Very Hungry for the Hungry Crab

For Father’s Day, we enjoyed a good seafood dinner from Hungry Crab in Davenport. My husband requested it and we all agreed to give it a try.

I started with the Clam Chowder and it was New England and chunky. I enjoyed it with the crushed up crackers that they gave me.

Then, I enjoyed the Fried Shrimp with Fries and they were crunchy and tasty. I read that the coating fell off for previous diners, but it only happened here and there for me, and they were still good and cooked just right.

My husband had the Hungry Crab Combo No. 1 with added Sausage. The combo included Blue Claw Crab Legs, Shrimp, Black Mussels, Potatoes, Corn, Eggs, and Sausage. The spice he chose was Old Bay and the degree of spice was mild. The boil filled a large bowl and may have been enough for two. Anyway, he loved it and said the crab was especially good. I tasted the corn, crab, and sausage. The sausage wasn’t what I had hoped because it wasn’t like Kielbasa or Andouille; it was more like Jimmy Dean. But, the corn, crab, and even the egg were good.

The kids both got Macaroni and Cheese sides, but needed us to make chicken nuggets because the portion size was small. They enjoyed it anyway!

Out of everything that my family ordered, we were mildly pleased by the sausage, felt that the red snapper shouldn’t have skin on it, and thought the fried calamari had no flavor, but the coconut shrimp, crab cake, fried mozzarella, gumbo, and everything else was tasty.

If you’re interested in getting a seafood boil or a fried seafood basket, the Hungry Crab is great for takeout.

Hungry Crab, 43554 US Highway 27, Davenport, 863-888-8688

The Cupcake ATM is Money!

My kids wanted cupcakes from Sprinkles, but the line inside was a little long for us during a pandemic. So, we hit up the Cupcake ATM. This may be my favorite foodie tech right now. More innovation, please!

Here’s how it works …

1. Walk up to the ATM

2. Check out the menu of sweets

3. Pay for the sweets with the swipe of your card

4. Grab your boxes of sweets

5. Eat sweets!

6. Love life ❤️

Sprinkles Cupcakes, Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, 407-560-9192

Celebrating with Winebar George

For my father’s birthday, we wanted to all eat at an outdoor restaurant that we had never eaten there before together and we chose Winebar George. I had called ahead to make sure that we could get a table outside and they assured me that, since my reservation was so early, they could accommodate us.

We started our meal with a large charcuterie board called The Big Board, Grilled Octopus Salad, and, of course I needed to order that lovely Burrata that I had tried two years earlier during an anniversary meal with my husband. I love smooth and creamy Burrata and this one did not disappoint; it was fantastic.

Burrata

The Grilled Octopus wasn’t my favorite, but I don’t usually like seafood salads. I prefer hot seafood over chilled.

Grilled Octopus Salad

The Big Board had a large assortment of meats, cheeses, jams, jellies, mustards, and nuts. The waitress gave us a summary of what we had ordered but it was fun to discover each of the items with my family members to see which ones we liked and did not like.

The Big Board

When it was time for dinner I shared the Skirt Steak with my parents and my husband ordered the Bell & Evans Chicken Breast. The steak was tender and the asparagus had a great crunch. The potatoes were salty and light.

Skirt Steak

My husband’s meal didn’t knock his socks off, but he enjoyed it and said the potatoes were especially tasty.

Bell & Evans Chicken

During my meal, I enjoyed a glass of Pacific Rim Gewurztraminer because the wine menu at Winebar George is quite extensive. It was sweet and light, and it was a great addition to my meal.

Pacific Rim Gewurztraminer

The kids were able to find meals that they enjoyed. My daughter ordered the children’s meatballs and my son ordered the Mac and cheese.

Children’s Meatballs

Children’s Mac and Cheese

The celebration was a great success and we all enjoyed our meals. It was rather pricey, so be prepared for your bill. In the past, we’ve seen George Miliotes on site, but this time we weren’t as lucky. If you do try Winebar George, you can eat outside on the balcony, inside at the bar, and at a regular table. The balcony is my choice because you can people watch while you eat and sip.

Winebar George, Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, 407-490-1800

Celebratory Sweets from Sprinkles

Lately, we’ve been staying safe and doing pick up, drive through, curbside, or outdoor dining. As a special treat for my kids, we hit up Sprinkles at Disney Springs. We entered the shop where everyone was masked and no one else was on line. We placed our order and took the cupcakes home.

Outside Sprinkles

There was a long list of options and even though there are regulars, several flavors change with the season. They even have cookies and brownies on the menu.

Flavor Menu

My daughter ordered a Chocolate Marshmallow and my son ordered a Red Velvet cupcake.

