A Proper Pie

Any time we see a British flag advertising something we immediately become curious. But if there is a British flag and the words "British Groceries" that's enough for slamming on the brakes and doing a quick U-turn. That is unless you are barreling down Route 27 in central Florida at eight in the evening trying to keep with the people who have all your worldly possessions in a cargo trailer as they careen towards their home in Sebring, Florida.  I don't know how Jamie clocked that sign in the gloaming but he did and some several weeks later we went back up Rt. 27 in search of it.

It turns out The Proper Pie Company is located 50 miles north of Sebring in Davenport, Florida. We made our third pilgrimage there last week and as ever, it was worth the drive.  Being married to an Englishman, the name Proper Pie Company immediately made me chuckle.  I'm told that prospective travellers to America of the British persuasion are often concerned that while on holiday here they won't be able to get "a proper pint, a proper pie or proper cup of tea."  Well there's no worries about the pies, mate, I assure you. While "pie" typically means a sweet filling here in the States, for a Yorkshireman it immediately brings to mind fillings like 'steak and kidney' and 'steak and Guinness'.  The Proper Pie Company has those and more.

When you walk through the door it's hard to know where to look first.  Straight ahead is the counter and a glass domed cake plate full of fresh scones. Behind the scones is the kitchen where at any given time you will see pastries in all stages of production, including the blissful view of pies and pasties just coming out of the oven.  There is no way you cannot want something in this place.  To the right of the scones is a display cooler full of pastries ready to go home with you.  Cornish pasties.  Banger rolls. Scotch eggs.  And the pies. Steak and Guinness.  Steak and Mushroom.  Vegetable.  Chicken Curry.  Chicken and Asparagus and other savory combinations. Fruit pies, too.  And as if there isn't enough on the first two shelves to tempt you, the bottom shelf has different types of soda, like Tango and Vimto, as well as the American standards, and boxes of Mr. Kipling's Cherry Bakewells, Battenburgs, French Fancies and Viennese Whirls.

There's a whole selection of frozen options to put in the cooler--from fish fingers to Yorkshire puddings, back bacon and English bangers.  We couldn't resist the sausages nor the bacon so we got both as a house warming present for ourselves, even though we had two of the sausages yesterday for breakfast and we don't start moving until tomorrow.  The bangers are fantastic and reminded us instantly of the sausages we had for breakfast at the Edward Lear Hotel in London the morning of our fiancee visa interview at the US Embassy.

The rest of the shop is given over to decidedly British groceries.  Pots of jams and curds.  Jars of sauces.  Tins of Heinz beans and tomato soup.  PG Tips tea.  Readybrek, Weetabix and Porage. Boxes and boxes of Cadbury chocolate concoctions. Bags and bags of crisps (potato chips) and packets of McVities digestives. It's enough to make us both swoon and start piling things on the counter. To top it all off, the couple that runs The Proper Pie Company, Derek and Beverly Gibson, are just plain lovely to visit with. Here's a great article on them.

http://www.83degreesmedia.com/features/pies020811.aspx       

On our first visit, Beverly said to be sure and give them a call if we were heading up again and wanted a fresh pie as she would be happy to put one in the oven so it would be hot when we got there. When we told them last week that it would probably be our last visit for a while because of the move to Bradenton, they told us they have a booth at the soon to be nearby St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market starting up in October and to be sure and give a call or send an email if we would like them to bring any groceries from the shop.  What treasures!  The Proper Pie Shop is one of our happiest finds in Florida.

Visit The Proper Pie Company online at http://www.theproperpiecompany.com/ for a look at their menu and mercantile and for directions to the shop plus a listing of the Farmers Markets where you can find them in several spots across Florida.  Have pies will travel!

Davenport on Dwellable

Regional Cuisine

Menu offerings you are not likely to find everywhere I'm guessing.

Dundee, Florida 2011

Sinton, Texas 2009

Sinton, Texas 2010    Chicken liver and gizzard prices seem to be holding steady.

Cocoa Beach, Florida 2011   Might want to be careful where you sit.

