 1/2 chocolate cake.  There are four  layers of alternating cake flavors and are separated with a vanilla buttercream icing.  The outside is then iced with her vanilla buttercream, then painted with the rainbow colors and sprinkles are added for decoration. The meringue drops were bubble gum flavored and a nice touch.  This is perfect for the someone that likes a traditional flavored cake.

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This is unlike any other cake that I have heard of or tried before.  It’s a Pumpkin Pie layered cake.  So what does that mean exactly?  Andi makes a pumpkin pie the traditional way, then adds pumpkin flavored cake batter over the top of it, and bakes it all as one.  She does this multiple times, then uses those as the layers in the cake.  Here is the official description from her website:  “A layer of pie crust baked to golden brown and then a layer of pumpkin pie and a layer of pumpkin cake baked to perfection, then layered and iced with our vanilla bean buttercream.”  For the pumpkin spiced flavor aficionados, this is truly heaven on a plate.  When you cut it open, you can definitely see all of the different layers of the cake and the pie.  The pumpkin pie filling helps keep the cake very moist.  Surprisingly it did not seem as sweet as you think it might be with everything that it has going on.  I’ve heard she also does this same type of cake with an apple pie, so I’m looking forward to trying that one soon!

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Up next is Andi’s version of a red velvet cake.  It has multiple layers of red velvet cake with a vanilla bean buttercream icing in between each.  I don’t think I have ever tried a “real” red velvet cake before because this tasted different than what I was expecting. This is not your typical red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. Andi told us that a red velvet cake is kind of thought as a “garbage” cake because of all the ingredients used to make it.  The flavor was subtle, yet complex due to all of the different ingredients used.

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This is known as the Peachy F@#ckin Keen cake.  It’s a “spiced brown butter cake incorporated with diced and pureed peaches, then baked to a golden perfection. Layered with our Vanilla Bean Buttercream and fresh raspberry compote, then iced in our vanilla bean buttercream.”   This is one of Andi’s most popular cakes and award-winning too!  She recently competed in the Jeane Graves Charity Cupcake Challenge at the Heritage Center a few weeks ago and took first place in 3 of the 4 categories in the Professional Baker Division!  This cake reminded me of a light & fluffy peach bread pudding and had me wishing for a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go alongside it.  This is one awesome cake and was definitely our favorite of the night!

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Last but not least is Andi’s Lemon Blackberry Cake.  It’s a “light lemon zest cake incorporated with whole fresh blackberries layered with blackberry buttercream and fresh whole blackberries, then iced in our vanilla bean buttercream icing.”  The cake was very moist and the blackberries tasted very fresh.  The decoration at the top was a cinnamon crunch sugar cookie and was also quite tasty!

Photo Gallery Courtsey of Christina Klingler Photography

In Conclusion:

We were invited to attend a cake tasting at Isabella’s bridal, and I had no idea what to expect.  Most bakers just simply make a few cupcakes in their specialty flavors for potential clients to try.  Being that I am “The Food Guy” people tend to give me an over the top experience to write about.  This was definitely one of those over the top experiences.  We were simply blown away by the artistry and the cakes in all of the different flavors she made for us.  By the end of the tasting, the 6 of us there were happily sitting at the table enjoying our sugar comas.  All of Andi’s cakes are made from scratch, no box mixes here.  She even goes as far as making her own buttermilk and fondant too. She is also able to accommodate any of your personal needs, such as gluten-free, egg free, or even dairy free, so from traditional to a truly one of a kind cake, The Yellow Rose Cakery definitely has your needs covered!

Andi also makes cakes for a local charity called The Little Birthday Angels.  She donates cakes and cupcakes for them every month for their birthday parties!  LBA provides cakes to homeless children to help them celebrate their birthdays.  For more information about this charity, please visit littlebirthdayangels.org.

The Yellow Rose Cakery Website Link

The Yellow Rose Cakery Facebook Page

Phone Number:  772-766-9746

Southern Social – Restaurant Review

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

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Recently renamed to from Swine & Co.

