132 weeks... Florida

World Tour Self-discovery... to eat is to taste the land.

1. Fore Street [Portland, ME]

2. J's Oyster [Portland, ME]

3. Union Oyster House [Boston, MA]

4. Clambake [Boston, MA]

5. Cook & Brown Public House [Providence, RI]

6. The White Horse Tavern [Newport, RI]

7. Katz's Delicatessen [New York, NY]

8. Street food [New York, NY]
9. Per Se [New York, NY]
10. Ben's Chili Bowl [Washington D.C.]
11. DC Metro Food Tours [Washington D.C.]

12. Elizabeth on 37th [Savannah, GA]
13. Vic's on the River [Savannah, GA]
14. Varsailles Restaurant [Miami, FL]
15. El Palacio De Los Jugos [Miami, FL]

Miami, Florida

The World Tour coasts thru the "Sunshine State" to savor the Floribbean cuisine of Miami, Florida. Florida cuisine might take its vice for being one of the most unique and diverse in the world. A pash sentiment that surly is more substance than a bowl of gumbo, grouper sandwich, and key lime pie. So can the no earth tones of Miami Vice flavor up a food-by bike destination with a fashion of taste [making it one of the country's most interesting regional cuisines]. Maybe. Maybe... So I continue my curiosity for food.

But before I ask myself again that subjective question, "what food is the state of Florida known for?" [And can it be discovered in Miami?] I'd have to say, "whoa, what a ride..."

World Tour Mileage... 1,818.1 miles out of 23,710 miles

[Portland, ME to Portsmouth, ME 59.7 mi

Portsmouth, ME to Boston, MA 68.5 mi

Boston, MA to Providence, RI 48.9 mi

Providence, RI to Willimantic, CT 55.8 mi

Willimantic, CT to New Haven, CT 58.4 mi

New Haven, CT to Stamford, CT 45.9 mi

Stamford, CT to New York, NY 46.6 mi

New York, NY to Trenton, NJ 66.1 mi

Trenton, NJ to Wilmington, DE 61.8 mi

Wilmington, DE to Bel Air, MD 57.6 mi

Bel Air, MD to Washington, DC 75.2 mi

Washington, DC to Culpeper, VA 73.7 mi
Culpeper, VA to Dillwyn, VA 76.3 mi
Dillwyn, VA to Clarksville, VA 77.5 mi
Clarksville, VA to Durham, NC 55.2 mi
Durham, NC to Southern Pines, NC 78 mi
Southern Pines, NC to Darlington, SC 75.8 mi
Darlington, SC to Summerton, SC 64.6 mi

Summerton, SC to Walterboro, SC 60.4 mi
Walterboro, SC to Savannah, GA 75.6 mi
Savannah, GA to Darien, GA 67 mi
Darien, GA to Yulee, FL 66.2 mi
Yulee, FL to St. Augustine, FL 69.8 mi

St. Augustine, FL to Daytona, FL 53.8 mi

Daytona, FL to Port St. John, FL 61 mi

Port St. John, FL to Wabasso, FL 59.9 mi

Wabasso, FL to Jupiter, Fl 64.8 mi

Jupiter, Fl to Boca Raton, FL 47.4 mi

Boca Raton, FL to Miami, FL 46.6 mi]

To bike is to feel the land. To eat is to taste the land... and that's just for starters. Better yet, an appetizer to what is to come. So I'd imagine being inundated with what have you nots for such tidings now that the World Tour ended its first segment. Okay, a quick pat on the back, and off back to work.

"vacationing in Florida while blogging about Florida..."

So again I ask myself that subjective question, and on to Floribbean cuisine. My own thoughts are touristy with Disney World almost owing the fun in the sun monopoly. Ironically I was just vacationing in Florida while blogging about Florida as this food-by bike destination. Okay, maybe more vacationing than blogging. My youngest was dead set on Universal Studios, the wizarding world of Harry Potter. So the family vote had won on Harry Potter World. Sure, it was fun. Who doesn't love Harry Potter? But, I caught myself saying a couple of times, more like reminisced in the Disney magic, "I've had better times" (not relating to the wizarding world of Harry Potter). But that is also a subjective statement, although, in my opinion Disney did everything bigger and better [well, it is the world's largest and most visited recreational theme park]. But we did get in some eats, although, not so much Floribbean cuisine. I'd say it suited our food intent.

"Bam!" you guessed it....

"Bam!" You guessed it, restaurant Emeril's. After eating at the Three Broomsticks, and a little folly with a round of Butterbeer, we decided this night to "kick it up a notch" with Chef Emeril Lagasse.

I'd say Emeril's is a fairly predominant restaurant at Universal's CityWalk. Not an over-the-top storefront facade, although, we almost walked on the deal. That is, I'd say that it caught our eye immediately, and almost like an impulse buy we had all said, "yes!" Now that is good marketing, a food decision based on notoriety. Although, maybe in a second thought, like being fickle, we decided to browse the other food options (since we were still gauging our food intent). Then honestly nothing spoke to me as Floribbean cuisine, so "aw, yeah, babe" we walked back to our first impression.

Foodie-not-by bike review...

Fried green tomatoes...

