2021 Dining

 My plan to try 26 new places a year has fallen short due to the pandemic. I am slowly getting back out.

There have only been five new places in the past year:

1. Cocoa Beach Fish Camp located in Cocoa Beach (Great)
2. Pineapples EGAD located in Eau Gallie (Great to Excellent)
3. Lazy Turtle Riverfront Grill located in Palm Bay (Great)
4. Walk-ons Sports Bistreaux located in Viera (Excellent)
5. Tuscany Grill (new location) located in Viera (Excellent)

My latest visit was this past Tuesday at the new relocated Tuscany Grill in Viera. For many years they were on North Wickham Road but did not have their lease renewed. I think the new place may work out for the better. It is a lot bigger than the old place. My old company ENSCO used them for years as a place for going away luncheons, retirement parties or just a Birthday celebration.

The new front entrance...

Sign on the side

Upon entering, they have a large waiting area and a big Hostess desk. There were a few groups waiting to be seated but it was not too crowded for a Tuesday. The main dining room was to the right but I eyed a bar to the left. I asked if I could sit there since no one else was at the bar. The waitress handed me a drink menu and a lunch menu. They do have a separate dinner menu for evening diners.

The main courses are Italian and they are known for great food. I ordered a Stella Artois in honor of my mother (Stella) and the waitress also brought me a glass of water. I enjoyed perusing the menu as I sipped on my beer. I had just come from the Viera Wetlands and I was a little parched, so I appreciated the water.

The bar was a nice area and another gentleman sat a few seats down so I was not the only afternoon drunk. He was drinking wine and I was drinking beer. Here is a view of my beer and the bar area...

Behind me was a smaller room (in photo) and you could see into the main dining room that was being used. There was another large room at the end of the bar (to thee left in this photo) but I did not take a picture since there were people in there too. It looks like it would be a great space for large groups.

They do bring a complimentary basket of bread with a green butter or dip, I was not sure. I did see on the menu that a second basket would be charged at $3. I did not need one so it did not bother me.

Most of the lunch specials come with a choice of soup or salad. I went with the Caesar salad, one of my favorites. There were other choices and additions for a small fee.

My entrée for lunch was the Eggplant Rollatini. This was served over spaghetti. Back in the day, they use to roll up some ham or other spiced Italian meats. Nowadays, they try to keep it Vegetarian with just different cheeses. Either way, it is still a favorite of mine. This one had no meat.

Overall, the place was Excellent. As I was leaving the owners saw I had a fancy camera and I showed them these pictures. They liked them and they want someone to take more exterior shots. I said I would share these with them.

I had mentioned the place has been around a long tome. Here is a picture of the front when it was in a strip mall on North Wickham Road (behind the Dairy Queen).

Inside, back in 2010, we were celebrating the retirement of Emy (on the left), sharing the moment with co-worker Kathy.

Another retirement party was held in the banquet room at the old place back in 2011. This is Dr. Fred receiving his crystal ENSCO logo from the big boss Al.

This is another shot from Fred's party, showing the size of the banquet room. The new place is much bigger than this...

I may be able to hit a few more new places before the end of the year, but I will not hit my goal of 26. Hopefully, I can get back on track in 2022...