We had the chance to get together for pizza with our friends Mike and Rhonnie Guido from Palm Bay, FL. We wanted to try Pistilli’s Pizza in Indian Harbor Beach, so we all loaded up into our van and headed beach side.
Pistilli’s in located in a small strip mall on Eau Gallie Blvd, about two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and Canova Beach Park. It’s nothing special to look at (especially considering it was dark), but I was more concerned about the pizza than the architecture. Inside, there are 10-12 booths/tables as well as a carry-out counter. We were there on a Saturday night, but the place wasn’t very busy. Not a good sign.
Pistilli’s advertises that they serve “Jersey Style Pie.” When I asked for a definition of “Jersey Style Pie” I was told that it is just like New York style, except that it’s made by people from New Jersey. You learn something new every day.
We ordered two pies. The first was a sausage and pepperoni for the guys (Mike, Louis and me), and a “Pizza Caserta” (ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, fresh tomato, spinach & artichokes) for the ladies (Rhonnie, Kim and Shelby).
The sausage and pepperoni pizza was good, but not great. The crust was a little dry and there wasn’t enough sauce. The sausage was the shaved/sliced kind we had at DaVinci’s previously, although I have to admit that it had a much better flavor. I don’t like my sausage shaved/sliced, but at least it tasted good. The pepperoni was also tasty and there was a sufficient amount on the pie.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Pistilli’s sausage and pepperoni a 6.
The Pizza Caserta was a different story. The ladies were gracious enough to let me try a slice of their pie and I was impressed. The ingredients on the pie were blended well so no one ingredient stood out, but all worked together to create a great taste. I’ve had similar pies at other pizzerias and it always seems like they overdo the garlic. Not so at Pistilli’s. The only downfall of the Pizza Caserta was the semi-dry crust (although not as dry as the sausage and pepperoni crust).
On a scale of 1-10, the Pizza Caserta gets a 7. So overall, the pizza at Pistilli’s gets a respectable 6.5.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
The Kids Are Glowing
The kids attended a special program today given just for home schoolers by Dr. Robert Krampf at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant on Hutchison Island near Port St. Lucie, FL. The program was called The Nuts and Bolts of Lightning.
We found out about the program last week when we visited the FPL Energy Encounter exhibit at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant. The Energy Encounter is a very interesting exhibit that explains electricity and different ways to generate power in terms that even I can understand.
Today’s program talked about interesting issues involving lightning. For instance, did you know that:
- Lightning strikes one mile away from you for every five seconds between the lightning strike and the thunder clap;
- If you are about to be struck by lightning, your hair will raise up off your head approximately one-two seconds before the lightning strike;
- If you are caught in a lightning storm, your best defense is to crouch down into a ball as close to the ground as you can with your feet together. The smaller you are and the closer to the ground you are, the less likely you will be struck by lightning. Do NOT lie on the ground;
- You should not take a shower or wash the dishes during a thunder storm because lightning can strike a home and follow pipes into the shower or sink. Also, water is an excellent conductor of electricity;
- Lightning can also follow the telephone cord. So do not use a corded telephone during a thunder storm. However, it is safe to use a cordless telephone;
- Contrary to popular belief, Benjamin Franklin did not discover electricity by being struck by lightning.
Shelby and Louis will get back to their books tomorrow, but it was a nice break for them to have a field trip today.
Friday, January 11, 2008
An Evening with Jack Williams
Kim and I were lucky enough to see Jack Williams in concert last night. He was playing at the Blake Library in Stuart, FL.
In case you’re not familiar with Jack, he is a singer-songwriter who plays “acoustic music.” I guess you’d call him a folk singer (if you felt the need to label him), but he is also a storyteller, a comedian, and a traveling philosopher.
The concert was a lot of fun and Jack was great. His voice was weathered and bluesy, and his guitar playing was phenomenal.
Several years ago, I got to see Michael Jordan play basketball. Each time I would see him play I would come away wishing that I could do something, anything, in my life as well as Michael Jordan plays basketball. After seeing Jack Williams in concert, I am left with the desire to be able to do something, anything, as well as he plays guitar.
It’s a little funny that Jack is such a virtuoso on the guitar because when he walked on stage, my first thought was, “Jeez, that guitar is sure beat up.” And it’s true. Jack’s guitar has seen better days. The top of the guitar is faded and delaminated, and the pickguard is so old and worn that it is falling off the guitar. Even so, the sweet, soulful music Jack created with that old guitar was amazing.
On stage, Jack told stories, cracked jokes, and talked about his beloved south, all the while strumming and picking his guitar. The sound of the guitar was omnipresent. I got the feeling that at home, Jack sits and play his guitar while he talks to his wife Judy (who was also at the concert). It’s somewhat comical to think of Jack and Judy sitting at home in Arkansas, talking about the weather, a neighbor, the bills, or anything else while Jack provides background music for their lives. I don’t think there is ever a time when Jack isn’t playing his guitar. It must make it hard to drive and play guitar at the same time, but somehow Jack manages.
