Puccini’s Pizzaria, St. Augustine, Florida, June 25, 2016

How about another review from St. Augustine?

We headed to the beach for a little while Saturday morning before heading home.  Since we drove south down A1A along St. Augustine Beach the evening before, we decided to head north and check out the Vilano Beach area.  After we crossed the bridge over the Tolomato River we noticed a Publix store off top our right and a pizzeria sign at one end of the small strip shopping center.  We took it as a sign (literally and figuratively).

We found the beach park/beach access that we were looking for, parked and headed down to the beach with our towels and cooler.  ConnieLou spent some time soaking up some rays while Jenna and I splashed around in the water.  After having all the heat and sun we could stand during the heat of the day, we headed back to the city park at the beach access, rinsed off and changed from our swimsuits into travelin’ clothes.  Then it was off to find something for a late lunch.

We all remembered the pizzeria sign by the Publix so we decided to stop by and give it a look before deciding whether to look elsewhere.  Turns out it was a good thing we did.

When we pulled into the parking lot we discovered that the name of the restaurant was Puccini’s Pizzaria.  Pizzaria…what is it about the word pizzeria, combined with an Italian name that makes even a strip-center pizza joint sound much more enticing than say ‘Joe’s Pizza’?  We decided to give it a shot.

We walked in, sat down and enjoyed the AC while our server brought us menus and took our drink orders.  There was plenty to choose from on the menu but we kept things simple and ordered a medium meat lovers (ground beef, Italian sausage, ham and bacon) pizza.  Our pie came out in fairly short order and we dove in.  Either we were really hungry or the pizza was really good because we finished it off in fairly short order.

So how did Puccini’s fare on the Thumbs Scale?  Six out a possible six…easily.  Definitely a keeper.  Now we know two good pizza joints in St. Augustine.

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Beachcombers, St. Augustine, Florida, June 24, 2016

We were back down in St. Augustine this past weekend for Jenna’s orientation/student onboarding event at Flagler College. It was a quick trip but after the college activities were finished we managed to check out a couple of new restaurants, spend a little time poking around St. Augustine and hit the beach for a couple of hours.

We were beat late Friday afternoon after school activities in the morning and a hot afternoon poking around the historic section of St. Augustine near the college. We retired to our hotel room to cool down for a while. While we were there we spent some time looking through the tourist info books we had collected to try to find a restaurant for the evening. Our requirements were fairly simple, a variety of types of food and overlooking the beach if possible.

We came up with a few possibilities then headed down A1A to check ‘em out. We also used the trip to explore a little bit and look for potential vacation spots. We ultimately settled on beach front place called Beachcombers.

When we pulled into the parking area lot we found ourselves at a relatively nondescript concrete block building with a bar and small seating area with high-top tables inside and a large patio with picnic benches outside. Unassuming would be a good description. The parking area was nearly full so we took that as a good sign, parked and headed over to the hostess stand. We were seated without a wait at a table in the shade. Our server took our drink orders and gave us a few minutes to look over the menu.

ConnieLou ordered the fish Baja Fish Tacos (fried catch of the day on flour tortillas with cabbage cilantro slaw and Baja sauce), Jenna ordered the Shipwreck Burger (1/3 lb. Burger, chargrilled and topped with crispy fried shrimp and house made tartar sauce). Both ConnieLou and Jenna’s entrées came with fries. Me? I ordered a pound of steamed shrimp and a pint of Dogfish 90-Minute Ale to wash it down.

Our food came quickly and we dug in. An interesting thing that we noticed was that the fries seemed to be breaded, probably in a beer batter of some sort. Different, but pretty darn tasty. Were the fries fresh or frozen? Honestly, we weren’t sure. If I had to bet I’d bet on frozen. ConnieLou said that she was a bit underwhelmed with her fish tacos, as was Jenna with her burger. I can’t say that my shrimp were the best steamed shrimp I’ve ever had, the Indian Bass Raw Bar holds that distinction, but they were still pretty darn good.

