Brano's

On our last full day in Cocoa Beach, we experienced a 20 degree change in temperature from the previous day and it was not a day to soak up the sun on the beach.

We chose to have our main meal at lunch today ...

At "Brano's Italian Grill"...a great choice.

We first visited this restaurant on Sunday night with our friends, Susie Q and her hubby who had just returned from a Carribean Cruise ... we enjoyed an evening of good company, delicious tasting food and equally delicious wine!

On our second visit the food was equally as good and delicious!

Msr. Honey chose the Shrimp Scampi  ... A delectable dish served with linguine, fresh basil in a homemade white wine garlic sauce and equally as good as the Osso Buco he had on Sunday.

Msr. Honey was trying to deconstruct the sauce on his shrimp scampi and asked someone he assumed was the owner ...because he seemed to have his eyes and fingers on the pulse of all the activity in restaurant.

He asked this gentleman if he could get the recipe from the chef... that is when we were introduced to and realized that this gentleman was none other than Brano himself, the friendly chef/owner! 

We had a very interesting conversation with Brano who explained he was in early this day to make the sauces and do some schmoozing with the clients.

Brano lived south of Rome before coming to America.

Osso Buco served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes...

Delicious "Tilapia and Shrimp Tuscany" served with fresh tomato and basil, al dente coloured carrots and broccoli, creamy mashed potatoes and a spicy romalade sauce and a crisp salad was my choice and a good one at that!

All entrees are served with yummy garlic rolls!

As a finishing touch, we ordered one slice of key lime pie with two forks perfect for sharing...

You should make "Brano's Italian Grill" a destination when visiting Cocoa Beach, Florida...you won't be  disappointed, the food served is delicious and the atmosphere with soft background music with an Italian ambiance (theme from The Godfather, Volare by Dean Martin, and many more) is the perfect recipe for a pleasant dining experience.

www.branositaliangrill.com

Life is a Beach!

Upon leaving Pompano Beach in the south near Ft. Lauderdale, we travelled north along the Florida coastline.

Our first stop was the Vero Beach/ Sebastian area where we visited with some friends who are true snowbirds spending many of the winter months in the south.

Weather the first day in Sebastian was great, the next two days we were baptized with the near constant rain which forced us to go shopping! Oh me, oh my!  No beach time in Sebastian this trip!

Now we are in Cocoa Beach, we booked a last minute option on the internet which turned out to be a wonderful pick for our last week in the sunshine.

The International Palms Resort is a beach / ocean side motel resort, with two pools, one heated and the other for the kids with a pirate ship and slides in the middle, a beach side restaurant/ bar and a pool bar, plus another restaurant that serves breakfast. 

Great choice Msr. Honey...our room overlooks the ocean and there is a walkway that leads us directly to the sandy beach and the vast spanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

Oh yes, I can't forget the hammocks perfect for afternoon siestas.

Our balcony provides panaromic views of the sunrise...if we are awake and up at 7:20AM to see it!

There are photos in the post from all the places we visited along the eastern Atlantic Coast of Florida!

Hope you enjoy and find some respite if you are in one the areas in the world that are experiencing this year's harsh winter!

A Sunday of "Celebration"!

The day started with my early morning walk under blue skies mottled by fluffy white clouds.

The birds on the purple lamp posts were serenading each other and added a lift to my day.

An egret in the pond with the ducks...

A grasshopper wanted to join me on my walk...

After my walk, we went to check out the Farmer's Market and the town of Celebration.

Celebration founded in 1994 is a planned community known as "Disney's Dream Town" and designed like a 1930s' southern American village.

This place is definitely worth another visit, the town center has a beautiful lake which has a walking path all the way around it and the downtown streets are lined with many cafés and shoppes.

The cinema...movie theatre

               

We made a few purchases of fresh local fruit .... delicious navel oranges grown in the groves in Haines City and the best strawberries ever from Plant City... grandson Caden would have approved of these sweet red treats!

The hotel...

A blue heron hunting frogs lakeside.

The lake is bordered by beautiful two tone orange yellow water irises.

An interactive fountain ...what a fun way to amuse and keep the little ones cool on a hot sunny day!