During the concert, Jack did several of his own songs (Eternity & Main, Mama Lou, A Natural Man, Frog in the Kitchen) as well as a couple of other people’s songs (Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan), but the highlight (at least for me) was the last song he did.
Jack has a way of ending a concert that is truly unique. It is to music what stream of consciousness writing is to literature. For about twenty minutes, Jack played and sang anything that came into his head. During the course of his finale I remember hearing such diverse songs as “Young at Heart,” “Girl from Ipanema,” “Misty,” “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” “The Weight,” and several other songs, both strange and familiar. Jack also made up a couple of mini-songs during the finale.
Jack Williams is a great performer and his concert provided one of the most enjoyable evenings I have had in quite some time. If you ever get the chance to see Jack in person, I would highly recommend it.
By the way, while talking to Jack and Judy, I found out about a great place to order hard to find music CDs and DVDs (as well as Jack’s CDs and DVD). Check out www.rediscovermusic.com. I got a copy of the catalog and they have a bunch of great stuff.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Review: Anthony V's
Anthony V’s in Tradition Square (Port St. Lucie, FL) cooks their pizzas in a wood-fired oven. That was what caught my eye when we decided to give their pizza a try. I hadn’t read any reviews or talked to anyone who had eaten there. It was kind of a pizza review version of a blind date.
First impressions were very good. Tradition Square is a very nice shopping plaza and Anthony V’s is a great looking pizzeria. When we got there, there were only a couple of tables available. Ultimately, we decided to eat outside. It was a beautiful night and eating outside was a good choice.
We struggled with what to order, but we were intrigued by the Buffalo chicken pizza. Our favorite pizza at Great River Roadhouse (our hometown pizzeria) is a Buffalo Pie and it is great. Our server warned us that they were really busy and it would be 30-45 minutes before our pie was ready. We ordered some garlic knots to fill the time. They were only average, but we still had high hopes for the pizza.
It took more than an hour to get our pie and I’m sad to report, it really wasn’t worth the wait. The chicken was cut into chunks, breaded, and cooked in buffalo sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but I expected the entire pie to be covered in buffalo sauce, not just the chicken. Kim said the chicken tasted like it had been purchased frozen and just heated for our pizza.
Instead of having buffalo sauce, the pizza had regular pizza sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t belong on a Buffalo chicken pizza.
The crust is a little hard to describe. It was slightly overcooked, making it a little dry, yet it was soggy. Neither thing was good.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Anthony V’s pizza a 5.5. However, I also have a bit of a disclaimer. We didn’t know anything about Anthony V’s before showing up on their doorstep. My gut told me to order a more “common” pie (i.e., sausage, pepperoni, etc) in order to get a true read on their pizza. In the end, we ordered a specialty pizza and we were disappointed. I wouldn’t mind giving Anthony V’s another try. I’d like to have a good experience. I wanted to like the pizza at Anthony V’s. Maybe we’ll try again.
First impressions were very good. Tradition Square is a very nice shopping plaza and Anthony V’s is a great looking pizzeria. When we got there, there were only a couple of tables available. Ultimately, we decided to eat outside. It was a beautiful night and eating outside was a good choice.
We struggled with what to order, but we were intrigued by the Buffalo chicken pizza. Our favorite pizza at Great River Roadhouse (our hometown pizzeria) is a Buffalo Pie and it is great. Our server warned us that they were really busy and it would be 30-45 minutes before our pie was ready. We ordered some garlic knots to fill the time. They were only average, but we still had high hopes for the pizza.
It took more than an hour to get our pie and I’m sad to report, it really wasn’t worth the wait. The chicken was cut into chunks, breaded, and cooked in buffalo sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but I expected the entire pie to be covered in buffalo sauce, not just the chicken. Kim said the chicken tasted like it had been purchased frozen and just heated for our pizza.
Instead of having buffalo sauce, the pizza had regular pizza sauce. It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t belong on a Buffalo chicken pizza.
The crust is a little hard to describe. It was slightly overcooked, making it a little dry, yet it was soggy. Neither thing was good.
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give Anthony V’s pizza a 5.5. However, I also have a bit of a disclaimer. We didn’t know anything about Anthony V’s before showing up on their doorstep. My gut told me to order a more “common” pie (i.e., sausage, pepperoni, etc) in order to get a true read on their pizza. In the end, we ordered a specialty pizza and we were disappointed. I wouldn’t mind giving Anthony V’s another try. I’d like to have a good experience. I wanted to like the pizza at Anthony V’s. Maybe we’ll try again.
A Change of Plans
A couple of things have happened to slightly change our plans. During the week on January 14, we were supposed to be staying at a campground in Everglades National Park. Unfortunately, the campsite we tried to reserve wasn’t available, so the campground offered us a site that did not have electric or water. In the end, we decided it would be easier to use my parents’ home in Port St. Lucie, FL as our base and to drive down south to see the things we want to see. We may still visit the Everglades, but just for the day.
