All Entries in the "Largo" Category

Restaurant Review: Pizza Uno

It’s not often that I’m frustrated with a name I know and trust in the restaurant business. I found a perfect example of that frustration in Largo’s own Pizza Uno (12561 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33774-3629, (727) 517-0111), a mockery of the name made famous in Chicago for awesome pizza and otherwise amazing food. For anyone who has been to Chicago and has tried the real Pizza Uno, you know that everything on their menu is excellent. The food is hot, fresh and plentiful. The atmosphere is jubilant, fun and welcoming. It’s a genuinely fun place to be. Then there’s Largo’s interpretation, a completely different experience all together.

We’ll start with the actual building itself. A little place with one table as the dining room is hardly the atmosphere I came to know and love from the Uno name. When you enter the small dining area, you’re immediately met with a counter, a bare wall and a bad attitude. Even when they are not busy, the three men in the background seem grouchy, either ignoring their customers all together or snapping at them when they go to order. I was immediately put off by their attitude and the dull and uninviting nature of the restaurant.

I decided to order a philly steak sandwich, as it’s generally universally impossible to mess up philly steak. Begrudgingly, the guy behind the counter took my order said, “Give me 5 minutes”. I sat down and waited. 17 minutes later, he arrived with my white carryout container with a sandwich in it. Never once did he ask if I wanted to eat it here, or wanted a drink. He simply assumed that this would be a to-go and sent me on my way. I accepted, as just being here was making me uncomfortable.

The sandwich was absolutely everything I hate about the fast food industry. Firstly, the sandwich itself was smaller than I expected. When I pay close to $10 for a sandwich, I expect a foot long with lots of content. What I got was maybe 9″ of sandwich with dried out bread, tough meat and a disguising layer of cheese which was fooling no one.

The included pickle had no snap, no crunch. It was warm and lacked much flavor. The steak, even after grinding it with my tough repeatedly, was difficult to chew. It was as if they had some steak left over from the night before and just tossed it into a hoagie. Overall, very disappointing.

While I’m sure they aren’t connected to the famous Pizza Uno, it’s important to note that so others don’t make the same mistake I did. Lousy attitude, lousier food and no bargain, Pizza Uno is largo is the kind of crap I avoid all together.

Restaurant Review: Athenian Garden Restaurant

In my never end quest for high quality Greek food, I decided to try a place that is both famous and infamous throughout Pinellas County. Some people love it because of it’s reasonable prices and throwback to traditional Greek Cuisine. Others hate it because they claim sanitary issues and bad taste. My experience with Athenian Garden Restaurant (12670 Starkey Rd, Largo FL 33773, (727) 518-8888), formerly Faros Greek Italian Grill, has been satisfactory, both in cleanliness and in taste. While I wouldn’t say they’re the best Greek food I’ve had, they are satisfactory in portion size, taste and value.

The restaurant is nestled into the back of a strip mall along Starkey Road, all but hidden if you’re not looking for it. The building itself is unassuming, glass windows and a sidewalk lined with red and white umbrellas.

The inside is your typical diner attempting to imitate a Greek restaurant, filled with faux greek luxury, grape vines and similar archetypal relics. The waitstaff is courteous and quick, both to take the order and bring it out.

While we waited, they brought out a loaf of thickly sliced green bread. It wasn’t warm so the butter didn’t melt, but it also wasn’t like it was old and had been sitting out. While I was unimpressed with the bread, it was nice that they were prompt in bringing it out.

For the main course, I ordered the Gyro and Salad combo lunch. At $7, this gyro and salad are both quite large and filling. The salad is your typical Greek, including a dollop of potato salad in the center. All of the vegetables with fresh and the dressing was a bit too sweet for my tastes. It is a very filling salad, and probably wouldn’t have been enough by itself.

The gyro was definitely the star of the show. The waitress told me that this location alone serves up over 1000 gyros per week. I believe it, especially considering the price and the size. This was the largest pita I recall ever seeing and it was stuffed to the gills with lamb, red onions, tomatos and Tzatziki Sauce. Every bite was refreshing and satisfying. This is the way a gyro should be made.

I’ve been back to Athenian several times since and the service and food have all been consistent. While I definitely wouldn’t pick it over a place like Acropolis or even Little Greek, I’ve been impressed by their repeat performances and make this a part of my weekly rotation while in Largo.

