Avacado stuffed with tuna tartar, and cream cheese, Executive Sous Chef Adrian Quesada, topped this with spicy mayo and tobiko then lightly torched this melange and served it with wonton chips. We were hooked!Executive Sous Chef Adrian Quesada for the past 4-years, putting the finishing touches on our Avocado Suchi dish-some fire to meld it all together.
AmericanPressTravelNews-January 1st, Bob & Barb “On the Road Again” stopping at the Kaiyogrill & Sushi Dining Establishment-Islamorada, FL Keys. When we visited this upscale, yet laid- back restaurant decorated in a distinctly Asian motif, totally reminiscent of some of the fanciest sushi bars and restaurants found in larger cities such as Miami, Orlando, New York, we felt right at home. But here it is, gourmet sushi and delightful grill right in the middle of Islamorada, between the Atlantic and a thousand feet to the Gulf of Mexico too! Just about any type of sushi, sashimi, rolls, and a wide variety of hot dishes such as steaks, scallops, stuffed shrimps and lobster tails can be had here, grilled and sumptuous. Executive Sous Chef Adrian Quesada introduced us to their Asian Fusion themed food emporium and we were very impressed. There is a hot and cold kitchen, open six days per week. He described their Udon Noodles (we’re going back to slither some down the pipeline, their “Drunken Scallops” in a beer sauce, and a variety of offerings (see their online menu) that had the juices steadily flowing. Kaiyogrill & Sushi will have their own page in our “Florida Keys Best Restaurants” book coming out in late February. go: www.kaiyoGrill.com (305)-664-5556
Barb getting ready to put on her gourmet face at Kaiyogrill!How about bread pudding stuffed with banana? We left no one standing for this dessert! Fresh made is how we roll!
An American Caribbean vista, by Elihana Epstein.(my grandaughter!!
American Press Travel News-May 23rd,-excerpt from “43-Bridges to the Florida Keys”-Bob and Barb-Authors: The easy guides to your motoring whereabouts in the Keys are “mile markers”. Starting at Mile Market 124 (MM124) at the beginning of the 18-mile stretch into the Keys, to Mile Market 0 (MM 0) at the Southernmost Point of the United States in Key West. These are small green markers at roadside mark each mile into our island paradise.
Many early settlers of the Keys came from the Bahamas, where the Queen Conch, (a large marine snail), is a staple food. For this reason, their descendants are often called “conchs”. The “h” is silent and the word pronounced as if it were spelled “conk”
Spanish names are amongst the oldest on the continent. The Spanish name for our islands was “Cayos de los Martires”, Islands of the Martyrs. Cay, pronounced “key” is the Spanish word for island and accounts for the American name, the Florida Keys.
The Keys are part of Monroe County and the Everglades’ National Park takes in almost all of the mainland area of Monroe County as well as most of Florida Bay. The southeastern boundary line is the Intercoastal Waterway, only about a mile or so from U.S. 1, the Overseas Highway.
The Park area is about one and a half million acres, most of which are wetlands consisting of either fresh or brackish water flowing through the saw grass. The Park was established to basically protect and preserve wildlife and the integrity of these major wetland areas. Here is where the wet and wild contains a plethora of wildlife—a hundred different bird species, alligators, panthers, deer and even the saltwater crocodile which is highly protected as an endangered species.
Other National and State Parks in the Keys are John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and The Federal Marine Sanctuary on Key Largo at MM 102.5, Long Key State Recreation Area at MM 65 and Bahia Honda State Park MM 36. In all of the parks, the emphasis is on water related recreation. There are fees for all parks. Camping space may be reserved. Pets are not permitted overnight.
The jewels of the Keys are the reefs. The only living natural coral reefs on this continent, but they are not the only treasures found off the shores of the Keys. Gold, silver and precious gems also litter the sea floor, from the holds of Spanish treasure galleons caught in hurricanes a century and more ago. At Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum in Key West, you can touch gold bars, see jewelry once worn by Spanish aristocrats and learn how it was all found and recovered from beneath the sea. Check out Amazon for a look at “43-Bridges to the Florida Keys” It’s the official historical guide to America’s tropical islands!!!
