ted peters famous smoked fish

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an institution that we saw on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives -Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish.  We planned to visit after we saw it on our next visit to St Pete.  It can be challenging to tell a greezy crab shack from something amazing.  Famous for smoked mullet, Spanish mackerel and Salmon.  The fish lived up.   The salmon was perfect – smoked over a native Florida oak type tree – moist and lovely.  Simply offered with two horseradish sauces, one including jerk.  The slab you see in the photo is the lunch size and would feed three average eaters.  The fish spread was a kind of tuna throwback served on dry toast or with crackers.  Packed with locals and full of win!

 

surfer chic

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my sister and her family found this funny throwback ‘resort’ during their first beach foray four years ago called the Long Key Beach Resort Motel.  They are a very small run operation and perfect for their family in that it is a small place and so laid back. They don’t mind if the children run a little wild and track in copious amounts of sand.  Is is a small hotel with rooms for up to six (as far as I have seen) with each room having a tiny closet size kitchenette with rudimentary appliances and a small kitchen kit including assorted pots and pans, can openers, and dishes.  There is a large gulf view deck with a medium size pool, tables and benches and a grill.  We were able to secure our own room there last year but this year it was no deal.  They wouldn’t rent me a room for under a week.  This must be a sign that the economy is coming back but I’ll say that it aggravated me quite a bit.  We usually go out for 3 or 4 days and let them spend the rest of the time as a family relaxing.

I conceded and started my hunt for a new place to stay.  I landed on what promised to be a shabby beach surfer chic resort called the Postcard Inn.  The website photos looked good with a distinctly industrial surfer vibe poised somewhere between 1972 and the future.  You could see the hand of a shrewd interior designer working magic on surfer chic with a modern vibe.  I loved the decor and took a bunch of terrible snapshots before realizing my sunblocky fingers smeared my lens.  Everything from rubbed stencils on the grey concrete lobby floor to a giant oversize chalkboard noting sunrise, surf height and the tides to a photo booth and lots of niches of seating and relaxing space carved out of a giant lobby opening onto a courtyard filled with giant trees dripping with lanterns and coconut palms.  Our room was kitschy with a full wall decal of surf and a surfboard leaned in the corner behind retro 70’s basement armchair upholstered in sea and surf friendly teal vinyl.

Little did we now that they would also be hosting the bartender’s guild.  Crazy.  Z was out doing some sunset fishing when I returned back to the hotel and was greeted by a whole host of drunk bartenders on my balcony grooving to the summer sounds of a surf band.  The band was alright but dang it was crazy.  Once he came back and we had time to jump in the shower we headed out to the hotel restaurant, the Beachwood BBQ.  The decor is kind of Texas Industrial with lots of pallety looking wood and rusted and galvanized metals.  We ordered the bbq chili nachos and an apple basket of warm apples in a pastry basket and glazed in moonshine.  I also had a cocktail that I am planning to replicate at home.  A strawberry jam – huckleberry vodka, muddled strawberries and lime juice.  Not too sweet and served on ice.  Fresh and friendly.  We would go back to the hotel and eat at the restaurant again – next time we would probably check for conventions and hope for some food bloggers or something.

legoland

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my sister and her clan come every summer for a few weeks.  They spend a few days in Orlando and we usually take in one theme park during their visit.  This year we we hit Legoland.  It opened within the last year and as Z is an AFOL (adult fan of Lego) it is amazing we hadn’t already been there.   We managed to hold off until they arrived and went on an impending bad weather day last week.  They warned us as we parked.  They warned us at the ticket booth.  The grey clouds threatened.  The heavens had unleashed the day before and they ended up unleashing the day after but we were determined and headed out anyway.  As it turned out the rain put us at arms length and didn’t dampen our spirits at all.  The ‘bad’ weather even had the added benefit of keeping the crowds away and we were able to walk onto almost every ride.  The roller coasters are geared in size and scope to six year olds and really nothing to write home about but there were quite a few kid sized standouts for the day.  In the ‘City’ (a sub Lego brand) all the kids were invited to different schools, boating, flying, driving.  Driving?!!?  Yeah, they take the tiny (P is 3) kids through drivers ed and plop them in a car.  You’d think this would go nowhere right?  Wrong.  She put her foot on the tiny pedal and was off.

So. Much. Glee.

As much for her as me!  They put the itty bitties in their own size cars -age 3-5ish on a single one way track and the 6-12’s in their own model on a slightly scaled up two lane course.  You would think the small set would be the worst drivers but somehow were not.  At the end they gave out drivers licenses to carry off.  So great.

We stopped for lunch across from Coaster-saurus and had pulled pork with slaw on flat breads.  They were a mixed bag of fresh and dry breads but the meat was nicely flavored and tender, kind of a kid friendly sweetish bbq sauce and in name only cilantro slaw.  They came with baked chips that they kids kinda shunned but I liked.  Not terrible and on par with Disney food.  Good not great, semi-plentiful and slightly pricey with a Legoland tax at about $9 for a sandwich, chips and drink.

We ran out of time and had to rush through the monumental land of Lego buildings so that we could stop by the gift shops on our way out and hit the Granny’s Apple Fries stand before we got in the car for the hour ride home.  Truth.  Fried Granny Smith Apple fries to dip in whipped cream all kissed with a touch of sugar and cinnamon.  It smacked of apple pie in less sugary and less crusty way.  Not exactly healthy but yummy and something different than the standard churro or funnel cake.

We enjoyed Legoland.  It is definitely geared to the short set and they loved it.

boardwalk burger

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new burger joint in Orlando called Boardwalk Burger based on a Maryland boardwalk tradition.  Most like Five Guys in its griddly thin burger patty-ness.  I think a few more options than Five Guys in terms of burger topping options and a little less greezey.  We found we both got a double and both would only opt for singles next time.  We also ordered the fresh cut fries for a comparison and I was pleased to find I liked them a LOT better than Five Guys due to the fact that they had some crispness and . . .they have cheese sauce-salty fake cheesy goodness.  I chose a Signature burger with bacon and blue cheese and Z the BBQ bacon.  There is also a fun Freestyle coke machine.  It has a touch panel  you can choose your pop-poison and add flavored syrups to your hearts content.  Good new find for the occasional crave.