That Food Guy
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
SPARCFest
SPARC Dogs And SPARC Burgers
SPARCFest 2013 on YouTube: http://youtu.be/uwQPQmyfw68
I suppose the first question is, “What is a SPARCFest?” That’s an easy answer. It is a Ham Fest put on by SPARC. Yes, I can clear that up too. SPARC is my
radio club, the St Petersburg
Amateur Radio Club.
A Ham Fest is a gathering of hams, amateur radio operators who come from far
and wide to meet, engage in good ham fellowship, meet old friends and meet new
ones and perhaps to put a face with the voice they have talked to on the radio.
A Ham Fest is also a tailgate gathering where surplus amateur equipment is
bought, sold and traded; a good place to look for bargains. They can be local,
informal events or large, ambitious undertakings with manufacturers and retail outlets in
attendance. The Ham Fests are natural magnets for the area’s ham radio
aficionados.
My club, the St Petersburg Amateur Radio Club, was this
event’s sponsor and it was staged at Freedom Lake Park, located in Pinellas
Park, Florida. It was an excellent venue for the event. The weather was mild; a
cool morning becoming a balmy afternoon. There was lots of cushiony green grass.
The rippling blue waters of the lake could be seen between the tall pines trees
that provided a moving curtain of shade all during the Ham Fest.
The club also provided the food offering donuts, coffee,
sodas, water and SPARC Burgers and SPARC Dogs for sale. Ron, KP2N (that’s how
hams do it, first name and call sign) has been the chief cook and bottle washer
at these events for many years, or as Donn, N4KII, would say, purveyor of burnt
offerings. All kidding aside, Don, KP2N, does an excellent job. My first taste
of a SPARCDog was back in June during the
ARRL Field Day. After a long day on the air, talking to other
amateur operators all over the United States, Canada and the world, I was
hungry and a SPARCDog was just the thing. Since then I have waited, although
not always patiently, for another and the opportunity came early this November
at the SPARCFest. 
I sat across from Linda, KI4RV. She was just finishing up
her SPARCDog and SPARCBurger. She told me she was thinking very seriously about
having another of each. I decided to start with the SPARCDog. It was a fresh
bun, toasted over the charcoal grill. The hot dog was grilled and not burnt
thankfully. The onions were fresh, only recent y diced. The relish was the typical sweet pickle
relish, from a large jar recently opened. The mustard was from a name-brand
family sized bottle just opened. It is my understanding that hot dogs are
removed from their casing after being cooked at the factory. Perhaps it was
just in the grilling but the dog seemed to have a snap like a sausage still in
the casing. The taste was just what you would expect and want from a dog that
had been dressed the way you like it.
Next I tried the SPARCBurger. Again, a fresh bun, toasted
over the charcoal grill. Whereas the SPARCDog is served on a hot dog boat, the
SPARCBurger is served open-faced on a saucer-sized plate. Served from the
grill, it is a basic burger; meat, cheese and a bun. With the available
condiments, catsup, mustard, relish and onions, I could have made a McDonalds
cheeseburger clone minus the dill chips. In used a swirl of catsup to moisten
the burger but a small enough amount as to not change the flavor of the burger.
It really wasn’t needed. The burger was cooked through but not overcooked, not
dried out. The patty was still moist, the juices running clear. Ron, KP2N,
seasons the patties with salt and pepper so no additional seasoning is needed.
The burger was tasty. He also uses only Nathan's Hot Dogs.Labels: amateur, burger, dog, Florida, freedom lake, ham, hamfest, park, Pinellas park, radio, SPARCBurger, SPARCDog, SPARCFest, St Petersburg
¶ 5:58 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The Greek Village - Seminole, FLorida
As for my companions, how was their dining experience? Janis
is not what I would call an ethnic food person. In some ways the dietary
choices are very limited. I would not before this day have considered that she
would have ventured into a Greek restaurant not knowing what lurked inside.
However, after today, The Greek Village is on a slowly expanding list of places
to go out and enjoy a meal. That certainly is a compliment to The Greek
Village. Perhaps, though, the best summary of our culinary voyage to the Mediterranean
would be to show you Uncle Gilbert’s plate.
 |
| Aunt Effie, Uncle Gil and Janis |
The Greek Village
11125 Park Blvd Suite 117
Seminole, Florida 33772
Check website
for hours open.
I got as telephone call from Aunt Effie and Uncle Gilbert
the other day. It seems that their old printer had given up the ghost and they
had just purchases a new replacement from Office Depot. It is a sophisticated
printer, scanner, FAX machine with Wi-Fi capability. Printer and scanner are
what they wanted and all the rest was extra that made the installation
intimidating. Somewhere in the background I heard that lunch would be offered. They
do know how to push my buttons but that was all I had to hear and a date was
set for the next day.
They live in a very nice retirement complex that offers
amenities such as an extensive snack bar, the equivalent of a small café, and a
more formal dining room experience the equivalent of a nice restaurant. I have been their guest on two previous
occasions and have blogged both of those experiences. I wasn’t overly anxious
to do a third blog on the same pace so I didn’t even take my camera.
