Restaurant Reviews
I focus on the taste/presentation of the food, the ambiance and the service. In the end, would I recommend this place to a friend? Would I return? With limited restaurant dollars to spend, I want to go back to the place that I felt that I got the best enjoyment value for my dollar spent. Here are some reviews
RESTAURANTS
Bistro des Livres – Paris
Chez Collette – Paris
Grand Hacienda – Sheldon Rd. Sept. 2026
We have been to three Grand Haciendas. The one on Tyrone Blvd. in St. Pete, the one in Clearwater and tonight, the one on Sheldon Rd. We have visited all three sites over a year and-a-half timeframe. The quality of the food, service, cleanliness and décor has been consistently amazing at all three locations.
We started off with the two-for-one Casa-Ritas which were very tasty and tasted more like craft than batch. As an app we got the Tabasco Plantains. They were platanos maduro. They did not have hot sauce on them but they did have sour cream and queso fresco. Very good flavor combination. The chips and salsa were excellent. Chips nice and crispy. Salsa fresh tasting, not too thick and not to thin.
We got the Hacienda Platter and the Carnitas. Carnitas was shredded pork whereas I prefer chunks. Tasty with very good black beans, pickled onions and excellent pickled jalapenos with just the right bite; a little sting but not too much.
The Hacienda Platter sampler had three items. Cheese Chile Relleno which was lightly batter and stuffed with a good amount of melted cheese which was very tasty. The Chicken Enchilada had chicken that tasted like chicken, good strong flavor covered with a nice poblano sauce. And a tamal covered with a salsa rosa. The tamal was done perfectly with a nice moist texture. The beef empanada was on the plate that came with the sides. Crispy, warm with an excellent filling of ground beef and cheese. I could have eaten four of the these. The sides included rice, refried beans, a couple of generous dollops of sour cream and guac. And a fresh tasting pico de gallo.
I really like to taste any Mole dish that is on any Mexican menu. I just couldn’t eat a whole other dish, so I asked for some mole sauce in a little courtesy cup. This mole sauce was incredible! You could taste, evenly, the chili, chocolate and nut flavors. It also had a very nice hot kick to it. Again, like the jalapenos, a definite spikey bite, but it did not overwhelm the other flavors of the sauce.
Fresh, good tasting food cooked well. Very nice atmosphere and décor. Happy, knowledgeable and friendly staff. We’ll definitely keep coming back.
Tonight we were celebrating my birthday. Being a member of the Familia Rewards Program I got a free dessert of ice cream on a crispy tortilla, covered with whipped cream and $5 off of my meal. We also got the flan. Although it was a little denser than the one that I make, they did a very good job with the caramelized sugar sauce, not too light and not too dark.
The manager came by a couple of times to check to see how things were doing. It was nice chatting with him. We asked how certain things were made and he proceeded to give us info on how the mole sauce and beans were made. To top things off, he gave us a ‘Buy One get 2nd dish at half-price’ card for future use.
Lila, our server was quick, efficient and knowledgeable about the food. She was great.
Bistro des Livres – Paris, France – June 2026, 44 Rue Galande, 75005
We walked by this place earlier in the day and thought that it had a cool name, Bistro of Books. The decor included bookshelves fully stocked and books stacked on the wide window sills.
I made reservations online for 7pm. It was accepted but I never got a confirmation via text or email. We went at 7pm anyway. The Matre d’ said that we did not get confirmation because there were no tables available at seven. Instead of flat out turning us away he scrolled through several pages of his tablet and said that he would have a table for us at 8pm. We walked down to Georges Cafe, a nearby cocktail bar and had a cocktail and went back to the restaurant at 8pm. We were sat at one of only two window tables. Definitely a prime table.
For starters we had the Truffle brie; Brie de Meaux with Truffles. A piece of brie with a middle layer of truffle cream. Small serving of dressed greens and piece of bread accompanied. When you ate a bite of the brie (usually creamy in and of itself) but then encountered the even creamier center truffle layer at the same time, I just had to pause for a couple of seconds to fully appreciate what was going on.
For dessert, the Chocolate Mousse Served in a Ladle and the Poached Pear Belle Helene.
The service was impeccable. Ambiance intimate. This was a great restaurant worthy of many return trips.
