The Biscuit Barn Has The Best Biscuits in Florida

By

-

October 21, 2020

When we read the reviews of The Biscuit Barn, little did we know we were about to be treated to the best biscuits in Florida. We have read rave reviews before, however, upon our arrival the food was good but not great. This time we were more than pleasantly surprised.

It was on our recent trip to Crystal River that my wife found the listing and suggested we try it. The place was easy to spot, inasmuch as there was a twelve foot tall concrete gorilla next door – but more on that later.

Walking up, we could see this was a popular place by the waiting area out front.

The Restaurant

The exterior of The Biscuit Barn belies what’s inside. It looks like dozens of different places we’ve dined while traveling over the past few years. Even when we got inside, from the Buffalo Plaid tablecloths to the cast iron cookware hanging on the walls, everything looked vaguely familiar.

The Waitresses were busy and everybody was enjoying their meals.

The Menu

When we got our menus, it was obvious that breakfast was their forte. We had two full pages of breakfast options with luncheon selections on the back page. In fact, they had a list of ten different breakfast biscuits (including biscuits & gravy) as well as a dessert biscuit topped with fried apple.

Of course there were the standard breakfasts, omelets, pancakes and skillets. My wife went with the Biscuit Barn Special which was the standard eggs, potatoes and bacon. Lots of bacon.

I, on the other hand, had a veggie omelet. When we asked about the biscuits, our waitress told us that yes, they were made on site. We were at the Biscuit Barn for crying out loud – how could we not have biscuits?

It came to the table hot and ready (so were we).

Our Breakfast

It has been said to take one thing and do it well. Without a doubt, The Biscuit Barn does breakfast well. Our order came out just the way we asked. The bacon and potatoes were crisp, the omelet was fluffy and the biscuits by far were the largest we’d had.

My wife said they are called “Cat Head Biscuits” because they are as big as a cat head (and they were). Moreover, everything was just delicious. I refused to hide the light and fluffy flavor of my biscuit with anything but butter. It truly was melt-in-your-mouth good. I actually would have gotten the dessert biscuit if I’d had any room (which I didn’t).

I think it’s time for another five best breakfasts in Florida. In our opinion, The Biscuit Barn more than qualifies. The portions are plentiful and the food is delicious. Moreover, the service is fast and it comes at a wonderful pricepoint.

We definitely will be back and we will leave some room for a dessert biscuit. And yes, as far as we are concerned, they are the best biscuits in Florida.

Next Door

Following our breakfast, we headed next door. There is a defunct taxidermy shop that has a twelve foot tall gorilla out front. Apparently, he was supposed to represent the Florida Skunk Ape – but he looks like a gorilla to us.

The place now is for sale, but he remains. His hand is down and we actually could sit in it and have our pictures taken. I cannot publish the one of my wife, but here is a picture of the gorilla, just waiting for you.

The Biscuit Barn’s neighbor is a true photo op.

The Biscuit Barn is on Highway 19 in Crystal River.

The Retreat at Crystal Manatee is a Real Treat

By

Florida Funmeister

-

October 18, 2020

0

I must say, the Retreat at Crystal Manatee is one of the most comfortable and accessible lodgings we’ve found since we started traveling. We literally were two blocks from Kings Bay and only a few more to the Crystal River Historic Shopping District. Plus it had great creature comforts

In addition, the Retreat at Cristal Manatee is just a hop, skip and a jump to the world-famous Three Sisters Springs and Hunter Springs.

Tucked in among the Oaks, the Retreat at Crystal Manatee has an unassuming facade.

The Accommodations

Generally they book two night stays at this family owned and operated facility. However, we were able to get an overnighter. We came in late after a high intensity event at nearby Ocala and I was ready to turn in for the night.

The large king-sized bed was as comfortable as it was spacious.The mattress was “soft” by my wife’s standards. But I had no problem sleeping soundly.

As you can see, the room was done in a minimalist style. There was a flat screen TV on the wall and a small desk surface. However, we had no dresser, microwave or any of the other furnishings. We had a small refrigerator/freezer in the sink area and a heavy-duty nightstand on either side of the bed.

For us, the bathroom was particularly impressive. There was only a commode and what they referred to as a “rain shower.” It was all sealed off by a sliding barn-style door.

Depending on the knob we used, it would emit water from various heads all the way up the bar. It also had a spigot at the bottom as well as the stainless steel wand.

