I walked in the door and was immediately greeted by not only the hostess, but the usual bustling electricity of the happy hour crowd at Roy's in Tampa.  This evening there seemed to be just a little something extra in the air, probably due to the fact that Roy's in Tampa had once again been listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the area.  With over 11 years in the Tampa Bay area and a reputation for excellent food and service, I still find it amazing that you can throw a stone and find people who have not yet been to Roy's for dinner.  

I am always impressed that no matter how busy it is, the management team, waitstaff, bartenders, kitchen staff, and chefs, all seem to have such an excellent handle on things.  I never doubt that its going to be a great meal and that the service will be top notch.  Although the entity that is Roy's is a fast moving ship the captain and crew run it with an air of efficiency and calm that never makes you question the condition of the seas ahead.  

I particularly love sitting at the bar and having one of Roy's signature cocktails and just taking in the scene.  Of course, there has always been a soft spot in my heart for restaurants and at Roy's its the best of both worlds.  All of the activity of the bar with the backdrop of the open kitchen.  Beautiful cocktails and wine, complemented by some of the most stunningly prepared and plated appetizers, sushi, and sashimi.  Just ask any server how fresh the fish is at Roy's and they will explain how they get their fish.  

It was time to leave the bar area and get to serious business.  Tonight I was here to taste the Winter Prix Fixe menu.  

Every season (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) Roy's offers a 3 course meal which focuses on seasonal ingredients.  Recently they announced the launch of the Winter menu.  As if I need an extra reason to visit once a quarter.  

Fortunately as a guest of Roy's I did not have to make a decision on the menu items and was fortunate enough to try all the dishes.  This is not a menu you should try alone, bring friends!  

The selection of appetizers includes:  Duck Confit and Roasted Mushroom Flatbread, Grilled Pear Salad with a Ginger Orange Sage Vinaigrette, or a Korean Soup with Braised Short Bread.  Now that I am reflecting on this meal, I realize that I could have made a meal of just the appetizers.  Since the appetizer sampling included so many flavors I opted for one of my favorite sparkling wines (available on the glass list - the Moet & Chandon "Imperial" Champagne).  Make no mistake, about the food pairing ability of Champagne. 

With glass of Champagne in hand, I proceeded to be delighted by crispy flatbread, bright and lively salad, and a soup that was at once hearty and light (how do they do that?).  I could have ended the meal right there and been completely happy, but I had main courses to investigate.

The Winter Prix Fixe features Shisho Crusted Salmon, Boursin Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast, and to my delight a Grilled 14-oz Bone in Pork Chop (I love Pork!). Not only does Roy's cook these proteins perfectly, but they also offer some of the season's finest ingredients and sauces paying careful attention to the theme of Winter.  Not an easy task in Florida.  Nonetheless side items like a caramelized onion polenta, potato pave, mustard seed and scallion spaetzle, and fennel sauerkraut, bring to mind all of my favorite winter ingredients from a lifetime of memories, but with new, fun, and delicious twists.  

As always I am impressed with the care that goes into the preparation of these ingredients.  You may think that it's just a pork chop but I was informed that this pork chop is lovingly brined, smoked, sous vide, and grilled.  That's a lot of love, and it shows.  A great wine pairing for any of the items on the Winter Prix Fixe is the Meomi Pinot Noir.  I also enjoyed the Lyeth Meritage and found it to be a fantastic partner to these menu items.  Slightly more full-bodied than the Pinot without overpowering.

The desserts, always stunning, include Roy's famous molten chocolate cake and a seasonal addition of a pear tart (hooray puff pastry) with a salted caramel sauce.

In short, it was another fantastic evening at one of Tampa Bay's favorite restaurants. 

Don't miss the Winter Prix Fixe, it's an incredible value at $36.95 per person.  My advice, bring a friend or two so you can try everything.

Cheers!


Jodi @tampawinewoman

When you name your restaurant after a small town on the outskirts of Hillsborough County, you better be ready to bring all the charm and warmth of old Florida, while still entertaining me with some modern and fun twists.  Mission accomplished at Wimauma.  