I decided to go a little off-book and ordered the veggie dish, Plate of Roasted Forgotten Vegetable with Black Garlic Cream sauce. All of the vegetables (carrots, potatoes, yams and others) had completely different textures. Some a little just beyond al dente. Some, like the small potatoes, still whole and creamy like mashed potatoes inside. The vegetables were plated on top of the black garlic cream sauce (incredibly savory) so you could choose to what degree of sauce you wanted on your vegetables.
We also had the Salmon steak with a cream sauce and fried potatoes. Fish done perfectly. Fries crispy outside, cream in. The cream sauce was excellent.
Cafe Masse – September 2026
This was our second visit to Café Masse at 1443 S Belcher Rd. in Clearwater, FL. As with our first visit, Chef Masse visited us at the table when we arrived. We talked about what we had last time, what we liked, what we might be in the mood for.
One of the things that makes this place unique and definitely a draw for a return visit, are these visits with the chef. Also, his willingness to go outside of the confines of the printed menu. We liked the idea of the Braised Beef in the 8-hour ragu listed under the Ravioli section, but we did not want ravioli. He suggested that he could put he Braised Beef on Rigatoni instead of Ravioli.
When I expressed an interest in a mushroom app, he suggested mushrooms aglio e olio with a sprinkling of parsley and a dash of red pepper flakes. This was not listed in the menu. Also, not listed on the menu was his recommendation of bread stuffed with mozzarella served warm with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. Both were fantastic! The bread was warm and moist and it was filled with a lot of soft and gooey mozzarella. The mushrooms seemed slightly seared. They were well dressed in a very balanced mix of olive oil and garlic. A hint of red pepper flakes added a pleasant occasional surprise bite to the dish
The Braised Beef in the 8-hour ragu was tender and had a great depth of flavor. The rigatoni, as well as the linguine on my main dish of Alfredo with Shrimp, was done perfectly for my taste, just slightly beyond al dente. The Beef dish was topped with a heaping spoonful of ricotta. Mixing a little of the ricotta into the sauce as we ate was a fun thing to do. The Alfredo, topped with some shaved parm, had a slight hint of saffron which added some complexity and a little different take on the Alfredo that was very interesting. A very generous count of perfectly done tail-on shrimp made the dish complete.
A glass of Tempranillo paired very well with the beef. A glass of a Puglian Teanum Pinot Grigio “Favugne” was excellent with the Alfredo dish.
For dessert, a very good Tiramisu with an optional drizzle of Bailey’s. A double espresso and a glass of Serre Dolci Rosso, a chilled dessert wine, finished off the meal nicely.
Our server, Shelby, was very good. The ambiance was intimate with great lighting and a very good mix of Italian and jazz music in the background.
The food is so good, I wanted to just keep eating until each plate was clean. While this approach has never ended well for me in the past (I always feel uncomfortably stuffed), an alternative that required a little bit of restraint and some to-go boxes extended the great food here for a nice day-after lunch at home.
Chez Colette – 74 Rue Daguerre, Paris – June 2026
Lunch at Chez Colette was like being in a little bubble where time seemed to stand still. The space felt very comfortable, with excellent service and very nice, low key jazz music in the background. The ambience, service, food and wine made for an extremely enjoyable lunch.
Vitello Tonato as a starter. Thinly shaved veal with a tuna sauce. Very good.
For lunch Chicken with Cream sauce on risotto. On its own, without the sauce, the chicken was very tasty. Creamy risotto was done to perfection. The other plate was a Rigatoni aux morilles with asparagus, garnished with Italian parsley and grated parm. Every flavor was so subtle and tasted incredible.
A glass of red Sancerre Pinot Noir from Domaine Millerioux and 25cl Cotes du Rhone, Malijay were excellent pairs to our meals.
A chocolate fondant cake (like a chocolate volcano cake) and a Big Baba Bouchon au rhum vieux fait maison. The cake was served with a bottle of rum so that I could apply my own amount of rumness to the cake. Both desserts were delicious with a couple of café allonges.
This is one of our top three “must return” places to eat in Paris!
Cafe Masse – Clearwater, FL – August 2026
First time visit. Very nice atmosphere. Welcomed and promptly sat. Within around five minutes Chef Masse, comes to the table and greets us. Chats a little. Asks about us. Tells a little about himself but not in a autobiographical way. He just shared 2-3 short stories about things that happened at the restaurant which gave us a really good idea of what he was like. He made similar visits to others as they were sat.