My biggest Muskie, at Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin. Caught my first two muskies on a fly- 59 inches and 51 inches 2-casts, two muskie. Blew that 10,000 cast fable right out of the water! Had a great guide who knew where they lived in the rice, near Boulder Lake! Strip, strip 6-inch strips, bang!!!!! 6-pound smallmouth on the fly, fought harder, though!
APtravelnews-August 25th, Dallas, TX.–Barb and I travel by any mode possible in the U.S. Plane, train, motorcoach, car, bike, trek. Tip (1) However, wherever we go we allow day in for decompression and a day out for decompression. Long hours in the travel mode takes a toll on your body and mind, so pace your selves and always add enough time for your “fun” trip rushing here and there is not the best option for fun, its a guarantee of burn-out! Tip (2) Wherever you go, pay attention to the water; don’t drink it if it’s not from a sealed trust-able bottle-period! What you put in your mouth, even when brushing your teeth, or washing up can be bad for your health. Tip(3) don’t buy food from street vendors, health requirements and food spoilage in too many countries is often not up to the highest cleanliness standards-don’t play Russian Roulette with you food (just ask my mom what happened to her in Morocco when she against our warning ate from a street vendor-it wasn’t pretty, but she did survive! This also goes for foreign restaurants as well. Make sure a trusted local advises as to where you eat. Tip (4) Today, more than ever just don’t go where there is a high possibility of danger. Check online and with the State Department of where there is the most possibility of “bad actors.” Then just don’t go there! Tip (5) Avoid traveling by air unless there just is no other way! Barb and I have a plan on this. If we have to travel (have to for business or pleasure) we drive if the location is 1000 or less miles. So, if we have to travel (have to is the key word here) well more than a thousand miles we fly or if we can take the train. Always remember; flying is costly beyond the stupid airfare-car rental, the hassle of being on someone else’s time-clock! Tip (6) research before you travel, not when you get to your destination. This way you can adjust your schedules, find places that are a must-visit beyond the brochures and check out trip advisories and “real” travelers comments on what they experienced where you will be going to stay, play and feed your selves with!
Well, that’s enough to digest for now, but always remember when you leave your home you are always at the mercy of the world at large, just in a bigger way than the general safety of your home turf!
5 -Generations of this family have been in the coffee business with Cafe Lareno coffee. We made sure to take some home too!Just served Puerto Rican style beef stew and a pork specialty platter. Rice beans, plantains-a hearty delicious set of dishes!
APtravelnews-April 8th, Rustico in Port St. Lucie, West, FL.–Cuisine, authentic cuisine of every country is definitely a treat to me and Barb! Flavors (sabors) of often unique spices, seafood’s, fish and preparations of “everything island” is what we just found at Rustico.
This is a nice and airy, restaurant with lots of smiling wait staff and dishes you most definitely would have to boat or fly to Puerto Rico to experience. WOW! what a great luncheon meal! a pork platter, a platter of beef stew, both with perfect rice, sweet plantains, red beans with potatoes, and both dishes enough for an extra meal tomorrow! We also had a real Puerto Rican Flan dessert made with Guava flavor and very interestingly different from our regular Cuban Flan-we loved it too! We found out that the family of Umberto Torres, his wife and mom are from a 5th generation family in the coffee business called Cafe Lareno. We took some home too! Rustico Chef Steve Beerly did a fine job of laying out our lunch feast that everyone that visits Rustico will enjoy. They are open for Breakfast and Lunch from 7 am to 3 pm every day. Rustico is located next door to Berry Fresh on Port St. Lucie West Blvd. at 1724 SW St. Lucie, West Port St. Lucie. Phone them at 772- 333-0776
Recommended by Bob and Barb, food-o-philes, yet still able to fit in our clothes!
Supremely excellent coffee and a Pina Colada that was quite delicious!Rustico Barrista presents us with a Cappuccino and a Pina Colada-umm, umm, good!These two lovely local women love this place, “great meals, great coffees, and terrific desserts” they said!
