It’s not exactly on the menu, but it should be!

For our last night in St. Petersburg, my wife wanted a seafood extravaganza, so we went to a recommended place called The Oyster Bar. Of course, I always seek out the Margarita at every place I go, so I checked out the drink menu right away. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a standard Margarita and I just wasn’t in the mood to try out an exotic Margarita. So I asked the server if they could modify one of their Margaritas for me. Fortunately they were able to accommodate my request, so kudos to The Oyster Bar and kudos to the Margarita they served me!

One of the Margaritas on their menu was called the Jalapeñoberry Margarita, made with Patron Silver tequila, Cointreau, agave nectar, fresh lime, strawberries, and jalapeños. Well all that sounded like a great Margarita sans the strawberries and jalapeños! So that’s what I asked for and I’m glad they were able to serve it. As I expected from the ingredients, the flavor was excellent. It was just a little on the sweet side, but it was well-balanced and I liked it a lot. Overall, I rate the Margarita I had an 8.5. I should let the management of The Oyster Bar know that they should list this Margarita on their menu!

While walking around St. Petersburg, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat. Being Florida, we figured we might as well eat outdoors. We found a nice little place called Parkshore Grill. I found an interesting Margarita offering on their menu, so of course I wanted to try it.

Parkshore Grill’s Margarita was called a Pisco Margarita. The ingredients listed were Pisco Porton, reposado tequila,  fresh lime & orange, and agave nectar. I wasn’t sure what Pisco Porton was, but apparently pisco is a white spirit from Peru made from grapes. I’m not sure what the flavor of Pisco Porton is so it’s hard to say how it influenced the overall flavor. Given the ingredients, the flavor was tasty and refreshing. However, the orange juice, and I assume the pisco, seemed to dampen the citrus flavor from the lime. There was also a slight hint of what tasted to me like a mix. But perhaps that was the finish of the Pisco Porton. So while it was good overall, it wasn’t a classic Margarita. I rate it a 7.5.

If you are in St. Petersburg you should definitely check out Parkshore Grill. The food was excellent and they have TVs in the back of the bar that are behind a water feature. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! Unfortunately, pictures just didn’t do it justice so you’ll just need to see it for yourself!

Perfect Margarita – Not exactly “perfect” but still very good

After a-day-and-a-half of driving, we arrived at our friend’s in St. Petersburg. Of course, we were hungry. We also wanted to see the beach, even though it was a little late in the day to actually “go beaching”, but luckily our friends knew of a hangout that would let us eat and hang out on the beach. An additional bonus was that they were known for good Margarita, so of course I had to judge for myself.

A quick look at the menu of Caddy’s on the Beach showed that they served what they called a “Perfect Margarita”. The ingredients were Patron Silver tequila, Grand Marnier, fresh squeezed lime juice, and a “house margarita mix”. In my mind I was wondering why they needed a “mix” after the first three ingredients, but I figured I’d just drink it and find out. A few friends also ordered another Margarita that was off-menu which they called the “Golden Margarita”. This was a little confusing to me as well because from what I understood, most “Gold” Margaritas are made with Grand Marnier … but the Perfect Margarita was made with Grand Marnier … so well, whatever. I’ll just taste everything and figure out what’s up.

I started out with my own “Perfect Margarita”. Being located on the beach, Caddy’s drinks had to be served in plastic cups. Glass is a no-no on the beach. Unfortunately this makes it hard to “see” the Margarita, but oh well. For having such an audacious name, this Margarita did mostly live up to it. It was very light and refreshing with a good amount of sweetness and just a little hit of a fruity flavor to keep it interesting. Certainly a great Margarita for drinking on the beach. I had a few tastes of the Golden Margarita and it was a similar flavor, although it seemed a little heavier, which wasn’t a problem in of itself, but the finish gave me just a slight impression of a pre-made mix. Had I not just tasted their Perfect Margarita prior to their Golden Margarita, it might not have been so noticeable. I wouldn’t turn down a Caddy’s Golden Margarita if offered to me, but their Perfect Margarita was certainly better. As far as a rating, I would give the Perfect Margarita an 8 and the Golden Margarita a 7.

Golden Margarita – The color was a little more golden, but the flavor wasn’t quite there

Over the next few days, we spent some more time on the beach near Caddy’s and of course I had several more Perfect Margaritas. I’m happy to say that the flavor of the multiple Margaritas I had over those next few days stayed consistent. So if you are in the St. Petersburg area, take a little trip down to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island to Caddy’s. Just know you might get a little sand in your shoes!

The Original Margarita

My family and I took a little road trip down to St. Petersburg, Florida to visit some friends. On the way down south, while driving in Georgia between the cities of Atlanta and Macon, we stopped at a little Mexican restaurant called El Agave. Interestingly enough, there are two El Agave restaurants in the same town of McDonough. We had our choice of exits to take off the highway to go to either location, so it seems they are taking advantage of passerby traffic. It certainly worked on us, although I was certainly eager to try a Margarita!