Restaurant Review: La Isla Bonita

Sandwiched between a tattoo shop and the unforgiving speed and lack of attention of Ulmerton Road, La Isla Bonita (9033 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33771-5312, (727) 588-0338) is a promising taste of latin flavors at reasonable prices that may soon be gone. Their location, both too expensive and hard to find, keeps the foot traffic low. In the few times I’ve been there, even during the weekday lunch hour, there’s never anyone there but the staff. When I walk in, I’m always greeted warmly and the owner stays enthusiastic while making my lunch, even as he explains how he’s about to go under if he doesn’t move to a better location. I  sincerely hope they do, as their food is top notch, their service is good and the owner’s candid and friendly approach make this a great little place to eat.

This is traditional latin island food including slow roasted pork, chicken and beef served with rice, beans and shells. The food is distinctly Puerto Rican, and they obviously put a great deal of time into the slow cooking process that makes the meats so tender and juicy. During my photo shoot day, I ordered two tacos with pulled pork and a beef burrito.

The Tacos come loaded with tomatoes and lettuce over pork, filling the cream-slathered shell. They’re succulent and dripping, a bit salty but overall very flavorful. They are small, as far as tacos go, so you’ll want atleast two. The burrito is actually quite large and filled with meat and vegetables. No salsa is needed, as the steaming process that they use to keep the meat hot adds a good deal of moisture without zapping out the flavor.

The price is reasonable at La Isla Bonita. My whole meal, including two tacos, a burrito and a drink were under $15. Assuming Bonita makes it past the recession and gets some bodies in seats, it promises to be a Largo favorite. I just hope others don’t dismiss it because of it’s poor location and blink-and-you-miss-it store front.

Restaurant Review: Kathy’s Industrial Mart Sandwich Shop

At Kathy’s Industrial Mart Sandwich Shop (9218 Ulmerton RD Largo, FL 33771. (727) 518-6201), their name is just as much a mouth full as their portions.

Kathy’s is all classic diner, filled with old booths of various colors, pictures all over the walls, random bobbleheads and news clippings throughout. Many of the clippings and powers have to do with New York City, paying homage to firefighters, policemen and famous New Yorkers.

At the recommendation of the counter person, I ordered the Classic Cuban Sandwich and macaroni salad. This simple lunch came in at just under $10 and came out in just under 10 minutes. The cuban was as expected, being creamy and and hot with cheesy goodness throughout with a crunchy cuban bread. The meats were high quality, as I expect from Boar’s Head. This sandwich was also quite good size, around a 14″ in length and 4″ wide.

The real surprise was the Macaroni Salad. While the noodles were what I expected, the substrate of cheese and mayo was very good. They put something in with it to make it a little spicy and very rich tasting. I’ve seen been back to try their Philly Steak (very good!) and their Club Sandwich (also quite good), but always remember to order the Macaroni Salad because it’s that good.

Restaurant Review: Dakota’s Grill & Bar

Dakota’s Grill and Bar (7924 Ulmerton Road, Largo FL 33771, (727) 536-7380) is far more bar than grill, but the sign claims they do both.

If you’re there to watch a game on one of their many televisions, see one of the live bands that play there almost every night or enjoy some beers with friends, it’s your typical sports bar. The staff is attentive if not overly busy most of the time. The atmosphere is lively but not overly crowded. They have a good selection of beers and they’re served cold. If you’re looking for a bar, Dakota’s is a bar first and they do a good job at it.

As for the Grill side of the equation, they’re average at best. I had the Shepard’s Pie, which was not as good as I had expected. The potatoes came out cold. I expect them to be piping hot and filled with meat. The meat itself was your basic taco meat, nothing exceptional. While I expected carrots and corn to overwhelm the dish, there was very little to be seen. The taste was greasy and there wasn’t much else to it than the taste of the taco meat. All and all disappointing, even for bar food.

That said, I’ve been back to Dakota’s a few times since for the drinks and atmosphere and it’s good at being a bar. I’ll just be sure not to confuse myself with the Grill part any further.

Restaurant Review: Grande Pizza Largo

Located stumbling distance from Wild Willys, Grande Pizza (13355 Belcher Road S, Largo, FL 33771, 727-530-4703) makes New York style pizza at a reasonable price. 

When entering, it’s a stereotypical pizza place. Open view of the oven with a simple counter and wood paneling. Everyone is hustling back and forth, filling orders. A thin kid comes to the register, big smile on his face and I order. He tells me it will be about 20 minutes, but it’s out in 12 minutes. That’s service!

Since I was getting a pie for the whole crew, I went with a large steak pizza. Generally, steak pizzas can either be really good or really bad. Grande Pizza uses thick cuts of steak, not that crappy shaved steak stuff that philly steak sandwiches are often made of. The pizza is large and thin, a tradition in New York style pizza. The sauce is a bit spicy, not what I’d call hot, but a bit of a bite back. The cheese, while thin, is fresh and tasty.

