Dash of Les

Events

There’s a particularly infamous event in my life that comes only once every year. Waking up on this glorious springtime morning has many participants feeling like little kids on Christmas. For it is on this day that a group of friends…aka, “Good Times Group” round up troops and partake in one festive and downright delectable day of food, friends, and fun. St. Petersburg’s official and yet, delightfully unofficial Crawfish Festival has been going strong for a solid 10 years and counting.

May 8
May 8 Flamestone: A Fantastic Brunch Just Outside of the Ordinary

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I must admit, I was feeling like quite the mature adult this past Sunday come noon. My grown-up behavior was a bit puzzling on this particular day of the year too. Although I am completely aware of my rapidly escalating age; Cinco De Mayo is one holiday where I’ve always refused to act like it. After all, if you don’t look it or feel it, then age truly is only a number, right? But wait, I don’t mean to give you the wrong impression. Going to a boisterous bar full of fresh college grads, tequila shots galore, and drunken sombrero face planting is not what I consider fun (anymore). Yet, a lady blogger brunch at a tame restaurant wasn’t exactly what I had in mind either…until I arrived…and began drinking and eating a scrumptious smorgasbord of fare. Yes, it was then, that sitting with five other fantastic foodie friends became the best beginning to a Cinco De Mayo I could’ve asked for.

May 2
May 2 Some Like it Hot: Creamy Chipotle and Roasted Poblano Chicken

Guilty as charged. I've been a total slacker in the recipe department recently. You see...the truth is, I've been eating Paleo 5-6 days a week for quite some time now. If you're unfamiliar with this "life-style" you must know that it bans all starch carbohydrates and grains as well as dairy, beans, and peanuts. Lucky for me, I've got a serious love affair with vegetables. Zucchini and spaghetti squash are now my "pastas" while cauliflower and parsnips are now my "mashed potatoes." Okay, you're not impressed. You do recall, however, that I only "follow the rules" on most days, right? Yep, you know what that means: cheat days! However, even with my infrequent rebellious days of dining, I've still been hesitant to create new recipes as I spend all week long dreaming about the food at my favorite restaurants. Cooking insanely healthy dinners five days straight makes me absolutely ravenous for my most-loved Mexican eateries, burger joints, and Italian cafes. But, it was time. I couldn't bear to neglect my recipe readers any longer. With Cinco De Mayo quickly approaching, I felt compelled to prepare one of my spicy and saucy specialties.

Apr 30
Apr 30 The Ultimate Cinco De Mayo Libation: My Spicy Strawberry and Cilantro Margarita

Apr 18
Apr 18 A New Shining Star in Downtown Tampa's Culinary Line-up: Anise Global Gastrobar

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I can still remember my very first stinky bun. No, this is not some sort of sick joke. Stinky Bunz are all too real and for that, I am so thankful. This unforgettable food memory was created last April, when I was ravenous as ever and dreadfully hot from Florida’s springtime sun. Prancing around a Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally set in the cobblestone streets of historic Ybor City, I couldn’t for the life of me, choose my midday chow. Standard Leslie style, I desperately walked from truck to truck reading off each sandwich, taco, and burger description. My stomach was growling, my brow was filled with sweat and my beau was losing it with my inability to make a simple lunchtime decision. With mere seconds left before I threw a self-induced hissy fit, I spotted it. Stinky Bunz food truck…there it stood, parked and waiting for a visit that would forever change a little lady’s life. Lover of nearly all ethnic fare, I had no worries. For these Korean sandwich-like bundles of goodies would pleasure my palate-I was certain.

Apr 2
Apr 2 Taken by Takara: New Tampa's Top Notch Sushi Spot

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Sushi, how I worship thee. Delicate, rich, spicy and smooth- oh the many ways a rolled-up concoction of goodies can so easily delight me. There are very few cuisines I can take pleasure in devouring at any given moment of the day. Specialty sushi rolls; why, I can never resist the warm, gooey cream cheese, crisp asparagus, velvety avocado and fresh Ahi, salmon, shrimp, and scallops galore. Sushi is an edible art form that I have become so very fond of in my educated eating years.

Mar 28
Mar 28 Deviled Eggs For Easter: 3 Kinds That Will Make You Praise The Lord (Again)

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I love eggs. C’mon, if you read my blog even sporadically, you already know that! As I’ve said many times before, I take them anyway they’re handed to me- fried, poached, scrambled...you name it. Yet, boiling them to a dense, pale yellow center is without question, my least preferred way to “take them.” Growing up, I often requested my mom prepare me a perfectly timed soft-boiled egg. If my soft-boiled egg was one minute overcooked, I threw a fit. Yeah, I was that girl. At age 8, I was awfully particular about eggs. Go figure.

