bb's - a groovy place to b

Jacksonville’s new TasteCasting team recently assembled at one of Jacksonville’s Top 25 restaurants and perennial favorite – bb’s – where we were treated to a four course tasting menu – courtesy of owners Barbara and Karin. Our host for the evening was Executive Chef Carlos Ramirez.

Originally from Columbia and trained at Johnson and Wales, Chef Ramirez’ prowess in the kitchen is matched by his attentiveness to the restaurant’s clientele. He spent a great deal of time with our TasteCasting team, thoroughly describing each dish as it was presented and answering all of our questions.

We were treated as honored guests, and we are grateful for the special attention paid to our group by of one of Jacksonville’s premier chefs.

To begin our tasting we were treated to a Shrimp Bisque – creamy and sweet like shrimp fresh from the sea, with just enough heat.

Next up was an assortment of salads. bb’s is one of Jacksonville’s power lunch spots, and their salads are a local favorite.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad boasts shredded white meat of chicken on a bed of greens, with tender haricots vert, briny kalamata olives, sweet grape tomatoes, tangy, full flavored feta cheese and a bright, light lemon herb vinaigrette.

Pan Asian Chop Chop Salad is a study in contrasting tastes and textures – field greens with juicy grilled chicken, macadamia nuts, pickled ginger, rice noodles, sweet soy, wasabi drizzle and sesame ginger vinaigrette.

Grilled Salmon Salad reminded us of autumn – chargrilled salmon served on a bed of greens over a dried fruit and nut couscous, and topped with a dollop of pumpkinseed pesto.

A personal favorite is the Goat Cheese Salad –

Field greens are tossed with sweet slivers of Medjool dates, candied walnuts and strips of Black Forest ham. Warm, tangy goat cheese is nestled in thickly sliced toasted baguette and drizzled with honey.

Crispy Fried Rock Shrimp salad was dressed with tangerine cream and a lemon herb vinaigrette. The sweet little shrimp were studded with black sesame seeds.

The entrees showcased a range of flavor profiles, while bringing into focus the Chef’s Latin heritage.

Sofrito Spiced Half Chicken was earthy and filling. Topped with fried onions and served with saffron rice pilaf, baby spinach, and drizzled with mojo infused aioli.

One taster’s Chargrilled Skirt Steak was perfectly cooked – i

t came with chorizo whipped potatoes, roasted plum tomato, caramelized onions and cilantro chimichurri She was quite taken with the addition of chorizo to the whipped potatoes. A simple pairing – almost instinctive – and brilliantly executed. Subtle touches like these define the bb’s experience.

Grilled Wahoo was topped with parmesan-peppercorn crust and served alongside a lighter than air sweet corn and shrimp fritter and haricots verte. Arugula-lemon pesto and white truffle aioli elevated the dish to something truly memorable.

Cellentani Pasta was perfectly cooked and sauced with a rustic pomodoro, studded with clams, spicy Italian sausage

, onions and zucchini, and finished with dollops of goat cheese.

One benefit to tasting size portions is that we got this far and still had room for dessert!

There is something for everyone in the dessert case at bb’s and sister restaurant Biscottis. There are ten to sixteen dessert selections on any given day, and the selection changes hourly.

Their desserts are widely considered to be some of the best in town. Desserts like these are an obligatory indulgence.

We enjoyed tasting portions of a few of the most popular selections. Dessert portions are ample, and sharing is encouraged.

Among the selections the night we visited:

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cake

PeanutButter Mousse Cake

Cappucino Mousse Cake

The Classic Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting was a team favorite. Incredibly moist, dense and flavorful.

bb’s Chocolate Truffle Cake is legendary – this taster recommends a jammy Cabernet to sip along with it.

