Otis/ The Top/ Gainesville, FL

Our next waiter comes from one of my favorite restaurant/bars in Gainesville: The Top. This place boasts eclectic decor, an array of vegetarian and meaty dishes, a great bar, and, of course, cute waiters!

My last visit to The Top was on a Tuesday night after the mayoral election in Gainesville and the entire Democratic Party was there to, well, party! (We're in a runoff by the way) I was there with a lovely group of ladies from my doctoral program and we had a blast. Our cute waiter Otis helped out with that for sure. Otis is the kind of cutie who has that rugged, bearded, awesome look. I personally want to go camping with him and jam out with a guitar next to a blazing fire. What would you do with Otis?


As I mentioned, the ladies and I went to The Top on a Tuesday, which is a special day. Each Tuesday, The Top serves up its usual yummy-licious fare, alongside the specials: TACOS! These are no regular tacos, however. Mine were made with sushi-grade tuna and the ones featured below were fried grouper tacos. Not your typical taco.

This is a great place to go for a drink after work, dinner, late night fun, or even Sunday brunch. If you are in Gainesville you would be remiss if you didn't take a moment to stop by this local favorite.

Love and yum,
Amy

Sergio/California Pizza Kitchen/ Wellington, Fl

Hello dear bloggers! As you already know I am quite inundated with schoolwork right now. However, that doesn't mean that I can't write a blog or two about some cute waiters. In fact, I think that blogging is the perfect remedy for the PhD blues that I am currently experiencing. So it is in the spirit of de-stressing that I bring you this next cutie.

I must confess that I was not there when this particular cutie pie came about. My darling mother and aunt Jenny (shout out!!!) scoped out this guy and apparently, he was REALLY into the idea of being on the blog. He thinks this makes him a celebrity. All I can say is that I love the enthusiasm! So, Sergio, here's your post. Even though I wasn't there to see this boy in person, I must agree that he is adorable. The fact that he's from Columbia only aids his cuteness status. But don't trust me (or my mom). Take a look for yourself!



Unfortunately, I can't really comment on the food as much as the waiter because...well...evidently aunt Jenny didn't quite understand that you have to take a picture of the food BEFORE you eat it. She will learn! But I can say that California Pizza Kitchen is consistently one of mom's and my favorite place to go for lunch. We prefer local restaurants to chains, but the food and atmosphere at CPK is upbeat and we just like it. The salads are unique and perfectly prepared, the hummus and pita is warm and delicious and the soups are yummy too. You can even get two soups in one cup if you want. I think that's pretty special. Oh. And I guess some people like the pizzas too. We just usually don't have them in favor of appetizer assortments. ;-)

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

An Apology. A Confession. A Promise.

Hello readers. I would like to apologize for the delay in adding cute waiters to the blog. To be sure, many have been found, yet I have not reported on them or the treats they brought mom and I.

I feel I must confess to you readers who might not know that I (Amy) am not only a blogger but a student in a rigorous doctoral program. The current delay on the hotties comes not from lack of desire to report but my own inability to reserve time for my postings.

It is with this in mind that I wish to present a promise. I promise that I have been diligently seeking out cute waiters. What's more, I've gotten others involved and mom and my Aunt Jenny have also been scoping out the cuties. I have about five reviews to write and I will do so soon.

I can't wait to introduce you to Otis, Sergio, Andres (this one is a GOOD one), Roberto, and a few others.

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

Daisy and Sarah/ Paramount / Gainesville, FL

Hi all! Well, our trip to Austin is officially over. Sad, but true. However, the cute waiter scoping and deliciousness of our food exploits will continue! This restaurant is one of my favorites in Gainesville because the food is unique and delectable. The first time I ever went to Paramount Grill was years ago for brunch. I remember thinking that all the menu items sounded a little strange to me, but when they arrived on the table they were all beautifully presented and they definitely made my mouth very happy. This is also true of dinner. Look at this understated and clean beet salad that mom had.

