BLU HALO, Tallahassee, FL

IT WAS A GREAT, GREAT ESCAPE........... Our Great Escape Dining Group, together for more than a dozen years, disbanded when a couple of the members moved away. But we don't let a little geography get in the way of a good time do we? So we chose a spot on the map that was midway between Atlanta and Tampa and came up with Tallahassee, a comfortable drive for all. We dined out for Lunch, Dinner, and Breakfast together, catching up on our lives and reminiscing about Great Escapes past. The most enjoyable meal we had was at Blu Halo, a beautiful and classy restaurant located off Thomasville Road. I gave it high marks for ambiance. The eponymous 'blue halo' spanned the center of the restaurant emitting a beautiful glow and the decor was crisp and clean with just the right amount of adornment.

The food was delicious and our server couldn't have been more charming and efficient. I had to order the Blu Halo Martini and it not only looked good but tasted wonderful. We had prime rib, petit sirloin, pasta, caesar salad with chicken, swordfish. All of it was prepared perfectly and presented with style. For dessert we ordered a couple of Bread Puddings to share around the table and here was my one disappointment. Not that it wasn't tasty, but I consider myself somewhat of an aficionado on this dessert since I grew up eating it on holidays made from an old family recipe that I'll share below. Blu Halo's Bread Pudding tasted more like french toast. I challenge you to try my Abuela's recipe and judge for yourself!

It was a lovely one night 'escape' and we plan to do it on a regular basis because nothing beats good food, good company, and good friends.

ABUELITA'S (GRANDMA'S) BREAD PUDDING Ingredients:

2 loaves bread (any variety *)

½ gal milk (whole, skim or 2%)

1 lb sugar (brown, white or combination)

3 eggs (or egg beaters)

½ cup Karo or maple syrup

1 tspn vanilla

½ tspn cinnamon

8 oz raisins (or prunes, dates, dried cranberries etc)

Cut the bread into 1” cubes and put in a large 6 qt bowl. Add milk and let stand for 20 minutes while bread soaks it up. Using a potato masher, blend the softened bread with the milk till it looks mushy. Add all the other ingredients and blend well.

Pour into two 9x12 lightly greased baking pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/5 hours or until brown at edges.

Serve warm or cold.

* save the ends of any kind of bread…Italian, white, wheat, rolls….in a plastic bag in the freezer till you have enough to be the equivalent of 2 loaves.

The Blue Halo

3431 Bannerman Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32312

www.thebluehalo.com

850-999-1696

Speaks Clam Bar, Lakewood Ranch, FL

Father's Day and aren't we smart?! We celebrated the day before and avoided crowds and long wait times and took this opportunity to try out a restaurant we'd been reading good things about - Speaks Clam Bar.

Hubby just loves raw clams on the half shell, a throw back to his NYC upbringing and fond memories of his mom taking him to Louie's Clam Bar where they'd share about 3 dozen while talking about life. It doesn't get any better.

Speaks is located in Lakewood Ranch and I'm happy to report they are opening a second Speaks in St. Armand's Circle sometime this summer. The restaurant was packed and if that's any indication all signs point to another successful location in Sarasota. I very much liked the whole vibe of Speaks. It was decorated with original graffiti art, tin ceilings reminiscent of NYC, and the service was very good - many thanks to our wonderful waitress Courtney. The owner came by as well to introduce himself and he and my husband shared their Italian heritage and some recipe stories.

Hubby started with two dozen raw clams and I restrained myself and had only four so that he could indulge to his heart's content. He was quite satisfied. Then came a salad and for his main course he and my cousin chose Linguini Vongole (Fresh whole clams served over linguini and clam sauce). My cousin had Shrimp Scampi Linguine and declared it fabulous. And I had the Lobster Shrimp Lasagna which was deliciously stuffed with lobster and so filling I couldn't finish it. We were gifted some sweets by the owner to have with our espressos and it was a perfect bite on which to end the evening. And yes, we will be back soon and often as I want to try some of the other dishes like the Maine Lobster Roll. Since they're so busy a reservation is recommended.

8764 E State Rd 70

Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202

http://speaksclambar.com/

941-232-7646

DEMI'S NOODLE HOUSE, Palmetto

This was my first ever visit to a Vietnamese restaurant but you can be sure that it won’t be my last. Hubby loves noodles of all kinds so a quick search for ‘something new’ led us to Demi’s Noodle House in Palmetto. The building they are located in may have some identity problems. Its façade was Italianate and a Spanish Bienvenido plaque was affixed to the front. But once you walk in the Asian atmosphere takes over and it is a small but lovely interior. A sign directs you to the outside around the corner should you need to use the restroom so we figured out this building must have had a previous life as a gas station. No matter. It’s a lovely restaurant now.

The servers were charming and professional and knowledgeable about the menu. I explained it was our first time eating Vietnamese and the owner came by to introduce himself to us and explain the concept. He’s American and his wife is Vietnamese and we are so happy that she is sharing her country’s cuisine with the rest of the world because it is delicious.

Hubby had Pho (soup) with flank steak, a large steaming bowl of goodness that he very much enjoyed. I opted for the Chicken Lemongrass with jasmine rice and pickled carrots and radish. The flavors were so deep and intense that my taste buds were dancing in my mouth. The heat of the dish was enough to clear my sinuses and the rice and pickled vegetables were the perfect accompaniment to cool down the heat. We also tried the shrimp spring rolls, a cold appetizer that was crunchy and made even more yummy by dipping it in the peanut sauce. We finished with Crispy Shrimp Rolls wrapped in Wonton wrappers.

There are lots more dishes I plan to try and look forward to going back with friends very soon.

Update: Demi's has closed for about a month while the owners are travelling to Vietnam to visit Demi's ailing grandmother. I suspect she'll return with the some new and enticing recipes. Check out their face book page for news of their travels. facebook/DemisNoodleHouse.

http://www.demisnoodlehouse.com/

1318 10th Street W., Palmetto, FL 34221

941-301-1212