The location we ate at was the Highway 20 location, in case you are ever in the area, but given that both locations are under the same ownership, I must assume they use the same recipes. They had several choices of Margaritas on their menu, but I decided to give their most traditional one a try, which they called “The Original Margarita”. The ingredients listed were very simple: Cazadores tequila, Cointreu, and fresh lime juice. My wife decided to try their Blue Pacific Margarita, made with Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Cointreu, and Blue Curaçao.

Blue Pacific Margarita

The Original Margarita had a nice balance to the flavor, simple yet very good, as I expected from the ingredients. I rate it an 8. I tasted my wife’s Blue Pacific Margarita, which was also good although it had a more fruity flavor than I would like and it had just a bit of a bitter finish. I would rate it a 7.5

After a long day where I spent the entirety with my daughters at a science fair and then an orchestra concert, my family decided to have a late dinner at Porter’s Steakhouse in nearby Collinsville, IL. Porter’s is an excellent restaurant, well-known for their steak and wine. But of course, I had to give their Margarita a try. As with everything else I’ve had at Porter’s before, the Margarita I had that night was excellent.

The flavor was well-balanced with just the right amount of sweetness. There was a good flavor that seemed to come from a triple sec component, which I unfortunately neglected to get the recipe from the server that night. That’s OK because it just gives me an excuse, as if I needed one, to try another Margarita at Porter’s! Overall I give the Margarita that night an 8.

I found myself with some friends at Dooley’s Beef N Brew House. Normally one would not associate an Irish pub with good Margaritas. However, Dooley’s actually offered a choice of tequilas with their Margarita offering so things looked promising!

It just so happened I was looking to try a Margarita with 1800 Silver and it was offered on Dooley’s menu. Unfortunately, the Margarita that night was just average. The citrus taste was too subdued and there wasn’t much sweetness at all. Simply put, it tasted a bit watered down. A friend I was with who also ordered a Margarita concurred with my assessment. I’d rate the Margarita that night a 6.5. There was promise in the flavor, but it just wasn’t enough, so perhaps it was just an off night. I’m sure I’ll return some day to try again.

On the bright side, Dooley’s is known for their burgers and the burger I ordered did not disappoint. Dooley’s allows you to basically build your own burger, and I ordered one with avocado. I’ve eaten quite a few burgers in my life and I would definitely go back to Dooley’s to have another burger.

Bella Milano is an excellent Italian restaurant in my home town of Edwardsville, IL. I’ve eaten there many times in the last several years, but I had never thought to try a Margarita there. Of course, this had to change on my next opportunity, which happened to be during an impromptu lunch with my wife and a friend.

The presentation of the Margarita was impressive, with a colored salt rim. Similarly, the Margarita was also impressive with a nice light and refreshing taste. The flavors were all nicely balanced and I couldn’t help but to order a second. I rate this Margarita an 8.

If you are in the Edwardsville area and you find yourself looking for good Italian food to go with a good Margarita, Bella Milano will not disappoint!

A Margarita with Cabo Wabo Blanco.

My wife and I found ourselves at The Tenderloin Room again celebrating a friend’s birthday. Given the opportunity, I decided to try a couple of Margaritas made with different tequilas to sample the difference.

Mary the bartender said her favorite tequila was Cabo Wabo so I tried that first. As usual, the Margarita was very good with a nice balanced flavor and smooth finish. Next I tried one made with 1800 Añejo. As Añejo tequila is made by aging in oak barrels, I could definitely taste the oak flavor come through in the Margarita. Personally, I didn’t really like the way the oak combined with the other flavors in the Margarita. It wasn’t bad, it was just different.

It is often recommended to leave the Añejo tequila for drinking straight and to use good Blanco or Reposado tequila for Margaritas. Given that Añejo is often much more expensive and that the oak may actually detract from the overall flavor of a Margarita, at this point I must concur with this recommendation. But I’ll need to sample many more Margaritas just to be sure!

A Margarita with 1800 Añejo. Notice the darker color due to the use of an Añejo tequila.

Cleveland Heath is a great upscale dining restaurant in our town. I’ve been to Cleveland Heath a handful of times over the last year or so and have always enjoyed what I’ve had there. However, I hadn’t yet sampled their Margarita. Obviously, I had to change this.

I’m happy to report that the Margarita I had was very good. The flavors were all very well balanced with a nice light citrus flavor and sweetness. It was also nice to see a Margarita from a non-Mexican restaurant served in a Margarita glass. I give Cleveland Heath’s Margarita a 7.5.

If you happen to be in the Edwardsville area for either lunch or dinner, make a point to stop by Cleveland Heath, even if you aren’t going to have a Margarita.