Mar 19
Mar 19 Vinoy Renaissance Presents Marchand's Bar and Grill: A Farm to Fork Dreamland

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I am no food snob. Hand me a cheeseburger from a greasy dive and I’ll eat it. Pass me a taco from a street side stand and I’ll devour it. On the rare occasions when I’m undisturbed with calories, I will consume, well, pretty much anything. Yet, I can’t bear to think about where some of these questionable ingredients are coming from. With the unfortunate truth of genetically modified foods, there is nothing I love more than putting fresh, sustainable and local ingredients on my palate. The Farm to Table movement has become increasingly popular throughout the country but most notably in big cuisine culture cities like San Francisco and Asheville. Thankfully, Tampa Bay has heard, noted and responded to the movement. Farm to table eateries have gradually been sprouting up around town and I couldn’t be happier and hungrier for it.

Mar 13
Mar 13 Getting Lucky on St. Patrick's Day...The Very Best Irish Pubs in Tampa

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Good luck is upon me…oh, how I can feel it in my intuitive bones. A much loved holiday is rapidly approaching and I couldn’t be more ecstatic for the fun-filled festivities of delicious food and…ahem, fluid. Time to dig up a dress of clover and some jewels of jade. A day of Corned Beef and Cabbage and Sheppard’s Pie galore is excitedly awaiting my hungry chops. An evening with my finest friends: Jameson, Bailey(s) and Guinness will likely be a stellar time for all. St. Patrick’s Day, you ole, good time, Irish rascal you…I’ve missed you so. Where shall we reunite? My town is no Dublin, but will have to make do. I’ve got a few solid bars up my green sleeve. Let the Leprechauns lead the way- for we only have today.

Mar 7
Mar 7 Brunch Paradise: Ciccio's: Stop #1 Tampa Bay Brunch Tour

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false falseReaders: Consider this your official warning/disclaimer. You will likely find yourself dreaming of runny yolks, crispy home fries and scrumptious pancake stacks as you follow Dash of Les over the next few months. For an official Tampa Bay brunch tour is underway and I couldn’t be more stoked to share my morning time feasting experiences with all of you. 6 restaurants. 6 mornings of bliss.

Mar 5
Mar 5 Datz Delivers and Spoils at the First Ever Tampa Foodspotting "Eat-up"

Events, Tampa Bay Restaurants

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false falseI am a total food geek. This little fact is hardly newsworthy given my publicly known hobby of food blogging. What you may not know, however, is that I take pictures of…well, pretty much everything I consume. It has often frustrated my dining partners, as I allow no one to touch their plate until I’ve achieved an acceptable shot. Half of these pictures will never make a blog post. So, why, you might ask, I “waste” my precious time insisting on the perfect photo of every breakfast, lunch and dinner I eat? Simply put, I “foodspot.” Foodspotting is an international foodie community created and controlled by a company in the culinary heavens of San Francisco. The primary goal is simple: Sharing pictures of excellent food with other foodies who live near…and very, very far. It is best used as an app on a smart phone but can be accessed from the website as well. Posting pictures and exchanging compliments with your “foodie friends” can be quite addicting. The coolest part of it all…I get to see shots of cuisine taken by people who live in India, Greece, Taiwan, Italy and more.

Feb 28
Feb 28 Mangroves Sunday Brunch: This is Where you Want to Be

Ahh brunch, you gluttonous, irresistible devil, you! Eggs- scrambled, poached, fried over-medium? Yes please. I’ll take them all…with some buttered toast for yolk sopping, of course. Crispy, delightfully greasy, thick-cut bacon? Heck yes. I’m your biggest fan. Cheesy jalapeno grits, chocolate chip infused pancakes, flaky buttery biscuits covered in creamy sausage gravy…my, oh my. Bring it on. Oh, how I so adore the occasional Saturday or Sunday feast often topped off with Mimosas and Bloody Marys. Brunch is without question, my favorite kind of food party. I say “party” because I don’t typically stuff myself silly and drink alcohol at the 11-o-clock hour unless there’s good reason for the lavish indulging.

Feb 26
Feb 26 Cafe Ole: One Fantastic Spanish Tapas Secret

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Food blogging certainly has its perks. I get to flex my creative muscles with my #1 love of writing for thousands of readers near and far. I also get to justify devouring in ridiculously delicious and often decadent cuisine. Even when I am “dieting” or attempting a healthy life-style of Paleo, I can make an excuse or two a week with “Well, I have to eat this cream sauced, meat and cheese filled, carbohydrate loaded plate of scrumptiousness…it’s for the sake of my blog!” But, the biggest perk of all is when I am invited to an awesome restaurant and treated like royalty from the second I walk in…to the instant I push in my chair and prance out.

