Showing posts with label Adventures of Gus and Kim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adventures of Gus and Kim. Show all posts
Adventures of Gus and Kim: World of Beer Bar & Kitchen - Tampa, Florida

Adventures of Gus and Kim: World of Beer Bar & Kitchen - Tampa, Florida


World of Beer Bar & Kitchen (WOB) - featuring over 500 bottled beers and 50 on draft. Sounds like a fun place, right? Well, there's a good chance that there is one near you (or at least near your vacation spot) because they have more than 60 locations in the U.S. alone.

outside of World of Beer showing signage and entrance

When Gus and I were in Tampa this past February, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Westshore (HGI) near the Tampa International Airport. (BTW - if you're looking for a place to stay near the airport, we recommend this HGI. We've stayed there three times and it's always been great.) After spending one morning at ZooTampa, we decided to eat lunch close to the hotel, making it easy to hop over to our room for a rest before dinner. It just so happens that there is a WOB. Right. There. So we decided to stop in.

It was awesome! One of my favorite things about WOB is that they feature local craft beer. We were there on "Taco Tuesday" (and you know how much I love tacos), so it was perfect.

Taco menu at World of Beer

Gus had the Mahi Mahi tacos with tater tots.

fish tacos with a side of tater tots
mahi-mahi tacos with tater tots

I opted for the Beer-Battered Shrimp and Crispy Beer-Brined Chicken tacos. They were both delicious, but I liked the shrimp taco best. The sriracha lime aioli was to die for!

shrimp taco and crispy chicken taco
tacos: left - shrimp, right - crispy chicken

For beverages, Gus went for one of his old stand-bys - Blue Moon (which you can see in the background of the photo below). I was a little more adventurous and had a flight:

  • Riot Juice (Hidden Springs Ale Works) - Berliner Weisse with blackberry, lime, vanilla, and lactose) 5.5% ABV
  • Blueberry Lemon (Florida Avenue Brewing Co.) - Berliner Weisse 4% ABV
  • BURST Passionfruit Lychee (Wicked Weed Brewing) - Session Sour 4.5% ABV
  • Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen - 5.2% ABV, 12 IBU

My favorite of the four was the Riot Juice - very tasty and went well with the tacos!

four small snifters of different fruit beer
left to right: Blueberry Lemon, Floridian Hefe, Passionfruit Lychee, Riot Juice

I took some photos of the interior, but I have to apologize for the quality. They were taken with my phone and the angle of the sun caused some glare.

covered patio with tables and chairs
covered patio that faces the airport

bar with a chalkboard menu behind it
part of the WOB bar

inside a restaurant with tables and chairs
high-top tables and bench seating lining the wall

Gus and I have been to two WOB locations - the one in Destin, Florida, and this one in Tampa. I think it was in summer 2017 that we went to the one in Destin. The beer selection was awesome, but we were less than impressed with the food. We did go back to with Buddy later in 2017, but we stuck to beer only.

During our visit to the Tampa location, we mentioned to our lovely waitress how we really enjoyed our meal and that we almost hadn't eaten here because of our experience at the Destin location. She told us that corporate eats at the Tampa location quite frequently. That may explain the difference. But to be fair, we haven't been to the one in Destin for a couple of years and it could have easily changed for the better since we were there.

We will definitely eat at the Tampa WOB again. We liked the food/vibe and it's so convenient to the HGI.

World of Beer Bar & Kitchen
5311 Avion Park Dr
Tampa, FL, 33607-1416
813-930-5499

Hours:
Monday - Tuesday 11am-12am
Wednesday - Thursday 11am-1am
Friday - Saturday 11am-2am
Sunday 11am-12am

infographic of the interior of a restaurant and a flight of beer

Do you have a favorite brewery? Tell me about it - we're always looking for new ones to try! If you're interested in following along on our food/drinking adventures, be sure to find me on Instagram and Snapchat - I share a lot there that doesn't make it on the blog.