Overall, it was a very fulfilling pizza for the $12 I paid for it. While I wouldn’t rave about it as the best NY-inspired pizza I’ve had, I’d say it was a decent value and a fulfilling meal.

Restaurant Review: Boris Family Restaurant

After a pretty crazy morning at work rewiring a bunch of our network, I decided to do lunch at the Boris Family Restaurant (11411 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33778-1602,(727) 559-7986 ). The whole dining experience is your typical diner, nothing too fancy or overly exciting. It reminds me a lot of the roadside diners I grew up eating at in Michigan, and there’s something comforting about that. The vinyl seating is a little sticky and doesn’t offer much in comfort, but the food is a good value and is pretty good tasting, so this isn’t a bad place to catch a quick bite.

I was in a bit of a hurry, so I ordered what I know to be both quick and tasty, a Reuben Sandwich. They make their Reuben a la carte, everything comes on the side except the meat, cheese and bread. They do this to both give you some options and also to keep the lunch crowd from spilling hot sauces all over themselves. It makes sense, and I like the control.

The sandwich itself is decent, and as to be expected. The rye is butter-soaked all the way through and grilled, making the whole sandwich hot throughout. They don’t use a lot of meat or a lot of sauerkraut, but what they do provide serves the purpose. This isn’t he quality or quantity that you’d find in a New York Style deli, but it’s also substantially less expensive. My whole lunch, including drink and tip was only about $10. French fries and cole slaw were unremarkable, but prepared properly.

Since eating there originally, I’ve gone back twice for the Reuben (both times to go) and it’s been consistently good. Since it’s so close to work I can bet there and back inside of 15 minutes, thus cutting my lunches short and making the most of my 11 hour work day. If you’re in Largo and want quick dining on a budget, give Boris Family Restaurant a try.

Restaurant Review: Los Mariachis #2

While I still can’t find Los Mariachi’s #1, I did manage to dine at the Los Mariachis #2 (9100 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33771-3821, (727) 584-9739) last week, as it’s less than a mile from my work and I wanted to kill some time before heading back over the bay on the Howard Franklin Bridge. The atmosphere is what you’d expect from upscale Mexican, including a beautiful functioning fountain when you first walk in, dozens of tables and booths, the sound of latin music all around and decorations that are instantly recognizable as south of the border.

At 6PM, the place is sparsely packed. I was seated immediately and my Diet Coke was out within 5 minutes. There were two different servers working in a team, so if one was busy the other would come by and check on me and the other guests. This system really seems to work well at Mariachi, as no one ever went without a fresh drink, napkins or anything else they might like.

I ordered the Chili Rellenos and a traditional beef taco. While I waited, they brought out complimentary chips and salsa. The chips themselves were a little too thin and dry for my liking, lacking the salt and oil that I’ve come to love in traditional tortillas. The salsa was thin, unexceptional and would roll off the chips too easily when dipped. The whole chips and salsa experience was uninspiring, though it did give me a nice base layer while waiting for my entree.

At 22 minutes from the time of ordering, my entree finally came out. The taco looked like a standard hard shelled taco, but the taste was a bit off. I couldn’t pinpoint the issue at first, but I figured it out as time progressed. The meat wasn’t seasoned. It was plain hamburger, tucked into a shell and coated in a white shredded cheese. As I continued to analyze the taste profile, I realized that the cheese was also very plain. The traditional mexican spices that I had come to expect were absent in this dish, leaving the taco relatively flavorless. While I wouldn’t say that the taco was disgusting or even bad tasting, I would say that it was a very empty and flavorless take on something I eat almost every day and have really loved from other restaurants.

The Chili Rellenos didn’t favor much better. The chili itself was smaller than I expected, probably not much more than 3″ around and an inch tall. Unlike Rellenos I’ve had in the past where you have a cheese and meat stuffed pepper covered in red sauce and cheese, this was a highly segmented take on the dish. The pepper itself, not cooked enough to have any cohesion with it’s other ingredients, was firm and spicy. The cheese, melted to the point of being hard, encased the pepper. Without sauce between the cheese and pepper, the pepper adhered to the cheese and made the dish more difficult to eat. Inside, the same bland ground beef of the taco was uninspiring. Nothing about this relleno gelled together as it should. Again, not something I’d say was appauling, simply not as appetizing as I had hoped it would be. The rest of the dish was made of guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese combined into a makeshift salad.

As a whole, Los Mariachis is an unimpressive cliche of what a Mexican restaurant should be. The food is bland, the atmosphere is accommodating but as-expected and the service is good, but not great. I won’t write this place off entirely, but it’s not the kind of place I was so impressed by that I’ll make an effort to visit regularly, even though it’s a stone’s throw from where I spend 10+ hours/day.

