I am gearing up for my next round of travel adventures around the world. I've basically been using it as a HUGE excuse to shop ... and shop HARD. I have a whole new wardrobe of the cutest dresses EVER.
For someone who works from home most of the time (in Old Navy tank tops and yoga pants, no less), I now have a ridiculously chic wardrobe. I like to ask people out to lunch so I can show up in a power dress and feel justified in having made the purchase.
My poor friend, the Ohio Buckeye Bandit, has had to deal with me preening, twirling and prancing any time we meet for a work week lunch. I'm waiting for the day she reaches over and just slaps me in the head. But until then, I will TWIRL, TWIRL, POSE AND TWIRL!
Because I have spent more time shopping than blogging, I have started accumulating a bunch of new favorite places in Tampa Bay and Orlando that all desperately deserve their own individual blog posts - but my procrastination reigns supreme, so I thought I'd put a bunch of them into one blog post as my September 2015 "Top Tampa Recommendations and More." (The "more" being Orlando - ha ha!)
Recommendation #1: Naga Tea:
My new addiction/obsession is an adorable Asian-style tea house near USF called Naga Tea. I am actually sitting at Naga Tea writing this blog post. I am Queen of the Naga Tea's Grapefruit Green Tea with Small Boba and 25% sweetness. They might as well just call it "The Lily."
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| Naga Tea - my addiction |
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| The pick up counter at Naga Tea |
Most of the people I see at Naga Tea are college students, so perhaps I am vicariously reliving my youth while I slurp down my grapefruit and boba-spiked green tea. But here's the major difference between myself now and myself in college - I have money and a cool car now. Back then, I had no car, no money. So hooray for aging. Ha!
Recommendation #2: Generation Food Court in Seminole Heights, FL
The good folks who brought you The World's Largest Food Truck Rally 1, 2 and 3 (and #4 on Halloween 2015) have done it AGAIN! Generation Food Truck has turned the lot next to Red Star Bar into a daily revolving food truck court. called "Generation Food Court." Can we just say genius?
I first tried them out when they did the "Taste of Asia" festival with all Asian cuisine food trucks. I will be traveling to the Philippines soon, so I was excited to have a sampler platter from the fresh and delicious "Flip'n Tasty" food truck. My friends sampled from the Pao Truck and the Pho Truck (their Thai tea was AMAZING).
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| Taste of Asia - Generation Food Court 1 |
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| Taste of Asia - Generation Food Court 2 |
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| Flip'n Tasty Food Truck - check them out! |
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| $6 for the sampler - great deal and the Puto steamed cake ROCKED |
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| My Sarap Sampler - delicious, delicious! |
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| The Pancit Noodles from the Pao Truck |
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| Amazing Thai Tea from the Pho Truck |
Recommendation #3: Grape Leaf Express - Brandon, FL
I love, love, love Lebanese food. One day I hope to travel to Lebanon. I have a deep appreciation for food from Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Lebanon. The whole hybrid Mediterranean-Middle Eastern cuisine is my favorite in the whole world. About six years ago, I traveled all around Egypt. My first meal in Egypt literally felt like I was coming home. Like I was eating home cooking from another lifetime. I realize that may sound new age kooky, but that's what I felt.
I stumbled upon the Grape Leaf Express once before I actually dined there. My friends Mr. and Mrs. Bento Box of Woodbury, Minnesota had posted their daughter's lunch online. I can't remember if it was ramen or udon, but whatever it was I had an incredibly strong desire for a big bowl of udon noodles.
I wanted to try a new place, so I found a review for Tokai Japanese Restaurant in Brandon, Florida. I found the udon to be decent and the service to be extremely friendly. Next door was a Lebanese restaurant called "Grape Leaf Express." As I love Lebanese food, I made a mental note to check it out some time in the future.
At least 2 months went by when I was at the dentist. I had cracked a tooth and needed to find a new dentist. Now you may be asking "what does your new dentist have to do with Lebanese food?" Great question! The dentist's dental partner is Lebanese and she told me that her favorite Lebanese food in the Tampa Bay area is Grape Leaf Express! Now I knew the universe was telling me that I had to quit procrastinating and try this Lebanese restaurant!
I am a Greek salad with gyro meat addict. I seriously have had three in the past two weeks (one from my favorite Tarpon Springs restaurant Dimitri's on the Water, one from the Acropolis Greek Taverna in Ybor City and one from the Acropolis Greek Taverna in St. Petersburg, FL). So I contemplated NOT getting a gyro salad at Grape Leaf Express, but then I decided to put a twist on it. At Grape Leaf Express you can have gyro meat on any of their salads, so I ordered the fattoush salad with gyro meat on it. I also ordered hummus with pita and of course a piece of baklava for dessert.