He offered us a taste of red and white wines. His parting words were to just go with whatever we connected with, “if you connect with lasagna, order the lasagna, if you connect with Marsala, go with Marsala”. Great advice. A brief “once over” of the menu and we felt like we connected with Caprese Salad, Lasagna, Champagne Salmon and Pasta with Meatballs (with the 8 hour ragu) and the Rigatoni al Forno.
The Caprese was good. Nice tasting tomatoes. I usually add a little more and a little larger fresh basil leaves to mine.
The Champagne Salmon description noted that the sauce had “a whisper of dill. It was an excellent cream sauce that was perfectly subtle and a great accompaniment to the very nicely cooked large piece of salmon. Served with a side of linguini on the plate.
The red sauces for the lasagna and rigatoni were certainly different from the “8 hour ragu” that came with the Pasta and Meatballs. While all of the red sauces were excellent and had great depth of flavor, the “8 hour ragu” seemed a little deeper and a little more complex.
All pasta was done perfectly for me, just slightly beyond al dente.
The sangria, Greco di Tufo and the Orsumella Chianti paired extremely well with our respective dishes.
The servers were very attentive. Chef Masse made a second visit to the table to see how things were going.
Finished off with Limoncello cake (poured Limoncello over the cake at the table) and Tiramisu (Irish cream poured on top at the table). I had an espresso and an after dinner Reisling to finish things out. Very good food, attention to detail, excellent service and the personal touch of the chef coming out to introduce himself makes this a “must return”.
Cali – St. Petersburg and Tampa Palms, FL – July 2026
We’ve been going to Cali’s (both the Tampa Palms and the St. Pete location) for almost two years. Every time that we’ve been to either location, the experience has been the same; good fresh food, incredibly friendly, professional and helpful staff, very clean and bright environments including great background music from above and impressive artwork on the walls. It just feels good to be there.
This time we started with the garlic-lime edamame app. It was an excellent starter. It had quite a lot of real, fresh garlic paired with lime dressing. The dressing and garlic was on all edamames in the bowl, not just on the top ones. The beans themselves were done perfectly. They had a nice crisp bite to them.
Our usuals here are pizza and/or a bowl. This time it was the Classic Pizza with pepperoni and the Hot and Crunchy bowl with seared tuna and sticky rice. The pizzas here are made with sourdough crust. Thin, light crisp crust. Light sauce. Good cheese. Very tasty pepperoni! I’m a fairly traditional pizza guy (usually cheese only, a margarita, or pepperoni) I was skeptical at first about the sour dough crust, but this one is incredible.
The Hot and Crunchy bowl included a good amount of perfectly seared tuna, lots of jicama sticks, thinly sliced zucchini, topped with a very tasty guac and sprinkled liberally with crunchy tempura onion bits. A shoutout to the designer of these meals, like other things that we’ve had here, nothing overpowers anything else. It was a perfect blend of flavors and textures.
There are only three dessert items on the menu; Chocolate Chip Cookie, S’mores Cookie and Sour Dough Cookie. All are incredible. The Sourdough Cookie is made there.
Previously I’ve had the Spicy Brazilian Bowl with blackened chicken and turmeric rice. The high light for me was the crispy fried jalapenos. The Lime Caesar sauce was an excellent compliment. Another bowl of note from a previous visit is the Thai bowl. Nice understated peanut sauce. Every piece of steak was done perfectly. Udon noodles were just right.
Although I typically get a bowl, in the past, I have had the Bee Sting Pizza. Although I usually don’t venture outside of my traditional pizza choices, the Bee Sting Pizza was amazing! For me, the hot honey was the kicker (ask for 2X hot honey next time)!
A Cold Brew Hibiscus Berry tea with the pizza and a glass of A to Z Pinot Gris with the bowl paired very well. We’ve also had the Aqua Fresca Dragon Fruit Limeade sweetened with agave syrup. Freshly made onsite. Hint of sweetness with subtle but distinctive flavors.
All of the wine is here is very good. We’ve had The Imagery Chard and Imagery Pinot Noir which pair very nicely with the food selections.