So how did Beachcombers fare on the Thumbs Scale? We gave it 5 out of a possible 6 thumbs. It’s hard to say if we’ll make it back or not given that there are so many restaurants in and around St. Augustine but I’d be willing to go.

Sushi Matsuya, Atlanta, Georgia, June 14, 2016

I got a text from my friend Jim the other day asking if I was free for lunch the next Tuesday.  If you remember my post about Pig & Chick from last May, Jim is a good friend and owner of Atlas GeoSampling, an environmental drilling and sampling company that we work with often.  We get together for lunch every now and then to catch up on work stuff and life in general.

We were both in the mood for sushi so we decided to go to Sushi Matsuya, a little sushi ‘buffet’ in the Toco Hills Shopping Center, that I discovered while working on a project that Jim ended up helping us with a short time later.

Normally I don’t do reviews of buffets/all-you-can-eat type places.  Generally, buffets serve large quantities of low quality food…but occasionally I find a place that causes me to make an exception.  Sushi Matsuya is one of those places.  When I first saw the place was thinking it might be a place that served pre-made sushi that had been chilled in a refrigerator and set out in the serving line as needed.  I initially gave Sushi Matsuya a try based on a pretty good recommendation.  Instead of finding pre-made, chilled sushi I discovered that the restaurant has a sushi chef that works on a station behind the serving line to keep the platters filled as they are emptied.

Now, I’m going to admit that I don’t know a heck of a lot about sushi, so finding a place that I can try one or two pieces each of several different things then get more of the items that I liked works out well for me.

We walked in, ordered our drinks, then hit the serving line where we found various types of sushi rolls and nigari sushi (slices of raw fish over pressed, vinegared rice).  A second, smaller bar was stocked with other dishes typically found at ‘Chinese’ restaurants (fried rice, steamed dumplings, braised chicken wings, etc.).

We made our selections, mixed up a couple of little bowls of soy sauce and wasabi, sat down and dug in.  For those who aren’t familiar with wasabi…it’s a wonderful thing when mixed with some soy sauce or on wasabi peas…but take it easy on the stuff.  It’s dang good but it will make your eyes water and clear your sinuses if you’re not careful.

So how did Sushi Matsuya fare on the Thumbs Scale?  We both gave it two thumbs-up.  It’s a keeper.

Chevelles, Hayesville, North Carolina, June 3, 2016

If you read my previous entry about The Varsity, you may recall that ConnieLou and I had headed up to Young Harris for a quick overnight get away and to a ‘Seafood Festival and Art Walk’ at the Mayor’s Park in town of Young Harris.  Now you may be wondering why on earth there would be a seafood festival in Young Harris since the town is at least a six to eight drive from any stretch of coastline.  Honestly, we were wondering the same thing.  But, we had been invited and it was a good excuse to go visit Young Harris College, our alma mater, and for a night away.  Just for the record, I could consider dropping a fork at lunchtime a good excuse to go visit YHC.  Don’t ask me how that would be an excuse, it just is.  To me anyway.  Don’t overthink it, just go with it.

Supper time rolled around but we weren’t too interested in seafood.  We decided to give the popular local Italian restaurant in Young Harris that will remain nameless a try.  When we stepped up to the hostess’s desk we were told that there would be at least a thirty minute wait because we didn’t have a reservation.  Since I could see that the dining area was well over half empty and there was only one other couple in the lobby, we decided to go elsewhere.  The hostess’s attitude didn’t exactly make us want to stay either.

We weren’t in the mood for Mexican or Chinese so that eliminated a few options.  Due to the time, a nearby BBQ joint that came with a very good recommendation was also out and we didn’t really want to make the drive over to Blairsville since we were staying in Hiawassee.  Connie gave Ashley a call and she suggested Chevelles on Highway 69 near Hayesville, North Carolina.

With a name like Chevelles one might think it’s a restaurant with an auto theme…and one would be correct.  According to the Chevelles Story on the menu, Chevelles is a motor sports themed restaurant and bar.  Needless to say there was plenty of automobile/motor sports related memorabilia to be found.