It would be easy to overlook the Croissant Bread Pudding with all the fancy cakes and tortes beckoning from behind the gleaming dessert case, but do yourself a favor and try it next time you’re there. It is worth every calorie. Our tasters kept coming back to it, even after tasting just about every offering in the dessert case!

bb’s is consistently voted one of the top 25 best restaurants in Jacksonville by numerous local publications, and has received the wine spectator ‘award of excellence’ year after year.

They boast an award winning wine list with over 50 wines by the glass, many $7 and under,and a full bar – they make fab martinis and mojitos! They have catering and take-out menus as well. Also worth noting is bb’s Brunch menu – served Saturdays 11am – 2pm.

A big, warm Thank You to Barbara and Karin, the staff at bb’s, and especially Chef Carlos Ramirez.

bb’s truly is a groovy place to b!

1019 Hendricks Ave. Jacksonville, Fl
904.306.0100 bbsrestaurant.com

Hours: Monday – Thursday 11am – 10:30pm

Friday and Saturday 11am – midnight

Post photos courtesy of TasteCasting team members Jodi Kasten, Stacy Starling and Nancy White.

4th Annual Lemon Bar Luau

Have a "Hula-Vuh" Good Time for a Worthy Cause!

Saturday, September 26 - 4 to 7 pm at Lemon Bar

Seahorse Inn's outdoor bar between Atlantic Boulevard and Lemon Street in Neptune Beach.

Benefitting BEAM (Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry) and THE BRC (Beaches Resource Center)

"Best of the Beaches" hors d' oeuvres, live entertainment, cash bar, a silent auction and prize drawings.

Casual Attire - it's a Luau, folks!

Tickets are $30 in advance or $40 at the door (if not sold out), with a special $50 ticket package that includes one regular admission and one ticket for a teacher.

Major event sponsors include The Players Championship, Baptist Medical Center-Beaches and the St. Paul's Thrift Store, Scott and Becky Wiley, Eleven Atlantic, True Wealth.

For ticket information call at 241-7437, ext. 1, or visit BEAM's website.

Pepe's Hacienda Brings Mexico to You

By popular demand - we visited Pepe's Hacienda Y Restaurant
the spot widely reported to be Jacksonville's best (and most authentic) Mexican restaurant.

While we don't pretend to have eaten in every single Mexican restaurant in the county, we have sampled more than the average bear, so when a claim such as this one comes along, we had to check it out!

Lo and behold - what we found at Pepe's was all that AND a bag of churros!

Pepe's is not just a restaurant, mi amigos...
It's a fiesta. A bakery, a tienda (that's a market to us gringos), certainly a taqueria, an incidental community center. Pepe's is THE destination at Dupont Station.

The tienda at Pepe's has a great selection of a variety of peppers - fresh, dried whole and ground, plus plenty of herbs and produce that you won't find at the local supermarket. Prices are great - in the market as well as the restaurant.

Pepe's has a decent sized dining room, and its always bustling. A family friendly place, Pepe's serves straight-forward Mexican favorites like Tacos and Burritos, Tortas, Enchiladas and Chiles Rellenos.


My favorite are the Carnitas - tender chunks of shredded pork served on a steamed corn tortilla, garnished simply with white onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Barbacoa (beef head) has an assertive flavor, and Pastor (marinated pork) is slightly tart and not too spicy.




The Chiles Relleno are whole poblano peppers, stuffed with cheese, breaded and fried, then served in a red sauce. The menu calls them spicy, but really they aren't. What they are is delicious. Eggy batter gives way to a soft, slightly sweet freshly roasted pepper, and the salty tang of melted cheese. I'll never make them with Anaheim peppers again after tasting these made from poblanos. Extra sauce is served on the side so your pepper isn't too mushy when it is served.

Everything we've tasted so far has been good. The service is friendly, the food is prepared quickly and the value is out of this world good.

Tacos are just $1.75 each, and they are brimming with filling. Three for $4.99 and an Agua Fresca (flavored waters are a specialty of the house) for $2 make for a plentiful meal at less than eight dollars. Add a Postre (dessert) like silken, creamy flan for $1.50 and you're still getting out the door for around ten dollars.

