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About Ed Martin's Best Bytes:
I pay for
all food and do not tell the restaurant I am writing about them until after I pay, if I need to ask some questions.
I will post your suggestions and try them over time. We might even have a
prize for the reader suggesting the best pizza in Venice, perhaps a free pizza courtesy of Insideveniceflorida.com
ED
Sonny's
Continuing our tour of BBQ I visited Sonny's, (US41, north of E.Venice Ave) for some sliced pork.
A good time to go is on Wednesday when sliced pork is all you can eat for
$7.99 with two side dishes. I usually go with the baked beans and
coleslaw, but there are three kinds of potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, potato salad and garlic or cornbread.
The sliced pork plate usually comes with two slices of garlic bread, but I ask for a bigger hamburger-type bun, and make a huge sandwich with coleslaw and a mix of hot and sweet
sauces.
Its good stuff, and you can get refills on meat and sides and bread. So eat too much if you dare.
Iced tea, sweet or unsweet is a refillable item for $1.85, and they will put it in a cup to go if you wish.
So with the Gold Rush, (Business 41 across from the Rialto Shopping Center) for "pulled" pork and Sonny's for sliced, I never lack. Ribs are good at both places.
Enjoy!
The Gold Rush.
The Chopped Pork sandwich, $5.79 with one side, is a meal. The oversize bun is stacked with about a half-pound of meat and sauce. On the table you can add more of the regular sauce or a hot
version. The meat is smoky, chewy without being tough and thoroughly satisfying. It takes some effort to finish this without being stuffed. There are eight “sides” to chose among, French fries, garlic mashed potatoes, corn
on the cob, green beans, baked beans, coleslaw, applesauce or corn bread. I can vouch for both kinds of potatoes, the corn, baked beans, and my usual choice —a
generous side of coleslaw. I add some to the sandwich along with some hot sauce. A large size, free refills, ice tea is another $1.99. As they say in Alabama, “Y’all come!”
A Stromboli that “Mama” would like to have made.
Imagine a delicious pizza crust, folded and stuffed with melted cheese and four toppings from what Amore’s (2357 S. Tamiami Trail—
in a small mall just opposite where 776 intersects with 41), calls “Traditional Toppings.
The “small” ($6.50) always is more than I can eat although my taste buds will fight for more. Traditional toppings include:
pepperoni, sausage, garlic, meatballs, ground beef, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, ham and black or green olives. I have chosen various items from this list on different visits, most
recently, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and sausage. It was a winner! There are additional choices of ingredients for .50 cents each.
Amore’s pizza is, as you might imagine is really good, which leads me to invite readers to recommend their favorite pizzas.
I will post your suggestions and try them over time. We might even have a prize for the reader suggesting the best pizza in Venice,
perhaps a free pizza courtesy of Insideveniceflorida.com
December 1, 2006
Sauerkraut Soup? Cuban Sandwich?
I have been getting feedback on Best Bytes and suggestions from friends and readers. I encourage readers to give me
tips on favorites and to write in your views on the Best Bytes I have selected. So far I have gotten good feedback on Ilia’s and Bit of Boston and no bad feedback.
Barbara Calamaras tells me that she and former Mayor, Dean, like the sauerkraut soup and the Cuban sandwiches
at the Cockpit Café, which is at 400 East Airport Avenue, in a building shared with a rental car company. The Café is operated by Jarda and Kirsten Hornacek. As the name suggests, Jarda is a
native of the Czech Republic and has “real” chef credentials.
I tried the Cuban sandwich ($6.50 with chips—fries $1.50 extra) and can recommend it although it would make my
purist son cringe because it has mayonnaise liberally applied. The traditional sandwich usually has only mustard and pickle slices to go with the pork, ham and cheese. The Cockpit’s Cuban bread
is very good. To be fair most places, even in Tampa, put mayo on, some even lettuce and tomato—and if you are a purist tell them to hold the Mayo. The café is open for breakfast and lunch and
has a very reasonable breakfast special advertised. Enjoy- con much gusto, (my Czech is rusty.)
November 17, 2006
Amazing Chicken” at Thai Bistro, (not “hot”)
“Amazing” with a choice of chicken, pork or beef, in a mild and delicious coconut sauce with creamed peanuts, tiny bits of scallions and red bell pepper, and
delicately flavored with touches of lemongrass, is a real best buy, or Best Byte for lunch, $5.95, including a cup of delicious chicken rice soup. If you want shrimp it is $2.00 more. At dinner
the cost is a modest $8.95.
If you fear “hot” don’t worry, the wait person will ask you if you want Mild, Medium of Hot, or you can have none at all, just the luscious coconut, peanuts and
herbs.
Thai is lighter and more flavorful than the usual Chinese in this area, which on buffets tends to be heavy and a bit greasy. While these buffets can be pleasing
and generous, they pale in comparison with the Chinese cuisine one might get in a restaurant where there is a population of Chinese people who are restaurant goers.
I have had a number of dishes at Thai Bistro, 537B Venice Avenue East, (in the shopping center just past Patches). Other favorites include Panang or Musaman Curry;
“Ginger” with choice of meat sautéed in fresh ginger, sweet bell peppers, straw mushrooms and onions; or Cashew Nut, sautéed nuts, onions, celery, bell peppers, water chestnuts and scallions.
All are $5.95 at lunch.
The small, (about 18 seats), storefront restaurant is open seven days a week. Lunch is 11:00-2:30 Monday through Saturday. Dinner from 5:00 p.m.-9:00 except until
9:30 Friday and Saturday. Phone (941) 484-8458; fax 484-0056, credit cards.
