Happy Birthday Carol

Yesterday was my good friend, Carol's birthday and I was able to join her and others for a nice dinner at Toscano Grill in Clearwater. The company was nice, and it is always fun to see Carol and her sister Lois. But being the food snob that I can be, I must comment on the restaurant. This was my second visit, and it is not high on my list of good Italian food. Of course, I have been spoiled by Vino e Pasta in Tampa. The Caesar salad was the highlight, from there it was an average meal. I had a seafood pesto, which had nice pieces of sea bass, shrimp, and salmon in a creamy pesto sauce. The sauce lacked flavor, or at least flavor that I would expect in a pesto sauce. The seafood was cooked perfectly which helped offset the lack of flavor. Frank had a Pumpkin ravioli in a brown butter sauce, which actually was very good, and full of flavor. Frank and I split a Limoncello Panna Cotta... I think they forgot the limoncello, as any lemony flavor was missing. Although I must say it was topped with some nice fruit. Here comes the snob in me... I make a heck of a lemon panna cotta, so that is my standard that all other panna cotta is measured against.  

With that said, I still have a nice evening, but it was the company that made the evening. Dining with good friends is always "a good thing"