We get ours to go and shop in the market while we wait. Its a great place to stock up on the staples of Mexican cooking. Warning - the smells emanating from that takeout container are enough to cause you to pull over in the nearest parking lot and "sample" everything before you can make it home.

The place is always buzzing with activity - so if you are in the mood for really good, simple, authentic Mexican fare served with Latin flair, or if you're looking for something kicky to wear, hit the trail and head to Pepe's Hacienda! Make sure you come hungry, and bring a friend - Nancita comes to mind!


Pepe's Hacienda & Restaurant

(904) 636-8131

3615 Dupont Ave Ste 900
Jacksonville, FL 32217

Steaking Our Claim

Morton's The Steakhouse generously hosted Jacksonville's first official TasteCasting event earlier this week. The result of weeks and months of behind the scenes planning and organization, the event was practically flawless - with the obvious exception that Jacksonville Team's co-leader Angela (@blogbrevity) was still winging her way back to town while we were in full-on prime beef overload.

We tasted their Bar Bites - an appetizer menu consisting of classic recipes downsized and featured in the bar during "Power Hour" - Happy Hour done right!

The official account of the evening is posted on the national TasteCasting blog. The fun, funky, fresh accounting of the evening took place on twitter, facebook and in several first coast blogs.

Having been part of the behind the scenes planning for this event and this team, I knew what to expect from the food / service / restaurant interaction point of view. What I hadn't taken into account was how seriously cool it would be bringing all these people together.

So I found myself out to dinner with fifteen people, many of whom I knew only from their profile pics. Watching them enjoy the evening and revel in one another's company was the icing on the cupcake.

I shared with everyone that one of my goals as a team organizer was to force myself to have social life. At some point in the evening I looked around and realized that goal was coming to fruition. It was nice to meet and tweet with so many like-minded individuals.

That was an aspect of this concept that I hadn't fully appreciated until that moment at Morton's when we were all hitting our stride, working, visiting, eating, tweeting and repeating, as TasteCasting founder Dan Harris says.

Writing can be so rewarding, but at the same time it is isolating. The virtual worlds of Twitter, facebook et al are no match for the real thing. And this time, the real thing involved beef. Lots and lots of beef. And crab. And I seem to recall some heavenly Key Lime Pie. And so many fascinating people.


Our TasteCasting team has grown to 29 people already, and we've only experienced one official event so far.

Next week we'll meet Barbara Bredehoeft, owner of Biscotti's and bb's. She's got a tasting planned for us at Biscottis and I know it will be wonderful.

Jacksonville has a vibrant food scene and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Thanks to everyone for coming out to taste, and to Mary Sue and Drew at Morton's for hosting and serving us, and to St John and Partners for recommending us to them. Thanks also to photographer / fellow TasteCaster Bassel Jadaa for many of the pics in this post.

Eat Up Downtown!

Downtown Jacksonville
Aug 17 - 23

With seven days to dine and $25 three-course meals, Downtown Jacksonville is one delicious scene! Check out that spot you've been meaning to try, or revisit an old favorite during the third annual Eat Up Downtown dining week. Participating restaurants – from hip cafés to elegant steak houses – each offer specially selected, three-course dinner menus for $25 per person. There are no coupons to clip or tickets to buy, simply view the menus and make reservations at the restaurant of your choice.

Taco Tour Goes Back To School

Just a quick shout out to UNF students going back to school and looking for a quick bite between classes - Check out Salsarita's for seriously good tacos - fast, fresh and delicious. They were a refreshing stop on the Taqueria Tour last week when we were on campus for a meeting.