Southern Social has been one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings in Vero since I started writing my restaurant reviews last November.  I’ve heard people around town talking about it, curious about when they will open, but I could not find much information about it on the internet.  I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to a soft opening this past Saturday night to get a closer look.  Nick and Angela Novak, owners of Filthy’s Fine Cocktails & Beer, are teaming up with a former Riverside Cafe employee John Scarr and Chef Mike Van Buskirk, of Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club and Cobalt.  They believe they have created something unique to the local restaurant scene.  Do they have what it takes to survive in the crowded, yet impressive restaurant space in Vero?  Let’s dive right in and see what this place has to offer.

They are located on 14th avenue, a little bit north of Baci Trattoria on the east side of the street.  They occupy the space that once housed Avanzare.  Street parking is available along 14th Ave, unfortunately do not have space for their own parking lot.  The building has gone through extensive renovations, so much that you would not recognize it if you dined at Avanzare previously.  The outside has been painted black and they added a large Southern Social sign in white on the front of the building.  Since I never had an opportunity to dine at Avanzare, I don’t know what the interior looked like, but it does appear that it got a complete makeover.  The interior design is what I like to call “gastro pub’ style, with the black ceilings, exposed air ducts, stained concrete floors, wood and metal chairs, rustic light fixtures with Edison bulbs, and reclaimed pallet wood on the walls with a large Southern Social. sign hung on it.  They have one wall with a leather booth and a communal high top table in the middle of the main dining room.

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Now on to my favorite part of the evening!  Let’s take a look and see what I had to eat and drink!

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Perfect Pear Margarita (Left) – ($10.00) – My wife joined me and this was the drink that she ordered.  It’s made with Partida Blanco tequila, Thacher’s Prickly Pear Liqueur, lime juice, and agave nectar, served over ice.  It was a little bit tart from the Thacher’s pear liqueur, yet you could still taste the generous pour of the tequila.  The black you see on the glass is a black salt to complete the margarita presentation.

How Tea Shuld Bee (Right) – ($10.00) – When we got the two drinks, we were confused, since the name of mine had “tea” in it, and the taller glass actually looked like it had tea in the bottom of it.  The smaller glass actually looked like something a margarita would be served in.  It contains Milk Washed Tea Vodka, honey syrup, lemon, and salt. It must have had a fair amount of lemon in it because it was very tart.  The honey syrup did help to sweeten it a little bit.  I tend to like my drinks sweeter, so needless to say this was not my “cup of tea” so to speak, but if you like tart drinks, you’ll love this one.

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Deviled Eggs – ($9.00) – Made the traditional way, but kicked up a notch by adding candied bacon and chives, it gave them a slightly sweet and smoky flavor from the candied bacon, and the chives gave it a subtle onion flavor. I don’t make these that often outside of the holidays, but I should considering how good they are.  I’m also stealing their idea and adding bacon to my recipe since they were so good with it.

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Fried Green Tomato BLT – ($14.00) – Up next is a twist on a classic dish.  It’s made with green tomatoes that have been battered and fried, then topped with pimento cheese sauce, next is a slice of roasted pork belly, and finally topped with fried greens as a garnish.  The tomatoes were nice and crispy, but I thought were a little bit under seasoned.  The saltiness of the pork belly did make up for what the tomatoes were lacking in seasoning.

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Southern Ramen – ($17.00) – I’m embarrassed to admit that as a foodie, this was my first ever bowl of ramen.  If they are all as good as this one was, then I have definitely been missing out.  It’s made with braised pork, a soft cooked egg, mushrooms, cilantro, a spicy chili sauce., and topped off with green onions as a garnish.  With a name like Southern Social the pork had better be spectacular, right?  In this case, it was!  The pork was moist, tender, and very flavorful.  The ramen noodles were plentiful, and seemed to be bathing in a wonderful pork broth.  Hands down, my favorite dish of the night and the one I am going to order next time I eat here.

