Hey guys!
This is going to be a super short post because Ryan is about to click “play” on the remote and start the movie Taken.
I AM SO FULL!!!!!!!!!! I can’t believe I wasn’t full last night after three slices of NY style pizza but tonight I am literally busting at the seams. Both Ryan and I agreed tomorrow morning we WOULD be in the gym bright and early to sweat it all out.
I ended up going to Anthro this afternoon with my garage sale money in my pocket but I tried on like eight items and didn’t end up buying anything. I decided it would be best to save! We did, however, end up going to eat tonight at Smoke, a “contemporary” bbq joint in our neighborhood.
We both have heard great things about this place and were excited to finally try it out. Both of us are sort of bbq snobs—after living in Alabama and South Carolina you get to be that way I guess! However, this place totally rocked and combined classic down-home bbq with a contemporary twist. We both loved it! To start out, we ordered the cajun shrimp as an appetizer:
SO good. My favorite part was the crispy polenta in the center. It combined all of the best flavors and the shrimp were cooked to absolutel perfection. This dish was divine!
One of our friends said we just “had to try” the yuca cheese rolls so of course we got those too. I love anything yuca and R loves anything cheese so it was an easy sell!
I’d liken these to soft potato rolls except made with yuca and with cheddar cheese in the middle of the rolls! They.were.awesome. Enough said. They were served with a paprika honey butter but I passed. I thought they were better when dipped in the cajun sauce from the shrimp! We both probably ate a whole one.
For my entree, I chose the seafood kabob with scallops, shrimp, bell pepper and sweet onion. Again, very tasty! All the seafood was cooked to perfection and I loved the sweet glaze they brushed on before grilling. I got to pick two sides with my meal and naturally I chose the feta, tomato and basil salad and grilled corn on the cob!
Oh yes! And to drink—–Sangria!!!! I pretended I was on vacaction 🙂
Ryan ordered the pulled pork bbq sandwich with mac & cheese on the side and was in hog’s heaven (no pun intended)—
SO full! Sweaty working tomorrow! Time for elastic waist pants again! Night!
Maria
June 27, 2009 at 9:09 pmPolenta + BBQ sounds amazing, and the yucca cheddar rolls look Mmmm. Actually, everything looks divine! Hope you have fun watching that movie :).
katie s
June 27, 2009 at 9:11 pmLooks delicious!!! Holy Yum!
Meg
June 27, 2009 at 9:17 pmCajun shrimp with polenta! YUM!
Enjoy your evening!
Kim
June 27, 2009 at 9:54 pmOMG…your meal literally has me drooling over here!!
Enjoy the movie, Taken. We loved it! It is like the show 24 in movie form! Loved it! Could watch it over & over and I am usually a “watch a movie once” kind of girl.
Have a nice night!
Matt
June 27, 2009 at 9:55 pmI just saw the movie taken last weekend. It was awesome!
Good looking BBQ as well!
Jocelyn
June 27, 2009 at 10:10 pmmmmm that looks delish.
I love how everything is presented!
This would be my boyfriends DREAM!! I wish we had places like that over here!
Heather @ Health, Happiness, and Hope
June 27, 2009 at 10:13 pmWhat an amazing dinner! Everything looks so delicious and it sounds like you had a great time. Enjoy your movie night!
Aoife
June 27, 2009 at 10:37 pmHow did they get that skewer to stand like that?
What presentation!
These photos tonight had me drooling before bed!
Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now
June 27, 2009 at 10:42 pmThat sangria looks delish. And I would be right there with Ryan, ordering the mac and cheese!
Shelby
June 27, 2009 at 10:44 pmTaken is such an amazing movie!
Mrs. Myers @ Eat Move Write
June 27, 2009 at 11:18 pmThat looks fantastic! We’ve been craving bbq lately. I think Smoke is a little far for us though. 😉
Have a great Sunday!
Rosalie
June 27, 2009 at 11:21 pmI love the vertical presentation of the kabob! The charred texture on the veggies is beautiful 🙂 This restaurant sounds so cool — a modern spin on old southern favorites.