For us, this shower was the cat’s meow. The only issue is that we could only use one head at a time or we’d loose pressure. Nevertheless, it was as refreshing as it was fun to use.

The next morning, we went out and walked the grounds. Every time we turned a corner we would find another sculptured sitting area where we could enjoy our breakfast provided by the facility, or just have conversation and watch the butterflies flit among the flowers.

One of the many outdoor seating areas we found at the Retreat at Crystal Manatee.

We were impressed at the ingenuity this family used in renovating this traditional property. In addition to these standard settings, there were some tables that had small firepits in the center. We also found a wonderful set of his and hers chaise lounges.

On our next visit we plan to try these chaise lounges.

Nearby Attractions

Before we left, we wandered down the street just a block or so and took a look at Kings Bay Park. There is a large area for picknicking and entertainment. There then is a long boardwalk that leads to the bay itself. Walking along we saw quite a bit of bird life. There were pelicans and anhinga among others.

We also saw a lot of water traffic of all kinds. There were fishermen headed out in small john boats and some pontoon boats as well. We observed a group of snorkelers out in the bay and a steady stream of kayakers and paddle-boarders who were launching from a specially-made dock facility.

A couple heads out to the water after getting a friendly shove off.

We could have watched and explored for hours. Later, we took a stroll up Citrus Avenue into the business district and Heritage Village area. It was a great time browsing the myriad of shops and restaurants in the area. We never did make it to Hunter Springs or the Three Sisters.

It is easy to see why the Retreat at Crystal Manatee books two night stays – there’s much too much to experience. The next time we will get a two night package and take our time while we tourist.

Stay tuned, there’s plenty more to come about our adventures. Suffice to say, we give the Retreat at Crystal Manatee five stars – our highest rating. They have done a great job renovating an historic property and the location cannot be beat.

The landscaping in front of the rooms was a wonderful touch.

Those who follow us know we like to make great finds – and this is one of them.

The Bizarre Bazaar – Antiques and More

By

Florida Funmeister

-

October 14, 2020

0

The city of Arcadia has positioned itself as center for antiques in Florida. We found a lot of quaint little shops there, but the Bizarre Bazaar is an antique store with an unusual atmosphere. We discovered it on the second floor of the Arcadia Opera house.

Those who follow us know we like the fun and the funky – and this qualifies on both counts.

It was easy to see that we needed to be in good condition to get up the wide flight of stairs – but it was worth the trip. At the top we found 9,000 square feet of some of the most interesting antiques and curios we’d ever seen.

At the top of the stairs we found a directional sign showing us the way to the different shops and areas.

The Shops

Proprietor Jim Crosby told us that he runs part of the operation, then rents out various rooms to other shops. As far as we are concerned it was the most eclectic collection of pieces we’d ever seen. My favorite hands down was the record room. I thumbed through hundreds of old LP albums and 78s while my wife was looking at antique clothing and accessories.

In addition to the records there were lots of posters, sheet music, point of purchase advertising pieces and other music-related memorabilia for sale. I was captivated by a ceramic bust of The King himself.

Among the records and music memorabilia, Elvis was keeping an eye on the record room.

But we found so many more items as we visited the various rooms. There were spaces full of paintings, books, games, seasonal and holiday fare.

In the game room I found different pieces ranging from recent Star Wars-themed items, all the way back to puzzles from the 1930s. This is a place where we could take the grandchildren and explain how, at one time, these were fun and quite common pastimes for youngsters.

This Saucy Duck Puzzle dates back to 1937.

In the main theater area there was shelf upon shelf of glassware. old soda bottles, silverware, pots, pans, trays and crockware. I asked James if he’d ever actually missed a garage sale.

“Not many,” he replied.

One of the more interesting collections were the vintage ash trays on display.

This list does not begin to scratch the surface of the items available. We saw vintage electronics from slide projectors to timers. There were antique kitchen tools and even bamboo root carvings.

The Experience

But as we said, the Bizarre Bazaar was a lot more than just the artifacts. James put a lot of architectural interest in the place. As I walked out of the antique clothing room, something told me to look up. I did – and was greeted by a little fun feature.

When I looked up, there was a mannequin…or a womanequin…hanging on for dear life.

The checkout counter was located inside the theater itself, just below the balcony. There James had his glass cases full of jewelry and other small artifacts. He also had a record player where he selected various albums for the shoppers to enjoy.

We were treated to Perez Prado and Shorty Rogers’ Voo Doo Suite while we were there.

