Food, Fun and Fall

 

     I'm still sorting through my vacation pictures and I thought I'd share a few more of the highlights with you. I think you might recognize Cinderella's coach. We attended Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party whle we were in Orlando. It is a Halloween party held in the Magic Kingdom several evenings before Halloween. They close the park at 7:00 p.m. to the general public and the only people allowed in are those who purchase a special ticket. It is a bit costly and not something I would do every year, but it is fun. Many people are in full costume (including the characters), the fireworks take on a "spooky" theme and the lines for the rides are very short. There is also a special parade led by The Headless Horseman.

     Several places throughout the Magic Kingdom they have trick-or-treat locations (see above) and they give out a massive amount of candy. We each ended up with 2 bags full of "the good stuff". There are a few pictures of the castle/fireworks at the end of this post.

     I've written before about my favorite restaurant when we go to visit my dad on Siesta Key. Owens Fish Camp is located in the "artsy" area of Sarasota. It isn't easy to find and the parking is lousy, but it is so worth it! We always try to sit out on the porch to eat, but there is also quite a bit of indoor seating.

We started the meal with a jar of their Smoked Fish Spread.

     My dad, daughter and I shared the Low Country Boil for 2 and we had plenty of food. We also had the smaller sized Fried Green Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese and Smoked Ham.

My husband had the Fish Tacos with Green Salsa and Baja Sauce.

     We even had dessert because it is so good. We shared the Blackberry Fried Pies and the Bourbon Pecan Pie with Cream. We could barely walk, but we enjoyed every bite!

     It may look as if we do nothing but eat on vacation. There is a bit of truth to that, but since I'm not going to post pictures of us at the swimming pool...you get food pictures!

     Another favorite for us is Sharkey's on the Pier in Venice, FL. The restaurant is right on the water and so casual there are people on the beach, in bathing suits walking around the restaurant. When I'm in a location with water, if I can eat near the beach it is a bonus for me!

We had a little visitor while we waited for our food.

Once again, we had a great meal. My daughter had the Fish Tacos.

     I always get the same thing. It is actually an appetizer. The Brie and Apple Pizza is a crispy flatbread with Granny Smith Apples, Brie, Mango Glaze and Almonds. I've tried to duplicate it at home and I just can't get it quite right.

My husband had the fried shrimp.

My dad had the day's special of Mac and Cheese with Andouille Sausage (excellent).

Until my next round of calorie laden foods...I leave you with Cinderella's Castle.

I am joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays.

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Circus Trains and Chocolate Spaghetti

     Our recent vacation was spent in several different places. After a couple of days at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, my husband, daughter and I headed to my dad’s place on Siesta Key, Florida. Siesta Key has won numerous awards for the beautiful beaches and we all love it. My parents have owned a place there since the 70’s.

 

     My dad has been telling me for months about a new restaurant he found, Bob’s Train. On our way into Sarasota, he decided we would stop there and have lunch before heading out to Siesta Key. I have to tell you, my first impression was a bit of shock. After hearing about it so much, as we pulled into the neighborhood, I was a little afraid to get out of the car. This is a real train, on real tracks in a neighborhood that isn’t exactly a place I would normally go. However, it is certainly an interesting eating experience.

 

     Bob’s Train is an actual train... a circus train. In fact, it's the only circus train in the world owned by an individual. Bob Home, the owner and chef is a walking, talking history book and expert on Sarasota and it’s circus history. His vast collection of vintage circus photographs and posters line the walls of the train cars and you can even walk through his largest collectible, JOMAR (JOhn and MAble Ringling), the famed private train car of circus magnate John Ringling. It is in the early stages of restoration and very interesting and still quite a mess!

This woman looks so much like my sister when she was younger!

 

     The food is very good. My daughter and I had salads, the men had burgers and homemade chips. The surprise item was dessert. My dad insisted we try the Chocolate Spaghetti. Now, I didn’t think it sounded good at all, but I was wrong. The flavor was a rich chocolate which coated the spaghetti perfectly. Bob came to the table and explained that it is basically a thinned down ganache (what’s not to love) stirred into angel hair pasta that has been tossed with butter, brown sugar and vanilla. A bit of peach schnapps and lots of whipping cream and you have a very rich, unusual dessert.

     Bob has led a very interesting life and when he isn’t cooking, he is quite the talker. If you happen to go at a time when they aren’t busy, he can give you quite the education on food and all things circus related.

 

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