Pussers - Pouring in Ponte Vedra

A few weeks ago we looking for someplace fun for lunch at the beach, and a thunderstorm was headed our way, so we steered back to Ponte Vedra and ventured into Pussers. That first visit got mixed reviews from us - the crabcakes were a scorched n the outside, sloppy on the inside mess - tasty but a mess nonetheless, the special corn chowder was pedestrian at best - it struck me as being straight off the Sysco truck. M's hotly anticipated mashed potatoes came out as a globe of "Sticky Rice" - a new item they were trying out - basically oversteamed rice rolled with pineapple and scooped into a ball with an icecream scoop. By the time they could rectify the mistake she had eaten her entree - which would have been stone cold if she hadn't. Here's the upside - the drinks were heavenly. Transformative. A little sip of Caribbean sunshine on a stormy day. The service was friendly and accommodating, and the atmosphere was relaxing, so we stayed and sipped a few more glasses of sunshine before taking our leave.

My next visit was taco time. The fish tacos there have been talked up by a number of friends, so I was happy to add them to the Taqueria Tour experience. First up was the Lava Flow - a frozen coconut concoction with rum and a strawberry slide that created the aforementioned effect. The effect on me was calming and satisfying. Tacos arrived VERY quickly, and they looked pretty good. Two large portions of fresh (so they said) Mahi, nestled in lettuce leaves and tucked inside a tortilla, with melting cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream on the side. AND there was the sticky rice mess. Just odd, that one. I really wanted to like the fish tacos - they looked so good. One bite, though, and I could tell the fish was just not quite fresh. Not bad, just not good. You know that slightly tinny, mineral taste fish gets when its getting ready to turn? Well these tacos had that in spades. I took four or five bites, then just moved them around on the plate for awhile. I ate the cheese and the toppings without the fish, and called it a day.

More Tacos for You!

Tacolu
Fiesta Central at Jacksonville Beach!



Baja Style tacos are the thing at TacoLu in Jax Beach, and of those I'm partial to the spicy Chingona Chicken and melt-in-your mouth Beef Brisket. Homemade tortillas and spot-on seasonings make these little gems a thing of beauty. I've loved everything I've tried here EXCEPT - Bangin' Shrimp Tacos - might be somebody's thing but they were too sweet for me - almost like candied shrimp. I wish they had an alternate shrimp taco on the menu, but no big, they have so many others to choose from.

They rock out some awesome specialty tacos, too. My personal favorite is Grilled Lamb with feta and mint - a handful of heaven on a homemade corn tortilla.

Another sure winner is the Taco Rosa - Seared Ahi Tuna with cucumber-avocado-tomato salsa. Vegetarians - they've got you covered too - with the Veggie and the Avocado tacos.

They've also got what they call a Stacked Enchilada - layered instead of rolled. I haven't tried it yet (so many tacos, so little time) but I saw it being served at a nearby table at my last visit - and it was a MONSTER! Can you say lunch AND dinner? Speaking of that - TacoLu recently added a brunch menu for the weekend. Anyone tried it yet? Report back, please! And yes, that is Corona in the can! Thankfully our bartender offered me a glass - I can only imagine that poor lime wedge floating around in the dark...

Atomic Flying Fish
Wow - what a great little place!


People kept telling me about this new taco place on Atlantic Beach, but nobody could remember its name or what it was called. I found a couple of interesting new places while I was searching, but not the taco nirvana everyone and their aunt Fannie was now raving about.

Then last weekend I was house and pet sitting for some friends in Atlantic Beach, and while looking for a spoon for my yogurt I found a menu for this place called Atomic Flying Fish Seafood... Voila - there were those awesome tacos! Armed with the name, address and the Prius' GPS I finally found it - tucked in next to a convenience store across from Al's Pizza.

Owner Buckley is friendly and earnest, and the place is clean with beach-casual decor. He tells me he first opened as a seafood shop, but the tacos were so popular he ditched the retail fish operation and focused on developing the taco stand side of things. Fish tacos are especially good here.

