Friday and Saturday: June 11 & 12

2010 FOUNTAIN MERCURY KING BUSTER 400
Put your fishing skills to the test in the premiere Southern Kingfish competition of the year - with over $175,000 in cash and prizes! The tournament kicks off on Wednesday with a children's fishing outing from the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, located at Avenida Menendez and the Bridge of Lions. The King Buster 400 is limited to 400 boats. There are Captains' Meetings on Thursday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fishing days are Friday and Saturday. There will be a party with live music Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and prizes will be awarded Saturday evening. Tournament entry fees are $449.50. Lady Anglers register for free. For more information, call 904.759.6588 or visit www.kingbuster400.com .


Friday, Saturday and Sunday: June 11-13

LIMELIGHT THEATRE: DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Enjoy the classic Arthur Miller's drama about Willy Loman, a salesman who is past his prime and sinking fast. The show takes place through June 20, at Limelight Theatre, located at 11 Old Mission Road in St. Augustine. Show times are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. matinees only. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $20 for students and military. For more information, call 904.825.1164 or visit www.limelight-theatre.org.

Saturday: June 12

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
As a typical day in 1740 St. Augustine draws to a close, soldiers guarding the Governors House are dismissed for the night by their replacements. As they retire for the evening, the soldiers fall into formation and fire a volley of musketry that assures residents that the city of San Agustin is secure for the night. This authentic re-enactment begins at 6:30 p.m. when the St. Augustine Garrison begins their march from the Taberna del Gallo, 35 St. George Street, to the Government House located at the Plaza de la Constitucion. For more information call 904.819.0332or visit http://staugustinegarrison.com.

NATIONAL MARINA DAY
Celebrate National Marina Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor at the base of the Vilano Bridge in St. Augustine. Live music. DJ., food and drinks, nautical flea market, and lots of pirates doing piratical things. Plus, there will be a blindfolded dingy race and a homemade sailboat race. For more information, call 904.829.5676.

In the heart of South Beach,  is a popular restaurant, TAP TAP, which offers authentic Haitain food.  Housed in a non-conspicuous building that you can miss in the blink of the eye, the fanfare decor is all inside.


On the north side of 5th street, (right next to Shell gas station), is the porch entrance and painted mural on one wall. As you walk up the steps, you soon discover every inch of wall, tables and chairs are hand painted by Haitian artists 15 years ago when they fled Haiti. Exuberant, colorful, portly figures and landscape were painted in every room of the restaurant.  It's a humble, happy place.

Appetizer: Pumpkin Soup ($6.00)
The texture was more similar to a chicken soup, stocked with cabbage, yuca, malanga (another root vegetable like the potato) and noodles. There was slight taste of pumpkin with a hint of a spice perhaps clove.  But no dairy or cream is used to make this soup. Definitely different and tasty, hearty and healthy!



We also ordered a medley of appetizers (see photo below) which included the fried slices of sweet potatoe, fried green plantain (which is called tostones in some Spanish-speaking countries), malanga fritters, and goat tidbits. The dipping sauces include a sweet watercress sauce, a spicy cabbage mix (very spicy), and a red creole sauce (non spicy). All were tasty. My  favorite combination was a tie between the fried green plantain dipped in the watercress sauce and the bits of goat meat dipped in creole sauce. Price: $8.00



Malanga is a vegetable root similar to the potato. Here the malanga is cooked, mashed and fried with some cornmeal that it indeed took on that fritter look and taste. Eat it plain or dip it into sauce.

Goat cheese is my weakness but I had never tried goat meat. Tasty, a little tough but I enjoyed every morsel.

For the main course I chose the shrimp in a red creole and coconut sauce accompanied by a soupy cornmeal with beans, which the waitress called a polenta stew for an accurate description. While not packed with flavors or spices, the side dish alone would suffice for a small meal with its rich, thick body of cornmeal and red beans.  Authentic, homemade dishes are not always about powerhouse flavor--but texture, and blend of ingredients that were most likely the only ingredients available in a small town or village.


The red, coconut sauce that engulfed the shrimp was a perfect marriage packed with incredible flavors. After eating the five shrimps, I grabbed the remaining appetizer pieces and dipped them in the creole/coconut sauce. 

The restaurant is fifteen years old and popular with locals.  If you're adventurous and love to try new authentic, ethnic dishes, Tap Tap is a must.

Best time to go? Lunch time is almost empty. I took some clients and there was only one other couple inside. But at night, it's a popular restaurant for locals and it gets pretty crowded.

What does Tap Tap mean? It means a local bus, just like "gua gua" (pronounced wa wa) means bus in Puerto Rico. Below is a picture of their artistically painted jitney.



[Home]

What a treat for children this summer to escape the heat, remain indoors, and continue using those mental and creative skills and learn how to make chocolate! At the Schakolad Factory in Davie, Florida.