*A note about our beer preferences:
Me: Berliner Weisse, Gose, blonde ale, white ale, Scotch ale, milk stouts, Kentucky common ale, ginger beer, witbier, Hefeweizen, fruit beer, and some saisons
Gus: witbier, Hefeweizen, blonde ale, red ale, Belgian tripel, Kentucky common ale
Buddy: IPA, fruit beer, Berliner Weisse, Gose, blonde ale, red ale, stouts (especially coffee-flavored), porter, Belgian tripel, Belgian quad, saison

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Kim
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Adventures of Gus and Kim: ZooTampa at Lowry Park - Tampa, Florida

Adventures of Gus and Kim: ZooTampa at Lowry Park - Tampa, Florida


If you're planning a trip to the Tampa area anytime soon, you don't want to miss ZooTampa at Lowry Park! Gus and I have wanted to see ZooTampa for a couple of years now, so when we were in Florida a couple of months ago, we were finally able to make it happen. And can I just say that being able to wear shorts to visit a zoo in February is the best?!

entrance of Zoo Tampa

Let me start by telling you about our favorite animals - the Bornean orangutans!!

mother and baby orangutan

We have a couple at the Cincinnati Zoo, but ZooTampa has a whole group (which is called a congress - something I didn't know). The male is named Goyang, but Gus and I refer to him as "Big Daddy". He is fabulous!

large male orangutan


We just happened to arrive as a zookeeper was tossing food to the orangutans so a professional photographer could get photos. The orangutans were very engaged and it was just so much fun to watch them.

large male orangutan sitting on some logs


close-up of large male orangutan


Side note: Did any of you watch The Strain on FX (2014-2017)? If you did, do you remember those creepy kids that walked like spiders and looked a bit like monkeys?? I got a shot of one of the orangutan babies that gave me chills because it looks so much like one of these creatures! I think it's the expression that makes it so creepy! Those eyes!

baby orangutan holding onto a rope in front of a waterfall

Next up - koala!! We haven't had one at our zoo for quite some time, so I was excited to see one again. They look so cute and cuddly. Minus the huge pointy nails.

koala sitting in a tree

And stingrays!! If you've read my post about the Jacksonville Zoo, then you know Gus loves to feed the stingrays. At first, he said he wasn't going to feed them because he had done it before - but then he ended up feeding them twice!

stingray taking food out of a man's hand

We found the zoo easy to navigate. We were able to see everything without doing a ton of backtracking. The manatee exhibit was closed, so visitors were unable to walk through and had to turn around to get out of that loop - not a big deal. Something else we appreciated was that there were plenty of opportunities to find shade, sit down, and grab some refreshments.

Here are some of the other animals we saw - enjoy!

chimpanzee
Chimpanzee



colobus monkey
Colobus monkey


coopertail monkeys
Red-tailed guenon (Coopertail monkey)


ring-tailed lemur
Ring-tailed lemur


bald eagle
Bald eagle


Caribbean flamingo
Caribbean flamingo


scarlet macaw
Scarlet macaw


elephant
Elephant


giraffe
Giraffe


Aldabra tortoise
Aldabra tortoise


red wolf
Red wolf

They took several photos of us when we arrived, asking us to pose in different ways. This was a little different than what we've experienced at other zoos - just one or two standard poses and you're done. We don't usually buy photos but we decided to stop and look at them simply because we were curious about the poses. We were so amused that Gus bought all of them on a flash drive!

I'll only post one, but the others showed us surrounded by a few animals, watching an elephant spraying water, looking scared as a tiger was gearing up for attack, me holding the baby pygmy hippo, and Gus holding a macaw on his arm. Yep, they were cheesy and we loved them!! FYI: It was $60 for a flash drive with all of the photos, print release, an 8X10 of our choice, and 9 professional animal photos with the ZooTampa logo (there are other packages as well).

man and woman "running" from a rhino

Other things to do at ZooTampa:

  • Roaring Springs Splashdown
  • Rides in Wallaroo Station
  • Jungle Carousel
  • Expedition Africa

ZooTampa is located in an urban area, like a lot of zoos. We didn't have any problems finding it, and parking was easy and free. It is on the list of reciprocal zoos for Cincinnati, so we were able to get half-price admission with our Cincinnati Zoo membership. Definitely on the to-do list for Tampa!

infographic of Zoo Tampa's entrance and a mother and baby orangutan

ZooTampa at Lowry Park
1101 W. Sligh Ave.
Tampa, FL  33604

(813) 935-8552

Hours: Open daily 9:30am - 5:00pm (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)
The Zoo has extended hours for Seasonal Events and closing hours vary for Creatures of the Night and Christmas in the Wild.