Grilled Grouper and Mahi were both great. The fish is fresh and well seasoned, perfectly prepared. Prices are a little higher than some spots, but you get a good portion, with lots of extras - red peppers were crisp and sweet, black beans and crema rounded out the Mahi special. I was anxious to get back to little Grommit the beagle, so I took mine to go and enjoyed them poolside. There is a small seating area though. If you go, tell Buckley that crazy chick from Nourish The Beast says hey. I'll be back, but probably not before I finish the 2009 Jacksonville Taqueria Tour!

Welcome To Tacoville

What could be better on a sunny afternoon than a trip to Tacoville?

A few months ago, inspired by (and somewhat envious of) a blog about Taco Trucks in Columbus, Ohio and this article by Coulter Kirkpatrick about our very own taco truck I announced I was launching the 2009 Jacksonville Taqueria Tour. Since then I've been hunting, nibbling, and wolfing down some of the best (and... not so best) tacos in Jax. Along the way I discovered some new places, some old prejudices, and some excellent tacos. There are more to come, but I wanted to share these few with you before the memories fade.

Our tour begins on 103rd St. at the FORMER site of Jacksonville's only known Taco Truck - El Taco Yama. The truck was brought to Jax from Van Nuys CA by its owners, parked on 103rd west of 295. A tented awning shaded lawn chairs for dining alfresco. I parked behind the truck and as I approached, the owner was engaged in a lively chat with four or five men enjoying their noon meal. As I rounded the corner the proprietor shouted - GRINGO! and one by one the diners scattered to the wind. Only half laughing, I said "Hey - I heard that! I came all the way out here to check out these tacos - I heard they were great." He agreed, insisting they were the best tacos in town, and showed me the menu scribbled on the side of the truck. I ordered three tacos - to go - and they were... pretty good. Barbacoa, Pastor, Asada, each in a freshly made corn tortilla. It's top your own taco at El Taco Yama - and the condiments included chopped cilantro, jalapeno slices, salsas, white onion, pickled onion and lime wedges. (El Taco Yama has since vacated the lot and is presumably on the loose in Jax. If you see it, grab that taco!)












Next stop is one of my favorite restaurants on Jacksonville's west side. El Sol De Mexico is in a strip mall on Lane Avenue, south of Normandy. There is a small market next door where fresh tortillas are sold, along with canned goods and tamales. I visited during the crowded lunch service. The patrons (mostly men) were enjoying their noon meal with friends and co-workers, and when I walked in and sat down their lively conversation stopped entirely. I mean, you could hear a pin drop. They weren't staring at me, just silently slurping their soups and finishing their platas. It took at least ten minutes for any conversation to continue. Ironically, they all spoke Spanish, which I don't... The waitress brought a plastic covered menu of tex-mex style combo platters. I pointed to the daily specials written on the wall and ordered from there. The next visit I came after the lunch rush and ordered three tacos - Barbacoa, Pastor, Lengua.

They were all good and impossibly fresh, but Carnitas was amazing - soft, silky, perfectly seasoned melt in your mouth porky goodness. This was one of the best tacos I've ever had. Ever. The staff is always pleasant, and the place is much like a typical mom-n -pop grocery / restaurant, with the owner's son playing in the store next door, and loud festive music blaring from the stereo.

One thing I've learned from this experience - it is true that some restaurants have one menu for guests, another for their amigos.

An impulsive drop in visit at El Mariachi on Blanding Blvd. resulted in some pretty good tacos, but not before being handed this nasty stained menu, with bits of crusted food still clinging to it. A quick glance yielded the ubiquitous combos uno, dos, tres, etc. that are the hallmark of most bland Americanized Mexican restaurants. I was sure there was something better lurking behind that kitchen wall, so I quizzed the waiter - "I'd like a plate with just three tacos - what kinds of taco do you make" "We have the beef, and we have the chicken." OK, is that all?" Yes. "What kind of beef?" That one stumped him, so I persisted. "What do you put on the tacos?" "We put the lettuce, the cheese, the tomato... and the beef or the chicken." No cilantro? Onion?" "Onion, yes, we can put that. What kind of tortilla do you want - soft or crunchy?" Now I know this guy is messing with me... "Can you do the corn tortilla but soft?" "No, the corn... is crunchy. Flour is soft." Now I get the picture that there is nothing of interest in that kitchen, but I can hardly walk out after the quiz session, so I order two crunchy, one each beef and chicken.

