Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:
It is DAY FOUR of International Pig Week at LilyOnTheLam! I hope you have been enjoying this week of porcine posts. If you are just joining us mid-Pig week, please make sure you check out the previous posts:
Day One: Divin Porcello in Budapest, Hungary
Day Two: The Thirsty Pig in Portland, Maine
Day Three: Pork Sausage and Mustard-flavored potato crisps from the UK
and now Day Four ... Bacon Butterscotch Beignets from Castile Restaurant at the boutique Hotel Zamora in St. Pete Beach, Florida!
I loooooooove a good beignet (check out my Bitches and Beignets post from New Orleans, LA), so when I went to the swanky new boutique hotel in St. Pete Beach, FL - The Hotel Zamora and saw that Castile Restaurant had "Bacon Butterscotch Beignets with a Navel Orange Gastrique" on the menu, I said "SOLD!" I went to brunch with my friend, the CEO of an organic home and body care line. The decor is fabulous with a view of the lovely inter coastal. A perfect place for brunch.
Despite my fun-loving palate, my day-to-day eats are pretty Joe Schmo. The only time I hear the term "gastrique" is when I am watching Bravo TV's "Top Chef." And even then I roll my eyes. For the record, a gastrique is a reduction of vinegar and sugar.
I have to say I had very high hopes for these beignets. They were decent but did not live up to my high expectations. I am used to beignets that are bit more puffy and fluffy in the middle. These were overcooked. I suspect the cooking oil was too hot to allow the dough to properly puff up. I would have appreciated more bacon flavor. The butterscotch was tasty and the navel orange gastrique was delicious. If I were to get these again I'd ask for the sauce on the side as some pieces were drowning in the sauce and overly sweet.
All in all it's a great concept for a beignet, it just needs more work. And more bacon. (Check out my vegan bacon post here.)
I will say overall the atmosphere, customer service and cocktails at Castile Restaurant are top notch and are worth checking out. So if you're in St. Pete Beach, don't miss out on this one!
P.S. Yesterday was National Cat Day. My youngest cat plopped himself down in front of me spread eagle and demanded a belly rubbing. These cats -- give them a day and they think they are little Princes!
It is DAY FOUR of International Pig Week at LilyOnTheLam! I hope you have been enjoying this week of porcine posts. If you are just joining us mid-Pig week, please make sure you check out the previous posts:
Day One: Divin Porcello in Budapest, Hungary
Day Two: The Thirsty Pig in Portland, Maine
Day Three: Pork Sausage and Mustard-flavored potato crisps from the UK
and now Day Four ... Bacon Butterscotch Beignets from Castile Restaurant at the boutique Hotel Zamora in St. Pete Beach, Florida!
I loooooooove a good beignet (check out my Bitches and Beignets post from New Orleans, LA), so when I went to the swanky new boutique hotel in St. Pete Beach, FL - The Hotel Zamora and saw that Castile Restaurant had "Bacon Butterscotch Beignets with a Navel Orange Gastrique" on the menu, I said "SOLD!" I went to brunch with my friend, the CEO of an organic home and body care line. The decor is fabulous with a view of the lovely inter coastal. A perfect place for brunch.
Despite my fun-loving palate, my day-to-day eats are pretty Joe Schmo. The only time I hear the term "gastrique" is when I am watching Bravo TV's "Top Chef." And even then I roll my eyes. For the record, a gastrique is a reduction of vinegar and sugar.
I have to say I had very high hopes for these beignets. They were decent but did not live up to my high expectations. I am used to beignets that are bit more puffy and fluffy in the middle. These were overcooked. I suspect the cooking oil was too hot to allow the dough to properly puff up. I would have appreciated more bacon flavor. The butterscotch was tasty and the navel orange gastrique was delicious. If I were to get these again I'd ask for the sauce on the side as some pieces were drowning in the sauce and overly sweet.
All in all it's a great concept for a beignet, it just needs more work. And more bacon. (Check out my vegan bacon post here.)
I will say overall the atmosphere, customer service and cocktails at Castile Restaurant are top notch and are worth checking out. So if you're in St. Pete Beach, don't miss out on this one!
P.S. Yesterday was National Cat Day. My youngest cat plopped himself down in front of me spread eagle and demanded a belly rubbing. These cats -- give them a day and they think they are little Princes!
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