Mad Fish Grill - Saint Pete Beach , FL

Driving by on Gulf Boulevard one evening, my family and I spotted a flash of silver out of the corner of our eyes.  It looked just like an old fashioned diner from the outside!  We just had to try that.  Walking through the door, we were not exactly disappointed, but it wasn't the old fashioned diner we were expecting, either.  It was leaning more towards a restaurant geared towards fine dining than a diner.  However, we were still ready to give it a try and were seated at one of the booths.

Madfish grill offers wines and beers, but as we were still in a diner frame of mind, we opted for bottled root beer.  On the menu they offered a variety of meals including steak and several seafood selections, but we were all in the mood for burgers, so burgers are what we ordered. The burgers were awesome! Two thick patties covered in cheese, juicy and worth every calorie.  The burgers were served with some pretty tasty fries and a side of coleslaw, which was the only thing not so impressive about the meal.  But, who needs coleslaw when you have a yummy burger in front of you. Next time, I might want to come back and try the seafood. And just so you know, they are also open for breakfast and lunch.


Mad Fish Grill
5200 Gulf Boulevard
Saint Pete Beach, FL  33706
727-367-3550

Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bar - Hyde Park, FL

We needed a place to duck into to escape from the rain, and Timpano's being the closest,  that is where we ended up.  The place was packed and live piano music was being performed in one corner.  We were seated at one of the patio tables, which was a lovely spot to watch the rain and sip a drink.  My thing lately has been Cosmo's, so that was what I ordered and it was perfect.  We ordered a lovely prawn appetizer that came to the table sizzling in its pan with melted butter to dip it in.  The prawn had a delicious smokey taste and was perfect.  Soon the rain stopped and our drinks and appetizers were finished and we were able to continue on our way.  Next time we won't need to use the rain as an excuse to stop at Timpano's.

Timpano Chophouse
1610 West Swann Avenue
Tampa, FL  33606
813-254-5870

Donut Connection - St Petersburg, FL

If you want something different than Dunkin Donuts, stop at this little hole in the wall.  Nothing fancy to see here, but I found donuts that I enjoyed way more than that other place, and the coffee was very good.  I was curious about some of the reviews that mentioned the regulars that seem to come with the place, but although they seemed as though they were stuck in a different time warp to give newcomers a look more than once, they were harmless and I guess you could say they just added character to the place.  Whether that is good or bad, you'll have to judge for yourself because the donuts and coffee are worth stopping in for when you need a donut fix.

Donut Connection
727-323-1910
649 34th Street North
St Petersburg, FL  33713

A Corner of England - St Petersburg, FL

A mother's day weekend called for a trip to A Corner of England to have a spot of tea.  When we walked in the door, it looked like that was the plan for a lot of moms because a fair number of tables were already filled.  Luckily, a busy server was able to find a spot and we were seated at a charming little table.  The look there is very eclectic and nothing is matching.  All the tables are different with different chairs and different tea cups on every table.  A quick look at the menu, and we were ready to order.

I ordered a earl gray tea and a scone.  I saw they mentioned devon cream on the menu, but the server informed me that that came with my scone.  Also, we ordered afternoon tea, which included tea of your choice along with finger sandwiches and a choice of scone or cake.  We ordered a piece of lemon cake with that and a piece of chocolate cake for my son.  Our tea arrived first, quickly followed by our food.  It was lovely to sit there and enjoy our cups of tea in dainty little  china cups.  The cake and finger sandwiches were lovely and heartily enjoyed.  I had mixed feeling about my scone which was tasty served with strawberry preserves.  However, the little cup that was supposed to contain Devon cream contained whipped cream.  At that point I ate what I was served, but I ever after wondered if I was served whipped cream by mistake or if the whipped cream being was being passed off as devon cream.  If you have ever had devon cream, which you can find in jars in a few grocery stores in the dairy section, then you know it is not the same as whipped cream.  Devon cream is thick and rich and comes closer to a butter consistency than whipped cream.  I assume they wouldn't put devon cream on the menu, unless they had devon cream.   That aside, I still had a wonderful time, and it was a lovely surprise to learn that all moms were receiving a flower at the end of the meal.  It is not a place I would go to all the time, but it is nice for a special treat.