They arrive almost instantly. Crunchy doesn't begin to cover it. Stale, crack a tooth crunchy, more like it. Flavorless ground beef, fairly decent chicken, both smothered in lettuce and white cheese. I politely soldier through as I take a deeper look at the menu - crusted on germs and all. Only then do I spy the small section tucked away to one side, written in Spanish, titled "Por Our Amigos." For our friends! The mainstay of the Amigos menu is, in fact, a plate of three tacos, with your choice of Pastor, Lengua, Chorizo, Barbacoa, Asada and more. NOW we've got ourselves a ball game. I call my friendly waiter over, and in as sweet a tone as I can muster, with the stale crunchy tacos still largely intact, I ask him "What's this? You keep the good stuff for your friends? I'm your customer too... Why didn't you tell me about these when I asked about the tacos?" His sheepish grin gave him away. "Is it because I'm white?"

"Yes, well most white people, they only like the beef and chicken, they don't like this."
Well I do. They were out of a few items so I got one asada, one barbacoa - to go. They were heaping portions of well prepared and seasoned meat, served on steamed, (non-crunchy) corn tortillas. I also ordered a poblano chile relleno, which was delicious, but not as good as grandma used to make. Prices were decent, food was good, the service was pleasant - despite the racial profiling.

That's enough taco talk for now - I'll be back later to post the rest - including some seriously delicious fish tacos from a couple of newer places at the beach...

Adios Amigos!

Sneak Peek - New Beaches Taco Haunt

Mamacita!

If you know me at all you know I'm loco about good tacos - so imagine my delight when I saw this sign of good things to come at Jax Beach! Ola to the Yucatan Taco Stand!

So - my sister and I were scoping out a lunch spot Saturday - she may have thought I was crazy when I saw this sign and promptly parked the Prius in front of the Eclectic Galleries, next to Pineapple Post! Peering through to the courtyard, I could see the place was still under construction, so we went to see what we could see. A friend of the chef came along and was waved in - so we slipped in along with him. Inside we met managing partner Doug Znidar who gave us the nickel tour. WOW - you are going to LOVE this place! BEAUTIFUL design - awesome lighting fixtures! The courtyard is being equipped with a fountain - complete with a "fire feature" so you KNOW that's going to be equally stunning.

Doug says they will make the tortillas fresh on the spot - there is a small exhibition kitchen area with a tortilla press right there where you can watch them being made! The menu was still under wraps for another week, so no hints there. Bookmark their website - they should have it up in another week as well, and they are planning a late July opening! See you there fellow foodies!

Lemonade for Hunger Aid

How about a cool Frozen Lemonade?

Through their Lemonade For Hunger Aid campaign, Panera Bread will match sales of participating lemonade stands run by local kids who want to help fight children's hunger - AND as if that's not cool enough - they are donating $1 to Second Harvest for every Frozen Lemonade bought at any of their 12 area locations! Proceeds will benefit Second Harvest's Kids Cafes.

Jacksonville TasteCasting Team Forming

Jacksonville's TasteCasting Team is forming now - if you are a foodie with social networking connections - check out TasteCasting - and contact me here or tweet @ me on Twitter if you'd like to join our team, or if you would like to arrange a TasteCasting at your restaurant or food based business!

Shrimp Shrimp Crab Shrimp Shrimp

There's a funny exchange in Forrest Gump where his friend tells him all the ways he likes to eat shrimp. Boiled Shrimp, Barbequed Shrimp, Steamed Shrimp, Shrimp Creole, Shrimp and Grits, Fried Shrimp... OK, that's not the exact text, but its what comes to mind when I think of Shrimp. Sauteed, Beer-battered, Butterflied, Stir-fried, you name it, I just love shrimp.