If you're not familiar with a fattoush salad - it is a Middle Eastern chopped salad with fresh herbs and toasted pita chips. It is best when fresh with a tangy citrus dressing and a heavy handed amount of parsley. I love it when it's done right. And at Grape Leaf Express, they do it right. It was probably one of the best fattoush salads I have ever had. The hummus was tasty too - rich, creamy with a delicious amount of tahini. The baklava was so fresh, but not drowning in honey. It reminded me of eating baklava on the streets of Istanbul.
My dentist said it was the best Lebanese in Tampa and I think she's right. It's also inexpensive. You order at a counter and then pick up your food (to eat at the restaurant or for take away) as it's made in front of your eyes. Casual but so fresh and delicious. I will definitely be visiting Grape Leaf Express again in the future!
The decor was modern. Service was extremely polite and friendly. A steady flow of customers came in - some to eat in, many to take away. It seems Grape Leaf Express is popular with more than just my dentist!
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| Grape Leaf Express - order at the counter |
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| Gyro meat on a fantastically fresh fattoush salad |
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| Hummus and pita |
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| So delicious this baklava is INSANELY GOOD |
Recommendation #4: MD Oriental Market - Brandon, FL
While you're at Grape Leaf Express, you need to walk a few doors down and visit MD Oriental Market. They have a nice produce selection (I love any place where I can get fresh dragon fruit!). They also have a nice deli section with roast duck and other delights. Fortune Star bakery (my favorite local Asian bakery) supplies their bakery counter. They also have a nice seafood area.
My heart will always be loyal to my beloved Oceanic Asian Market, but MD Oriental Market has a great processed food selection. I am always finding fun candy and cookies to send to my friends' children. Also, this is where I stumbled upon "Lonely God" snacks. Which I am pretty sure are bok choy flavored chips. I would like to think that my own personal Jesus is not lonely, but if He is I hope that bok choy chips make him feel a little less lonely.
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| I don't know what snow fungus is but I am comforted to know that if I wanted it in my instant cereal, that I could find it at MD Oriental Market |
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| Lonely God Crackers - and ON SALE TOO |
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| I have no idea what these are but I am sending them to my friends' kids |
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| If the country of Taiwan was a bag of Starburst-like candy, they would be called TAIWANG! |
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| I also have no idea what these are but I am sending these to my friends' kids |
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| I may have bought this bag of "what looks like animal crackers" to share with my dad who appreciates a good cookie like I do |
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| Any store with Hello Kitty candy is good with me! |
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| I ate Durian Ice Cream in Malaysia - it tasted like FEET. But in case I want to relive that experience, I can buy a whole frozen durian at MD Oriental Market! |
Recommendation #5 and #6: Fortune Star Asian Bakery - Tampa, FL and Sun Pearl Bakery - Orlando, FL
As I mentioned, my favorite Asian bakery in Tampa Bay is Fortune Star.
I am a sucker for their coconut topped buttercream buns - fluffy football shaped buns with a line of the most exquisite cream filling.
They also sell large, moist steamed cupcakes. I love to tear them open and fill them with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. Instant strawberry shortcake! They have started selling barbecue pork and also pork and vegetable steamed buns - 6 fat buns for $5.95. They are so good and so fresh!
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| 6 for $5.95 at Fortune Star - great for a filling, inexpensive lunch for 2-4 people! |
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| The pork and vegetable steamed bun! So good! |
My favorite Asian bakery in Orlando, Florida is Sun Pearl Bakery. When I was five years old, my mother bought me a bread roll exquisitely shaped like a small crab in Taipei, Taiwan. I believe that was the start of my love for carbs in animal shapes! At Sun Pearl Bakery (which has been newly remodeled), you can get your carbs in a multitude of shapes - fish, raccoon, pig!
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| Newly remodeled and fabulous! |
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| Raccoon Buns |
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| Pig Bun, Fish Bun and a Salted Cheesecake Cake Stick! |
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| The signs say "Russian Bread" which is confusing for an Asian Bakery but I took this picture for my dad who is fluent in Russian |
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| Look at all these carb-y, starchy, sugary wonderfulness! |
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| Pineapple pastry in cute little wrappers! |
My inner child loves every bit of Sun Pearl Bakery! Also near Sun Pearl is an "89 cent Houseware Store" for those who think the Dollar Stores are too expensive! After all of my clothes shopping sprees, I may have to start shopping at the 89 cent store!
I love discovering fun new places in Florida. I hope you check out some of these places and then tell me what you think of them in the comments section!
As always, thank you for reading!
P.S. It is this crazy cat's 3rd birthday - I love you, Chibby!
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