Where to eat- 4Rivers Smokehouse

Since we are on the subject of food, let me introduce you to the sandwich from heaven otherwise known as the Southern Pulled Pork sandwich from 4Rivers Smokehouse. In Scotland, its a bit difficult to get a good man sized smoked meat sandwich, so I didn't waste time heading off to the 4R. I was craving some comfort food after a long flight and went a bit crazy with the amount I ordered.

Everything on the menu looked good and we finally settled for a bit of everything: smokehouse prime ribs,  southern pulled pork sandwich and the messy pig, pulled pork with slaw, jalapeño, pickles and smothered with 4R sauce. For sides we selected the sweet potato mash (loved it), smoked jalapeños (a bit meh), french fries (perfect), corn on the cob (sweet and tender) and a huge blueberry cupcake.

The eating area is an open patio with old fashioned fans lazily going round, and since the portions are so huge, there are take away containers kept on the side in which you can pack and dash if need be.  Am quite proud to admit that we managed to clean our plates. I won't lie, it was an effort resulting in a most ungracious waddle back to our car. But it was worth it.

My verdict, if you want a burger, go for Five Guys, but if its man sandwiches you crave, especially a melt in the mouth pork one, then it doesn't get better than 4 Rivers.

Joe's Stone Crab, Miami

There's some sense in shunning touristy eating joints and gunning for a local gastronomical meccas when you are holidaying, but when a restaurant becomes an institution, you just have to go, touristy or not. And that was the case with us when we went to Joe's Stone Crab in Miami. Now this is a place notorious for not taking reservation, but, it is still jam packed with people patiently waiting for their turn to eat the famous stone crabs. A word of warning, dress up, really. I went there after a day on the beach and an afternoon hauling faux Cuban cigars (America has a trade ban with Cuba, hence all Cuban cigars are not made in Cuba but in-store factories in little Havana). So when we landed up at Joe's, the hubby was in wrinkled cotton shirt and shorts and I was in a sun dress circa 2008 and rubber flip-flops. And we were surrounded by a Pucci-Cavalli mass. And there's a difference when Europeans do designer beachwear, the vibe is more casual and boho-luxe. But the Americans, boy when they play dress up, its the every piece of hair in place kind. It's very disconcerting. I took comfort from the only thing I had going, a hot pink-red lip courtesy Georgio Armani Lip Maestro, this is something that every lip girl should try, the texture and lasting quality is amazing. And the fact that I still fitted into a dress bought five years ago.  

Back to the restaurant, our wait time was somewhere around 30 minutes, pretty reasonable for a weekend I think. We we were ushered into the bar area, which was jam packed with fellow would be diners. We somehow managed to order our cocktails and squeeze into a corner and people watch. The hubby was a bit bemused by my fashion policing, especially my reaction to a pair of Louboutins on the spindliest legs and the knobbiest knees possible. Seriously ladies, baggy knees don't do a Léger dress credit. The cocktails were okay, I had better ones out on the Miami street, but the stone crabs, ah they were the jam. I didn't fill up on breads and starters which was just as well because the stone crabs are huge. We weren't very clear about the helping and ended up ordering for four people, but, nothing was wasted, trust me. One of the most helpful trick when you over order is to take some time out in between, sit, relax, sip your wine, and then, go for round two or three, as may be the case. 

For me, this was a stand out meal and I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Just make sure that the restaurant is open. Stone crab harvesting is legal only from the 15th of October to the 15th of May. And please dress up, not in a bandage dress, you are going there to eat, but in something that allows you to tuck in well. 

Where to eat: Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Ybor City

Do you watch cooking shows, I do. The Nigellas, Steins, Jamies and Blancs make regular appearances in my living room and both me and Captain ogle at the food cooked to perfection on screen. But one of my favourite show is the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives hosted by Guy Fieri. I love American food in all its excess, lots of flavour, no delicate knife-fork handling and huge portion servings. So while we were in Florida, we made a trip to Ybor. Actually what we had was a sort of comfortable road trip crisscrossing Florida. And while we were in Ybor, we made a trip to the Tampa Bay Brewing Company for a long and lazy brunch.

As the name suggests, Tampa Bay Brewing Company is actually a microbrewery. I remain loyal to my Desperadoes, so for me, more than the beer it was the food. Oh the food. To be honest, we ordered more than we could eat, but no complaints. In the DDD show, Tampa Bay's chef Ryan Kelly spoke of his cooking as "comfort food with a gourmet touch" and really there is no better way to describe it. For starters, we ordered the Cider Wings with blue cheese sauce. The chicken is tangy because of the cider but the sauce balances it out with its creamy sweetness.

 For my mains I went in for the Wild Warthog Thai Style Spicy Curry Mussels served over udon noodles. And boy was it good. Till date, its been the best mussels dish ever.

I forgot what the hubby order, either the Onion Porter Pork Chop or the New York Strip Steak, my guess is that its the steak.

My only meh was the dessert, I ordered the Cherry bread pudding which I had to get packed. the pudding was nice but I have had better desserts so that's not making it into my list.

If you are visiting that part of the world, haul yourself to Tampa Bay Brewing Company and order the mussels. And yes, you are welcome.