Another sunny day as I walked along E. Las Olas just to stretch my legs. My cousin Dorothy was supposed to meet me at the hotel but somehow we missed each other and she went on to the Pelican Grand Beach Resort Hotel without me. I connected with her and took a taxi. Gee I haven't seen my sister cousins Dorothy Stoloff and Molla Bolnick in years! Dorothy brought her daughter, Jennifer. I'm always confused about the relationship of a cousin's offspring. Is she considered to be my second cousin? How about my father's cousin, for instance? Is that my second cousin? How do you remove a relative...as in, "second cousin, once removed"? What does that mean?
The Pelican Grand Beach Resort Hotel is one of only a few hotels that is actually located on the beach. It's a new hotel that has the appearance of one of those old hotels of like Cape May and such with a porch that goes the length of the hotel facing the ocean. It's like having a private beach club.
There are a few indoor restaurants as well as the one that we ate at, located on the porch. I mean the restaurant is inside and they serve you on the porch but not if you are seated in the rocking chairs.
I first met Bob Pallay, the Food and Beverage Manager who led me out to the porch where my cousins were hanging out. As I got seated, Bob and the waitress searched for them and brought them to the table. First conversation focused on who I looked like...my father or my mother.
We all ordered a different lunch. I had announced that I would be taking photos of the food. Molla said, "Why don't you order a Bloody Mary. They make great Bloody Marys. Do you like them spicy? I don't." She then turned to the waitress and requested two Bloody Mary's without tabasco sauce..
I ordered the seafood soup to start. Just as my soup came to the table, Executive Chef Jessica Simon approached to introduce herself. As she was talking with me, Molla took my spoon and began to mix the soup. I heard Dorothy say something about that I was going to take a photo. As the conversation with Jessica continued, Molla then tasted like three spoonfuls of the soup saying how delicious it was and then put the spoon back into the soup.
Jessica left and I turned to Molla and laughed. "You're so Jewish", I said. "I grew up where we sat at the table and nobody cared whose fork or spoon was used". "Sure", she said. "You're family. You could have a cold, pneumonia...it doesn't matter as long as you're family!" I went into laughter.
My main dish was a rack of barbecued ribs with corn and french fries. I then asked if I could substitute a salad for the corn and fries as I knew how much starch I would be having after we left. Everyone "tasted" and all loved the food. Robert Keesler, the General Manager came over to introduce himself.
We took some photos around the porch and one at the bar located inside the hotel. Then it was off to Pan'e Dolci's main location on East Oakland Park Blvd. about a half mile from the hotel.
Wow! We sampled some of the pastries. I wanted to try a cannoli and sfogliatelle...the one that looks a crispy seashell and had cheese inside. He uses an orange zest for added flavor and they were perfect. There was also a sample of cheesecake and one other scrumptious morsel. Since there was gelato there, I tasted one of the flavors. Roberto gave me an Olive Bread to take home. Turned out that the bread is stuffed with whole pitted olives. Delicious!
Cousin time over, Dorothy drove me back to my hotel. Relaxed for a bit and then took a taxicab to 15th Street Fisheries for dinner where I met GM Carlos River. The restaurant is located at Lauderdale Marina and just outside is area that tarpons and jack fish hang out.
I then met the Executive Chef Lenny Judice and did a menu tasting beginning with a special mozzarella that was regular on the outside but had a creamy inside as if the inside contained ricotta cheese. It was served with some awesome tomatoes along with a caviar made from balsamic vinegar. Next came a crab cake and shrimp and grits. That was followed by alligator bites and sauteed wild mushrooms. Red Snapper with basmati rice.
The pastry chef came over to explain the various desserts that included a red wine sorbet, creme brulee and apple pie. I love when a restaurant makes their own ice cream and sorbets.
The Water Taxi does a pick up right at their marina so that is the mode of transport to my hotel. Nite-nite and back to New York the next day. I took the share ride shuttle and when I paid the guy he purposely counted the eleven dollars of a ten and one and said, "It doesn't include gratuity". I said, "Am I required to give you one?" He had no answer.
No comments:
Post a Comment