The checkout is situated right beneath the historic balcony.

Possibly the largest antique is the theater itself – which is intact. That included the balcony and the stage. James didn’t waste any space. Up on the stage we found furniture, lamps, theater lighting fixtures, and old horse drawn carriage among other things.

While we were walking the halls, we came upon what appeared to be the original projector. It was a huge piece of machinery. We wondered aloud how they got it up into the building and positioned it to show the various movies that had been displayed over the life of the theater.

The projector was surrounded by artifacts for sale, including a 1930s era traveling funeral set;

The Biggest on the Strip

The Bizarre Bazaar is not the only antique store, but it is billed as the largest in town. And when it comes to antique stores in Arcadia, we really had our choice. But we can tell you without a doubt – you will not find a more fun and funky place to visit.

Who knows? You might come home with a treasure! We did.

Our Quiet and Safe Florida Vacation

By

Florida Funmeister

-

October 12, 2020

0

Those who follow us know we like to explore the Sunshine State for the fun and funky. However, sometimes we just want to take a safe Florida vacation where we have some old favorites and don’t have to worry. Such was our last foray over to the Gulf.

We booked a couple of nights at the Bentley Boutique Hotel. Yes, we know it is not on the beach, in fact, it’s a fair drive to the beach. But it has wonderful accommodations at a great pricepoint. We were once again delighted at the quality of the bed, the view from our balcony and the quietness of our stay.

Moreover, they have added back their breakfast service and have re-opened their tiki bar area. The nights we were there they had a wonderful troubadour playing guitar and singing. We were able to sit out on our private deck and listen during the evening and have our own private concert.

The Bentley’s Tiki Bar was well populated both evenings we were there. However, we enjoyed the music from the privacy of our second floor balcony.

Dining Out

As we said, we stuck with the tried and true. For our dinner we went to Nokomo’s Sunset Hut. Who was playing there but Jimmy Bones himself. We arrived just in time for his “Music by Dead People” set. We also were delighted once again to have Jo-Jo as our waitress. She, in fact, might well be one of the best servers on the planet. It is hard to find somebody who can be uber attentive without being annoying.

As always, the food was amazing. I had the Bacon & Bleu Burger, while my wife defaulted to chips and salsa. I did experiment with the bean salad – which was a great choice. We ended up again sharing the Pineapple Yum Cake dessert which soon may be regulated as an addictive substance.

The great food is augmented by the service, the music and the wonderful sunset view, They don’t call it Nokomo’s Sunset Hut for nothing.

The Breakfast Cottage

We said we didn’t experiment – and that’s not entirely true. We went to The Breakfast Cottage – but we went for lunch. We’ve had delightful breakfasts there before. However, we’d never tried the midday menu. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, it was great.

I went with a traditional Reuben on marbled rye while my wife opted for their veggie sandwich on sourdough. Both were stuffed and delicious. Our sides – my island slaw and her potato salad were similarly tasty.

Cafe Evergreen

And no visit to the Venice/Nokomis area would be complete without a stop at Cafe Evergreen where we had a quiet dinner. For me, it was a no-brainer as I had the Evergreen Club. It was voted the Best Vegetarian Sandwich in the USA by Restaurant Hospitality – one bite tells you why.

My wife had the Turkey melt which was equally delicious. We were very impressed by their tea selection. I had the Organic Matcha Green Tea while my wife had the Redberry. We were highly impressed by both of these beverages.

The Evergreen Redberry Tea came loose leaf with its own strainer. There was plenty for several cups.

The Bentley and all three of these restaurants are must stops and come with our highest recommendations.

The Attractions

We have been to the area several times, but had not stopped by Ideal Classic Cars since our first visit. I had been wanting to revist there and this time we had the opportunity. It was worth every second. Other than the Toy Story themed golf cars out front – all the vehicles were different from our last visit.

Here’s a snippet of what we saw.

And of course we had to visit the Gulf. We went down to Nokomis beach and walked the shore. It’s always so relaxing for us to watch the kids at play, see the birds and look for shells. This time, a couple had planned a seaside wedding, and had made a beautiful setup to exchange their vows.

A couple was getting ready to tie the knot in the ultimate romantic setting.

We stopped and shopped in as much of Historic Venice as we could, and hit a few of our favorite places as well. In the end, it was a great, quiet and safe Florida vacation in one of our favorite spots.