Admission: $36.95
($3 off if you purchase in advance online - or pay full price for one day and you get free admission the rest of the year)

Do you have a favorite zoo? Let me know in the comments or connect with me on Instagram or Snapchat - I'd love to get some ideas of where to go next!

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Kim
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Adventures of Gus and Kim: Dunedin, Florida and Olde Bay Cafe

Adventures of Gus and Kim: Dunedin, Florida and Olde Bay Cafe


If you've ever been to Dunedin, Florida then you know that it is just the cutest, quaintest little town. If you haven't been there then you need to add it to your "let's go" list. We visited Dunedin for the first time back in December of 2017. At that time we were just passing through so we only made a couple of stops: Dunedin Brewery and Soggy Bottom Brewery. I've been fascinated with the town ever since. Part of that fascination is due to the strong Scottish influence in the town - and I love my Scottish heritage!

We were in the area again last month and decided to go to Dunedin for lunch. Gus and I love finding new places to eat - especially if it's on or near the water. We prefer independently-owned places where the locals hang out, so this trip we decided on  Olde Bay Cafe.

old sign that says "Olde Bay Cafe & Dunedin Fish Market"

deck with tables, chairs, and umbrellas at the Olde Bay Cafe
Gus playing on his phone while we waited for a table

Olde Bay Cafe sits on the Dunedin Marina which is next to Edgewater Park. Perfect for watching boats, birds, and people. After a short wait, we were lucky enough to get a table with a view across St. Joseph Sound to Caladesi Island.

view of water, palm trees, and a few boats from a wooden deck
view from our table

water and boats of all sizes at a marina
view of Dunedin Marina from our table

The building itself is mostly made up of the Dunedin Fish Market - the cafe is pretty small. But don't be fooled. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in charm and delicious food.

outside of the Olde Bay Cafe & Dunedin Fish Market

None of their food is fried. Yep, you heard me. Nothing is fried! They sear it on a cast iron skillet then finish cooking it in the oven. They have soups, salads, several shareable appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, tacos and more.

menu from Olde Bay Cafe in Dunedin, Florida

Fish tacos are one of my favorite things. As a matter of fact, I ate fish tacos for almost every meal during this trip! So you know I ordered the cod tacos with Olde Bay Cafe slaw, Key lime vinaigrette, and avocado, with a side of potato salad.

red food basket with two fish tacos and a small bowl of potato salad
cod tacos with Olde Bay Cafe slaw, Key lime vinaigrette, and avocado, with a side of potato salad

Soooo good! I loved the slaw and Key lime vinaigrette on the fish, and the potato salad was some of the best I've tasted.

Gus ordered the pan-seared grouper with a side salad and kettle chips. He finished it in record time and declared it delicious.

grouper with a side salad and a small bowl of kettle chips
pan-seared grouper with a side salad and kettle chips

I did go inside to use the restroom and I noticed that there was a small bar and seating around the perimeter of the deck, but I didn't really notice if there were tables inside as well.

people seated at tables on a wooden deck
various seating options

After lunch, Gus and I walked along the marina...

a few boats docked at a marina
Dunedin Marina with Caladesi Island visible in the distance

and over to Edgewater Park. There is a nice shady grassy area with walkways and a gazebo, as well as public restrooms. We noticed that there were several older (I'm assuming retired) couples who had brought chairs to the park and were sitting under the trees reading and looking out at the boats and water. #goals

gazebo and large trees in a park
Edgewater Park

And this is all within easy walking distance of downtown Dunedin where you'll find shops, restaurants, and more...

Fun facts about Dunedin:

  • Dunedin is pronounced DONE-EE-DIN
  • Dunedin has eight craft breweries within a one mile radius. 
  • Dunedin Stadium is where the Toronto Blue Jays hold their spring training.
  • Dunedin is home to Honeymoon Island, the #1 state park in Florida.
  • The Pinellas Trail (a 34 mile paved trail for walking, jogging, skating, and biking that runs from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs) runs right through downtown Dunedin.
  • The Dunedin Highland Games & Festival is held every spring - 2019 marks 53 years!

pinnable image of boats on the water and tacos and potato salad

So next time you're in Tampa or St. Pete, take a side trip to Dunedin. Have lunch at the Olde Bay Cafe, sit a spell in one of the many parks or take a walk on the Pinellas Trail. And don't forget to have a beer at one of the many breweries. You'll be glad you did!