Restaurant Review: Widow Brown’s Restaurant

While looking for an out of the way place to get lunch at work last week, I stumbled across Widow Browns (2076 Seminole Blvd, Largo, FL 33778-1713, (727) 584-7084), a country kitchen diner that seemed out of place amongst the big names in fast food that call Ulmerton Road their home less than a half mile away. Being open for anything, I decided to give it a try.

When I walked in, I was immediately met with a mix of smells that is equal parts Cracker Barrel and neighborhood diner. I could smell bacon sizzling and potatoes frying and steak being seered. It was a good smell to walk in to. I was promptly met by a sassy waitress who sat me and came back with my drink order. Service was quick, with a smile and exactly as requested.

I ordered the Philly Chicken sandwich, which came with an option of either fries or salad bar. Knowing I was hungry, I thought the salad bar would make a better choice. As she left to put in my order, I went up to the salad bar and began piling up favorites. The salad bar had all of the standard fair, though none of it seemed overly exciting. I piled up a bit of lettuce with cucumbers, tomatoes, bacon bits, chickpees, onions and italian dressing, sided with some potato salad and cole slaw. I sat down and worked my way through it, unimpressed for the most part. The potato salad was fresh and inviting, though nothing out of the ordinary. The coleslaw was far too watery and looked like it had been out in the sun. The rest of the plate was average, at best.

The philly chicken came quickly and it was better than expected. The chicken chunks are marinaded in something that gives them a slight bite. The grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms perfectly round out the seasoning of the chicken. The one thing they don’t do is provide any kind of sauce, so I put a bit of mayo on the bun and used a fork to distribute the cheese a bit better. This sandwich wasn’t overly greasy or complicated but still remained a very satisfying take on a chicken sandwich I had eaten many times before in many other restaurants.

Widow Brown’s is a decent deal, especially at lunch time. I think my total meal with sandwich, salad bar and soda with tip was under $15. I’m going to make a trip back next week to try their BBQ Chicken and Rib Combo, which the waitress assured me was, “The best you’ll find in Pinellas County.”

Restaurant Review: Thai Lotus

Good Thai Food is so hard to find, and I’ve been fortunate to find a number of good places lately. One I’ve been to several times because of their good food and friendly owners is Thai Lotus (13336 66th St, Largo, FL 33773-1815, (727) 531-3448), a strip mall Thai joint that’s a bit tough to find but worth being a regular. Because of their location, not a lot of folks know this place exists. In the year they’ve been around, it’s been difficult for them to stay open because most of the busy Ulmerton Road traffic simply passes them by. From what I’ve seen, regulars keep this place around and we all share in the little known secret that is Thai Lotus.

The atmosphere is probably a bit classier than it needs to be, including fancily decorated tables with individual bamboo shoots and folded napkins into towers. The glass tops make for easy cleanup and lots of little accents make the room a subtle but enjoyable one. Being that it’s rarely busy makes everything about the environment almost eerily quiet, but comfortable.

The husband and wife team that run Thai Lotus are always smiling, always happy to great new customers. When I come in, they know exactly who I am and what I have. Before I even get to the table, they are there to great me, asking if I want my Pad Thai hot or “Thai hot”. While I definitely recommend the Pad Thai, today I’d like to review my other favorite dish there, the Pra Ram Kai.

The wonderful medley of Chicken cooked in red curry with peanut sauce, coconut milk, broccoli, bean sprouts, zucchini and carrots is divine. There’s a very prominent taste of peanuts throughout, giving every bite the kind of taste that I love in Thai food. As it comes, it’s very subdued, but you can order it hot if you like. The side of rice comes on it’s own plate and in a heart shape, imprinted with the pan they are formed in. It’s a delicate touch and one worth taking in before you eat your meal.

Every dish made at Thai Lotus is made without MSG, so everything tastes like it was just made. In a dish like this, the red curry blends so wonderfully with the coconut milk that it’s a completely new taste than either ingredient should be able to make. I’ve asked for Pra Ram Kai at other places and no one knows what it is, but it’d be silly to try anywhere else because this is very, very good. My only complaint is portion size. At about $13, this dish isn’t what I’d call cheap and you don’t get a lot of it. That said, it’s a reasonable value for the money and I will often get a second one to take home knowing that I’ll eat it a few hours later.

While enjoying the meal, the man of the house continually brings out more water, checking on you frequently. He’s so charming and sweet about everything, a true gentleman that always makes sure his guests are comfortable. When you complete your meal, he quickly runs to your table to collect the tab and return with a smile. “Man thanks, and do come again.” he says. He knows I will.