When we first moved to Florida I was thrilled with the abundance of fresh local shrimp and blue crabs. I made a weekly trek to the seafood market in Mayport and hauled back bags of live crabs. The constant gurgling and scratching sounds emanating from their paper prison made me all the more appreciative of their delicious sweet meat. Picking crabs is tedious business however, and today I'll gladly pay the extra cost to have it done for me, if the crabs are going to end up in my favorite crabcake recipe. Chef Michael Lomonaco prepares his 21 Club Maryland Style Crabcake appetizer in this video - he's such a baby here! I've tried many, and everyone has their favorite, but this is the only crabcake recipe I use now. The chile mayo is a perfect accompaniment.

And then there is the shrimp. Safe Harbor Seafood in Mayport has the best, sweetest shrimp. - Pictured are their Shrimp Tacos. - If you don't want to drive all the way out there, you can get good Mayport shrimp at Publix, but they aren't going to be as fresh, and you are going to pay at least $2 more per pound for the convenience. So I say, see you in Mayport. I usually take Fridays off in summer and head directly out there so I'm there when the market opens at 10. That way I can get a lovely shrimp taco at the restaurant, enjoy that on the deck outside while its still relatively cool out (ok, I did say relatively)... and then hit the seafood market. Three pounds of jumbo head off shrimp is my usual deal, but if there will be company you'll want to add at least 1/2 pound per extra person per entree. How you cook them is up to you.

I like mine simply pan sauteed in butter, lemon, white wine and garlic, toss some chopped italian parsley and hit it with some fresh lemon juice to finish. Sop it up with crusty french bread - the best you can find. My advice, if you like full-on shrimp flavor, is to SLIGHTLY butterfly them before cooking. It creates delicate ruffled edges that expands the shrimp's volume, and makes them hold sauces better. I don't cut too deeply though, because I want a full round shrimp. Just cut 1/3 way through the back, and you should have a decent curly round delicious piece of shrimp when it is cooked.

If I'm cooking for a relaxed gathering - I'm likely to do a Low Country Boil - also called Frogmore Stew - although not a stew, and no frogs... This is cold weather fare for me. If its hot out, Cold Boiled (or as my mom calls it, "Co-Bowl") Shrimp is a simply elegant choice. To a large pot of fresh water add LOTS of Old Bay, cayenne pepper, vinegar, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, a quartered lemon, raw onion, bring to a full boil, then drop in your shrimp - shells and all. Two minutes - three if they are really big - off the heat, remove and drain, toss them into a large bowl with plenty of chipped ice. When they are chilled, peel and dip into your favorite sauce, or squeeze some fresh lemon juice on them and enjoy.

I'm always in the market for a new favorite recipe - so please share yours!

Join Jacksonville's TasteCasting Team

TasteCasting combines socially networked people and the social media platforms and applications they use to help food based businesses build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items, distribute special offers and encourage people to visit the establishment.

Check out TasteCasting and leave a comment here or tweet @ me on Twitter if you'd like to join our team, or if you would like to arrange a TasteCasting at your restaurant or food based business!

Mandarin Farmers Market Opens Sunday!

Sunday, June 28 Mandarin Farmers Market - Vendors will be selling locally grown produce, baked goods, flowers, crafts, etc. - located in the Whole Foods parking lot, 10601 San Jose Blvd. - every Sunday, 2-6 PM, rain or shine. Organized by Global GreenUp and sponsored by Whole Foods Market. YES! See You Sunday - Fellow Foodies!

When Worlds Collide!

Well - today brings the Series Premier of "Top Chef Masters" on BravoTV. Per Girl Scouts of the USA's Blog - Several Girl Scouts are being featured as guest judges! Check out Bravotv.com for information, videos and more about the show! You can bet I'll be watching.