What's so interesting about the flavors in this particular salad, as well as the vegan tomato, chick pea, asparagus soup was that, upon taking the first bite, they seemed a little...well, bland. But after eating more (and more and more and more) you realize that these appetizers are much more than they appear to be. The tastes are subtle, to be sure, but phenomenal.

What made it even better was that the waitresses, like our food, were just as gentle in their manner but wonderful. Sarah (on the left) was a little shy at first but she warmed up to the idea of being featured on the blog by the end of the night. Daisy (on the right) didn't actually serve us anything but she is just so darn cute that we had to include her as well. These two had complete control over the restaurant the entire night and did so with ease and elegance. We really liked these ladies! Wouldn't you?

To make things even better, mom and I really did a good job of ordering. She had the pork dish served with a buttery polenta that really just melted in your mouth--it was so rich! I had the seared tuna with a white bean cake under it. I honestly ate every last bite! Mom wanted to try some and I was hesitant, to say the least. But could you blame me? The meal itself is featured below!


We again could not resist ourselves before launching into our desserts. I fear there will never be a photo of dessert on this blog because we just can't help ourselves! This time it was truly worth it because we ordered two scrumptious treats! We had the pine nut, maple tart, a la mode and the chocolate truffle cheesecake. Can you understand our lack of restraint now?

Did I mention we drank a fabulous wine? We did. It was called Z'ivo, a pinot noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. These are some of my favorite wines in the entire world. If you have never tried a pinot from Oregon, you are missing out my friends! Just look at the satisfied look on my own dear face.


This meal was definitely delicious and Sarah and Daisy made the experience all the more enjoyable. Go to Paramount Grill for a special occasion or just because you are hungry. Either way, you will be supremely satisfied!

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

Sean/ Mizu / Austin, TX

For our last Austin dinner, we decided to do something a little different and tried out Mizu, a trendy sushi bar and steakhouse that overlooks a beautiful vista. We sat on the heated patio and enjoyed the view, the food, and the drinks all night long. Though our dinner neighbors left something to be desired, with their obnoxiously loud and obscene conversation (according to Mom). But despite the terrible patrons, we enjoyed Mizu's great service and good food.

Mom doesn't like sushi, so she ordered the 6 oz. Filet Mignon. I, on the other hand, adore sushi and ordered two rolls--a spicy tuna roll and a specialty roll. The sushi is pictured below. You all know what a steak looks like--right? Unless you are vegetarians. In which case, um...we're sorry.


But we wouldn't recommend going to Mizu just for the food. Not by a long shot. Our waiter Sean was an authentic Texan treat! His Texan accent and southern charm won us over and his excellent skills as a waiter didn't hurt either. He even chilled our wine to perfection upon request. This guy is a gem and we just loved him. Take a look at Sean!



Sean, the view, and the food were all good. But we have to be honest. The best part of our entire experience at Mizu was definitely the dessert and French pressed coffee. Unfortunately, there are no real pictures of the desserts because we simply devoured them too darn fast! The closest we got is this picture of me (Amy) about to devour a bite of the ginger creme brulee. We also had some chocolate mousse dusted with peanut butter. These desserts were out of this world and we just loved them! I think you can tell by the excited look on my face!


We would definitely recommend trying Mizu if you ever find yourself in the lake region of Austin. For us, it was the perfect way to finish our deliciously cute trip.

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

Jamie/ Hey Cupcake/ Austin, TX

Okay, we know that we promise cute waiters. But we really couldn't resist this next person because as we drove down the road back to our hotel, we noticed a shiny trailer with a HUGE spinning CUPCAKE!!! on the top of it. Could you resist this?

No, we couldn't either! Then, once we arrived at the trailer we realized that we'd gotten even more than we could have imagined. It is true that Hey Cupcake! has delicious cupcakes like the Michael Jackson (a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese frosting) and Red Velvet (which is exactly what it sounds like); you can even add a Whipper Snapper (which means that they inject whipped cream into the middle of your already decadent treat). But this little trailer has so much more than just pastry!