A Corner of England
6297 Central Avenue
St Petersburg, FL  33710
727-345-5353

Les Deux Magots - Paris, France

Les Deux Magots was one of our Hemingway restaurants to dine at while in Paris.  We are big fans of his, so we hunted down a bunch of spots Hemingway was known to frequent and this was one of our favorites.  This was a breakfast spot for us and it was fun to sit at a table outside on the sidewalk and watch all the world go by on Saint-Germain-de-Pres.  We would typically order cafe au lait for us and hot chocolate for our son and pain au chocolat or brioche with butter and jam.  The hot chocolate was rich and thick and it came in its own little pan.  The cafe au lait here was also the best and the coffee was served in its own little pot and a pot of hot milk so you could mix your coffee and milk to your taste.  I still dream about breakfast at this cafe, oh my.  

Les Deux Magots

6 place Saint-Germain-des Pres

Paris, France  75006

01-45-48-55-25

Cafe Procope - Paris, France

Cafe Procope is supposed to be one of the oldest operating cafes in Paris, opening in 1686.  It has had visitors such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Voltaire.  The cafe is decorated in an understated elegance and the walls are covered in portraits of famous people.  The servers here are a little impatient and not inclined to answer too many questions about the menu, but we were able to make our way through the meal quite happily.

We started off with a nice wine from Burgandy.  We skipped appetizers and went straight to the main course.  Our favorite entree was the veal that was served at the table in a little pot of its own with plenty of gravy and roasted vegetables.  The gravy was so good that we ate more bread than was good for us.  Also lovely was the roast chicken.  The salmon entree was also nice, but overshadowed by the veal. We ordered the crepes suzette for dessert which included a small glass of Grand Marnier.  The crepes were so good that I could have gone back for them alone.  This is another one to visit if you find yourself in Paris.

Cafe Procope
15 rue de L'Ancienne Comedie
Paris, France  75006

Polidor Restaurant - Paris, France

The Polidor Restaurant had to be one of our funnest restaurant finds while vacationing in Paris.  We came across this place while doing laundry of all things.  While waiting for our laundry cycle to finish, my husband wandered across the street to check out the menu and he discovered a picture of Woody Allen on the window.  Turns out it was where they filmed a scene from one of our favorite movies a Midnight in Paris.  After checking out the menu, we just knew we had to dine there.  The inside of the restaurant is awesome and from what we understand the inside hasn't changed much in the last hundred years.  They even had an Indian style toilet in the floor, so even if you don't feel adventurous enough to actually use it, go check it out.  The restaurant has communal tables, so expect to share your table as the dining rooms fill up.  They have a regular menu and the specials are listed on a board.  I loved the wine menu which had from inexpensive to exorbitantly priced wines.  We found a nice red on the menu that we enjoyed.

The food at Polidor is not gourmet food, but it is french comfort food at its best.  The beef bourguignon is awesome and a must try.  The chicken and mushrooms and cream sauce were also excellent.  Both of these dishes were served with potatoes and of course plenty of bread to soak up that delicious sauce.  If you have any room left for dessert after all of that, try the Tarte Tatin, otherwise know as apple pie.  The pie was great and an excellent end to our meal.  The service here was brisk, but polite.  We liked the restaurant so much that we dined there one more time before leaving Paris and if we ever find ourselves back in Paris again, we will be back at Polidor.  Before I forget, they only take cash, so make sure you have enough cash before sitting down to eat and they do not take reservations.

Restaurant Polidor

41, rue Monsieur Le Prince

Paris, France  75006

01-43-26-95-34