Kim
June 27, 2009 at 11:30 pmHa, I love the dichotomy of your orders! Seafood, tomato and basil, grilled corn… and then there’s Ryan with pork, fries, mac and cheese. Such a classic guy meal 🙂
kylie grethen from the ooh la la lifestyle
June 27, 2009 at 11:33 pmi simply adore the kabob presentation! i’ve never seen seafood looking so glam!
Jessica
June 27, 2009 at 11:43 pmHaha aw I know how you feel. I definitely need to sweat it all out some too, but my legs are soooooo sore. I have been eating well just so much it seems! I think I’m just bloated though. Haha!
-Muffy
Caroline
June 28, 2009 at 12:19 amWow, that is such an impressive meal, both in taste and presentation! I am craving some sangria now…
Olga
June 28, 2009 at 1:43 amahahha the “Free Beer Tomorrow” is such an awesome sign!
Courtney (The Hungry Yogini)
June 28, 2009 at 5:08 amWow! WHat an amazing meal. Definitely going to have to try that!!
Hope you enjoyed Taken…intense move, amazing story line!!
Emily @ The Experimentarian
June 28, 2009 at 7:56 amBBQ!! My fave! When we retire, hubby and I have this wild dream of going on a barbeque tour across the US. Texas, Kansas, the whole South, and now this place too! 🙂
Quisha
June 28, 2009 at 8:18 amhaving been born in the south. that is totally my kinda food 🙂 hope you liked “Taken”, I love action movie and this one was right up my alley!
Ada
June 28, 2009 at 8:29 amThat dinner looks delish! I love the creative presentation of the kebabs. Enjoy the rest of your weekend:)
Nicole
June 28, 2009 at 8:45 amThat place seems awesome! I love a mix between contemporary and classic food. The plating is lovely!
Lynn
June 28, 2009 at 8:57 amWow that is quite the meal and the presentation!!!!!
Have fun sweating today! 😀
Tina
June 28, 2009 at 9:42 amI watched Taken last weekend and it was awesome-and I usually don’t love action movies. Liam Neeson is a total badass in it!
kailey
June 28, 2009 at 10:08 amwow that seems like such a fun place to eat 🙂
the shrimp and bread sound awesome.
Tammy (Defining Wellness)
June 28, 2009 at 10:12 amKabobs in the summertime are just so good! How was the movie? The previews looked freaky!
Aaron
June 28, 2009 at 10:16 amLooks delish!! Yummy!!
How was Taken? I’ve been wanting to see it!
-Aaron
jenna
June 28, 2009 at 10:31 amAaron,
Taken was AMAZING!!!! Seriously, I thought my heart would pound out of my chest the entire time. Very suspenseful and well-done!
K
June 28, 2009 at 10:24 amAhhh those rolls sound great!! Hope the movie was a good one 🙂
Still Life in South America
June 28, 2009 at 10:57 amI would definitely partake in the yuca cheese rolls. Sounds like an appetizer screaming to be covered with hot sauce. 🙂
Erica
June 28, 2009 at 12:54 pmI have never tried yuca. I am intrigued by your love of it. I am going to need to give it a go. Is it a starch? What does it look like in its natural state?
Kristin
June 28, 2009 at 1:42 pmJenna,
How yummy!! I wish we had a place like that here in Austin 🙂
Kristin
June 28, 2009 at 1:44 pmAlso, How can I add my picture onto the side of the comment?
Adi (oatonomy.com)
June 28, 2009 at 2:16 pmOh elastic waist pants… for delicious eating like that, I think a solid pair of maternity pants are warranted! 🙂 Yummmm!
Low
June 28, 2009 at 4:37 pmI am about to watch Taken! Hope it’s good.
Your dinner looks fantastic!!!
RunningBetty
June 28, 2009 at 8:41 pmThat looks awesome. we’ll have to try that out when the kids go out of town next month.
Jess
June 29, 2009 at 3:48 pmall your dinner foods look amazing. I love reading your Tampa reviews since it gives me a little motivation to cross the bridge and explore Tampa a bit more….there is just so much to do in St. Pete too, ya know?
Ryan’s mac looks amazing! Oh my goodness…..