Chocolate Marshmallow

Inside

Red Velvet

Inside

The kids loved their choices and I tried a bite of each. The icing was sweet and the cake was bouncy and flavorful. The options with fillings are nice additions.

Fortunately, Sprinkles offers a reward program where you can accumulate points and gain free items or discounts. It’s also nice to see their new flavors when I joined their email list.

Sprinkles, Disney Springs, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 407-560-9192

Grilling our own meal at Gyu-Kaku

For our February date night, we decided to try something different and seriously unique.

Gyu-Kaku in the Dr. Philips area of Orlando, Fla. is a Japanese barbecue joint with grills at each table. When I asked my friends if they’d ever eaten there, they said everything was delicious and it really didn’t matter what we ordered. Great advice!

I started my meal with a glass of house white and it was only $5 per glass. At other spots in Florida, I’d be paying $12 for that same wine.

There are meal packages that include soup, salad, appetizers, meat, and dessert. We ordered the $75 package and it came with the following:

• Miso Soup
• House Salad
• Sushi
• Shrimp and Mushrooms
• Rice
• Chicken
• Short Ribs
• Skirt Steak
• Filet Mignon
• S’mores

I don’t like Miso Soup from anywhere, so that was my least favorite item on the list. I also don’t like mushrooms and there were a lot in this meal. Those two things were my only issues with our meal. Honestly.

The first appetizer was the Shrimp and Mushroom Ahijo which had garlic and basil. It had to cook on the table grill while we ate our salads.

The Gyu-Kaku Salad had eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, daikon radish, and sesame dressing. I loved this. It had a great zest and was a light way to start a full meal of meat.

Our next appetizer was the Gyu-Sushi which was seasoned roast beef on dabs of white rice. We cut ours in halves and tried each with the table sauces of Citrus Soy, Spicy Soy, and Sweet Soy. My favorite was the Sweet Soy for this dish.

The Shrimp and Mushroom Ahijo was cooked at this point and it was very good. I love garlic so I was definitely a fan of the shrimp, but not so much of the mushrooms.

Next up was the Beef Sukiyaki Bibimbap, which was beef fried rice in a sizzling bowl. The waiter brought it over and mixed it up for us. The meat and rice had to finish cooking in the bowl before we could eat it. It had a lot of flavor.

After the appetizers, they brought out the main meats and we started with the Chicken Breast. It was seasoned with basil and I like dipping it in the Citrus Soy Sauce.

Next up was the Prime Kalbi Short Rib and there were a couple pieces that had some fat on them, but it had great flavor.

Next we grilled up the Harami Skirt Steak. I thought this one was marinated the best. It was covered in sauce.

And the final meat was the Filet Mignon. It was tender and most were done in two quick bites. I barely had to chew them they were so soft. They were good dipped in Sweet Soy Sauce, but it’s Filet Mignon, so I didn’t dip them all.

And, the final course was dessert. When you have an open flame, what do you make? If you didn’t answer S’mores, do you even like food? Anyway, it was a great ending to a phenomenal meal because I always need a little something sweet.

Gyu-Kaku was a very unique experience with very delicious cuisine. You can order a meal package or order items a la carte. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

We can’t wait to visit again so we can cook up something new. I didn’t order the Gyoza, so I’ll probably get that next time, and TK and I decided we’d want more veggies with our food.

Oh, and maybe font bring the kids. There’s a kids meal, but there’s also several flaming hot areas of the table. Just a thought.

Gyu-Kaku, Turkey Lake Road, Orlando, FL, 407-613-5056

Who do Voo Doo … Doughnuts?

In Universal Studios City Walk in Orlando, there’s Voo Doo Doughnuts with its interesting and risqué doughnuts. The first time I heard of it was on Food Network when they visited their flagship store in Seattle, Wash. I thought they were cool then.

My parents met a friend at City Walk and brought home Voo Doo Doughnuts. I had been there before and tried a couple bites, but that was a while ago. The regular doughnuts are $1.75 and the specialty doughnuts are $3.75 and up. My parents bought $18+ of doughnuts and they purchased six.

I had the No Name Doughnut. It’s a yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting, rice krispies, and a peanut butter drizzle. It is not on the online general menu, but they are on the menu that’s on the City Walk site. It was good, but not great. The peanut butter wasn’t strong and the krispies were dry, but the doughnut was soft.

TK had their Boston Cream doughnut and absolutely loved it, but I don’t do shiny fillings. So, no fruit, custard, or pudding for me, but I do like fluffy cream and whipped cream.

My son had a pink frosted doughnut and my daughter has a cake doughnut with mini M&Ms on it. She doesn’t mess around, so she ate all of the M&Ms and frosting but left most of the doughnut.

