Sloppy Joe's

Every time we walked by the restaurant in our resort, I got that damn SNL Sloppy Joe song stuck in my head.  The original Sloppy Joe's wasn't named after the epic sandwich.  It was named after the sloppy floors in the Key West location where Ernest Hemingway like to chillax and bitch about his wives. This earned him a primo spot on their logo.









The Treasure Island Sloppy Joe's is located within the Bilmar resort.  They have a nice large deck that reaches  out onto the beach.
 












 We sat on the deck for our meal and caught a nice breeze off the ocean...er gulf.  I was amused by the gulls that maneuvered their way around the ropes and scooped up bits of food.

Service was slowwww.  No one even noticed us until a braced faced dude of at least 30 stopped by and asked if we had been waited on yet.  He ended up being our server because apparently, no one else wanted to.

The menu did boast a hearty Sloppy Joe sandwich, which I spied a woman eating at the next table, but we did not partake.














Richie wanted some 'fresh' seafood, so he order the conch fritters and fries.  They did have quite a few healthier seafood entrees, but what else would you expect from Richard?


















 I am loco for pollo so I ordered the pollo taco salad.  I despise food from the sea, but they had several other offerings that appealed to me, including chicken wraps, sandwiches, pulled pork, and Angus burgers.  The salad was pretty huge and loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, and chicken.  Once I dug deep in the bottom, I reached the beans and rice, my favorite layer.  They had a slight spiciness to them, it wasn't too much for my wussy tongue.  The whole salad was encapsulated in a light, crispy tortilla shell.  I'm not a fan of hard shells, but this had a good greasy, salty taste to it.  I nibbled the edges.














Richie's conch fritters were essentially hush puppies mixed with a bit of conch.  Hush puppies are always pretty great, but if you order conch fritters, you would expect to taste a bit more of the conch.  The fries were up to par with most chain restaurants' offerings.



























For his meal, Richie ordered a Cuban with a side of beans and rice.  
 












Castro would frown upon this Cuban.  None of the meat appeared to be freshly sliced, and the bun was nothing special. 
 












Though we had a nice view and a cool breeze in our faces, I wouldn't necessarily revisit Sloppy Joe's.  It was more of a matter of convenience for us to eat there anyway.

Dixie's Little Dog House

Another stop in Treasure Island was a tiny little place called Dixie's Little Dog House.













They boast Chicago-style dogs and Italian Beef.  Obviously the place couldn't compare to the real thing, but we had to try it anyway.  The current incarnation of the Dog House has been in place since 2008.  Apparently, it has changed owners a few times over.

















We walked into the sauna of a store and were greeted by a counter, two tables, and a large ocean mural.


  I just wanted a snack, so I ordered a small Chicago-style dog with everything on it except peppers.  Richie went for the Italian beef sandwich.  We sat outside under an umbrella and waited for our food.

  It took awhile to come out even though we were the only customers.  I blame the beef.
Though I ordered a small, I wasn't expecting it to be the size of a toe.  The server did warn me when I ordered though.  At least it was loaded with flavorful toppings and bright green relish.  Pretty Chicago-ish.

  I wonder where you get buns that tiny?  I scarfed the lil chihuahua and tried to calm my growling stomach while Richie nibbled his Mastiff of a sandwich.

Richie's Italian beef was spicy and juicy, dripping down his chin and onto the table.

He wolfed it down, but said it wasn't quite what one could experience in Chicago.

 I thought it was a nice change of pace from the seafood restaurants and bars in the area.  I just wish I would have ordered a bigger dog.  One that could withstand more than 2 bites.

Waffle House!

Well, we arrived in Florida in one piece, no thanks to our shuttle car driver and his 2fast2furious skills.  A quick search on our phone revealed that a Waffle House was just .3 miles from our lovely (cough) resort.  We stayed at the Bilmar Beach Resort in Treasure Island.  Sounds like a place full of magic and wonder, streets lined with gold.  Really, it's an anemic beach town with hotels designed after the 70's Las Vegas strip.  But, it has a Waffle House.


The Waffle House nearest my house is 200 miles south, in St. Charles, Mo.  The last time I ate at one was about 10 years ago in Phoenix, AZ.  It was a deliciously memorable experience I was more than happy to relive in FL.













The chain began in 1955 in a suburb of Atlanta.  A Toddle House manager and his neighbor decided to open a 24-hour restaurant with an emphasis on friendly customer service.  They grew to 4 restaurants and in the 60s, saw a lot of growth along highways and interstates.  Obviously they are known for their waffles (they serve 145 per minute) and breakfast foods, but their menu includes many lunch staples as well.
 
The menu can be viewed HERE

Pretty much every Waffle House looks the same.  They have the counter with an open kitchen so you can watch the workers sweat into the waffle irons.  You can also hear them yell out their diner lingo and bitch at each other.  We actually visited twice during our stay due to the lack of clean and inviting dining options in the area.  And due to our gluttonous desire for waffles.

The first trip, I ordered the ridiculously large All-Star Special.  It featured a waffle, hashbrowns, eggs, toast, and ham.  I opted for a strawberry waffle which the waitress dutifully admitted was infused with artificial strawberry flavoring.  No matter.  It had an essence of Frankenberry that took me back to my childhood.

Hashbrowns were greasy, eggs were greasy, ham was greasy.  Not complaining, just stating the facts.  I did, however, blot my eggs a little bit before I dug in and punctured the yolk.

On our second visit, I was feeling slighty more health conscious, so I ordered scrambled egg whites and chicken breast. Again, I blotted the chicken which was dewy with griddle oils.

 Richie ordered over-easy eggs, toast, a plain waffle, and hashbrowns "all-the-way."  they have many different disgustingly rich options for decorating your hash, and all-the-way includes, well, all of them.  Don't be deceived by the photo, under the  exorbitant amount of breakfast gravy and the crunchy top stratus mingled many mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, ham, and cheeses.


Both of our waffles were cooked impeccably, with nary a burnt crust or undercooked bite.







Round two:  Chili cheese omelet and hashbrowns all-the-way. He obviously likes the hashbrowns.  

I might not be so enthused on Waffle House's greasy selections if I had easier access to one, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meals.  It's a fun change of pace from the Midwest's Village Inns and IHOPs.  Plus, the waffles, though made in what looked to be a standard waffle maker, were pretty much perfect.


Oh Waffle House, I hope to rendezvous again.  Until then, we shall lust for you from afar.