American Press Travel News–February 11th–Bob and Barb “On The Road Again” and dining our way along the Treasure Coast of Florida. Under new management, several changes were made including brightening up a formerly dark place. Today, home made, traditional Italian desserts and specialty offerings are part of a 200-hundred item menu. Home made soups, large portions of accompanying pastas, and a wide variety of salads, and specialty items grace the multi-page menus. We jumped into stuffed pepper soups, and a Fagioli accompanied by great garlic knots (rolls). Then out came a delicious cheese pizza, followed by a terrific eggplant and a chicken Parmigiana. We loved the sauces that were less acidic then what we remembered having at more than one or another Italian restaurant. We like that acoustically, the restaurant was not noisy despite the fact that there were many patrons dining there. We did really finish off our meals with two spectacular made in house desserts: Tiramasu beyond belief in taste and Tur Tofo, an Italian ball of ice creams covered in dark chocolate. Frankly, two of the best desserts I’ve had in a long time. Located off of NW St.Lucie Blvd. Opening soon is their new deli, too!
American Press Travel News–November 29th, Port St Lucie, FL.-Bob and Barb–Stopping to Have the Corned Beef & Cabbage at Shindig Irish Restaurant & Pub. When we met Bob Beepat, owner operator of Shindig, I realized this restaurant has much more than great foods and spirits. There is a personality here, not just in the great décor, but obvious from the way from owner to chef, waitstaff to bartenders people are happy here and it shows loud and clear. Chef Carlos Rosa is exuberant about Shindig he said that “everything is made fresh here, we take great pride in buying local and fresh, People come in to have fun and a social experience, that mixed with a great Stout and some corned beef and cabbage make life long memories.”Barb and I shared several dishes of course one being Corned Beef and Cabbage, another was a drunken Pork Chop and the chips were amazing; made in-house daily and delicious dipped in a tasty sauce. The salmon was glazed and the desserts such as Irish Bread Pudding and a chocolate volcano. A glass of Stout really helped make my day. I felt that I was in a real Irish Pub in Port St Lucie.
Shindig Irish Restaurant and Pub
464 SW Port St Lucie Blvd, Port Saint Lucie, FL 34953
(772) 785-6202
AmericanPresstravelNews-March 3rd-Plant City, FL- Bob & Barb this time “Stopping to Smell and Taste the Strawberries”-Strawberry Festival WOW’s untold thousands and here are some of the images we made of some fun things we saw: Show is on through March 12th. Check out their website to order tickets on-line. We just missed Willie Nelson, but every day there are great shows, singers, bands, old fashioned fiddling, you name it! Website: www.flstrawberryfestival.com We Loved It!!!!!!!!!
WWW.AMERICANPRESSTRAVELNEWS.COM – Jan 25th, Berea College, KY.-Bob & Barb “On the Road Again” and “Stopping to Smell the Roses, We dined at the Historic Boone Tavern Restaurant, a place to to enjoy traditional and modern offerings of excellent cuisine, libations and a feeling that you’ve come home to family. Don’t remember when I felt this way before on any writing assignment, needing to researching the essences of a “place in time and space.” Berea founded in 1885 started and has grown to be a college of highly respected by it’s Alumni, professors, college staff, especially students and their families and friends. We spent two nights at Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant. We visited all their crafts departments, ate dinner at their restaurant, met and interviewed students, instructors, the 500-acre farm Director, ate and purchased the makings of what has become a century old tradition of “Spoon Bread” with all or almost all ingredients produced on their working student operated farm. I guess what really shone through throughout our stay and experiences was the deep respect for the work ethic and cooperative nature of the peoples that made up the “Berea Experience.” Today Berea is know as the “Crafts Capital of Kentucky” and for very good reason, crafts in woodworking, pottery, broom making, farm-craft among others, are taught, created and sold in the many crafts shop both in Berea, state and nationwide.
We settled in comfortably in a great King bed, bath and beyond, and were spoiled rotten at the Tavern. Our waiter (student) brought us our Fried Green Tomato Salad, out of their farm gardens, a traditional dish offered here for many decades-” Chicken Flakes in a Birds Nest”and Barb’s opted for glazed salmon. We had a Bourbon, local wine, and a real Mint Julep, all KY. style. The special Souffle’ like Spoon Bread was fantastic and has been served here for more than 70-years, an Appalachian traditional recipe.
We finished, or they finished us off with a Pecan Pie with crust steeped in chocolate and a Caramel swirl and a nice big square of bread pudding. We slowly walked out for a longer walk around the block before heading up to our room for some hot showers. Go to Berea, visit the school and all its craft programs, stay at the Historic Boone Tavern, get spoiled at lunch or dinner, talk to some of the students, stop by at the nearby Kentucky Artisan Center to make a hand-made craft of a lifetime. I promise you will come away wishing as we did, to have gone to school there yourself. www.berea.com