Chili’s Grill and Bar, Aventura, FL 33180

A chance encounter in Aventura provides respite

Sometimes the pleasantest experiences come from a chance encounter.

And so it was on this occasion.  We were stuck in rush hour traffic after leaving Aventura Mall and spied the inviting Chili’s sign at exactly the right moment to turn into their parking lot.

In the main, it was a good decision.  We relaxed for an hour or so while traffic dissipated and we ate well in a strange city.  Rob, our server was attentive and competent, he bought our first drinks quickly and then gave us time to peruse the menu and decide on a main course.  We’d grazed and drank Starbucks during our afternoon at the mall, so we passed on appetizers and chose the Ancho Salmon (for my wife) and loaded Texas Cheese Fries (for me) as our main course.

We both enjoyed our choices.  The Ancho Salmon was flavored with a spicy citrus-chile sauce and topped with chopped cilantro and queso fresco.  It was served with rice and steamed broccoli.  The Texas Cheese Fries were delicious – as definitely not “light.” French fries, topped with Monterey, Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, jalapenos and green onions and served with ranch dressing for dipping.

My one complaint is on the selection of beers available at this Chili’s.  The usual selection of lager type beers were available, some from the larger craft breweries, including one from Yuengling, but there wasn’t a single beer available from a local craft brewery, and there are several of them within 50 miles.

We survived this disappointment when we were told it was happy hour and I could get two Yuenglings for the price of one to wash down the Texas cheese fries.  This worked for me, so I enjoyed my fries and beer and the excellent company.

Denny’s Restaurant, Cocoa Beach, FL

Lessons to make customers return

When writing about a new restaurant or hotel or bar or attraction I’ve recently visited, I can always find something positive to say about a place or the people or the food.  After all, in most cases the places we choose to stay, dine or drink are staffed by people just like us, and we are certainly not perfect.

We also must temper our expectations to match our wallets.  The standards we expect from a hotel charging $500 a night are vastly different from the amenities anticipated at a hotel charging $60 a night.  Similarly, we expect a different level of service, presentation and taste from a dinner costing $200 a person than we are going to get from a fast casual restaurant charging $10 a meal.

Even so, there are some minimum standards to be followed for all places frequented by the public, whatever their charge per person. 

So, rather than criticize the food, service and cleanliness of the Denny’s restaurant in Cocoa Beach, FL let me offer some suggestions for improvement at this restaurant.

1         .   If you don’t have enough servers to handle the number of patrons entering the restaurant, tell us that there will be a wait time when we enter.  Don’t take us to a table and leave us twiddling out thumbs for 15 or 20 minutes.

2         .   If you don’t have enough cooks to handle the seated customers, tell us there will be a wait time after when we are ordering our breakfast.  Don’t take our order then leave us wondering what is happening for another 15 or 20 minutes.

3         .   Please serve all the people at the table at the same time.  The server should not need to be reminded when one of the seated guests has not received a meal.

4         .   Please ensure the toilets are clean and usable.  It is not acceptable to expect patrons to use bathrooms with dirty sinks and with paper towels and toilet paper littering the floors.  My mother, along with countless other mothers always said that “cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

5         .   Please ensure someone on the staff knows how to use the cash register.  We were snapped at and made to feel really stupid for requesting they split the bill into two. This is the one and only time in a restaurant when my friend and I were unable to pay 50% of the bill each using two credit cards.

We will never return to this Denny’s and it will be a long time before we frequent any Denny’s restaurant.  This experience left us with a bad taste in our mouth.  We don’t expect to have a great meal when we go to Denny’s, but we do expect a pleasant experience with a nice meal of food similar to what we can prepare at home.  This experience wasn’t pleasant on any level. 

The Lion and Eagle Pub, Boca Raton, FL

An English street pub in Boca!

http://thelionandeaglepub.com/

It used to be difficult finding a nice bar with good draft beers in a strange city on a Sunday evening.  

Then smart phones with Google Maps came along and voila, we have a list of pubs in Boca Raton.  

The Lion and Eagle English Pub was close to our current location in the Cinemark parking lot, so off we went.

We weren’t really expecting an English pub, but what we got was very close to a city pub in Clapton or Bermondsey or Camden or any of the other inner suburbs of London, UK. These are essentially a shop (store) in an otherwise non-descript strip mall.  In London the shop would open directly onto the sidewalk on the street, at least here there was a parking lot fronting the highway.

There were a few tables outside on the wide sidewalk with perhaps a half-dozen customers drinking, and inside on the right a bar, with seats, of which three were occupied.  Behind the bar were a dozen or so taps for draft beer. On the left against the wall were tables, benches and chairs for small groups.  It was cozy and comfortable, a nice place to sit and have a drink, especially when there were few patrons, like tonight.

The bartender asked what beer I liked, I said IPA and he recommended a recent arrival called Due South Category 5 IPA that was only brewed when the right hops were available.  I knew it was going to be strong when he served it in a 13 oz. stemmed goblet.  It was strong, 8.5% ABV, with a big surge of hop flavor bursting through on the palate.  This is a sipping beer that is not for everyone, I loved it.

Perhaps the beer tickled our taste-buds, and we suddenly decided we were hungry. Unfortunately the kitchen at the Lion and Eagle closed at 10.00 pm on Sundays, so the bartender recommended we visit the Dubliner Irish pub, a mile or two up the road, where the restaurant was open to 1.30 am.

I liked the Lion and Eagle pub, even though we were only there a short time and will make a point of returning the next time we are in Boca Raton.

The Dubliner Irish Pub, Boca Raton, FL

Open late and a Florida beer

It wasn’t easy finding somewhere to eat late on a Sunday evening in Boca Raton, we eventually found the Dubliner through the recommendation of a bartender at another pub, whose kitchen closed at 10 pm.  He told us the Dubliner’s kitchen stayed open until 1.30 am.  He was right.

Even though it was late, the pub was well patronized.  A very loud Irish(?) Rock band played music on the stage at the back of the pub and the noise had driven most of the patrons outdoors.  This appeared to be planned by the pub as there were tables three deep on the wide sidewalk, several of which were occupied even at 10.30 on a Sunday night.  With the help of the hostess we chose a table where the band’s sound would be minimized, though we could still hear the music through the windows and wall, it didn’t drown out our conversation.

The menu had several interesting sounding items including Bangers and Mash, Shepherd’s Pie and Fish and Chips, however, since it was so late we decided on substantial appetizers of an Irish Fondue and a Honey Baked Brie.  Hidden in the draft beers was a Funky Buddha Floridian – a light and refreshing Hefeweizen brewed in Oakland Park, FL - that would go perfectly with our food.

We were not disappointed.  The food and beer were delicious and Ariel, our server, was a delight, providing water, drinks and our food promptly and with a smile. 

The melted cheese for the Irish Fondue bubbled in a fondue pot over a flame and the raw cauliflower, broccoli, apple slices and pretzel pieces made perfect dipping material.  The Honey Baked Brie roundel was served with a small loaf of crispy bread that was the perfect accompaniment.

The perfect way to end an evening and all for less than $50 including tip.  We will be back the next time we are in Boca Raton.