Tampa Bay Brewing Company

Every once in a while, I do a post.  I have not been doing too much or feeling inspired enough to write, but am finally scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on my knee on the 16th.  Seems like I have a torn meniscus and my knee can't handle too much walking or standing.  The fact that this has been going on since March does not help.  So slowly, I am seeing the end of the tunnel and it is encouraging.  We have been eating, but nothing worth writing about.  Other than a quick trip to the grocery store, not much else has been going on.

But yesterday, we did go out for lunch.  The Trout saw Guy Fieri  from "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" visit The Tampa Bay Brewing Company in Ybor City, a suburb of Tampa.  He knew we had to try it.  This is a very  nice pub/restaurant and I know we will be back.  They usually have 10 beers that they brew on premises.  Having trouble deciding, we were both offered two samples to choose from.  The menu offers a little of everything.  Nice choices.  We opted to share Pan Crisped Pierogi with caramelized onions and mushrooms, served with sour cream.  Six large pierogis arrived, stuffed with a creamy, cheesy mashed potato mixture.  They were delicious.

I order the Tandoori Chicken Pita with romaine lettuce, tomato, red onion and house made tzatiki sauce with a side of black beans and yellow rice that was fantastic.  Nice choice.

The Trout had a very large Cobb Salad.  For some reason, he has a great love for this salad and it was right on.  Oh and the beer....on the right is my "One Night Stand Pale Ale" and the Trout had "Red Eye Ale".  The beers were very nice.  Overall, this was a delightful place for lunch or dinner and I know we will be back.

In case you are interested, the dish Guy Fieri ordered and raved about was "Brewhouse Barleywine Meatloaf with Wild Mushroom Demi."  Darn, they were out of it.  Next time.

Some thoughts as we leave Germany

Imagine being greeted by this basket of breads for breakfast every morning while in Germany. Those slices of bread in the middle of the basket are rye bread that had just come out of the wood oven. I truly ate more bread in the almost 3 weeks in Europe than I have in the last year. Three times a day...at least!! It was that good.

One afternoon we came back to the farm a little early. Elfriede was a little embarrassed. She was entertaining a group of hikers who had passed through the farm and had reserved with her a little snack for their stop. Little snack was not the wording I would use. It was a downright feast of cold cuts, pickles, breads and beer and schnapps.

She said she usually does not entertain the guests staying with her, only those passing through. But, she invited us in and we quickly downed a kirschwasser (cherry brandy) that is so prevalent in the Black Forest. She then went into her Germanized Minnie Pearl skit. She spoke in rhyme about a country girl going to the big city. It was hilarious but it certainly lost something in the translation. The Trout did not understand it, but was entertained at how heartily everyone was laughing at the entertainment.

This is a very sad statue sitting in the courtyard of the church in Gutach, Germany. The lady is dressed in traditional folk garb and she is mourning the men who died in World War I and II. Most every town has a memorial to the fallen. This one was very striking.

So, one last glass of Riesling wine before we leave Germany.

And, of course, a large beer. We had a wonderful visit with our old friends, ate well, toured well and would highly recommend staying at Joklisbauernhof in Gutach, Germany.