Weekend in St Pete FL

I took a short trip to Florida to visit my brother and meet his fiancee. That part was great -- he is happy and they are wonderful for each other. While there of course I had to eat! The weather was lovely -- it had cooled off and become less humid, thank goodness -- so many of our meals were enjoyed al fresco. Best? First of all, these fried oysters were excellent, not at all greasy, crunchy, and full of briny oyster flavor. Maybe the best single thing I had there, and this was at St. Petersburg Beach at a place called Hurricane.

Perfect oysters, St Petersburg Beach

For Saturday dinner we went to the renowned Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa, a "must" when you're in the Tampa Bay area. My brother, his lady and I split a chateaubriand for three with all the trimmings, delish. Bern's has a separate dessert floor that your waiter reserves for you when you order entrees. Here's a posed shot of me about to chow down on my coconut cake (which was a little disappointing by the way and I wished I'd chosen something else). Drinks there are fabulous; their wine list is one of the most extensive in the world, and their spiked coffees with dessert are worth saving room for.

Hamming it up at Bern's

Been in Florida

I flew to Tampa this past weekend to visit my brother, Paul, who lives in St Petersburg.

The culinary highlight was dinner at the famed Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. I eat beef maybe a handful of times per year, and theirs was amazing. They also have one of the most extensive and wonderful wine lists in the world.

We visited the Salvador Dali museum on the campus of the University of South Florida, and ate at other fun restaurants in downtown St. Pete, including Moon Under Water, a reliable spot with lots of outdoor seating and good food & drink.

I'm heading out again later this week for another trip, but hope to get some posting in soon.