Olde Bay Cafe
51 Main Sreet
Dunedin, Florida  34698
(727) 733-2542

Hours: Daily 10a-10p

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Kim
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Tuesday Brewsday: Marker 48 Brewing (and BarbieCue) - Brooksville, Florida #deliciousbeer

Tuesday Brewsday: Marker 48 Brewing (and BarbieCue) - Brooksville, Florida #deliciousbeer


Welcome to Tuesday Brewsday! Today we want to tell you all about Marker 48 Brewing: an amazing brewery in Brooksville, Florida (about an hour north of Tampa) with a food truck on the premises.

round sign on a building that says "Marker 48 Brewing"

entrance to Marker 48 brewing

We love this place and will be stopping here whenever we 're in the area! It has a great laid-back vibe.

Marker 48 Brewing taproom with a bar and wooden tables

Fermenter tanks

We were there on a Thursday around noon, so there were only 2-3 other people in the place. But that meant we got to spend some time talking to the bartender and one of the owners. I had flight of four ($8.50) and later added one more taster, while Gus went for a pint of NAMI.

chalk boards on a wall with lists of craft beer

Beer menu

My favorites*:
  • Mermaid's Milk Nitro (milk stout) IBU: 30, ABV: 5.9%
  • 7 Mile (Key Lime Pie Berliner) ABV: 4.2%
  • High Thai'd (mango coconut wheat) ABV: 7.4%
  • Blackberry Weisse (kettle sour) ABV: 4.2%
  • Seeing Stars (starfruit Berliner) ABV: 4.2% 
  • Suncoast Trail (cream ale) ABV: 4.5%
Gus' favorites*:
  • NAMI (Belgian wit) ABV: 5.7%
  • Old Man Weyerman (dopplelbock) ABV: 8.2%
  • Mermaid's Milk Nitro 

flight of four beers
(starting with back left and going clockwise: High Thai'd, Suncoast Trail, Seeing Stars, Blackberry Weisse)

glass of stout beer
Mermaid's Milk

One of the owners walked by and the bartender told him that the Mermaid's Milk was my favorite. He said since we were his people (he's also from Kentucky), he had something for us to try. He poured us a glass of their beer for Tampa Beer Week - a really nice dark beer brewed with raisins and brown sugar. Very reminiscent of a bourbon barrel-aged stout.

stout beer in a snifter

While chatting with the bartender about my love of Berliners, she asked if I had tried their 7 Mile, which is a Key Lime Pie Berliner. I hadn't, so she gave me a taste. Best Key Lime Berliner I've ever had - and it could get me into soooo much trouble if I was drinking it on a sunny day on the beach. Easy, delicious drinkin' right there.

Did you notice the copper strip in the middle of the bar? Check out the photo below. It's a built-in chill strip to keep your drinks cold! Brilliant. We've been to a lot of breweries, but this is the first with a chill strip. Love it!

chill strip on a bar

The taproom is pretty big - 6000 square feet - with lots of tables and chairs. We liked the layout a lot because it was so roomy. It felt like it would still have plenty of space even if it was full of people.

beer taps

wooden tables and metal stools

wooden tables and metal stools

There's a pretty big beer garden as well. Very roomy with lots of seating.

beer garden with picnic tables and a bar in a bus

beer garden with picnic tables and a stage

So now we've gotta tell you about the food truck - BarbieCue! De-lish!! Some of the best bbq we've eaten. The pork was so tender and the mac-n-cheese was to die for! You just go out to the truck to order and they bring your food into the bar when it's ready.

red food truck that says "BarbieCue"

bbq on a plate

I had the "Original" pork sandwich with two sides and no bun. For my sides I chose cornbread and mac-n-cheese. I had the "Original" sauce which is described as "lil' sweet, lil' heat, lil' tang". Seriously some of the best pork I've ever eaten. So tender! And the sauce I chose was perfect.

white mac-n-cheese

Mac-n-cheese? To die for. Made with their special 7-cheese blend - and it's all white cheese. Yum.

bbq, cornbread, and green beans on a styrofoam plate

Gus also had the "Original" with no bun, and for his sides he chose cornbread and green beans. He had the "Sweetie" sauce which is described as "sweet with lil' to no heat".

I'm hungry just talking about it and seeing the photos. Can't wait to go back! So if you're ever in the area, you should plan a stop here - you won't be sorry! It's about an hour from Tampa/St. Pete and about 3 hours from Tallahassee.

