All Entries in the "Clearwater" Category
Restaurant Review: Bascom’s Chop House
I recently received a gift certificate for some photography work I did and decided to use it at Bascom’s Chop House (3665 Ulmerton Rd Clearwater, FL 33762-4257, (727) 573-3363), a family owned and operated steak house on the other side of the bay. I was looking spiffy that day and wanted to go some place a little nicer than I’m accustom. After being there, I realized that rich people aren’t smarter or better off culinarily, they’re just throwing money away on food that is lackluster at best.
I write this review stating up front that I didn’t order a steak. As it was, the meal was over $70 with Kara picking the cheapest steak on the menu and me picking Chicken, one of the cheapest things on the menu. With the $50 gift certificate, this cut the cost down to a more Denis-complaint price level, but as far as I’m concerned we overpaid. Let’s start with some of the base issues.
High end steakhouses all do this “everything is separate” thing these days. You want mashed potatoes? $15! You want a salad? $10! Remember back in the day when you got a whole meal when you ordered an entree? That concept seems foreign to a number of these classy joints and Bascom’s is amongst them. If we had both ordered a steak and a side each, our meal would have run well over $100. That seems uncalled for, especially considering the quality of the food.
One thing to mention is the strange demographic that this place seems to attract. There were a few of the kinds of people I’d expect, business people and their spouses having a nice dinner. Then there was the elephant in the room. Right beyond us was a family with a bunch of screaming children. Not once did the parents try to quiet them down. Not once did the staff say anything. They continued to annoy me and the other guests throughout the meal. Why not take your brats to Chucky Cheese? All of the kids complained about their food and continued to get more cranky as the meal went on. It took all the self control I had not to go over there and punch their oldest one in the skull for being a brat, especially in a place like this.
Back to issues within the control of the management, their food quality. Kara ordered their sirloin and I ordered the half chicken. She managed to get a baked potato (bringing her total up to almost $40) and I made off as cheap as I possibly could, with a $20 piece of chicken piled on potatoes. While we waited, they brought out a basket of bread and butter. Unlike bread I’ve had at many places before, this wasn’t hot or soft. The butter was just butter. No garlic, no chives, nothing to distinguish it from any butter I’ve had in any fast food place. The rolls themselves were rock hard on the outside and cold throughout. One of them was plain, the other two filled with seeds and some kind of nuts. I made a point of not filling up on bread, as it was appalling that a place of this stature could possibly consider this acceptable even for “free” bread.
The entrees came out after about 30 minutes, a bit of a wait but not too unreasonable. The roast chicken I ordered was covered in gravy and draped over a pile of potatoes and asparagus. The presentation was haphazard and reminded me of the KFC “throw all this shit into a pile and you can eat like a pig” Bowls. I put aside the way the dish looked and decided to dig in. What a disappointment.
The chicken was bone dry and cold all the way through. The gravy covering it lent nothing to keep the moisture in the bird. The more I dug into it, the more I realized that the breast look like it had been under a heat lamp the entire day. It was chewy and dry from skin to bone. I cut it up into small pieces and worked it into the potatoes and gravy, hoping I could salvage it. Every bite made me more furious. I can make juicy, succulent amazing chicken at home and it would only cost me a few dollars. How is this incredibly over priced bird the centerpiece to a meal that is bordering on the absurd?
As I continued to dig at my chicken, I realized that they must have picked the smallest chicken they could find. After stripping the carcass clean, I realized I had probably less than a half pound of actual meat. I discarded the structure and suffered through about half of the meat before I gave up on it, disappointed. The mashed potatoes were alright, but they were relatively flavorless. How can something covered in gravy not be delicious? I honestly don’t know. The asparagus was better than expected, but it could not save this tragic meal.
Kara’s steak came out as she ordered it with a side of fried onions. While she had no complaints, I watched as she cut up the steak. It looked tough. It looked burnt on the outside, with a huge chunk of gristle lining the outer edge. At best, I would call this a Select cut. If I would have ordered a steak, paid over $30 for it and had it come out like this, I would have exploded on someone.
The potato looked tough too, a symptom I’ve seen all too often in high end steakhouses. The potato is such an overlooked asset to the meal, and this one looked unappealing. Drowning an overly done potato in sour cream doesn’t make it better, it just makes it messier. Again, Kara had no complaint.
From a service perspective, they did a decent job. Our waiter came back several times to refill my water and Kara’s soda. I have no issue with the quality of his service, and he was a friendly guy. The manager came by, but I honestly feel like it was to spy on us. In all fairness, I did bring a camera into their establishment and was taking photos of my food. When I identified myself and my purpose, he seemed to turn his nose up and me and say, “OK, so what are you going to write about us?” I gave him a smug, “I can’t divulge that.”