There is something so quaint and non-pretentious and welcoming about Wimauma, that you can't help but want to linger there talking to Amy or Chef Gary.  Even when the restaurant is completely full (a considerable wait has been reported on some Friday and Saturday nights), Amy always makes the time to visit the table and talk to you, and Chef Gary is often spotted making the rounds to talk to guests.  One thing is clear and that is Tampa's newest restaurant husband and wife team are loving life and loving the restaurant business.  

Amy speaks passionately about the food.  This isn't a sales pitch, she truly loves her husband's cooking.  She makes me want to try everything on the menu but sadly I must narrow down my options for dinner.  Fortunately when we visited a little over a week ago, we had a large enough group (4 of us) that we were able to try a few of the appetizers.  My favorite were the Crispy Florida Fried Oysters with Guacamole and Smoky Tomato Jam.  One bite of these succulent sweet oysters with an absolute perfect fried crust and I suddenly wished I had ordered an extra plate.  The smoked tomato jam and creamy guacamole brought everything together in one perfectly balanced mouthful.  A close second for me were the Cracker Meal Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes with Crispy Country Ham Watercress and Buttermilk-Ranch Dressing.  Apparently I have never had good fried green tomatoes before.  These were amazing.  

Although I certainly could have feasted on Chef Gary's appetizers all night at Wimauma, we moved on to entrees.  I could not resist the Pork Two Ways which included Smoked Pork Loin with Seared Pork Belly, White Beans, Collard Greens, and a Sherry Mustard Vinaigrette.  Everything was cooked to absolute perfection and paired beautifully with the Lock & Key Meritage (a blend of Bordeaux grapes from California).

A fantastic evening ending with two must have desserts - Peanut Butter and Jelly Creme Brulee (sounded strange but can't seem to get it out of my head) and my new favorite addiction - a Bacon Infused Dark Chocolate Brownie served with vanilla ice cream (of course).  This brownie had the most amazing slightly crispy exterior while maintaining soft fudgy gooey insides.  

If you haven't had a chance to try out Wimauma for yourself, I would rush on over for some great Florida inspired few with a few fun new twists.  

Cheers!

Jodi a/k/a tampawinewoman

Every once in a while, dinner is consumed so quickly at my house that escapes that perfect photo opportunity.  This was the case with last night's shrimp curry.  I have designated this year as the year of the sauce, and have a number of recipes that I plan on attempting.  Some of them are quick sauces and others range all the way up to the classic mother sauces.  I have always loved coconut curry sauce and was thrilled when I found a recipe that met my expectations for a quick sauce.  This means that there is little prep, few ingredients, and yet still an intensity of flavor.  

Here we go:  Saute 1-2 tablespoons sweet onion, or shallots in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and stir for about 1 minute, until the curry powder releases its aroma.  Add in 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of crushed red chile pepper flakes.  Heat through and let the flavors combine.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of chopped basil and the juice of 1/2 lime.  At this point you can stir in whatever cooked protein you are using.  Last night I had roasted some shrimp in the oven.  I served the whole thing over rice.

So, in the time that it takes you to order takeout you can make a great tasty sauce.  Last night's sauce was inspired by Chef Victor Wang at Zen Forrest's recommendation of Midas Touch beer from Dogfish Head.  With an absolutely intriguing aroma, stunning golden color, honeyed texture, and exotic ingredients, I was hooked on first sip.

This brew packs a big wollop of alcohol at 9.0 ABV.  Almost twice that of my beloved Cigar City Maduro from the previous night.  

If I were to pair wine with this curry, I'd look for a Riesling, Gewurztraminer, or perhaps a Viognier.  I would love to check out good friend Paul Clear's offering of Lobetia Viognier from Terroir Wines. 

Cheers!

Jodi a/k/a tampawinewoman

Although I pride myself on the fact that I can find wine to go with just about anything, last night I opted to serve beer.  I have really been enjoying craft beer lately, and I know that I am not alone.   I am certainly no beer expert at this point, but I love the roasty toastiness of a brown ale.  I find it to be a great accompaniment to the smokiness of the brats, the caramelization of pan sauteed onions, and the earthiness of the Kalamata olive vinaigrette soaked grilled red potatoes.  

I highly recommend grabbing a six-pack of the Maduro Brown Ale from Cigar City.  Their tasting notes are as follows:

"Maduro is a Northern English-style brown ale with some American affectations. Maduro is higher in alcohol than the common English brown ale and features flaked oats in the malt bill which imparts a silky body and works to mesh the roasted, toasted and chocolate components together in Maduro's complex malt profile. The end result is a remarkably full-flavored yet approachable and sessionable brown ale that pairs well with mild to medium cigars."

