All About Abbreviations with Suzanne Andrew

Suzanne Andrews of SMA Solutions and I had lunch today at the VIP Lounge and Mexican Restaurant.

The VIP is located at 10625 Gulf Boulevard on Treasure Island across from the Bilmar. The VIP has been in existence since the 1970's, and although easy to miss, it is a landmark in Treasure Island. There is a long bar that seats up to 18 and some small and medium tables. Large parties can be accomodated on the outside patio.
The ladies room is only one stall and is very small. It was clean, though! I had to laugh when I saw the sign above the toilet:







We started off with an order of chips and salsa ($2.95). The salsa was definitely homemade and not from a jar! The tortilla chips are fresh cut and fried. They are not salted either, which I loved! I usually wipe off too much salt on chips. If you want salt, you can add it yourself. There is so much flavor, though, you might find that salt is not necessary.




The waitress took a very long time to take our order and I changed my mind about what I wanted several times. Debbie knew what she wanted as soon as she sat down and usually I am forced into making a quick decision, but since the waitress was very slow to return, I had extra time to decide what I wanted. Debbie ordered the chimichanga ($9.95 + $2.00 for rice and beans)and I had the "Big Mamu" shredded beef burrito. ($8.95 + $2.00) My burrito was so big, it had its own plate and the rice and beans were served on another plate!
The discussion between Suzanne and I ended up being a lot of acronyms and abbreviations. I ordered the BAB (Big Ass Burrito), Suzanne ordered the SMC (Shrimp Mole Chimichanga) and hers was DFG (Deep Fried Goodness.) We talked about terms we've used such as JBF and NSF and even her business name SMA Solutions. It's funny how everyone knows what you are talking about when you ask for a PB&J.
We had such a great time at lunch today. I am trying to decide whether I should do a TOP 10 list or some other sort of thing. Best of categories perhaps. Anyone have any suggestions, let me know, because you know I do it all for you, baby!!

Who Would Have Thought A Hot Dog Could Be So Much Fun?!

****** UPDATE **** RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED ********

I stumbled upon the most fabulous place and I just couldn't wait to share it with you. Hot Dog 66 is located at 4000 Ulmerton Road across from the Cracker Barrel. Hot Dog 66 had three items on their menu: hot dogs, salads and big baked potatoes. The 66 comes from 66 toppings from which to choose!

This is a wonderful concept and I wish I would have thought of it! There are three different size hot dogs. The mini - 6" ($2.75), regular - 10" ($4.00) and the Jumbo (pink cadillac) which is 1/2 pound of pure beef and 12 inches long ($8.00)!!

Once you pick your size, you can select your toppings. You can select standard toppings that you can find anywhere, such as cheese, chili, jalapenos and onions.

There is a menu board with 4 different combinations which you can choose.

Or, you can go wild and pick things like coconut, asparagus, avocado, bamboo, corn, dried cranberry, pineapple, sesame seeds..the list just goes on and on!

There are also numerous homemade sauces including, but not limited to, A1, Blueberry butch sauce, cilantro sauce, chive alioli sauce, hummus, strawberry garlic sauce and wasabi! I decided to go wild and order things I would never think to order on a hot dog.

The toppings on this particular dog were red onions, green peppers, banana peppers, asparagus, cactus, coconut flakes and sundried tomatoes.

I also ordered a baked potato. The novelty of putting anything I want on a baked potato was too awesome for me to pass. My toppings on the potato were sour cream, corn, mozzarella cheese, sundried tomatoes, salsa and chives.

When I left, I called my friend Julie to tell her I was on my way to pick her up and she asked me to bring her a hot dog. Luckily, for her, I had forgotten my notebook and I had to go back anyway. Julie just wanted a chili cheese dog, but with all of these toppings, I just had to get her something else. That is when I decided she must have the "Morning After Dog." Actually, the taste of butterfinger on the hot dog was an awesome flavor combination. One of the guys was telling me about a man that comes in every week and gets the Jumbo with peanut butter, jelly, anchovies and ...I can't remember the 4th thing. Either way, you can definitely get whatever you want here!!