He seems unimpressed with that answer and took a few steps back, watching nervously as we finished eating. The whole thing felt really forced and unnecessary on the part of the manager. When it was obvious that I wasn’t happy, he said, “You really should have ordered the steak. I was surprised to see the chicken come out.” I looked at him to see if he was offering an admission of guilt, or atleast of poor quality. He stared me down for a minute and I remarked, “It’s fine.” and left.
In conclusion, Bascom’s is the very definition of low value for high price. I had heard this before from people I know in the area, but had to see it first hand. If I had another gift certificate, I may consider going back to try their porterhouse. Then again, at $40+ for just the cut of meat at Bascom’s, I think I’m better off just making my own.
Restaurant Review: Primo’s Pasta and Ribs
A bad economy and a lack of snowbirds has left Primo’s Pasta and Ribs (3580 Ulmerton Rd, Clearwater, (727) 573-7656) a desolate place. Dereck and I went there for dinner earlier this week and we were the only patrons at 6PM on Sunday. The restaurant, one that has signs of once being a busy place, was down to a bartender and a cook. It was sad really, as I recognize the Primo’s name as one I associate with pretty good pizza.
When we walked in, we first noticed how incredibly hot and muggy the place was. If they had air conditioning, they weren’t running it. We decided to brave on anyway. After waiting a few minutes at the front, a frazzled looking guy came from the back and said, “I’m the only one here. I’ll be out in a minute.” We took that as the cue to seat ourselves.
The dining room is what you’d expect in a family restaurant, not too fancy but not fast food sterile either. There were a few niceties, such as the large skylight in the middle of the room that lit everything up even with the lights off. There were accents of dark woods throughout the room and, aside from the heat and humidity, it was pretty comfortable.
Once the cook came out, he apologized for the wait and came quickly with drinks. He could see that I was sweating like a pony from the heat, so he came out with another round while we looked over the menus. I noticed all the prices were pretty reasonable, so I decided to go all out with the Ribeye, one of their most expensive plates at only $18. Dereck decided on the appetizer plate which included breaded shrimp, cheese bread, cheese sticks and chicken fingers.
While the food was cooking, I took in just how empty the place was. I could hear the soft rock station playing clearly because it wasn’t drowned out by voices. It was almost eerie, not hearing clanging in the kitchen or orders being taken. It really had me worried. Dereck took this as an opportunity to go have a smoke.
The first round of food, bread and my salad, came up in about 10 minutes. There wasn’t much noteworthy about either dish. The bread was in that strange state between soft and hard that bread gets when it’s produced, allowed to cool and then warmed again. The knot shape made for good presentation, but it wasn’t anything worth ordering. The salad was much the same, with lettuce that was on the verge of wilting and salad dressing that was uninspiring. The lettuce was sweating profusely in the heat, leaving me with a salad that was water logged and relatively tasteless.
After 10 more minutes, our entrees showed up. Dereck’s looked pretty good and he confirmed this sentiment. It looks like typical bar food and he seemed to enjoy it.
My Ribeye came out and it both looked and tasted pretty good. I ordered it medium rare and it came out a little more well done than I like, but all around it was what I would expect in a ribeye. It was unseasoned and obviously had not been aged, but for a fresh cut of meat, it was acceptable. The meat was actually a good indicator of Primos as a concept, a little overdone but acceptable.
The potato that came with it, lacking bacon and dry, was lackluster as well. Instead of a cheddar cheese, they used a mozzarella which didn’t help the cause. I spooned out the hot insides, filled it with butter and sour cream and chipped away at it. Acceptable, but nothing stellar.
All and all, I guess I can see why Primos was so empty. It’s in a great location (on a busy section of Ulmerton road) and the prices are fair, but it’s nothing to write home about.
LocalShops1: Hyperlocal shopping for the Tampa Bay Area
One of the things I’ve always found interesting about the web is how easy it is to get to powerful databases of information. What I’ve always found annoying is trying to find that information specific to a region.
For us Tampa Bay residents (and those in the surrounding counties of Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota), you may find some help in the hyper local shopping site, LocalShops1.com. They are committed to promoting locally owned, independent shops. The mission of this site is to be a place where shoppers and business owners can come to network, on social and business levels to exchange ideas, post sales, become involved in the community. Out in the “real world,” they plan lots of fun community events, charity fundraisers and store parties.
About to celebrate their 1st anniversary, Local Shops is focused on highlighting high quality businesses in and around Tampa. This site does what other yellow-pages style sites do, but in a cleaner format and each business is hand selected and reviewed for inclusion instead of an across the board inclusion that many directories do. Signing up is FREE, and can be done here:
http://www.local-shops-1.com/LocalShops1/membership-options.html
There’s lots of good news coming out of this organization. They recently began embarking on a $250,000 advertising campaign with the Tampa Tribune, WFLA, tbo.com, Tampa Bay Magazine, Tampa Bay Business Journal and Genesis radio stations 1040 and 820. They are in the midst of a complete redesign of the website to make it easier to use. In August, they are launching “1Card”, the ultimate discount card for local business.
