If you’re like us, one of the reasons we keep coming back to Florida is the awesome food.
We now have so many favourite dishes and restaurants that it’s as impossible to squeeze them all into one trip, as it’s impossible to squeeze into your jeans when you get home.
To get your mouth watering for your next trip, here are some of the best dishes we’ve eaten and where we found them. If you’re not going for a long time, you’ll hate us by the time you’ve finished reading this.
Breakfast
Mamas Special French Toast – Cracker Barrell
Sweet, hot and delicious. Ask for it topped with blackberry. There’s no better way to set you up for the day.
Appetisers
Sicilian Scampi – Olive Garden
This doesn’t sound like much. It’s shrimp on bread basically – but it comes in a sauce and the sauce is to die for. It’s one of the first places we head for every trip. I’m not on holiday until I’ve had my first mouthful, expecting it not to live up to my memory but the reaction is always an uncontrollable “mmmmmmmmmmmm” followed by a feeding frenzy more intense than the shark tank at Seaworld. You might want to follow this up with the Chicken Alfredo and the Lemon Cake for a perfect meal.
Fiesta Lobster Rolls – Red Lobster
These are spicy cheese and lobster in crispy rolls – this is a great intro to lobster for the lobster wary out there without having to tackle the whole beast. Just have to mention the “biscuits” you get too before this – fluffy and cheesy and very easy to fill up on before anything you order even arrives.
Entrees
Parmesan Chicken – Texas De Brazil
OK you get just about every meat cooked in every conceivable way at Texas De Brazil, but I just can’t get enough of the parmesan encrusted chicken. How unfortunate that they just keep bringing you more and more until you tell them to stop or until the restaurant closes – whichever comes first!
Bang Bang Chicken – Cheesecake Factory
You were expecting cheesecake right? Sorry, forget the cheesecake and have this instead. Peanutty heaven. Warning – like the squirrel, definitely contains nuts.
Cajun Grouper Sandwich – Cooters Raw Bar
Clearwater Beach is a long way to go for a sandwich, but if you’re ever in the area, call in to Cooters and try a grouper sandwich. Make sure it’s Cajun and make sure you get a side order of Cooterbread to go with it.
Steak – Cinderellas Royal Table, Magic Kingdom
I normally pick anything other than steak, but if steak is your thing then this has to be the best there is. Mine was so tender you could eat it with a spoon. If I had to say which was the single best meal of my life, this would be on the shortlist.
Add to that the venue and you have a really special experience. Getting a table is not easy though, you’ll need to book in advance.
The Elwood – House Of Blues, Downtown Disney
This is a chilli chicken breast sandwich with a kick. There’s something fiery in there and if you like you can have extra jalapenos.
Desserts
White Chocolate Blondie – Tommy Bahamas
Think chocolate brownie, but white and ten times better! This has to be the most amazing desert ever created. Only had it once and can’t remember what it looked like, but I can recall every single velvet spoonful.
Key Lime Pie - Everywhere
It’s actually illegal to visit Florida without having key lime pie. Please give the supermarket versions a wide berth (apart from Winn Dixie who do a mean KLP for furtive consumption in the privacy of your own villa) but make sure you try some at a great restaurant. It’s nice and refreshing as a midday snack sitting in the sun somewhere. Don’t let them put nuts on it!
Perfect For Barflys
Jack Daniels Wings – T. G. I. Friday’s
If you happen to find yourself propping the bar up drinking exotic cocktails at Friday’s then the perfect bar food accompaniment has to be JD wings. Great to soak up some of those spirits – only trouble is they make you thirsty all over again!
One For The Kids
Perkins do pancakes topped in chocolate chips in the shape of Mickey’s head.
Not sure they taste anything better than ordinary pancakes but they do make for a fun breakfast if you’re 5 or under or my wife.
These are some of our personal favourites but hopefully we’ve catered for all tastes. Hands up who’s hungry.
We now have so many favourite dishes and restaurants that it’s as impossible to squeeze them all into one trip, as it’s impossible to squeeze into your jeans when you get home.
To get your mouth watering for your next trip, here are some of the best dishes we’ve eaten and where we found them. If you’re not going for a long time, you’ll hate us by the time you’ve finished reading this.
Breakfast
Mamas Special French Toast – Cracker Barrell
Sweet, hot and delicious. Ask for it topped with blackberry. There’s no better way to set you up for the day.
Appetisers
Sicilian Scampi – Olive Garden
This doesn’t sound like much. It’s shrimp on bread basically – but it comes in a sauce and the sauce is to die for. It’s one of the first places we head for every trip. I’m not on holiday until I’ve had my first mouthful, expecting it not to live up to my memory but the reaction is always an uncontrollable “mmmmmmmmmmmm” followed by a feeding frenzy more intense than the shark tank at Seaworld. You might want to follow this up with the Chicken Alfredo and the Lemon Cake for a perfect meal.
Fiesta Lobster Rolls – Red Lobster
These are spicy cheese and lobster in crispy rolls – this is a great intro to lobster for the lobster wary out there without having to tackle the whole beast. Just have to mention the “biscuits” you get too before this – fluffy and cheesy and very easy to fill up on before anything you order even arrives.
Entrees
Parmesan Chicken – Texas De Brazil
OK you get just about every meat cooked in every conceivable way at Texas De Brazil, but I just can’t get enough of the parmesan encrusted chicken. How unfortunate that they just keep bringing you more and more until you tell them to stop or until the restaurant closes – whichever comes first!
Bang Bang Chicken – Cheesecake Factory
You were expecting cheesecake right? Sorry, forget the cheesecake and have this instead. Peanutty heaven. Warning – like the squirrel, definitely contains nuts.
Cajun Grouper Sandwich – Cooters Raw Bar
Clearwater Beach is a long way to go for a sandwich, but if you’re ever in the area, call in to Cooters and try a grouper sandwich. Make sure it’s Cajun and make sure you get a side order of Cooterbread to go with it.
Steak – Cinderellas Royal Table, Magic Kingdom
I normally pick anything other than steak, but if steak is your thing then this has to be the best there is. Mine was so tender you could eat it with a spoon. If I had to say which was the single best meal of my life, this would be on the shortlist.
Add to that the venue and you have a really special experience. Getting a table is not easy though, you’ll need to book in advance.
The Elwood – House Of Blues, Downtown Disney
This is a chilli chicken breast sandwich with a kick. There’s something fiery in there and if you like you can have extra jalapenos.
Desserts
White Chocolate Blondie – Tommy Bahamas
Think chocolate brownie, but white and ten times better! This has to be the most amazing desert ever created. Only had it once and can’t remember what it looked like, but I can recall every single velvet spoonful.
Key Lime Pie - Everywhere
It’s actually illegal to visit Florida without having key lime pie. Please give the supermarket versions a wide berth (apart from Winn Dixie who do a mean KLP for furtive consumption in the privacy of your own villa) but make sure you try some at a great restaurant. It’s nice and refreshing as a midday snack sitting in the sun somewhere. Don’t let them put nuts on it!
Perfect For Barflys
Jack Daniels Wings – T. G. I. Friday’s
If you happen to find yourself propping the bar up drinking exotic cocktails at Friday’s then the perfect bar food accompaniment has to be JD wings. Great to soak up some of those spirits – only trouble is they make you thirsty all over again!
One For The Kids
Perkins do pancakes topped in chocolate chips in the shape of Mickey’s head.
Not sure they taste anything better than ordinary pancakes but they do make for a fun breakfast if you’re 5 or under or my wife.
These are some of our personal favourites but hopefully we’ve catered for all tastes. Hands up who’s hungry.