Beverly Shaw

I am a pretty big fan of Gourmet Pizza Co. in the Hyde Park area of Tampa. Just minutes from UT in fact. Your son probably knows people that go there. (or will soon know.) http://www.gourmetpizza-company.com/ I have been going there for years and am in fact headed over for lunch with some friends tomorrow. We are big fans of the heavy yet fantastic 5 cheese pizza. A small 5-cheese (I think the cheeses are cheddar, mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmesan, and provolone) is plenty for 4-5 people since it's so heavy, especially if you have had salad and/or bread sticks. I am not a fan of the Thai Chicken pizza or the escargot as pizza topping. I think it dries it out WAY too much. Other than that I have never been disappointed by the food there. Give it a try!

Cheryl, First of all, have fun in my fine city. Second, I am blanking out about what's near by, but I *do* know that the Channelside complex is practically next door, and it has many passable and some very good restaurants. One of my favorites is Thai Thani (if you like thai food). Some of my friends like Stumps Supper Club, but I have not personally been there. Anyhow, there are lots of places there, and you won't be able to miss Channelside, so if you have no other recommendations that should hold you! Again, have fun, and if you respond with any questions I will do my best to answer. Beverly

Just to add to the thread for the future reference of others: We ate at Fat Canary last night and it was fantastic! I had a perfectly prepared filet and roasted root vegetables with gruyere and walnuts, along with a potato and onion gratin. My husband got a veal chop with chantrelle risotto and asparagus. We had a simple but pleasing carpaccio with duck egg for an appetizer and for dessert a chocolate cake piece with warm ganache, although it was much more than just that, with some kind of crisp chocolate "frond" and hazelnut bark on the outside. They also served fresh bread with a mini stick of butter for use during the meal. Don't bet on this menu being the same if you visit later, because it seems they keep the menu fresh and use lots of seasonal ingredients. We skipped the wine - weren't in the mood - and for this dinner for two the bill came to about $120 after tax and tip. Worth every penny. Given the shared dessert and appetizer and the fact that we didn't have alcoholic beverages, it would be easy to spend more. I am sure that would be worth it, too. The service, lest I forget, was also top notch: unobtrusive and perfectly timed.

Yes, I did misread that. Given that I frequently hear "fat" and "overweight" used in conjunction with "bad attitude", "sullen", "slow", "stupid", etc., I get a little sensitive. Please accept my apologies. Beverly

Thanks for the reviews! We don't get that far south too often, but next time we hit that area I will refer to this. Food for thought: does the waitress's weight have anything to do with the service? It sounds like her attitude might have been the real issue. I can assure you as a fat person that I am not sullen. In fact I am cheerful, and I am service oriented when at work, and community oriented all of the time. ;-)

I agree with moosnsqrl's description. It's funny that it came on when it did, because the TV had been on in the background nearly all day and it was the first time I saw it. Makes me wonder if it was the first time they showed it or if I just wasn't paying attention. Unfortunately I remember very little aside from the nighttime lighting and the crime scene look and of course the chalk outlines. I don't remember many of the foods, but I remember the cupcake and the banana, the latter of which had its skin discarded at the "scene". Then of course the shoes at the end and the announcement. It was simple and pretty fast. I am sure you'll get to see it soon! Congratulations again. I am sure post production's zooming right along. **edited to answer whether I liked it or not* The short answer's yes. The long answer: I suspect two reasons. The visuals, while food related, were not typical FoodTV and therefore caught my notice. It was dark instead of the usual bright, sunny, happy-happy. Additionally, not knowing what was coming, it made me wonder what the point was and therefore held my interest. "Hmm.. what's with the chalk outlines of food? It isn't a 'cereal' killer.. hrmmmmmmmm. OH! Hungry Detective! Oh!!"

*happy dance* I was watching Food TV in the middle of the night again. I was bored, what can I say? Anyway, I saw an ad for a new show: "The Hungry Detective" (as you've written above). I got excited because I knew it had to be you! I logged in just to say that. Carry on. Beverly

I posted in another thread before I saw this one. I got sick after eating at Lai Thai, which may be a coincidence, but you can see why I can't recommend it. Jasmine Thai is very good! Glad you liked it! It would be one of my recommendations. Additionally, if you end up in the downtown area there are two: Sumos Thai and Thai Island. There are some other decent ones, too. Tampa has lots of Thai food.

I may be too late on this one, but here goes: I do like Pho Quyen, so I second that suggestion. Also, I love Trang Vietcuisine. It's not far past Pho Quyen, in fact. Coming from MOSI, you will pass the mall on the right, then (also on the right) after the Walgreens and Texaco, turn into the plaza for Trang. There is a pretty visible sign there, too. I have been to several Thai places that I like, but unfortunately I can't think of one directly in the university area. If you're still interested, let me know and I will be happy to tell you where they are. Beverly

High population and high tourist population at any given time. Might not be a bad thing to distance yourself from Mickey Land.

Only when I am in the room and usually when I am putting away groceries. I am paranoid though: my parents' house burned down in September '04 because something was left on a stove during a power outage. Before the power came back on, one of the burners had somehow been switched on. I can't say I was as careful pre-fire, though.

I am sorry that your stay in our state is precipitated by a funeral. Also, I'm afraid this won't be a ton of help. (Fair warning and all that. ) I felt you should know that Leesburg is about an hour outside of Orlando, assuming that the Orlando traffic's not a mess. This is not a safe assumption. I am not sure how far you guys will want to travel for eating purposes. I have only dined in Orlando a few times, so I have no personal suggestions, but if you do venture forth, here's a link to their local indie throwaway: http://www.orlandoweekly.com/dining/ It has restaurant reviews that may be helpful.

I agree with this assessment! Tony: you said at the end of the episode that you were saddened by the fact you were unable to show us the Beirut you'd wanted to show us, the Beirut that your hosts wanted to show you. You also said that you didn't think it was likely you would get the chance to try again. Here's to hoping that you're wrong on that one, and that a Beirut NR will air someday.