Marker 48 Brewing
12147 Cortez Blvd.
Brooksville, Florida 34613
(352) 606-2509

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Untappd

Live music on weekends, trivia on Mondays, and karaoke on (most) Thursdays. 
Happy hours daily from 12-6pm. 
Brewery tours on Saturdays at 3, 4 and 5pm.

pinnable image with a photo of the BarbieCue food truck and the taproom at Marker 48 Brewing

Do you have a favorite brewery? Tell me about it - we're always looking for new ones to try! If you're interested in following along on our food/drinking adventures, be sure to find me on Instagram and Snapchat - I share a lot there that doesn't make it on the blog.

*A note about our beer preferences:
Me: witbier, Hefeweizen, fruit beer, Berliner Weisse, Gose, blonde ale, white ale, non-coffee-flavored stouts, Kentucky common ale, ginger beer, some saisons, and some Scotch ales
Gus: witbier, Hefeweizen, blonde ale, red ale, Belgian tripel, Kentucky common ale
Buddy: IPA, fruit beer, Berliner Weisse, Gose, blonde ale, red ale, stouts (especially coffee-flavored), porter, Belgian tripel, Belgian quad, saison

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Kim
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Travel Made Easy with the American Shield Granite 25 Backpack (and a discount code!)

Travel Made Easy with the American Shield Granite 25 Backpack (and a discount code!)


Do any of you use a backpack for travel? Gus and I love to travel, but unfortunately, my degenerative disc disease and arthritis is getting worse, which makes travel (and daily life!) uncomfortable. I've especially been having difficulty carrying even small bags. Recently, one of my doctors suggested that a backpack might be the answer. Can you believe that I've never owned a backpack until now?

The American Shield Granite 25 backpack in black sitting on an ivory furry rug

(Thank you to American Shield for sponsoring this post. The opinions in this post are based on my experience with the product and are 100% my own.)

On our most recent trip to Florida I used the American Shield Granite 25 Fashion and Style Backpack as my carry-on, and I kept asking myself - why didn't I do this sooner? I think I just assumed a backpack wouldn't hold all of my essentials or that it would be difficult to retrieve items from it once it was packed. I was wrong.

The interior is so roomy and full of pockets! I was able to pack my iPad, portable keyboard, and planner in the padded laptop pocket, jewelry in two of the interior pockets, flip flops in the side interior pockets, and a flat toiletry bag in the main area. At the last minute, I even rolled up a cozy wrap and stashed it in the top of the main compartment in case I got cold on the plane. And I still had room to spare!

Interior of the American Shield Granite 25 backpack - red and white striped fabric lining and many pockets

The drawstring closure made sure that nothing fell out when the bag was turned on its side in the overhead bin of the plane. I could have easily packed more because I didn’t even use the exterior side pockets, back pocket, or zippered pocket on the strap!

Drawstring at the top of the interior of the American Shield Granite 25 backpack

In the lower front exterior section I was able to pack several pens, a baggie with device chargers and earbuds, sunglasses in a hard clamshell case, and a computer mouse - again, with plenty of room to spare.

Exterior front compartment of the American Shield Granite 25 backpack.

The leather straps that fasten both sections of the backpack have heavily magnetized snaps that are easy to fasten and unfasten. It took just a few seconds to flip them open and remove my iPad for security screening.

Close-up of the snap closures on the backpack straps

The backpack easily fit in the overhead storage compartment on the plane and I think it would have also fit under the seat. Best of all? With the padded shoulder straps and the weight evenly distributed, I didn’t have any problems toting it around the airport and on the plane! No neck or shoulder pain and Gus didn’t have to carry anything for me.

Close-up of the padded straps on the Granite 25 backpack

I chose the black fabric with black leather straps because I felt it would be best for travel. But there are other options: black with brown leather, coffee (tan) with brown leather, and olive green with brown leather. All classics that will never go out of style - designed and made in the USA.

Pinnable image of a black backpack

I love that it's not bulky and easily holds all of my essentials. This is going to be my go-to bag for all of my travels - even day trips. Gus keeps trying to take it to use for work (he transports a laptop and files), so it would obviously be a good option for that as well.

DISCOUNT CODE: The Granite 25 backpack is priced at $299, but I have a 20% off code for you, bringing the cost down to $239.20. Just use code AMESHIELD8020 at checkout to receive the discount.

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Kim
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