Food: Stay Classy, Tallahassee

While the trial competition didn't work out quite like I'd planned, I did get a free trip to Tallahassee. It was the first time I had ever been to Florida's capital city. If you ever find yourself in Tallahassee, Florida, here's some quick reviews of where we ate (and drank, after finding out the results):

Po' Boys - I've been to New Orleans and had some excellent "poor boys" (seafood-filled submarine sandwiches), so comparing the real thing to this Florida chain might be a bit unfair. Still, the downtown location we visited had pretty miserable service, although the actual food wasn't terrible. Don't get the jambalaya - it's a gooey, flavorless mess.

1/4 stars

Andrew's Downtown - A sports bar in downtown Tallahassee has a quite different challenge than a sports bar elsewhere. You're in a high-faluting setting, so the normal fare (chicken wings, burgers, fries) won't quite cut it. Still, that doesn't mean your menu will actually be any better than the neighborhood sports bar; for instance, my sesame-crusted tuna was served with near-inedible rice pilaf. The Guinness on tap was warm, too - give me Ale House any day.

1/4 stars

Fusion Cafe - We were a bit adrift after finding out we weren't advancing to the semifinals, so it was time for a little drinking. Fusion is a pretty good place for it - there's a separate bar area with a ton of relaxed seating and full food service. I was a bit surprised - not only did they serve up a decent Irish Car Bomb, but the food (Asian fusion - mostly sushi - with some random menu items like steak) wasn't bad.

2/4 stars

Red Elephant Pizza and Grill - No, it's not a secret GOP think tank, but a casual restaurant chain with a handful of locations. I could see it becoming pretty popular; the portions weren't bad, and most of the food was decent. I liked my salad that had chicken salad on top, and I'm not even a big chicken salad fan.

2/4 stars