Bern's Steak House Tampa

Let me preface this by saying how important Bern's is to my family and me. My parents had their wedding rehearsal dinner there in the early 80s and every milestone birthday my brother and I have celebrated has taken place at Bern's. It is more than a restaurant and much like a tradition. Can you imagine a staple restaurant in your town that is first class, traditional and slightly fancy? Do you have a place where you only dine occasionally because you know what a special experience you will share? Bern's is that place for me. The inside reminds me of a midieval castle lit by dim chandeliers and each dining room carries its own story.

Last Tuesday my family and some dear friends dined at Bern's to celebrate the Christmas season. Aside from the highest quality meats, seafood and fish, they also pride themselves in growing their own organic vegetables in a garden near the restaurant. How cool is that!

We definitely ate with our eyes and before I knew it our table was scattered with fresh salad, french onion soup, roasted shrimp, escargot, 2 lb. lobsters, chateau briand, filet mignon, fried onion strings, sweet carrots, green and yellow wax beans, and pumpernickel toasts!

I personally ordered the vegetarian dinner: roasted acorn squash stuffed with wild mushrooms(!), goat cheese, and spinach topped with whole cranberries bathing in their own syrup. It was so fresh and delicious and perfectly seasonal and still left me room to taste lobster dunked in butter, tender melt in your mouth filet, and all those yummy veggies bursting with flavor!

For first class service, food, and atmosphere, Bern's is the Tampa staple.

http://www.bernssteakhouse.com/

Below is a recipe for my favorite roasted winter veggies!

2 garnet yams

2 zucchini

bunch of carrots

1 red onion

1 fennel bulb

Pre-heat the over to 400 degrees. Chop all of the veggies about the same size so they cook evenly. Place them on a large cookie sheet or roasting tray (this recipe makes two trays). Season liberally with salt and pepper. Drizzle a light olive oil and finish with pure maple syrup. Toss with your hands and roast for 20 minutes.

They can be used as a side dish, in a sandwich, or by themselves as a sweet and savory snack!

The Veggie Scoop

Hello all!

It has been a while... I know! We all know how hectic things can get during finals week. Now that that is over I can express my feelings on the organic/vegan/veg craze. Living in Tallahassee there are not a lot of options for those following Vegan or Vegetarian diets as far as restaurants goes. We have All Saints Cafe in Railroad Square and a few organic markets including New Leaf (which is a co-op) and The Fresh Market which is pretty far down Thomasville Road. My passion to find the freshest ingredients possible for my own cooking/eating enjoyment and my own diet preferences (I am not a veg, however, my diet does consist mostly of plant products for obvious health reasons.) has led me on this search for health supportive cuisine! Another great thing Tallahassee has to offer is the Downtown Market Place- a seasonal market that sells art, clothing as well as fruit and veggies!

I also understand that there are lots of other sustainable fruit and veg markets around the area that I am excited to try when I return for Spring Semester! Since I am running out of restaurants (almost) I have decided to extend my blog to not only blogging about the food I eat but the food I make with local ingredients combined with common grocery store items!

Here is a great banana bread recipe that I made this morning. It is absolutely delicious!

3 ripe mashed bananas (Fruit with a thick skin does not have to be organic)

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup raisins

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk (you can use any milk you like but I am a big fan of milk substitutes- almond, soy, hemp, and my new favorite is SO Delicious Brand coconut milk!)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup Safflower oil (or any other light oil- Safflower is just better for you and the Earth!)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Combine the wet ingredients and the mashed bananas first, slowly add the dry and then fold in the raisins and nuts! Bake at 350 for an hour and enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions about healthy eating and do let me know how that banana bread turns out!