Treasure Island, Florida Part 2

Whenever we travel to a new place, I always spend time learning about restaurants, coffee shops, and recommended activities.  Whether I’m here in Cincinnati or travelling, I try hard to support local, independent businesses so I like to find out what the word is on the street! What’s the talk of the town?  One of our discoveries were these freshly made, warm, fabulously soft donuts from Mad Beach Mini Donuts (owner originally from Indiana- we had a midwest bonding moment). While she had gourmet offerings such as Reeses Peace, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, Strawnilla Rainbow, and Sea Turtle, we settled on the regular powdered sugar, blueberry, and cinnamon sugar!  Delicious. I think the iced coffee from Mad Beach Mini Donuts started my day off at the beach just perfectly, too!

Another great find was The Floridian which earned four stars for its authentic Cuban sandwich.  Cubans are really popular in this area of Florida and I had actually never had a Cuban!  I know, right?!  Why did I wait so long?  What a great combination of ham, spiced pork, Genoa salami, imported swiss cheese, dill pickle, mustard, and mayo PRESSED on FRESH Cuban bread. Ummm…yes, please!  Like many of my favorite restaurants, The Floridian isn’t a big, pretentious place; there are couple small tables inside and a few tables outside.  Very casual.  But, what they do, they do very well!

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As I mentioned earlier, fishing is popular off the shores of Treasure Island so when we ate at Sloppy Joe’s on the Beach I had to try their fresh grouper tacos. I was channeling my friend and fellow blogger Katie who adores fish tacos!  I got my grouper blackened and the tacos were topped with lettuce, salsa, cheddar jack cheese, and avocado tartar sauce.  I have to say, the avocado tartar sauce was the highlight for me!!  I would love to find that recipe.  And, because it was HOT all the time, we had to check out Beach Snoballs.  Inexpensive, smooth, and the syrups are made in-house!  Perfect way to cool down.

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So last, and certainly not least, this was my first beach wedding!  And, it was my beautiful cousin Nannette’s sunrise wedding.  This was the entire reason for taking this trip.  This wedding was beach casual (swimsuit, pajamas, and shorts were welcomed attire), relaxed, spirited, and above all, full of love.  Friends and family gathered to celebrate ….no pressure, no stress!  Following the wedding, staying with that same relaxed vibe, guests enjoyed a delicious breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits, potatoes, and egg casserole with asparagus and gouda cheese provided by Serendipity Cafe in Dunedin.  We ate at picnic tables on the hotel lawn surrounded by palm trees and then played games including Nannette and Mike trivia. Later in the evening, after spending the day at the beach, we gathered back for an evening cookout.  I especially appreciated the countless evening hours spent talking, catching up and reminiscing with family and new friends!

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This trip to Treasure Island resulted in precious memories and experiences I won’t soon forget.

GO THERE (Treasure Island, FL)! TRY THAT (Cuban sandwich, beach wedding- and invite me)!

 

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1 Comment

  • Reply
    Judith Billing
    July 18, 2015 at 7:45 am

    It’s my family so how could I not love the wedding part. You do find the good food. I had my first cuban with Nannette’s mother, my sister many years ago

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