The printer installation was step by step easy and soon all
the ends were tied up and the operator training completed. It was time for
lunch. That is when I found out that we were going out for lunch to a place
Gilbert and Effie had learned about from a neighbor. When I heard it was called
The Greek Village I was a bit surprised. Ethnic restaurants are not the usual
fare for Gilbert and Effie. After a quick plea, Gilbert and Effie were kind
enough to lend me their camera for the outing.
 |
| Ham and Chicken Breast On Pita Bread With Greek Salad |
It was a short drive to the restaurant. It is in a very new
appearing strip mall very near the Larger Seminole Mall complex. They have
apparently moved recently because the plant looks cleaner and newer than their
stated 29-years in business. Everything is very clean and neat, very inviting
especially the glass display case as you enter with tiers of mouth-watering
desserts.
The interior is comfortable low level lighting, the décor is
Mediterranean and you have a choice of tables or booths. We were escorted to a
booth on the divider making a split dining room and would probably provide a
lower noise level during busy times. There were several other diners in the restaurant
but it was nowhere near capacity and noise level was minimum; table
conversation was low and relaxed.
 |
| Ham on Toasted Rye Bread With Greek Salad |
The menu is extensive and offers appetizers, salads, soups,
pita specialties and sandwiches, combination platters and a large selection of
Greek and Mediterranean-themed dinners. There is a small selection of children’s
dishes, pastas with meatballs or chicken in red or feta sauce. There is also a
large selection of wines to choose from.
It was a lunch visit and our attention was directed at the pita
specialties and sandwiches section; there are a lot of things to choose from.
Aunt Effie ordered the Baked Ham and Turkey Breast Toasted Oven Sandwich.
($8.50 Toasted Oven Sandwiches with Greek Salad - Choose pita, sub roll, whole wheat
or rye bread with melted provolone cheese) She chose the pita bread. It was
similar to what she ordered on her first visit and she wanted to try it again.
When served, the sandwich and salad is a large plate of intimidating
proportion. Over the course of a relaxed lunch she was able to eat all of her
meal saying that it was very good.
 |
| Meatball Parmesan on Sub Roll With Greek Salad |
Uncle Gil ordered the Baked Ham Toasted Oven Sandwich. ($8.50
Toasted Oven Sandwiches with Greek Salad - Choose pita, sub roll, whole wheat
or rye bread with melted provolone cheese) He chose the rye bread. There were
nice thick slices of toasted rye bread with ample sliced ham filling. With the
salad it was a very ample meal that he was able to finish handily. He did enjoy
the meal.
Janis ordered the Meatball Parmesan Toasted Parmesan
Sandwich. ($8.50 Toasted Parmesan Sandwiches with Greek Salad – On pita or sub
roll with our homemade sauce topped with melted provolone cheese and parmesan
cheese) She chose the sun roll. It was a large sandwich with a half-dozen large
meatballs in a thick marinara-style sauce with lots of melted cheese. With the
salad on the side it was a large lunch. Surprisingly, she finished her
sandwich; there was no need for a doggie bag this day! She said she enjoyed her
meal very much.
 |
| Chicken Gyro With Greek Salad |
I ordered a gyro, Chicken Breast Strips on Pita ($8.50 Pita
Bread Specialties with Greek Salad – wrapped with tomatoes, red onions, feta
cheese and Zaziki (sic) Dip on the side) It was a well filled sandwich. The
edges of the pita bread were just able to meet. There was lots of chicken,
tomato and onion inside. It was flavorful; the chicken was well seasoned and
succulent. The tomato was flavorful, red, firm and nicely ripe. The tzatziki
sauce was cool, mild and refreshing. There was just enough of it but I would
have preferred a bit more. I could have asked more I’m sure (the staff was
attentive and eager to please) but I would have liked a bit more of the
tzatziki instead of rationing it.
The salad was a mix of crisp salad greens, cherry tomatoes, slices
of cucumber, red onion, a Greek olive and a pepperoncini. It was topped with an
in-house signature dressing. Actually, the salad was very good; neither I nor
my companions had any difficulty in finishing our salad portions. I did,
however, find it curious that so little or misdirected effort was made in the
plating of the salad. True, someone plated the lettuce greens and from
containers allotted the requisite tomatoes, cucumber slices and then added the
dressing. It just had the appearance of being plopped on the plate and not neatly
plated as the picture of a Greek salad in their menu would infer. It tasted
just fine it just looked a bit unkempt. All in all, though, I thoroughly
enjoyed my meal and mentally posted it as a place to return for another chicken
gyro.
As for my companions, how was their dining experience? Janis
is not what I would call an ethnic food person. In some ways the dietary
choices are very limited. I would not before this day have considered that she
would have ventured into a Greek restaurant not knowing what lurked inside.
However, after today, The Greek Village is on a slowly expanding list of places
to go out and enjoy a meal. That certainly is a compliment to The Greek
Village. Perhaps, though, the best summary of our culinary voyage to the Mediterranean
would be to show you Uncle Gilbert’s plate.Labels: chicken, Greek, gyro, ham, parmesan, pita, provolone, salad, tzatziki, village, zaziki
¶ 1:00 AM 0 Comments