A Cryptic Message Re-Post about Clearwater
This taken from a post I saw in a local community on livejournal:
Yesterday on the way into work we noticed printed words taped to the building management company’s sign which read something to the effect of:
“YOU CANT HIDE FROM IT”
Mildy intriguing, but too vague.
Around lunch it was discovered that after the first text was removed the bench infront of the building had been hit too! This message seemed too crazy to believe, I had to investigate:
WHOA!!! That is just too hardcore. Now I am totally intrigued! What does it mean, who was it from? Tiffany and I walked up the street to see if anything had been left on the bench a few blocks up. W/o my glasses on I was sure something was taped up there too, but no such luck.
We joked around about it the rest of the work day, even came up with a handful of funny responses we could post back.
On the way home driving past the “posting grounds” Tiff noticed the 3rd sign, blown down by the wind. Not sure if it had been missed when we walked past it earlier in the day or if the poster tried to add it later, but we had to go back and get it:
WHOA!!! Ha ha ha. What does it all mean, I have no clue. Most people are leaning towards a jilted lover. What do you think? Is it a cryptic message? Is it art? Or maybe just the ramblings of a crazy person?
Whatever it is I hope it continues. I wonder if the intended recipient is as puzzled by it as the rest of us.
World’s Largest Candlelight Vigil at Dunedin Stadium
Miles for Hope, the 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in Clearwater who’s mission it is to raise funds for brain tumor research will be attempting to break the record on April 10th at 6PM for World’s Largest Candlelight Vigil at Dunedin Stadium (373 Douglas Ave. Dunedin, FL 34698). This record attempt will drive awareness to the cause and will support research that could help you and your children survive one of the world’s most misunderstood diseases.
They are dedicated to raising funds to improve current treatments for brain tumors, and to assist brain tumor patients with travel expenses for their treatment.
The goal at Miles for Hope is to provide a complete source for cutting edge treatment and support for both the patient and care givers. There are many wonderful sources of information on the internet for brain tumors, and their goal is to compile these resources at one location.
You will find a large support forum full of information, the most current clinical trial information, breaking news regarding brain tumors, and other support and awareness tools for your use in combating and fighting brain tumors.
Please support their efforts by attending the Candlelight Vigil. Help them support those who are affected by brain tumors, and fund current research leading to a cure for this disease.
Register for the Event Here:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1694505&assetId=09589e73-79f6-4cc8-8968-a2b0c9798e61
St. Patrick’s Day In Tampa
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, being March 17th. What will you be doing to celebrate your Irish, be it hereditary or simply assumed?
Here’s a list of Irish Pubs throughout Tampa and the Bay Area. Any of these should be able to get your Guinness on.
Four Green Fields?
205 W Platt St, Tampa, FL? – (813) 254-4444?
Dubliner Pub
3218 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL? – (813) 258-2257?
James Joyce Irish Pub
1704 1/2 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL? – (813) 247-1896?
MacDinton’s? Irish Pub
405 S Howard Ave, Tampa, FL? – (813) 251-8999?
Hattricks?
107 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL? – (813) 225-4288?
O’Brien’s Irish Pub?
11744 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL? – (813) 961-4092?
Mad Dogs & Englishmen?
4115 S Macdill Ave, Tampa, FL? – (813) 832-3037?
The Wooden Door? – Write a review
3681 S. Westshore Blvd., Tampa, FL? – (813) 839-7551?
Mulligan’s Irish Pub?
10550 Regents Park Dr, Tampa, FL? – (813) 973-3870?
O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Grill?
701 W Lumsden Rd, Brandon, FL? – (813) 661-9688?
O’Toole’s Irish Pub?
1215 W Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL? – (813) 684-2600?
Fox and Hounds Irish Pub?
229 E Brandon Blvd, Brandon, FL? – (813) 685-8151?
Sally O’Briens Irish Pub
11375 Big Bend Rd, Riverview, FL? – (813) 671-1135?
Flanagans Irish Pub?
465 Main St, Dunedin, FL? – (727) 736-4994?
Finley’s Irish Pub?
13477 Belcher Rd. S, Largo, FL? – (727) 535-7858?
Peggy O’Neills Irish Pub?
1026 Florida Ave, Palm Harbor, FL? – (727) 787-7734?
Oboobigan’s?
6250 Ulmerton Rd, Clearwater, FL? – (727) 535-6130?
Tommy Duff’s Irish Aviation Pub?
126 Island Way, Clearwater, FL? – (727) 449-1366?
O’Houston’s Irish Pub?
518 W Bay Dr, Largo, FL? – (727) 584-7772?
Don’s Irish Pub?
3007 6th St S, St Petersburg, FL? – (727) 550-2134?
Molly McHugh’s Irish Pub.
12227 W Linebaugh Ave, Tampa, FL? – (813) 818-8000?
If there’s any I missed, let me know and I’ll add them to the list.