At last, we are seated. Comfortably seated I'd admit, which was on our own accord. We were first directed to be seated in a large open area, which at the time was completely empty. I had eyed other dinners enjoying window side seating. So not presumptuous we asked to be seated in that area instead. To be frank I am not a fan of large hall or open cafeteria style seating. Architecturally, I wasn't given an awe factor. Simple, yet clean lines. I am not sure it even had a theme. Maybe a sort of generic fine dining. Critics love to reference a generic performance to that of a cruise ship. I am not sure that is such a bad thing unless you are an "American Idol" candidate. So I'll say, good or bad, that I was feeling the love on Emeril's "Love Boat".

Service, at least from my perspective, is the backbone to a restaurant's food experience. More like food stewardship. That is, a restaurant's wait staff should pride themselves as being the stewards of the food experience. Sure the systematic pace of their wait staff flowed in and off our table. It's these types of service performances that I am now better able to perceive. I'd say that such movement stimulates my functional purpose, like in an algorithmic way, and also a color pattern of art, like a synchronized performance. To date the best systematic service pace that I've experienced goes to restaurant Hibiscus [in terms of my "service relativity"].

Pan roasted redfish...

No food experience starts without a menu. Well, in most cases considering the all important menu is after all what the restaurant is selling. So I hastened no time to see what Emeril's was selling. With menu in hand I browsed it like usual. Not so much eyeing some food bites that I craved, but what I perceived to be different. At least different enough to add to my "food relativity". I'd say if someone could see what my thoughts were doing it might seem like someone trying to solve a puzzle. Inquisitively twisting and turing different food combinations until I'd say, "yes, I will order this."

Fried green tomatoes... This appetizer caught my eye, because first I don't recall ever eating fried green tomatoes. The name "fried green tomatoes", at least for me, conjures up some type of character scenes, but I don't recall ever reading the book, Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle stop cafe, or seeing the movie. Then secondly or the other good reason was because I had researched or read about this food bite while seeking out some savory food-by bike destinations in Georgia. So I thought that I would take a sneak peak here and now to improve my "food relativity" in case I land some in Georgia.

Lemongrass smoked maple leaf farms duck...

The aesthetics of this plate showed good color balance with red, yellow, green, black, and white. It wasn't a foodie masterpiece, but did follow go shiki principles, and looked delicious. I'd say this was a playful dish with shrimp [creole poached Louisiana white shrimp, remoulade sauce, creole tomato glaze, pickled mirliton relish].

As the name suggests, the dish centered on the unripe tomato coated in cornmeal and fried until golden brown. In terms of my foodie liking the main ingredient or fried green tomato wasn't substantial to center the dish... "where's the beef?" Possibly this is a more creole influenced interpretation of the fried green tomato dish, although, my repertoire with this dish is limited. And maybe it's just me, but something about "tomato" speaks salad or even sandwich condiment (okay, the tomato can be much more culinary refined than just a condiment).

Pan seared scallops...

As we all know a BLT wouldn't be, well, a bacon sandwich without the tomato. Unlike the savory tomato atop a bacon and lettuce sandwich [which I'd say adds a color of flavor that accentuates the bacon], in this dish the fried green tomato added texture but not enough savor. Sure it was dressed up with succulent shrimp, and a plating sauce with hints of relish.

It was flavorful and fun, but somehow I felt that I had bought into the tourist hype of the dish [that of which fried green tomatoes has seemly transcended into food notoriety, such as the likes of green eggs and ham from the children's Dr. Seuss book]. Maybe I'd appreciate it more as a regional comfort food, like a ratatouille of an experience, but fried green tomatoes wasn't a dish that was part of my food upbringing.

Pan roasted redfish... [Homemade andouille crust, assorted vegetables, shoestring potatoes, creole meuniere sauce]

★ Lemongrass smoked maple leaf farms duck... [Ginger stewed sushi rice, baby bok choy, honey-soy butter sauce]

Pan seared scallops... [Butternut squash puree, candied oyster mushrooms, parsley juice, red wine butter sauce]

Pasta dish of the day...

Pasta dish of the Day...

Okay, we all picked something to eat. As a follow-up to service, our waiter showed good pride in explaining his highlights to their menu. Suggestive suggestions, like a food wow, are always subjective, because lets face it people have different likes and dislikes. So can a restaurant really highlight what they are known for besides like a tasting tour.

I'd say that more than likely or norm odds are that a customer's food intent is on what they crave (at that time). Unlike walking out of a bad movie, the chances of a customer walking out of a restaurant because of a bad menu are low. But unlike a restaurant I will return to the movie theater, because the establishment is perceived not the blame, whereas I might not return to a restaurant for a bad dish (repeat business is the affinity to more business is good business). So in some regards good menu design should satisfy the crave, but also the wow.

Of course their menu offers more, and we all have different likes. So I'd recommend this savory restaurant when you dine in Orlando, Florida. I'd say for this foodie that the star of the dishes we tasted was the duck.

Emeril's might be a tough act to follow, but I still crave that one-of-a-kind Miami food experience. So I read, read, and read wanting to somehow find that transcendental Florida cuisine. So what does the Food Timeline have to say about Miami? Cuban food, Miami style... that might sum it up for "what Miami is known for".