Florida — Day two
February 22, 2011
We explored more on Tuesday, going to the Cuban area of Tampa for lunch and paying homage to Red Lobster that night.
Andi took me to Ybor City, the Cuban neighborhood in Tampa, for lunch on Tuesday. She said I had to try their food, and it didn’t disappoint. I had their signature sandwich, which was amazing, and the salad that Andi had was also very good. The waiter swore I was a sister in town visiting Andi (OK, not all that far from the truth =). And the area had some good shopping as well; I finally replaced my ratty old sun hat with a new, natural-colored one.
That night, we made a pilgrimage to Lakeland in honor of the original Red Lobster. While the restaurant wasn’t the true original location (that closed about 10 years ago), I don’t think originality is really a part of the experience. I enjoyed my RL staples — a Lobsterita (a.k.a. enormous margarita) and a platter of my own making, Walt’s fried shrimp with a pound of crab legs on the side. And the restaurant indulged Andrea’s request to mark the special occasion by handing me a live lobster to pet and be photographed with. Really glad this was at the end of our meal; despite my love of seafood, I never want to feel like the executioner.