Feb 19
Feb 19 Mediterranean Meatballs and Kalamata Israeli Couscous

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false There is something to be said about hot gooey cheese oozing from the center of some succulent meat. It kind of makes me giddy…yes, giddy. I am not ashamed. As badly as I have yearned for a “Jucy Lucy” recently (a luscious…and very gluttonous cheese-stuffed burger), devouring one of these fat-laden beauties right before bikini season would be an awful decision. Yet, with the intense Jucy Lucy cravings and a recent and random obsession with Kalamata olives, I began brainstorming. I had just bought a package of Whole Wheat Israeli couscous that I had been pretty stoked to use too. I could see clearly now…no obstacles were in my way. My kitchen would be anxiously awaiting a Mediterranean (cheese stuffed) Meatball creation that my beau would later deem “incredible”- his favorite adjective when his taste buds are pleased.

Feb 6
Feb 6 Get Rolled, Pho'd and Bamboozle'd at Tampa's best Vietnamese Joint....Bamboozle Cafe

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false falseVery seldom does a restaurant allow me to leave feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day. Too often, I sluggishly walk out the door while holding my stomach in despair and wanting nothing more than a food induced comatose kind of nap. Vietnamese cuisine is quite the contrary for my mind, body and spirit. It picks me up when I am feeling blue and cures me when I am feeling ill. The fragrant herbs, spicy sauces and steamy broths must have Southeast Asian healing powers. I have traveled Tampa near and far, tasting many rolls, numerous pho’s, several Banh Mi’s and countless rice noodle bowls. I feel that, as a Vietnamese fare fanatic, I must set the record straight. There is one Vietnamese joint that ranks supreme. For their unique spin on the delectable and insanely fresh goods, downtown Tampa’s Bambooze Café dominates all.

Jan 30
Jan 30 My Top Three in the Delicious NYC

Travel

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Stumbling through the streets of New York City with eleven other fantastic females…well, that my friends, is what I would call a pretty righteous bachelorette party. Yet, when my dear friend, Emily chose the Big Apple as her (almost) anything goes, estrogen infused, party until you pass out, destination, I immediately cringed. New York City in January? A vision of chapped lips, cracked hands, patchy red cheeks and my little body shaking from head to toe quickly swept through my mind. A born and raised Floridian, I am most certainly the weakest of weak in dreadfully cold temperatures. But, I took control of my internal whimpering and reminded myself of all the glorious cuisine I would be partaking in. That is when, the thought of 30-degree weather fazed me no more. For food in NYC is most definitely in a league of its own.

Jan 22
Jan 22 Bringing some Heat from N'awlins with my Simple and Scrumptious Shrimp Creole

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false If you’re anything like yours truly, you enjoy burning, puffy lips and a runny nose as you eat. Okay, chances are, you are nothing like me; for I am a certified weirdo with my passion for insanely spicy foods. A heat seeker to the point of chaos, I love nothing more than to indulge in hot sauces and spices galore. With my mouth and stomach of steel, I never regret my scorching and oh so satisfying food decisions. In fact, I tend to toot my own horn for superb genetics that have allowed me to devour a mound of food that would make most cringe and wave a white flag after one bite. Along with Thai food, where I always order my noodles and Curry dishes “Thai Hot,” I am also a serious sucker for Creole cuisine. Between my brother’s world famous black roux Gumbo and my delectable and simple Shrimp Creole, I’ve been very fortunate to get my N’awlins food fix on the regular after having not visited the Crescent City in almost 10 years (that little fact is unacceptable and must change soon).

Jan 2
Jan 2 Stark Raving Wines Presents: The Joel Stein Book Tour and Tampa Bay Food Truck Charity Competition...Where Yours Truly was a Judge!

Events

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Just a couple of weeks ago I scored stardom. Yes, officially a Tampa celebrity is who I am. It was only a matter of time until everyone realized just how cool Leslie Floyd is, right? Okay, all silliness and absolute ridiculousness aside, I did attain a really cool opportunity that allowed me to not only meet an awesomely comical Time magazine columnist but also offered me a position as an official judge for one deliciously indulgent food truck competition.

Dec 26
Dec 26 Tampa's Legendary Hotdog Haven: Mel's Hotdogs- A Nostalgic Tribute