Let's start at Indochinois, where I tried Vietnamese food for the first time. Love! Lemongrass beef skewers were divine.
The entree of rice paper wraps with grilled meat, rice noodles, chili paste, fresh veggies and mint leaves was light yet filling at the same time. The dessert of coconut green tea ice cream garnished with fresh basil was creamy but balanced. So nice.
The next night was at Berns, a hallmark of fine dining in Tampa Bay and one of the best steakhouses in the country. The meal started with the waiter's recommendation of tuna tartar. It was the nicest tartar I've had with large chunks of incredibly flavorful tuna.
Soup and salad were very simple and very good. French onion soup and a composed garden salad. Nothing fancy but it was consistent and tasty.
You can't eat at Berns and not get steak. The different cuts are each aged for 5-8 weeks and lose about 70% of their weight during the aging process. You can taste the developed flavor because they don't do very much to the meat, frankly because they don't need to.
The potato was either a croquette or baked on the side with bacon, sour cream and butter. When you're going for gluttony, why not have your potato all the way? There was a lovely bottle of California zinfandel, also at the waiter's suggestion, that was enjoyed thoroughly.
After an educational tour of the kitchen, which runs like a fine Swiss watch, came a trip upstairs to the dessert room. What a gem! Decadent doesn't begin to describe the flight of scotch and the ultimate ice cream sundae with macadamia nut and chocolate ice cream with warm chocolate fudge.
Nice action shot, right?
After a final indulgent dinner at my parents' house tonight, the coming week will include nothing but home cooked food. You can be sure that I'll have plenty to write about!