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Pork Tenderloin – ($18.00) – Once again they prove why the name Swine is first on the sign, because they have made another excellent pork dish.  It’s cooked via the Sous Vide method, then grilled.  Served over brussel sprout leaves, a sweet corn succotash, and finished with a bourbon molasses reduction sauce.  The pork was fork tender and out of this world good.  The brussel sprout leaves were perfectly cooked, and the sweet corn succotash was excellent.  The bourbon molasses sauce was sticky and sweet, and paired well with the pork.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse ($7.00) – I did not see the dessert offerings on the menu, so we asked our waitress what our options were.  When she said “Chocolate and Peanut Butter” she had my attention, and I said I’ll have one of those!  Served in a small glass jar, was this smooth and creamy peanut butter mousse that had chocolate chips in it, topped with a round of chocolate, then topped with whipped cream and mint leaves.  For those that love chocolate and peanut butter, this dessert is hard to beat!

In Conclusion:

Southern Social is definitely filling a void in the Vero restaurant scene that is unlike any other that I am aware of.  With the semi-industrial, yet comfortable atmosphere, their unconventional dishes and drinks, I think they definitely have the winning formula to bring people back time and time again. “Creative Food with Southern Charm” is what Southern Social is all about and they certainly deliver both very well.

Have you tried Southern Social?  What has your experience been with them?  Sound off in the comments below and let me know your thoughts, or feel free to email me at thefoodguy@verovine.com with your questions or comments.

Atmosphere – 5 Forks

Service – 5 Forks

Food – 4 Forks

Ratings Scale Legend:

1 to 5 Forks – 1 Bad to 5 Excellent

Southern Social Website

Southern Social Facebook Page

Southern Social, 1932 14th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960, USA

(772) 205-2212

Hours: Open 7 days a week, 4:00pm til 10:00pm, Brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 10:00am til 4:00pm.

The 2016 Jeane Graves Charity Cupcake Challenge

by Thomas Miller – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine

The Heritage Center in downtown Vero Beach this past weekend hosted the 7th Annual Jeane Graves Charity Cupcake Challenge.  Bakers that entered the contest competed in two divisions, professional and individual bakers.  A total of eleven bakers were in the competition this year,  three of which were in the professional division. Cupcakes were judged in four different categories:  Best Decoration, Best Cupcake, Best Frosting, and Best Overall Cupcake.  The bakers were asked to bring a total of 5 dozen cupcakes to the competition.  One dozen cupcakes will be on display to showcase their work, and the others are cut into bite sized pieces for the public that attended to try and vote for their favorites.

Individual Baker Winners:

Best Decoration:  Butter Beer by Allie Havie
Best Cupcake:  Molten Lava Cauldron Cakes by Joseph & Owen Polackwich
Best Frosting: Tie – Bananas Over You by Amber Skubal & Katy Hall
Molten Lava Cauldron Cakes by Joseph & Owen Polackwich
Best Overall Cupcake: Butter Beer by Allie Havey

Professional Baker Winners:
Best Decoration:  Peachy Keen by Andi Brown – The Yellow Rose Cakery
Best Cupcake:  Peachy Keen by Andi Brown – The Yellow Rose Cakery
Best Frosting:  Raspberry Filled Lemon Poppy Seed by Roxane Gibbons of R Cakes
Best Overall Cupcake:  Peachy Keen by Andi Brown – The Yellow Rose Cakery

Congratulations to all the winners!

More about the charity:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s.  The Cupcake Challenge event is put on by the family and friends of Jeane Graves who had Parkinson’s disease.  After a teaching career, she enrolled in the Indian River State College Culinary Program, became a chef and owned her own restaurant Hibiscus Coffee and Tea.  Team Fox members raise funds for the foundation through local fundraisers and participating in sporting events.  For more information on Team Fox, visit TeamFox.org.

Contact Janie Graves Hoover at 772 473 3410 or janietv@yahoo.com for more information.