Chili's. or Sometimes Chains Have Good Food Too.

Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl: I haven't been to Chili's in awhile so their new menu was a surprise to me. The Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl is pretty darn spicy (I have a low threshold). The bowl contains cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, avocado slices, tortilla strips, pico de gallo, bean salsa, rice, corn, field greens, chopped cilantro, chipotle pesto, and cumin-lime sour cream. Wow. That's a lot of ingredients. Perhaps inspired by Chipotle's popular "bowl" menu item (?). The cool avocado and sour cream provided a welcome balance to the spicy chipotle sauce. The tortilla strips gave the grilled chicken a crunch that was super yummy. Squeeze the lime!

Baha Grill at the Marriott, Hutchinson Island/Stuart, FL.

Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins

Omelette with cheese, ham, spinach, and mushrooms

Waffles with whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate chips

Hard boiled egg in a shot glass

Breakfast Buffet: If you stay at the Marriott Hotel in Hutchinson Island, you receive a free breakfast ticket, on the weekend the breakfast option is the buffet. Standard breakfast fair, good quality, but what really impressed me about the Baha Grill was the service. The staff was so friendly and went out of their way to make sure we got what we wanted.In fact, many other staff impressed me with their behavior and accommodations. The woman who booked our hotel room sent champagne and chocolate covered strawberries to the room for my parents' anniversary. Back to the Baha Grill:I loved the decor in the restaurant. Super colorful in a tasteful way. Reminds me of some of the architecture in Argentina. Totally stealing their idea of keeping a hard boiled egg chilled in a shot glass.

Dolphin Bar and Shrimp House, Jensen Beach, FL.

Bacon Skewered Shrimp: "Cajun seasoned shrimp wrapped with bacon, skewered and grilled. Served with horseradish mayonnaise." (description from the menu). DIP IT IN THE MAYONNAISE. 

Flank Steak, Home

Flank Steak with Mozzarella and Spinach. Pre-prepared at Publix. All you have to do is stick it in the oven. Mmm.

Pasta with Vodka Sauce, Home

Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Mushrooms. I made this. Saute some white mushrooms. Put cooked pasta, vodka sauce, and mushrooms in a bowl. Mozzarella cheese on top.

Surfside Grill and Pizzeria, Jensen Beach, FL.

Spaghetti and Meatballs. Two meatballs. One yummy roll.

Mulligan's, Fort Pierce

Shrimp Scampi Flatbread. Shrimp in melted Parmesan cheese with Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Spinach on Flatbread. Meh, average. I felt gross after I ate this, it was really salty and not worth it. Mulligan's is a tourist trap, but it does have some merit. Kids eat free on Thursdays (with purchase of soft drink)! (Sidenote: my pictures suck lately and I can't rotate them and it makes me sad so I'll try to do better next time). I tried the Firecracker Shrimp off of someone else's plate and it was really good. I'll get that next time.

Kona Beach Cafe, Jensen Beach

Curry Shrimp Taco and Bleu Filet Mignon Taco with Chips and Salsa: My favorite place so far. Live music, Christmas lights, and cornhole. The shrimp curry taco was made with rice, Craisins, coconut and, of course, curry shrimp. The filet mignon taco is self explanatory. Each was equally delicious in its own way with the Curry Shrimp a nuttier choice and the Filet Mignon being a classic, crowd pleaser. The chips were stale. womp.

Big Apple Pizza

White Pizza and Fried Oreos: Big Apple Pizza is a chain, but it was tasty. The white pizza was made with fresh garlic, mozarella, ricotta, and tomatoes. The fried oreos were to die for. I've had fried oreos before, but these were so much better. They use the same dough for the oreos as they do for the pizza and the chocolate sauce on top made it extra perfect.

Vero Beach Hotel and Spa

Lobster Taco: fried lobster with mango salsa and cabbage on a tortilla. Not a huge portion, but the fried lobster was pretty filling. The view was perfect.

Inlet Beach Bar and Grill (again)

Hoisin Glazed Tuna: seared local yellowfish sliced thin and served with wasabi mayo and a sweet hoisin glazed. Yum-o! The first time in a long time that I had seared fish and it was so yummy. Creamy with a delicious outer coating.

Inlet Beach Bar and Grill. Fort Pierce, FL.

Blackened Mahi Cobb Salad. Light and refreshing. Felt great after eating this. The fish was spiced well and I felt like I didn't need dressing with all of its toppings. Before lunch, I went on a long walk on the beach and saw a manatee in the inlet! The pier at the inlet (walking distance from the restaurant) is surrounded by rocks and waves and seems to be a fishing spot for locals.