October 29, 2006
"Another rotten day in paradise...."
I went by Hermann's market, on Shamrock, for their grilled outside house made sausage. It is worth a trip, and a
$3.00 its a steal. The hotdogs at $2.00 are also terrific. They have chicken and ribs at $4 and $5 respectively, but I have not tried them.
Across the street from Hermann's at the Venice United Church of Christ was an outdoor afternoon Jazz concert.
So I sat in the shade of the big Live Oaks, cooled by the breeze, munched a great sandwich and listened to the very pleasing sounds of Don Riddell and the Hepcats. Riddell is a pianist,
influenced by the great Bop pianist, Bud Powell and he and the group play a mix of ballads we all enjoy, blues and compositions by Powell, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and more. Joe
Brenner is a fine soloist on the rarely heard valve trombone and on flute, and Sherrell McCants played solid bass. Marty Surak swung nicely on drums and vocalist Bev Gerety was pleasing
and added a nice counterpoint to the instrumentals.
Riddell, et.al. will be performing at the church, 620 Shamrock Blvd. 7 to 9 p.m beginning Sunday, November
19th. They will appear on the first and third Sundays of the month through the season. Check them out. Admission is $5.00 and expect guest musicians to drop by.
October 27, 2006
Gigi and Lisa at Bit of Boston
1939 S. Tamiami Trail,
Venice.
The Best Fish Sandwich in
Venice. Having grown up near the ocean and visited all the
Atlantic and Pacific coast states (save
Alaska), I have tasted great fresh fish. I have never had a better grilled Cod sandwich than made by Gigi and Lisa
at Bit of Boston, 1939 S. Tamiami Trail,
Venice. At $6.50 with Fries or a vegetable and cole slaw it is a bargain and a genuine Inside Venice
I have never had any fish, clams, scallops, etc. there, grilled or fried, that wasn't terrific. The chowder is very good too.
October 17, 2006
Ilia’s Mediterranean Cuisine
625 S. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis, 34275
Park Isles Plaza, (about ½ mile north of Albee Road and across from Kile’s Ace Hardware.) Tuesday through Friday,
11:30 a.m-9:00p.m.
Sat.,Sun., Mon. 4-9. (May be closed Sun. or Mon. in Summer).
(941) 480 —0095.
Salads and Appetizers, $5.95-6.95
Main Courses, $10.95-18.95
Desserts, $4.95
Beer and Wine.
Credit Cards. Accessible by wheelchair.
“Poli kala!” I answered when chef and owner Ilia Tasho and his wife, Liliana, asked how we liked our meal. In my dozen words of tourist Greek, it means,
“Very well, thank you,” or “very good.” And that is the bottom line about Ilia’s —this new restaurant, serves very good food, all Mediterranean
influenced and some spectacularly Greek. There are two dining rooms comfortably appointed with banquettes and tables. Four of us tried sharing three appetizers, and had four separate main
courses. Coincidentally, three friends were in the restaurant and afterwards gave their dishes excellent reviews. We started with three Greek appetizers, Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves); roasted
eggplant spread, (known in Greek at Melitazanosalata and in Arabic as Baba Ganoush), and spinach pie in fine, thin, Phylo dough, (Spanikopita.).
The Dolmades were fresh, perfectly spiced and disappeared quickly. The roasted eggplant was obviously house-made, wonderfully smoky, sparkled with bits of
tomato, and drew raves. Ilia called it “the real thing.” All the pita disappeared quickly and we asked for another hot, fresh, refill. The Spanikopita, also available as a main course, was
excellent- light, flaky, and subtly flavored.
At that point we began thinking we could have made a meal of these and perhaps a few more, the Tzsatziki, (yogurt, bits of cucumber and onions and garlic)
and for me, at least, the grilled octopus, which I had on an earlier visit. We often ate like that in little Greek tavernas set against the mythical Aegean.
The main courses did not disappoint, although there was a need for a few “doggy bags” for the portions were generous. The traditional Greek Moussaka,
($10.95) was topped by béchamel and was judged excellent. Red Snapper, one choice for the fish of the day, was topped with a luscious sauce of tomato, eggplant, capers, raisins and garlic. This
was a dish that could be found anywhere along the Mediterranean, from Spain to the Middle East. One of my friends had the same dish with Tilapia and said it was excellent.
A Greek Country Steak, ($15.95) was topped with peppers, onions and feta cheese, and while a bit overcooked was savored. My companion had ordered it
“medium-well done,” and did not fault the presentation. He said that such an order in various restaurants often led to a bit more cooking than he preferred.
Roasted Lamb, Pork Kabobs and Chicken Gyro plates all got favorable reviews. There are a variety of chicken dishes, ($12.95), with one topped with
fruit and almonds providing another example of dishes from the larger Mediterranean area, including North Africa. We hardly had room to share a custard-based Galaktaburiko, which won top
reviews. All the deserts were $4.95 and made in the restaurant.
Our friends had Ravani, a sponge cake, honey and walnut creation, Baklava-layers of phylo filled with walnuts and honey and a Greek rice pudding. They
reported all were judged excellent.
Wines, reasonably priced by the glass, were from Greece, Chile, Italy and the United States and the ones we sampled were pleasing.
Try Ilia’s if you enjoy Mediterranean food. I don’t know the Greek word —but a New York equivalent is “Enjoy!”
*****
Ed Martin, has published more than 100 restaurant reviews in area newspapers, covering the area from Punta Gorda to northern Manatee county.
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