People – The person who greeted and sat us today, the person who came around to ask how everything was towards the end of the meal and our server, Gage, were all friendly and professional. Gage came by a couple of times during the meal to see how everything was and if there was anything that we needed. This was just the right amount of attention. We were sitting near the line, so I was able to see all of the servers and staff behind the counter. I noticed that, without exception, everyone was smiling, laughing and seemed extremely relaxed. This vibe carries over to the table and makes the entire experience at Cali’s a true pleasure. A server from a previous visit had a winning smile every time he came to the table. This smile, in and of itself, really pushed the overall experience over the top. Food, ambience and people make a restaurant what it is. From this perspective, the people here definitely elevate the entire dining experience here.
All in all – After around six visits to two locations in a little under two years, Cali’s continues to exceed expectations. What a great testament to the owners/managers who are able to maintain consistent quality of service and food across different locations.
Recommendation – Go here. This is definitely a high value for dollar spent place.
The Book Lounge – St. Petersburg, FL – June 2026
What an amazing place! The Book Lounge in St. Pete feels like a refuge, a place apart from the outside world. Very nice book selection. It brings to mind a series of books that I read once where a special bookstore in Barcelona played a central part of the story. The book is by the Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafron (The series begins with The Shadow of the Wind) .
The atmosphere here at The Book Lounge from the music to the wall art and just the overall decor is spectacular. The wall paper is litteraly old book pages. Comfy seating. Great staff.
The wine and charcuterie selection is innovative; standard meats/cheese, very nice veggie selection, but we got an item from the Fishwife Experience selection of quality tinned seafood. We got the Smoked Rainbow Trout in Red Chimichuri sauce. Opened tin served with cornichon, olives, carrots, crackers and a small pepper made this a wonderful flavor and taste combination. A very nice Chehalem INOX Unoaked Chard to go with it. And a very tasty non-alcoholic lemon drink. Their NA and mocktail selection was very good.
Excellent value for dollar spent! Go here for a nice book selection, and some great charcuterie and wine and to especially if you are in need of a little respite from the outside world.
Village Madeleine – 14 Rue Tronchet, 75008 Paris, France – May 2026
What a perfect first dinner on our recent first visit to Paris! Started out with a great Americano. Shared an Escargot appetizer (Entrée here is Paris). Six Escargots de la Maison Valentine. Snails served in shells on top of a light sprinkling of greens and a piece of toasted bread with the same garlic sauce that was on the snails. Although I’ve had escargot in the US, I don’t think that I’ve ever really tasted them before. The garlic sauce was light and subtle so that I could taste a very balanced combination of snail and sauce. The greens, red onion and tomato added excellent counter points between snails.
For dinner, we just couldn’t help it. We had to go with the Confit de Canard Manoir Alexandre (duck legs, bone in) on a bed of thin slices of potato. The potatoes were sauteed with a crispy outer and creamy inner (I’m pretty sure in duck fat). The duck was fall-off-the-bone with a fork. No knife needed. Outer skin perfectly crisp. Nice little touches included a roasted cherry tomato and a sprinkling of chives over all.
For dessert, Crème Brulee and a Gateaux Basque. The Gateaux was like a cookie with a somewhat creamy center. It was not overly sweet but with the black currant jam accompaniment, I was able to add just the right amount of extra sweetness that I wanted. It went well with my after-dinner Kir Vin Blanc.
Village Madeleine is definitely a great value-for-dollar-spent and a restaurant that we will absolutely return to.
Cafe Gala – at the Dali Museum1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL – June 2026
The Café Gala is on the first floor of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. Like many of the hidden gems found in some of Dali’s more famous paintings, the search to find Café Gala is more than worth it for a fantastic dining experience!
The incredibly curated Spanish themed menu is a perfect match with the art of Salvador Dali that you will find in the museum. You can dine in the café without having to pay for admission to see Dali’s art. If you only ate in the café, you would have a wonderful experience. But, if you also view Dali’s art on the floor above the café, both enhance the other amazingly.
For dessert, I had the Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding and a Cordato. The pudding was moist and tasty with the occasional explosion of chocolate chips that were baked into the croissant. We also had an iced coffee drink for dessert. She had The Tiramisu; espresso, chocolate, mascarpone whipped cream, lady finger & sea salt chocolate crumble. The whipped mascarpone cream on the top could have been a dessert unto itself.
The atmosphere was light and airy with a few tables and the bar near large floor to ceiling geodesic dome windows.
