Dishcrawl Tampa - Palma Ceia

A few weeks ago, I posted about a new foodie experience in Tampa called Dishcrawl. I went on a culinary adventure in Tampa's Palma Ceia neighborhood on Tuesday evening with a fun group of fellow foodies. Dishcrawl is similar to a pub crawl but with food instead of booze. It's a wonderful chance to meet new people while eating amazing food.

I am going to share what we experienced through the night with you. The next Dishcrawl will be in a few weeks, on February 26th in Tampa's Hyde Park. Tickets are $45 and according to the Dishcrawl website, only three remain as of today. Click here for more details.

 Stop #1 was Catrinas Cocina y Galeria. This was my first encounter at Catrina's and I was blown away at the authenticity of the cuisine. We were served three courses, Chile en Nogada, Guacamole Catrinas and Quesadille Huitlacoche.

Guacamole Catrinas

Since Catrina's opened 10 months ago, I have been dying to stop in and try the Guacamole Catrinas. Avocados topped with lobster, shrimp, cheese and pomegranate seeds...I mean, really. It was as delicious as it sounds.

Chile en Nogada

Chile en Nogada: poblano chiles filled with picadillo (a mixture of meat, nuts, fruits and spices) then covered with a walnut cream sauce, called nogada, and then dazzled with gorgeous pomegranate seeds. The green chiles, the white cream sauce and the red pomegranate seeds reflect the colors of the Mexican flag.

Quesadille Huitlacoche

Quesadille Huitlacoche: Lightly fried corn tortilla filled with corn truffle, poblano peppers, onions and cheese. I was super excited to try this dish since it had corn truffle in it. It was very good and executed perfectly.

Stop #2 was down the street at Cru Cellars. I visited Cru for the first time in November and was very excited to go back. They did not let us down. Upon walking in, I saw massive plates with Cru Burger sliders,Tuna Tartare,  Roasted Mushroom Orzo and Croquettas.

Cru Burger

My prized photo of the evening happened to be one of my favorite dishes as well, the Cru Burger Sliders served on a pretzel bun. It happened to be one of the best sliders I have ever had. At Cru, you can order this with your choice of cheese and housemade pickles.

Tuna Tartare

Tuna Tartare was excellent with avocado, cucumber, and you could taste the sriracha. Served on crispy wontons. YUM.

I did not have an opportunity to try the Roasted Mushroom Orzo and Croquettas as I left that for the vegetarians of the group. I have had the Orzo before and it is spectacular. On to stop #3......

 Stop #3 was a food truck, Hott Mess who served Pork Tenderloin Sliders, Buffalo Tater Tots,  Chili and a Mimosa cupcake. Around this time, I started hitting food coma but knew it wasn't time to quit yet.

Buffalo Chicken Tater Tots

The buffalo chicken tater tots were out of this world. If I had this served with Cru's burger slider, I would be in culinary bad girl heaven. The tots were topped w/ shredded buffalo chicken, buffalo sauce, homemade ranch, bleu cheese crumbles, lettuce & tomato.

Pork Sliders

The pork slider was breaded with panko and fried, served on a hawaiin roll. It was a fun twist on a slider!

Chili

The chili was Megan approved. I am a bit of a chili snob and this I would tell anyone to purchase. It was slow simmered with steak, black angus ground beef and beans. Topped with sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese & scallions.

Stop #4, the final of the night was at one of my local favorite restaurants, Datz. Upon looking at the menu, I became very excited. It consisted of a Honey Badger cocktail, Bacon Blue Cheese Chocolate Truffles, Tuna Tartar Wontons and Shishito Peppers.

Honey Badger

The Honey Badger was just awesome.  Bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup. I am normally not a Bourbon gal but I digged this cocktail.

Bacon Blue Cheese Chocolate Truffles

Yes, you read it correct up there - Bacon Blue Cheese Chocolate Truffles. Served over Truffle powder at that. WOAH is all I can say. I am not a fan of the blue cheese but I am obsessed with chocolate covered bacon. Although the blue cheese was a little strong for my taste, this was good. If you are a fan of bacon, blue cheese and chocolate, you may have died and gone to heaven.

Tuna Tartar

Tuna Tartar made a second appearance of the evening although it was much different than the one we had at Cru earlier in the night. Datz used yellow fin and served it on top of a sesame salad. YUMMERS! I loved it.

Shishito Peppers

Finally, the evil pepper. This is not my first encounter with the Shishito Peppers. Shishito Peppers are blistered, topped with sriracha aioli and smoked sea salt. About one in ten is very hot. I had these the first time with my friend Lauren, who happened to be with me this night. Lauren drew the short stick and started with a very hot pepper. Datz Chef Jason informed us that since the peppers are in season, the hot ones are hotter than usual. I ate two and stayed away, not wanting to take the chance. Just because I am a chicken - if you can handle the heat, order these. They are my favorite yet I am petrified of them.

 Datz has a sister coming into town and her name is Dough.

Dough Donuts

Dough is a bakery adjacent to Datz restaurant. They treated us to a box of 6 donuts. Good lord I am in trouble. First, the sign outside of Dough said coming soon, Bacon Lattes. I asked Chef Jason if this is true and he said yes. Leave it to Datz. I live with the doughnut connoisseur of the world and he told me multiple times that these donuts were the best he has ever had in his life. I was super excited to find a bacon doughnut in the bunch! I cannot wait for Dough to open to the public. We ate Dough Donuts...Homer Simpson would say Doh and be proud of this box.