Road Trip to Homosassa and Tampa FL.

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Andy M.

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SO and I went to Florida over the weekend as a surprise to our granddaughter on the occasion of her graduation from high school. We had a good time with family and their friends and ate at a variety of different places.

A local joint called Wings and Things (a common name for wing restaurants but this is a local spot) sounded really good to me as I love wings. They had lots of different beers to go with their huge variety of wing flavors - there had to be over 100! Some are better than others. They don't use the term Buffalo wings anywhere. They are just listed as wings-mild, medium, hot. All told, some of the flavors were not so great.

One day we went out on SIL's boat down the Crystal River to a place on the water called Freezer. Pull up in your boat, place an order and the food is delivered. The primary dish is a spicy seasoned shrimp that is really good. We at a lot of shrimp that day! I'll try to duplicate it.

Another evening we went to a pizza and Italian food restaurant owned by friends of the family. This was the best so far. We I asked the pizza guy if he could make us a Margarita pizza and he was thrilled someone even asked. It was a great pizza. We also shared fettuccine Alfredo and an antipasto that were all good. SO suggested to the owner that she put the Margarita on the menu because it was so good but she replied that it would be wasted on the locals as all they wanted was the basics. The owners are transplanted New Yorkers - that explains a lot.

The biggest surprise came on Monday night. Our daughter took us to a motel we had booked near the Tampa airport so we could grab our early flight Tuesday morning. Across the street was a huge mall with a major selection of restaurants including the Cheesecake Factory as the big name.

The motel (LaQuinta) provided free shuttle service back and forth to the mall (as well as the airport Tuesday morning). All for $90 a night.

We walked around and checked out all the restaurant menus before settling on Brio Tuscan Grill. Like most mall restaurants, this is a chain. But I have not been to a chain this good. This restaurant was so particular about everything's being just right. The manager was checking the dishes as the kitchen put them up to make sure each was perfect. The waitstaff used free moments to make sure the tables were set right with each sugar bowl holding ten each of Splenda, Equal, Sweet&Low and sugar. People were checking the empty tables to ensure the tablecloths were clean and straight.

But that's all beside the point. It's about the food and that was also tops. We shared an appy of calamari with both marinara and horseradish dipping sauces. It was cisp and tender. SO had a salad topped with a sliced piece of filet mignon that she thought was great.

I had the best grilled pork chops I've ever had. Perfect. The garlic mashed and roasted veggies were also great.

We need one of these near home.

Alas, now we are home and SO is whining we need to have something light for dinner tomorrow...

Life goes on.
 
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Hey Andy,

You were in our neck of the woods, Citrus County. At least for the Homosassa and Crystal River part. Sounds like you had a good time. The Freezer is pretty famous around here. Lots of controversy....neighbors wanted it shut down, but so far they are hanging in there.
You left just in time, we had torrential storms here yesterday and overnight, particularly in the area you visited. Need the rain badly, though, so no complaints.
 
We've stayed in the Embassy Suites across from that mall.

We have a Brio Tuscan Grill at the mall not too far from here, even some anti chain people said that it was good, we'll have to try it out!
 
Hey Andy,

You were in our neck of the woods, Citrus County. At least for the Homosassa and Crystal River part. Sounds like you had a good time. The Freezer is pretty famous around here. Lots of controversy....neighbors wanted it shut down, but so far they are hanging in there.
You left just in time, we had torrential storms here yesterday and overnight, particularly in the area you visited. Need the rain badly, though, so no complaints.

I didn't know you were in the area. It's a nice area and we met a lot of good people there.
 
We've stayed in the Embassy Suites across from that mall.

We have a Brio Tuscan Grill at the mall not too far from here, even some anti chain people said that it was good, we'll have to try it out!

We were looking for a cheap place for one night. the LaQuinta there had been remodeled and the room was clean, bright and comfortable. The free shuttle service to and from the mall were a pleasant surprise. We thought we'd have to take a cab. I booked through Hotels.com and read good reviews.
 
We stayed at Embassy with a great deal when we were there. We were taking a cruise and they had a package where you could leave your car there for a week and they would take you to the pier. Parking at the pier would have cost more than the hotel! We were happy with the location.

I'll keep LaQuinta in mind if we are in the area again, when we only need to crash for a night, cheap and clean fits the bill!
 
Nice report. And interesting tidbit on them not using the descriptive word Buffalo. Must be a throwback response to when Buffalo had good football teams.
 
Nice report. And interesting tidbit on them not using the descriptive word Buffalo. Must be a throwback response to when Buffalo had good football teams.

In a couple of different places we were warned, "Take it easy, that sauce is really hot. I mean REALLY hot!!!" It wasn't. I don't get it. The sauce was barely hot at all.
 
sounds like a great time, andy. you're lucky that your so's whine wasn't "i want to go back to floridaaaaa".

that's all i hear since our last trip.

i have to give you credit for driving, though. i couldn't do it. more than 12 hours in a car makes me kooky.
 
sounds like a great time, andy. you're lucky that your so's whine wasn't "i want to go back to floridaaaaa".

that's all i hear since our last trip.

i have to give you credit for driving, though. i couldn't do it. more than 12 hours in a car makes me kooky.


BT, If we were in a resort area the whine may have been different. BTW, we flew Jet Blue. I have no interest in driving from MA to FL.
 
I think Bucky thought you drove because you referred to it as a road trip, Andy. We drive north every summer to visit our children and grandchildren . To the kids in New York State it is 2 nights and 3 days of hard driving. Since the family (and friends) are scattered, we feel that we need to do the road trip. When any of them come to Florida, they fly. We visit family in VA, N.C. , and a friend in Pa. Then to Ithaca New York and to the Adirondacks. DH wants to go to Ottawa, too.

Bucky, tell your wife that it is 92 degrees here and extremely humid today. Forecasts are for a long, very hot and humid summer. Can't wait to get away for awhile.
 
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I think the "springs" area of Florida is the most under-rated. Any of the springs are wonderful: clear water that is the same temperature year-round, and since most tourists tend to gravitate to the beaches they tend to not be so crowded. There is one where the manatees tend to winter. There is one that used to have a pancake griddle (picture a Japanese steak house; tables for 4 or 6 with a griddle in the middle, two pitchers of pancake batter, several of various kinds of syrup, the regular sides). One springs has a lovely run. You rent tires outside of the park, and just spend the day meandering from one end down to the springs and lug it back up again and go some more. Others are great places to canoe or kayak. If anyone is planning a trip to central FL, give me a yell and I'll try to remember the names of the above.
 
Claire,

There's Silver Springs near Ocala with the glass bottom boats. Homossassa Park hads manatees who are recuperating from injuries due to unsafe boating practices by some lunatics. Rainbow Spring is where you can rent kayaks and float down the Rainbow River. At least around here.
 

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