Come here for a great value-for-dollar spent dining experience.
We sat at the bar and were provided with expert care by our server Shannon. She was knowledgeable, friendly and offered great advice.
I started out with a Carpano classico vermouth rosso with orange peel. An excellent pre-lunch beverage.
For lunch, we had the – The Pressed Serranita 1906 roasted pork, serrano jamon, Manchego, tomato, piquillo pepper, pimento aioli, chips, olives. The bread was lightly toasted, the Manchego oozing. Every bite demanded, and got, a moment of appreciation and reflection as to just how good this sandwich was. Pairing it with a glass of the red sangria was a good choice. In addition to the standard fresh fruit garnish, a big blackberry was in there too.
Also, the Caprese Tuna – Chimichurri spiced tuna, baby heirloom tomatoes, cana de cabra, Valencia balsamic reduction, arugula, almond pesto, spiced pumpkin seeds, served with toast points. The tuna was just slightly seared, very tasty and juicy. I had a 5 oz glass of Albariño; a white wine native to the coastal region of Galicia. The crisp citric and sea-breeze taste went very well with the tuna.
Sitting at the bar, we got to see the cooking, prep and plating of the food. Astonishingly, the cook/prep area was about 10 x 12 with two chefs literally shoulder-to-shoulder. It was like watching a ballet. I find it difficult to imagine how so many complex menu items can come out of such a small space.
Huey’s On the River – Savannah, GA – April 2026
Fortunately, we were on the list for a 30 minute wait for a table. So we went to the bar for a cocktail while we waited for a table. Two seats next to the front window at the end of the bar were open.
Our server/mixologist, Avery, gave us drink and food menus, so we decided to eat at the bar.
Everything began falling into place and continued throughout our wonderful visit.
Eating at the bar was the perfect place for us. When I walked through the main dining room (on my way to the restroom), I found it to be a little too noisy for our taste. At the bar we had a couple of very nice chats with some folks next to us. On to dessert. Had to go with the beignets with praline sauce. Cafe Dumonde eat your heart out! Golden brown, warm and steamy, drenched in powdered sugar… unbelievable praline sauce.
A couple of cups of excellent coffee and we were set. Finished off with a hit of Gator Bite, an orange flavored rum liquor reminiscent of Rum Jumbie.
Go here! Sit at the bar during Avery’s shift. You will not be disappointed! We can’t wait to get back for more!
We shared a bowl of Cajun Gumbo and a bowl of Crawfish Etoufee. Both perfectly spiced. The gumbo had just the right amount of kick for me. The taste reminded us so much of New Orleans that I thought to myself that an Abita beer would go great with the food. Not having encountered Abita outside of New Orleans, I asked if they had an Abita-like beer. Avery said that they actually had Abita! Everything continued to just get better.
Super Taqueria – Durham, NC – March 2026
Excellent Mexican food! Unfortunately, we are at the end of our stay in Durham or we would have returned many times to Super Taqueria to taste everything on the menu! Good value for dollar spent.
We had the torta with pastor (marinated pork). The sandwich included the pastor, onion, jalapenos, may, muenster cheese, pineapple, tomato, lettuce, sliced avocado and cilantro. What a great taste combination! Chips were good. Got a side of refried beans which were very good.
The standout was the salsa bar: two green salsas with different heat levels, a mild red, fresh pico, cilantro, chopped onion, and a habanero salad that was fiery and genuinely delicious.
Very nice and colorful decor and paintings. I would have liked more Mexican music playing. I think the only music we heard was from the kitchen.!
For dessert, Tres Leches cake was amazing (moist but not soupy). Coffee was good, served in a unique mug with a side of three little cookies.
Zom Hee – 9015 Park Blvd, Seminole, FL
I love this place! Old school (like me). One of our favorite comfort food places. Great quantities of excellent food. Definitely enough to take for an additional (or two) lunch or dinner at home. Beef Szechuan and Hung Shu Chicken this time were great. The pre-dinner pickled vegetables were very good too. The cocktail lounge and vintage drinks are amazing. I had a Tahitian’s Scorpion (which I probably would never have anywhere else). It even came with a little umbrella.
Our server was good. Food came out pretty quickly. The lanterns and ornate ceiling tiles and general decor make for a wonderful ambiance.
This is a great dinner date night out place.