During the week of January 28, Kim and I have to be in La Crosse for a meeting. We’ll probably leave from Florida on January 26 and then spend the entire next week in Viroqua. Shelby is excited because she’s going to get to see her friends (who she has been missing terribly). We’ll be driving the van back rather than the RV. It’s too cold in Viroqua to stay in the RV and it is too expensive to drive it north just for the week.
If things work out, we are going to stop to see some friends on the way back to Florida. We want to stop to see Caryl & Jerry Holthouse in Tennessee, Neil & Gail Wallace in Alabama, and Randy Pobst, and Kevin and Jackie Walsh in Georgia. When we get back to Florida, Kim’s parents will be visiting her brother Jeff in Orlando, so we may not hit the road as soon as we come back. It’s nice to not have to be on a set schedule.
During the week of January 28, Kim and I have to be in La Crosse for a meeting. We’ll probably leave from Florida on January 26 and then spend the entire next week in Viroqua. Shelby is excited because she’s going to get to see her friends (who she has been missing terribly). We’ll be driving the van back rather than the RV. It’s too cold in Viroqua to stay in the RV and it is too expensive to drive it north just for the week.
If things work out, we are going to stop to see some friends on the way back to Florida. We want to stop to see Caryl & Jerry Holthouse in Tennessee, Neil & Gail Wallace in Alabama, and Randy Pobst, and Kevin and Jackie Walsh in Georgia. When we get back to Florida, Kim’s parents will be visiting her brother Jeff in Orlando, so we may not hit the road as soon as we come back. It’s nice to not have to be on a set schedule.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Frigid Florida
I know most of you aren’t going to feel sorry for us, but it is freezing in Florida. The low last night was in the 30’s with wind chills in the 20’s. West of us, the wind chill was in the teens.
From a practical standpoint, the freezing temps are really hard on Florida’s agricultural crops. Farmers are breaking out smudge pots and hiring helicopters to fly over their fields to distribute warmer air. Oranges, grapefruits, tangelos, tomatoes, and all of the vegetable crops are all suffering. I haven’t heard how much damage was done last night, but it wasn’t good.
From a personal standpoint, it’s just down right cold. Thirty degrees in Florida is much colder than thirty degrees in Wisconsin. I’m guessing that is because of the higher humidity in Florida. Whatever the reason, it’s really cold outside.
The cold is only supposed to last two days and then the weather will improve again to the normal overnight lows in the 60’s. However, until then, we get to breakout the long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and heavy blankets.
From a practical standpoint, the freezing temps are really hard on Florida’s agricultural crops. Farmers are breaking out smudge pots and hiring helicopters to fly over their fields to distribute warmer air. Oranges, grapefruits, tangelos, tomatoes, and all of the vegetable crops are all suffering. I haven’t heard how much damage was done last night, but it wasn’t good.
From a personal standpoint, it’s just down right cold. Thirty degrees in Florida is much colder than thirty degrees in Wisconsin. I’m guessing that is because of the higher humidity in Florida. Whatever the reason, it’s really cold outside.
The cold is only supposed to last two days and then the weather will improve again to the normal overnight lows in the 60’s. However, until then, we get to breakout the long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and heavy blankets.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Review: DaVinci's Pizzeria
I read an Internet review about DaVinci’s Pizzeria (U.S. 1 in Port St. Lucie, FL) and had high hopes for the place. My first impression wasn’t so good. The plaza where DaVinci’s is located is a bit run down and DaVinci’s sits between a Curves and a closed down used bookstore. The obligatory pawn shop is just two doors down.
Once inside the front door (the wooden front door), everything changed. The first thing that greeted us were photos of the owner and his family dating back to his days in Italy. And best of all, the owner, Vitorio, was in the restaurant.
We started our evening with garlic knots. They were delicious, buttery and covered with plenty of garlic.
We ordered two pizzas; a sausage and mushroom for Kim and me, and a cheese pie for Shelby and Lou. Although I had high hopes, the pizza at DaVinci’s let me down. The sauce was good, but there wasn’t enough of it (a common complaint I have of New York-style pizzas). They also skimped a bit on the cheese.
The sausage was sliced (as opposed to ground or chunked). We found out that it is the same sausage that DaVinci’s uses with their sausage and peppers. In my book, that’s a no-no.
Overall, the pizza was okay, but nothing great. I’d give it a 5 on a 1-10 scale.
Once inside the front door (the wooden front door), everything changed. The first thing that greeted us were photos of the owner and his family dating back to his days in Italy. And best of all, the owner, Vitorio, was in the restaurant.
We started our evening with garlic knots. They were delicious, buttery and covered with plenty of garlic.
We ordered two pizzas; a sausage and mushroom for Kim and me, and a cheese pie for Shelby and Lou. Although I had high hopes, the pizza at DaVinci’s let me down. The sauce was good, but there wasn’t enough of it (a common complaint I have of New York-style pizzas). They also skimped a bit on the cheese.
The sausage was sliced (as opposed to ground or chunked). We found out that it is the same sausage that DaVinci’s uses with their sausage and peppers. In my book, that’s a no-no.
Overall, the pizza was okay, but nothing great. I’d give it a 5 on a 1-10 scale.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)