Martin’s Country Market – Truly a Fun Find

By

Florida Funmeister

-

October 10, 2020

0

We discovered Martin’s Country Market as we were cruising on State Road 17 down to Arcadia. My wife was doing an internet search for a lunch location and found their listing.

“Hey, this place looks interesting,” she said. And with that we were off. We entered of the address into our GPS system and headed there. Actually, it wasn’t that hard for us to find the place. I knew when I saw the old pickup and tractor we were in the right area.

We found Martin’s Country Market right along Highway 70 in Arcadia.

The Entrance

We walked through the front door and were greeted by a small country store. Everywhere we looked there were stacks of canned, boxed and bagged foodstuffs – and a giant cooler case full of goodies.

We were immediately tempted by samples of cookies, doughnuts and sweetbread.

Our Lunch

Being that we were hungry, we made a beeline to the sandwich counter. The girls there were both efficient and kind in helping us with our made-to-order sandwiches. It took us a bit – inasmuch as this was our first time. On the desk were order sheets to fill out so we could construct our own sandwich.

Our options included a half dozen kinds of bread – much of it was fresh made. We saw just as many varieties of cheese, meats, dressings and toppings. In all, we literally had thousands of combinations.

We were really impressed at the efficiency and friendliness of the staff at Martins.

My wife constructed her own Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. She selected her own bread, condiments and the like. I myself didn’t feel like making those decisions.

Instead, I opted for “The Pilgrim.” It was their specialty sandwich of the day. The pan roasted turkey on toasted wheat bread came with sharp white cheddar cheese and whole berry cranberry sauce. It’s then sprinkled with farm dust and poultry seasoning. Seriously, what’s not to like?

Martin’s had twin paninni machines to toast the sandwiches. They never stopped while we were there. And because it is a market we had a wide selection of drinks in the cooler case from which to choose. We also selected a bag of chips and one of their signature whoopie pies for dessert.

Our lunch, along with some bacon & cheddar Joe’s Chips, tea and a whoopie pie.

I have to tell you, the sandwiches were pretty standard size, but boy were they delicious. We were impressed by the absolutely fresh, and quality ingredients – and at a wonderful price.

Lunch and More

Sitting in the cafe to dine, we got what my wife referred to as “a floor show.” Ours was a front row seat to watch the work in the kitchen. We also noted a children’s area they had set up with coloring pages and crayons to keep the youngsters busy as well.

We watched the baking ballet which was great entertainment as we had our lunch.

The Store

Actually, we spent almost as much time in the store shopping as we did enjoying lunch. There were several rooms full of groceries from which to choose. We were captivated by the brands and the quality of the selections. These were items that are not commercially available at a lot of the stores back home.

We found the shelves stocked with all kinds of goodies.

In addition to the cans and jars, we found a wide selection of boxed and bagged commodities. Seriously, for a small store, the selection was so varied and interesting we were able to peruse the goods for quite some time.

We did a lot of shopping and picked out some organic popcorn, flour and other commodities to take back to the house.

In Conclusion

For us, Martin’s Country Store was a real find. We had a great lunch at a wonderful pricepoint. Our dining experience was wonderful and we had a great “floor show” watching the workers in the kitchen. And for us the shopping was as entertaining as it was helpful.

What impressed us was the quality of the products they offered. Their slogan is “where fresh homemade goodness is always in style,” and that’s what we found.

Moreover, they had a little ice cream shop on the property as well. Had we not stuffed ourselves at lunch (and treated ourselves to a whoopie pie) we probably would have had some for dessert.

Those who follow us know, we always are in search of the new and fun. They offered us samples of a lot of the baked goods. Therefore, we ended up going out with a bag of gingersnaps and a box of fresh apple fritters. It made for a great breakfast starter when we got to the hotel.

If you are in Arcadia – we think you’d have to work hard to find a better place for lunch and shopping than Martin’s Country Market.

A Walk Through McKee Botanical Gardens

By

Florida Funmeister

-

October 7, 2020

0

We were looking for fun things to do in Vero Beach on our last trip there. In our past visits we’d seen McKee Botanical Gardens but never had visited. This time we vowed to give it a try.

At 18 acres, it’s a lot smaller than we had anticipated. Apparently, it originally had been much larger. However, it fell into disrepair and only was revitalized in the past couple of decades. Most of it was sold off to developers and the 18 acre gardens is all that remains.

