Kurdi's Mediterranean Grill in Tampa

A couple weeks ago I had a delicious time at Kurdi's Mediterranean Grill in Downtown Tampa for NHIE's #EatUp. The restaurant is great addition to the Tampa Bay foodie scene, adding more flavor to the explosion of eateries in the area featuring locally sourced ingredients. 

I got to sample a variety of dishes and everything was simply incredible. From the vibrant colored Fattoush Salad, to the perfectly seasoned Mix Grill Platter, lamb chops and flavor-packed Chicken Shawarma wrap... it was all very coveted and I couldn't get enough. 

Even the drinks were amazing. I had a Lychee Martini... and that just goes down like juice (dangerous!). Their drink menu has many other delicious cocktails and also offers locally brewed beers from Cigar City and Green Bench Brewery. 

It was great to get the chance to meet the chefs and learn more about what goes into the dishes and the inspirations for it. The are so many other items on the menu that I have to try on my future dining visits. 

Check out the little video of the dining experience with other fellow bloggers and foodies:

The Great Escape Room in Tampa

This past Sunday I was locked in a room with 7 other friends and we had an hour to get ourselves out.  We ran around the room, pulled books and knick knacks off the shelves and pulled out our hair trying to figure a way out. This is not a plot for a scary movie, it was the Great Escape Room. 

So really I had the pleasure of joining my friends Never Have I Ever Tampa and company to experience the Great Escape Room in Tampa before it officially opens in a couple weeks. The premise of the game is: you are locked in a room for 60 minutes and Sherlock Holmes tells you that you have to work with your team to find clues hidden throughout the room and solve 4 puzzles to find your way out. It's part scavenger hunt and puzzle solving.

My team and I made it out just under 49 minutes. It's definitely a unique experience that I can't wait to bring my friends to! I actually wish I could just watch them all scurry around the room trying to figure it out. Since I already know where all the clues are and how to solve the puzzles, I'm sure watching them would be just as fun. I can't tell you how much fun it was trying to find all of the clues...  not to mention what a great feeling it was to solve the puzzles. They were a bit tricky! I am a nerd for these things. But everyone was so nice, the entire room cheered when each puzzle was solved. We even heard the other room cheering too. So much positivity, I love it.

There are are four other locations in Orlando, Miami, Michigan and DC. And now it's coming to Downtown Tampa! I can imagine how much fun it would be for birthday parties and team building!

If you're ever in the Tampa area and have an hour to spare, definitely check out the Great Escape Room and see if you can escape within the hour.

Fresh Kitchen in South Tampa

I always love trying out new food and exploring new restaurants in the area. A popular restaurant group in the Bay Area, Ciccio Restaurant Group, recently opened another winning restaurant concept just down the street from their other eateries in South Tampa called Fresh Kitchen. This restaurant features healthy and delicious entrees, desserts and cold-press juices. The concept reminds me much of chipotle, where you go down the line choosing your base, meats, veggies and toppings, except everything is healthy. You have your options of bases like quinoa, sweet potato noodles, kale slaw, brown rice and more.

With my friends from Never Have I Ever Tampa, I was able to sample a number of the cold-press juices, gluten-free and paleo friendly desserts and also an entree. It's no secret that I believe the best tasting foods have unspeakable amounts of sugars and fats, so I was a bit hesitant to think that these healthy green juices and paleo-approved snacks could actually taste good. I was wrong. The juices were phenomenal, the brownies, cookies and rice krispy alternatives were great and I cleaned the entire bowl I had of kale slaw, bbq chicken, steak, roasted brussels and green beans.

The location can be a bit tricky to get to since there are limited parking spots, and those spots only have a 7.5 or 16 minute limit. Just enough time to get your order to go, or like many of the patrons, come after your work out. If you are not dressed in workout gear, you are definitely the minority.

Local eateries like this and many others popping up in the area that are focused on healthier options are really transforming the way we view our food. A foodie's dream.

Oxford Exchange

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to do two things I've been wanting to do for quite some time now: visit the Oxford Exchange in Tampa and finally meet a bloggy friend in person. Kristyn from Poppy The Blog was so sweet to meet with me for drinks and explore this cute cafe/shop/restaurant/bookstore/hangout place. 

Yes, it really is all of those things in one.

More after the jump!