Give them a try, but get there early so you get a fresh, fluffy doughnut.

Voo Doo Doughnuts, City Walk, Universal Studios Orlando,

The Fat Donkey for Sweet Treats

After dinner, we decided to head to downtown Cocoa Beach for ice cream. I read great things about the treats at the The Fat Donkey, so we made our way over there.

TK ordered something called a Calypso Crunch. It had chocolate-covered, peanut butter-filled pretzels and peanut butter in chocolate ice cream. That would’ve been right up my alley because peanut butter and chocolate is my jam, but I found something else on the menu. I chose the Baja Chocolate Marshmallow. It had cookie dough, chocolate chips, and marshmallow in chocolate ice cream. It was delicious and if I hadn’t eaten my whole dinner just 30 minutes before, I would’ve devoured it.

The Fat Donkey, 247 Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, Fla., 321-652-3126

Grills for Seafood on the Water

I read and saw several recommendations for Grills in Port Canaveral. It’s on the water, it has a great selection of food, and it’s the perfect summer spot.

When we arrived, they seated us inside and right away. The kids had their crayons and their menus and I was checking out the seafood options.

I started with New England Clam Chowder and it was chunky, creamy, and had a hint of pepper. As you can see by the photo, there was no shortage of potatoes or clams. It was delicious.

My father had the Manhattan Fish Chowder. He enjoyed it because he’s more of a tomato base-type of guy. He did say it had a little kick to it.

As my entree, I ordered the Cluster of Crabs and was excited to get cracking. I prefer the leg meat over the lump crabmeat, and there was plenty. I also ordered Coconut Sticky Rice and Steamed Island Veggies. They were both very tasty and really gave my meal the “island” feel.

My husband enjoyed his Catch if the Day, which was Yellow Fin Tuna. He usually eats tuna in sushi, so this was new for him, but he enjoyed it and the accompaniments as well, including his Tahiti Taters and Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots that he was raving about.

Our meals were very good and the atmosphere was also fun and very Florida.

Grills, 505 Glen Cheek Drive, Cape Canaveral, Fla., 321-868-2226

Ale House in Cocoa

While on vacation, we tried to go to a place called Shark Pit Bar & Grill within the Four Points by Sheraton on A1A, but it took 10 minutes for them to acknowledge us and even longer to try and seat us. So, we took our party of six and went elsewhere. It was only a short ride down the street to the Ale House. There, we were greeted, seated, and ordering within five minutes.

I ordered a Turkey Club Wrap with Homemade Chips. The wrap was fresh and tasty with the right amount of ranch dressing. The chips were seasoned like sour cream and onion and they were delicious. Everyone enjoyed sharing them. My father enjoyed his chowder and my husband liked his chicken sandwich. They even brought the kids’ meals out first so they could get started before us.

The meal was enjoyable and the service was exactly what we were expecting. Everyone was content, especially my little ones who shared a fudge brownie sundae; one ate the ice cream and the other ate the brownie.

Ale House, 5590 N Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach, Fla.

Sweet Treats at Beaches & Cream

The last time we were at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, we enjoyed (for the first few minutes) an enormous Kitchen Sink sundae and left disgusted because some of us were able to finish (TK and I) and others got sick. In our defense, we had just ate an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet at Cape May Cafe.

This time, we were smarter and decided to have dinner and dessert. Our party was split up at our seats because there are no big tables, but I’m hoping with their impending renovation that some bigger tables are added and the place is spruced up. It was kind of lagging behind in the brightness and colorful categories under Disney’s standards.

I ordered the Tomato Bisque and Grilled Cheese. My husband got the same thing and said it was the best grilled cheese he’d ever had, and I tend to agree. The cheese was extra stringy because there were a few varieties of cheese melted together and the bread was still crispy. The soup was also good and I dipped my sandwich in it, obviously.

We decided to share a No Way Jose sundae at the end of our meal. TK didn’t want to share, but I talked him into it. We also got the sundae in the Mickey pants bowl and were able to take it home for future sundaes.

This sundae is covered in hot fudge, peanut butter, whipped cream, and chocolate and peanut butter chips. The ice cream was vanilla and chocolate, but the toppings really sold it. You know how I love peanut butter and it was melted and warmly drizzled over the whole thing.

My brother ordered an enormous Snickers Sundae that he couldn’t finish and our children received adorable Mickey Sundaes with their meals.

While we enjoyed our meal, we saw the lights go down and heard the announcement about the Kitchen Sink three times and it brought back painful memories, but each party who partook in the challenge left with smiles on their faces, so they probably didn’t eat a dozen crab legs before they arrived. Good idea!

Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Beach Club Resort, Walt Disney World, 407-WDW-DINE