The entrance to McKee Botanical Gardens is the first of a series of “follys” or structures that dot the 18 acre gardens.

The Gardens

The path we took wanders through the gardens. It is overlaid by what they termed “a watery maze.” This is a series of man-made, connected streams and ponds. It gave us a lot of visual interest while providing irrigation, a place for water plants to grow and an overall cooling effect for the area.

Having a bit more cool was OK with us.

We found several bridges to walk over, which gave us some vistas to view over the pond areas. Our favorite was the old stone bridge

They told us that The Historic Stone Bridge was an original feature of the gardens in 1932. Volunteers re-discovered it during the renovation process in the 1990s.

The day we were there it was blistering hot. Fortunately for us, about 90-percent of the gardens are in the shade. The vast amount of flora also took the temperature down about ten degrees or so.

Did we say the waterways were man-made? Well apparently they are woman-maintained. We came across a couple volunteers while we were there and enjoyed a pleasant conversation about the effort it takes to keep the gardens looking nice.

There’s no small amount of effort keeping the vegetation in check. She told us in all her years working on the gardens, she hadn’t run up on any “critters.”

Exhibits

In addition to the regular features of the gardens, we discovered a number of exhibits. Apparently, they change these out on a regular basis to keep the experience fresh. One of the most impressive of these – as far as we were concerned – was a structure located in The Royal Palm Grove. It was woven out of hundreds (maybe thousands) of willow saplings.

Created by artist Patrick Doughtery, “Grand Central” creates a kind of lounge. Rooms are woven through the trees and along the edge of the path.

There also were a number of other exhibits we enjoyed while we were there. There were 40 brightly colored, whimsical hand-crafted marine species sculptures made from recycled flip-flops. Gardens’ workers told us the footwear had washed up on the shores of Africa. They then were melted down and fashioned by artisans from Ocean Sole Africa located in Kenya.

There were turtles, sea horses, dolphin, manta ray, an octopus and a dragonfly among other sculptures. My favorite was the giant flip flop made out of hundreds of flip flops.

Hall of Giants

One of the first exhibits we saw during our foray was the “Hall of Giants.” This building was constructed in the mold of a Polynesian ceremonial palace. It holds what is billed as “the world’s largest single piece mahogany table.” I got a real sense of the majesty of the place, while standing alongside the giant slab of wood that could seat 100 people.

This is a very large structure, with balconies that overlook the dining area.

Our pictures really do not do it justice. It truly is difficult to appreciate the scope of the furnishings without seeing it firsthand.

It was difficult for me to back up far enough in the building to give a good look at the table and the balcony area.

In Conclusion

We had a pretty good visit at McKee Botanical gardens. It really is one of the fun things to do in Vero Beach. If you have kids, there is a children’s play area. It seemed to be pretty well populated with youngsters having some boisterous fun, so we didn’t visit that area.

For us, it was simply a pleasant walk throughout the 18 acres. We were able to keep our distance from the other attendees without a lot of conscious effort. Certainly, it was easy for us to enjoy ourselves. Additionally, it inspired quite a few of great ideas of our own after seeing how they had sculpted the area.

No, we probably could not have a woven willow structure, or carved any statues from melted flip-flops. But we certainly could plant some clump bamboo and make some very pleasant walkways in our back yard.

We were amazed at how the plants lowered the temperature in the gardens.

We can recommend McKee Gardens. For us, it was easily walkable and a very pleasant amble. Again, at 18 acres it was not a long trip. Moreover, the paths were dotted with benches, sitting areas and even a tiki hut had we needed a break.

Hopefully, when things settle down we can return for some of their other events. Of particular interest for us was a planned garden show where we might pick up some plants or garden art for our yard.

In our estimation, McKee Botanical Gardens truly is one of the fun things to do in Vero Beach.

Cafe 66 a Great Breakfast in Vero Beach

By

Florida Funmeister

-

October 1, 2020

0

On our most recent visit, we found that Cafe 66 is a wonderful option for breakfast in Vero Beach. As always, we turned to the experts and asked our friends at Vero Beach Foodie for a recommendation.

I have to tell you, the responses came quickly. We reviewed them, did a little online review and decided on Cafe 66. Apparently, they recently were purchased and moved from their former location on 66th Street to a former barbecue restaurant on US Hwy 1.

Fortunately, between our GPS and my eagle-eyed wife, we were able to spot the place and were blessed with a front row parking spot.

My wife was able to identify the place by the shield on the side of the building.