After checking out the menu I ordered a dozen hot wings and fries and ConnieLou ordered the linguine with chicken parmesan which came with a side salad.  As we waited for our order we enjoyed the Friday night live entertainment.  I’ve got to admit that the singer was pretty good…as long as he avoided Jimmy Buffet and Van Morrison songs.

When our orders came I was a bit surprised to see a dozen big, meaty wings in my basket.  I mean they were huge!  Much bigger than the wings you get at most restaurants.  We were also surprised to learn that ConnieLou’s entrée came with two chicken breasts instead of one…and they weren’t exactly small either.  Honestly, we could have split her meal and we both would have left satisfied.

How did it all taste?  In a word…great!  Wings can be very hit or miss but these were quite good.  Big, meaty, crispy and tasty.  The fries?  Hate to say it but the fries weren’t anything special.  Just average, previously frozen, restaurant fries.  They were OK, just nothing special.  As for ConnieLou’s linguine and chicken parmesan, it was probably some of the best we’ve had and I’d be willing to bet that it’s better that it would be better than a similar dish served at the popular Italian restaurant in Young Harris that will remain nameless.  As for the service, no complaints at all.

So how did Chevelles rank on the Thumbs Scale?  We gave it a qualified four thumbs out of a possible four.  OK, you’re probably wondering what I mean by ‘qualified’.  Normally I’d deduct half a thumb for serving frozen fries instead of fresh cut fries (hey, if Five Guys and The Varsity can serve fresh cut, any non-fast food type of restaurant should be able to manage to too).  However, given the quality of the wings and the second chicken breast with ConnieLou’s order, I decided to overlook the fries this time around.

The Varsity, Atlanta, Georgia, June 3, 2016

Its time.

I’ve held off doing a review of The Varsity but sooner or later it had to happen.

Now seemed like a good time.

There’s no real reason why now was any better than some other time. It just is.

For those that aren’t familiar with The Varsity, it’s an ‘institution’ in Atlanta…and in Athens…and in Gwinnett…and in Kennesaw…and in Dawsonville…and even at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. .The original Varsity opened at its present location in Atlanta in 1928 at the intersection of North Avenue and Spring Street. A second Varsity location opened in Athens in 1932 but was eventually closed in favor of the current Athens location at the intersection of W. Broad Street and N. Milledge Avenue which opened in 1963. The other locations have been added since 1990.

OK, enough of the Varsity history lesson.

ConnieLou and I were on the way to Young Harris for a bit of a getaway. As we headed up the highway we debated where to stop for lunch. Before long it became apparent that we were going to hit downtown Atlanta right at the end of the lunch rush and a stop at the ‘V’ became a pretty easy decision.

We parked, walked in and placed our orders. For ConnieLou it was a chili dog, onion rings and a coke. For me, two chili dogs, fries and a coke. As always, our food was served quickly and piping hot. We picked a table in the upstairs dining room that overlooks the interstate (for those that aren’t familiar with The Varsity’s Atlanta location, there are five or six separate ‘dining rooms’ to choose from) and settled in.

As always, our food was fantastic, just as expected. Let me point out something here. If nothing else, the food at The Varsity is fresh and that is something they’ve taken great pride in throughout their history. Chili for the chili dogs and chili steaks, onion rings, fries and fried pies are made fresh daily. Did I mention fresh fries, as in fresh cut fries? Yes I did. Unlike most fast food joints, the folks at The Varsity cut their fries fresh every day. They cut, batter and cook their onion rings fresh every day. No frozen fries or onion rings and no fries or onion rings sitting under a heat lamp for extended periods of time. Fresh.

So how did The Varsity fare on the Thumbs Scale? One could probably guess that we gave The Varsity four thumbs out of a possible four. OK, I’ll admit that The Varsity is one of our favorite fast food joints and that we may be just a little biased but it is what it is and it was good. Darn good. We’ll be back.

Did I mention that we each for a Frosted Orange to go? If you go to The Varsity and don’t get anything else, get a FO…you can thank me later.