Cocoa Beach on Dwellable

Paris in Your Mouth

We were back at St. Armand's Circle for a bit more exploring after a day in Sarasota checking out possible neighborhoods for our next apartment. If you are not ready for a meal yet it's easy to walk past an Irish pub or a Japanese sushi bar but who can resist French pastries?  Le Macaron beckoned with promises of espresso, chocolates, gelato and yes, macarons.  We answered the call.

French macarons first entered my vocabulary thanks to my foodie friend Anne back in Austin.  She is always up to date on what's hot in the food world and, being a gluten-free girl by necessity, gets really excited when she finds something delicious and indulgent.  French macarons are just that--egg white, ground almonds and sugar plus whatever you make for a filling.   They are very different from traditional coconut macaroons so keep that in mind.  French macaroons are light and squidgy and there's something very naughty about something so little tasting so good.

The good news is Le Macaron had atleast twenty different flavors to choose from.  The bad news is that the little buggers are $1.80 each so dreams of walking out with a colorful box full will be tempered by your wallet. So we advise you be very zen about it all and embrace the intimate experience of selecting just one to try and savoring it.  That's what Jamie did.  He chose a white chocolate and basil macaron and ordered a double espresso to go with it. I was needing a cool down and ordered a cup of lemon sorbet.  Everything was fantastic.  The combination of sweet and savory in that little macaron was at first really strange.  You smell the basil before your tastebuds kick in.  But then your brain says hey, this isn't pesto, it's white chocolate!  Mmmmm.  Great with coffee or sorbet.

We sat on a couch near the door and watched people come and go as we lingered over our treats.  During the hour we were there, each person that left had a box of macarons in their hands.  Some sat for a bit, enjoying gelato and fabulous looking croissants and pain au chocolat at little iron tables along the pink walls.  I overheard one lady picking out chocolates. She must have spent a fortune. 

When John Ringling conceived St. Armand's Circle, he envisioned Europe with all its best offerings being available to visitors.  A visit to Le Macaron is certainly in keeping with Ringling's aspirations.  It was like being back in Paris, sitting outside a cafe, caught up in the swirl of people and beautiful food. 

http://www.lemacaron-us.com/ 


(Photo were gleaned from Google.  We were too busy eating to think to take pictures!)

Pizza Venezia

En route home from Sarasota, St. Armand's Circle was a totally unexpected place.  Full of posh shops and eateries, it's like something out of a crazy dream and in fact, it owes its beginnings to the fabulous mind of John Ringling and the Greatest Show on Earth.   We had just spent a few hours at Siesta Key Beach and were sunburnt and ravenous, a far cry from the sleek and polished beautiful people that were sauntering past.  Sergio Mendes' 'Girl from Ipanema' kept floating through my head as one goddess and adonis after another walked by. After peeking at a number of menus as we explored the circle, we settled on Venezia.  The doors were open, the place looked cool and the smells were amazing. 

It took a bit of deciding but we settled on

HOMEMADE CRAB CAKES: served with caper aioli sauce.........$11.95

and a pizza

CAPRICCIOSA: tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushroom,artichokes, olives and ham.....$15.50

The crabcakes were the best we've ever had.  You only get two, which seems pricey until you start eating.  They are full of crabmeat, not lots of bready filling and they are glorious. One with a side salad would be a meal, but you will want two!

Venezia offers Peroni on tap which made Jamie very happy. He was just finishing his first when the pizza arrived, placed atop an empty tomato sauce can which was a brilliant idea. The crust was just the way we like it, thin, crispy and actually tasty.  The pizza itself was  plain delicious with good quantities of all the toppings and big enough that we took a portion home.

We decided to go the whole nine yards and have dessert as it was still a two hour drive home.  We split a piece of chocolate cake.  Jamie had a double espresso and I had a cappucino which was a work of art when it arrived.  Oh my, what gorgeous food.                   http://venezia1966.com/

http://www.starmandscircleassoc.com/about.cfm

Siesta Key on Dwellable