Do you have a favorite wine or beer pairing?  Please share

Cheers!

Jodi a/k/a tampawinewoman

I hate to say that my first thought in the morning is about wine, it makes me seem like such a lush.  Normally, my first thought of the morning is about coffee.  However, this morning I woke up thinking about a few wine labels that I have seen recently and wondering to myself if trends are changing.  When I first started selling wine here in Tampa Bay it seemed like wine producers almost had to trick consumers into purchasing wine with clever names, or cute animal pictures, or both.  

Recently, I have seen labels that seem to focus more on the experience of wine.  Drawing attention to food pairing, the way the wine develops in the glass, and the terroir (or that certain sense of place).

Entwine is a joint project between Food Network and Wente Vineyards.  In my opinion it makes perfect sense for Food Network to get involved in the wine pairing business in some sense.  Let's face it, whether you like or hate Rachel Ray, Food Network has managed to get more people into the kitchen and changed many palates, for the better, over the past few years.  If they can spark the same interest in consumers to get wine on their tables, that has to be good news for all wine producers.

This came to my attention, as I am sure is the case with many people, through the popular television show, The Bachelor.  I want to take a moment to clearly state that I do not watch The Bachelor, or The Bachelorette.  All my reality television comes in the format of competitive cooking.  All of that aside, I love the name.  It implies that good things come to those who wait.  It strikes a chord that gives me hope that continues swirling in the glass and volatizing the esters of the wine will yield great rewards.

I picked up a bottle of Cercius over the holidays.  So labeled in tribute to the "legendary mistral winds of Provence that sweep over the vines and out to the Mediterranean sea."  The moniker is a clear tribute to one of the features that makes the Costieres de Nime region completely unique.  I personally love it when I can learn something about a wine region from the label.  I think this is a great way to educate consumers without being overbearing or snobby.

There are still plenty of cute animals, catchy names, and other gimmicky wine labels out there.  I am guilty of buying them and loving them.  But I am hopeful that these new labels are part of a trend to give people a deeper connection and better understanding of wine.

Have you seen any interesting labels lately?  Please share.

Cheers!

It's a new year, and that means it is time for New Year's Resolutions.  Time to evaluate what happened last year and work on improving our lives this year.  A time to regroup and move forward.  It's a good time to talk about some wine goals for this year.  Aside from my usual goal of obtaining and drinking the very best cult wines that I can get my hands on, there are a few more financially obtainable goals.  Changes that I can make to be a better wine drinker.

First (and this is true for me every year), take better wine notes.  Okay, if we are being completely honest here, even though I know better, this would read, take some wine notes.  Sometimes, it just seems so impossible to be standing a tasting juggling a glass, and literature, and attempt to take notes.  However, with all of the amazing smart phone apps, this seems like a lame excuse.  The advantage to taking notes, is that it forces you to pay attention.  To consider a wine's personality, and remember it and it's character.  I am fond of the Wine Notes app.  It allows me to track all of my wine notes, and offers a handy sliding scale, as well as a list of fruits and flavors that I can just tap to complete my notes.  For online sharing, I love the Drync Wine app, which involves a bit more typing but allows me to share wine that I have tasted across my social networks.  If all else fails the back of a napkin or small notepad work great as well.  

My second resolution and one that I recommend highly, is to try something different every week.  It's easy to get in a wine rut and drink the same varietals and even worse the same labels, all the time.  I challenge you to set aside one night a week and try a new wine.  I am always shocked by the number of people that I encounter who have never tasted a Grenache or a Tempranillo, who drink only Pinot Grigio, and have never dabbled with the vast variety of Chardonnay styles available.  If you are nervous about putting good money down on a bottle of wine that is out of your comfort zone, then I recommend tracking down some wine tastings in your neighborhood and making a point to get out and experiment.

I think that two resolutions are a great start.  The best part of all . . . these two are so much easier to keep than my half-hearted resolution to work out more.

What are your wine resolutions for 2012?  Please share.

Cheers!

Jodi

Happy New Year.  Many of you may know me as tampawinewoman, but my name is really Jodi, and I am happy to meet you.