The Return from Europe

Well, the fun is over and time to return to earth. When I last posted, I had about one week to plan and arrange a trip to Europe for my family and I. As this was a very spontaneous thing, our plans changed a least a dozen times, but by time we landed in Milan, we had it all figured out. When it was all said and done we traveled to the following cities:

Milan, Italy
Geneva, Switzerland
Chambery, France
Rome, Italy

Of course, being who we are it was crazy, but fun. We ate a lot of good food and drank a lot of good wine and beer. And being August, it was hot. However, the heat did not deter us and the evenings were gorgeous. As Europeans tend to stay up later, this worked out great for us. Over the next few days, or weeks, and I am going to talk about my trip to Europe. Some of my posts will be informative, while others will be impressions and thoughts about the people and countries, and the cultures of the places we visited.

Oh, and lest I forget, my husband took a lot of really beautiful photos of our trip, which I will be posting along with my posts. For this post, I have attached a photo of a train. This is one of the things I love about traveling in Europe. They get you where you want to get, without any hassle. You do not need to rent a car to travel in Europe, if you are sticking to the cities. The only reason I would ever see the need to rent a car is if you want to travel to the countryside or perhaps you are doing a tour of the various wine regions, for example. But if you are sticking to the cities, don't even think about renting a car because the rail and metro systems of the cities within Europe are great.

Italy, here we come......

I am so excited to say that my family and I will shortly be traveling to Italy. This is kind of one of those last minute, spur of the moment sort of things. The price was right and we were in need of rejuvenation. We will be flying into Milan and taking the train down to Rome. We have been to Italy before, but the last time we were there, we missed Rome. Unlike our previous travel to Europe, we will try to contain ourselves largely to Rome and just soak up the atmosphere. Usually, when traveling in Europe we go crazy and do this multiple city and country thing because there is so much to see and everything is just so tempting. This time, we are really trying to make a commitment to not go around like mad. Hopefully, this will turn out to be a more sensible approach. I can't wait for the sights, the food, and above all.....the wine.

Bin 27 Bistro- Tampa, FL

This is an elegant, yet casual place to enjoy a nice dinner and good wine. I went there one Friday evening with my family to hear one of my favorite Tampa Bay singers, Julie Black, give a great performance. First off, we started off with a good impression by the host who met us very warmly at the door. Our server also made a good impression. These things always count a great deal toward setting the mood for a happy dining experience.

Now, for the meal itself we started off with the Tasmanian Sweet Crab Cakes that was served along with a wonderfully spiced remoulade. For my entree, I enjoyed the Hickory Hanger steak, and my husband had the vegetable risotto with steak added, which I tried and thought was very sumptuous. Along with the meal, we enjoyed a bottle of the Urban Malbec. Don't hesitate to ask for a sample of any of the wines that are offered by the glass, before ordering a bottle. We sampled a couple of wines before making our choice. Although not very large, they have a nice wine selection. For a nice end to our meal, we ordered the Chocolate Mousse and Hazelnut Terrine, which rounded out our meal nicely. Altogether, Bin 27 offered nice service, a good atmosphere, and great food.

Bin 27 Bistro
2702 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33609
813-878-2700

The Dubliner Irish Pub - South Tampa

One Sunday, my family and I headed over to south Tampa to hear My Little Trotsky play some music. We have heard them a couple of times now, and as usual, they gave a very good performance. Anyway, they were playing at The Dubliner Irish Pub, at their South Tampa location. We had never been there before, but we always love pubs and were eager to try out a new one. This was a nice location just off Howard Street and they have a lovely set up. The outside patio was surrounded by old, shady trees and would have been nice to sit, if it had not decided to rain that afternoon. Nonetheless, the inside was just as lovely with plenty of stools at the bars and bar tables throughout. Kinda of nice too, because the inside bar was connected to the outside bar, so the bartenders are able to work between the two easily.

As far as the food went, it was good. I can hardly go to an Irish pub without ordering Shepard's Pie, and this instance was no exception. It was a very good Shepard's Pie, and while not my favorite version, it left me fully satisfied and happy with my choice. Everybody else went with burgers, and I thought those were good, too. Add a cold Smithwick's to our meal, and along with the good music, it made for a lovely afternoon. There is not much more to add, and all I can suggest is go over and try it yourself. They have one pub in south Tampa and one in North Tampa.

The Dubliner Irish Pub
2307 West Azeele Street
Tampa, FL 33609
813-258-2257

Z Grille - St Petersburg, FL

This is a very cool restaurant. My family and I stopped there on a one evening, so that my husband and I could enjoy a glass of wine and dessert. This was my first time inside and I was impressed. We grabbed a table in the bar area, next to the floor to ceiling windows. It was rather nice to be able to catch a view of the street, as well as watch what is going on at the bar. As luck would have it, it was half-price bottle of wine night, so we went with a nice red. For dessert, we ordered the hot apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream. The cobbler was very delicious, and huge. Three people were sharing, and it was enough for all three of us, if that gives you any scope for the size of the cobbler.

Z-Grille has a lot of nice dining items on their menu that I need to try from their menu next time, such as the Dr Pepper fried ribs. Another thing to remember to check out is the various specials that they offer during the week. In addition to half-price wine night, they have one day during the week that they offer a blue plate special. I believe the blue plate special is a salad, entree, dessert, and glass of wine or beer for $20 (call restaurant for exact details), which makes it an excellent deal. Keep an eye on my comments section for further updates of Z-Grille in the future.

Z-Grille
104 2nd Street South
St Petersburg, FL 33701
727-822-9600

Flanagan's Irish Pub - Dunedin, FL

This place has a good vibe. Needing to kill some time one afternoon, my family and I stopped by Flanagan's for a pint. I was met by a friendly server, who told me to grab a table of my liking. I ordered a Smithwick's and some onion rings and fries to snack on. The atmosphere had everything to be desired in an Irish pub, and it got me interested enough to want to stop by again and try the Irish fare and perhaps listen to the live Irish music that they offer some evenings. When I stop by again, I will leave my remarks in the comment section of this post. Cheers!

Flanagan's Irish Pub
465 Main Street
Dunedin, FL 34968
727-736-4994

Dunedin Brewery - Dunedin, FL

If you want to sample the local beers, head over to Dunedin brewery in Dunedin. You can sample their year-round brews, or try one of their seasonal brews. This last Sunday, I went there with my family to hear Speakeasy perform, which was very good. I tried several of their brews, of which the Lowland Wheat Ale was my favorite. The food is typical pub grub. We tried the chicken quesadillas and the burgers and both were good, solid pub fare. Again, stop over and see what local brews Dunedin, Florida has to offer and check out their music schedule online if you would like to hear live music.

Dunedin Brewery
937 Douglas Avenue
Dunedin, FL 34698
727-736-0606