Ella’s Soul Food Sundays – Tampa, FL

 

I ate at Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café for the first time last month (see this post) and was blown away by the food.  Even before that, I’d heard high praise for their Soul Food Sundays.  Unfortunately Lance and I rarely have Sundays off together (downside of working retail…) so we hadn’t gotten the chance to try it out.

 

He’s been scheduled to work Thanksgiving night next week, so as compensation they gave him this Sunday off.  First time we’ve had a weekend day off together since Easter! 

Since I’ve heard that Ella’s gets packed on Sundays, we got there a half hour before they opened just to be safe.  There were already about a dozen people in line before us, and by opening time at 11am, nearly 50 people were in line!

 

 

We sat out on the patio to enjoy the nice weather and started with breakfast cocktails – I had their famous Bloody Ella, and Lance had a Mango Mimosa.  Lance’s drink was very sweet – there were so many mimosa flavors to pick from, but he seemed happy with the choice of mango. 

 

 

 

Their version of a Bloody Mary is garnished with an olive, lime, and a whole hickory smoked rib!   The drink itself was a bit spicier than I’m used to, but it was worth it just for the rib – I should have ordered a whole rack of them. 

For my meal I ordered the Funky Monkey Waffle – topped with Nutella, banana, and toasted peanuts.  I of course loved it, but Lance’s meal was really the one that stood out.  He had the Smoked & Fried Chicken and Waffles with a side of collard greens.  The chicken is marinated in buttermilk and tarragon, hickory smoked, then Corn Flake fried.  The two drumsticks and thigh were served with a Belgian waffle and bourbon maple gravy. 

 

It was the best fried chicken either of us had had in our lives.  The meat was juicy and bursting with flavor, and while most fried chicken has greasy skin, the corn flake exterior was perfectly crispy. 

 

The huge meal held us over until dinnertime.  After brunch, we stopped by Treasure Island Beach to check out their Sanding Ovations sand sculpting competition.  They’ll still be up for 3 more weeks if you have the chance to see them yourselves!

 

Ella’s Americana Folk Art Cafe is located at 5119 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33603 and is open 5pm – 11pm Tuesday through Thursday, 5pm – 12am Fridays and Saturdays, and 11am – 8pm on Sundays.

Made Restaurant - Sarasota, FL

 

We spent the day in Sarasota again yesterday and discovered a great restaurant!  Made (short for Modern. American. Delicious. Eats.) takes a gourmet spin on typical comfort foods.  It was voted Best New Restaurant and Best Chef in Sarasota Magazine. 

 

 

It is located in the heart of downtown Sarasota on Main Street.  The weather yesterday was nice and cool, so we dined on their patio.  We were brought food and drink menus (the menus were tattered and creased, but all of the dishes sounded amazing!)

 

I tried their Cucumber Collins – with vodka, muddled cucumbers, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda.  It was refreshing and infused with extreme cucumber flavor. 

 

We started off with their Pork on Pork on Pork Mac-n-Cheese – made with Parmesan and gruyere cream sauce, roasted pork shoulder, billionaire bacon, and chorizo.  Lance kept saying that it was one of the best foods he’s ever eaten.  It was one of the best mac & cheese dishes for sure. 

 

For our entrée, we split the Double Dipped Fried ½ Chicken and Brown Butter and Billionaire Bacon Brussels Sprouts.  The chicken was buttermilk and Cholula hot sauce brined with a hot-n-honey crust and crispy herbs.  It was served with a black pepper gruyere waffle and kale (the greens were cooked with even more bacon). 

 

The crust on the fried chicken was perfectly crispy and flavorful.  The honey Cholula sauce was sweet with just a bit of spiciness.  The Brussels sprouts had a nice charred exterior and paired well with the thick chunks of bacon. 

 

The food definitely isn’t healthy for you, but it is well worth the calories.  All the comfort foods and obsession with bacon reminded me of the menu at Datz. 

At the end of the meal, we were told about the desserts (which we of course didn't have any room for this time).  Their bourbon pecan pie à la mode did sound pretty decadent though.  We were brought "the damage" in an envelope.  

 

If you can’t make it to Sarasota, you can attempt their Double Dipped Fried Chicken yourself with this recipe. 

Made is located at 1990 Main St #112, Sarasota, FL 34236 and is open 11:30am – 2:30pm for lunch then 4:30pm – 10pm for dinner Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30am – 12am Friday, 5pm – 12am Saturday, and 10am – 3pm on Sunday. 

The Frog Pond - Saint Petersburg Beach, FL

This morning we tried a new breakfast place called The Frog Pond.  It was featured in a Creative Loafing Breakfast Guide that included some of our other favorites – Datz, The Brunchery, First Watch, Lenny’s, and Pinky’s were all featured, so it was in good company.

There are two locations – one in Saint Petersburg Beach and one in North Redington Beach.  The one we tried today was the Saint Pete location. 

As soon as we walked in, we could see where it gets its name – the whole restaurant is filled with frog-themed décor.  My Grandma Pat loves frogs – we used to always give her frog decorations as gifts, but over the years she’s gotten so many that we’ve had to cut back on all the frog presents.  We’ll have to bring her here sometime.  

The breakfast menu was pretty extensive – they have a variety of different omelettes & benedicts, along with waffles, pancakes, crepes, quiche, & frittatas.   

I ordered the Frog Benedict – which had poached eggs, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, and swiss cheese served over an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce.  It came with a side of home fries.  Lance ordered the sausage pancake – which had chunks of sausage inside, along with a sausage link served on top. 

Both were large portions – and we saw that everything else served to other customers were huge servings as well.  So this is the place to go if you’re extra hungry. 

The server was very friendly and attentive.  We would definitely go back again!

The Frog Pond is located at 7390 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach, FL 33706 and is open from 7am – 2pm Monday through Saturday and 8am – 2pm on Sundays. 

First Watch – Tampa, FL

My friend, Katie, who I’ve worked with the past 3½ years, is moving to Louisville, Kentucky.  Since this is her last week in Tampa, we met up with her for breakfast this morning at First Watch. 

I’ve been there several times before and always had a great experience.  It has a laid-back atmosphere and the servers are very friendly. 

I’ve ordered the multigrain pancakes a few times in the past.  They always ask how many you’d like – but they are huge so I can’t imagine having more than one.  There are a bunch of unique variations – banana granola, cranberry nut, carrot cake, and more.  This time I tried the bacon cheddar pancake.  When topped with syrup, it was the perfect sweet & savory breakfast.  The bacon was a little sparse, but I’d still order it again. 

Katie had the Healthy Turkey omelet and topped it with hollandaise sauce – it is filled with turkey, feta and a variety of veggies.  And Lance had the Tri-fecta with a Belgian waffle, eggs, and sausage. 

It’s 5pm now and we’re still full from our breakfast! 

First Watch has several locations – we went to the one at 3712 Henderson Blvd

Tampa, FL 33609 and is open from 7am – 2:30pm every day.