Quite possibly the best part of our visit to Hey Cupcake! was the lovely counter girl! Jamie is not just a cupcake lady, she's also a classic pinup model and the lead singer of a punk rock band from New York. No, we're not kidding. This chick is real and sells cupcakes on the side of the road when she is not rocking out on stage. She has a great attitude and a pretty smile. So, we think that Jamie is the perfect person to become our first lady Cute Waiter. We hope you agree! Check her out.


So, if you ever find yourself driving down the road and a shiny trailer with a spinning cupcake comes into your line of vision, do yourself a favor. Stop. Order a cupcake. Pray you meet Jamie, our first ever lady Cute Waiter!

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

Clay/ Oasis / Austin, TX

Well, we're out in lake country and the weather finally decided to cooperate. Yay for the sun! We heard about this really neat place Oasis from a couple we met while downtown in Austin drinking way too much wine (no, not at Hudson's :-)). Oasis is a HUGE restaurant that overlooks Lake Travis and the view is incredible. Especially when you insert a cutie like Clay into the scene. Okay, Clay isn't a Greek god or an All-American hottie, but he does look like he'd write you poetry after taking you to his open mic night and singing a song he wrote just for you. What do you think?


Well we really liked Clay and the guacamole he brought us, featured below:


The chips, salsa and guac were pretty good, but, really don't go to Oasis for the food, go for the view and the fun. Their motto is: Live well, laugh often, and love much. We think that's a good way to live your life and would recommend going to Oasis for a funtastic time. We hear that there are even more cute waiters at Oasis too. But most of them work at night and spend their days nursing hangovers. Oh well. We liked Clay just fine!

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

Brett/ Hudson's on the Bend/ Austin, TX

Along the way in Austin, we got tired of city living and decided to head to the lake and hill country for a change of scenery. While the atmosphere in lake region is calmer than downtown Austin, the restaurants are just as sensational. We visited Hudson's on the Bend because we read about it as part of restaurant week in Austin. This is an event that many big cities hold to showcase the fine dining in the area at reasonable prices. We chose Hudson's because it boasted interesting meats and "way too much wine." It's like they were calling to us personally!

While there, mom and I both had the chipotle lobster bisque (a wonderful surprise in the heart of Texas) along with a crisp glass of Italian Prosecco (that's sparkling wine for those of you not in the know). Not only was it delicious but the presentation was spectacular!



But, of course, our favorite part of the evening had nothing to do with edibles at all. Upon arrival at Hudson's we were greeted with one of the cutie-piest waiters we've ever seen! Not only is he an All-American sweetheart, but he seemed to be a true sweetie too. (One of the waitresses confirmed this fact.) But don't trust us, you be the judge! Here's Brett:


Brett was pretty excited to be a part of this blog. So if you're out there Brett: We totally love you!!!

We not only recommend going to Hudson's but we might go again, the food and ambiance was just that good! (And, according to the waitress, there's a LOT of cute, sweet waiters who work there.) Along with our dinner, we shared a half bottle of a California Pinot Noir. We loved the half bottle option because one of us had to drive home that night! The wine was smooth with a little spice and was the perfect complement to our meal. For dinner, mom had the hot and crunchy Ruby trout, a house favorite. I had the three course tasting menu and chose the Pecan crusted snapper. It was a toss up to decide who had the best entree. Luckily, we both had the Chambord chocolate mousse for dessert; we just about died, went to heaven and completely forgot to figure out which fish tasted better! If you are a coffee lover, the French press coffee cannot be beat. We drank every sip and wondered how we could drain more out of the empty canister.

All-in-all, Hudson's served up a delightful feast for our palettes, our eyes and all of our senses. Thank you to the wonderful waitstaff, especially Brett, for making our dinner just a little more fabulous!

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

Ryan/Lambert's/Austin, TX

Our first waiter works at Lambert's Downtown Barbeque. Not only is a real cutie but he brought us delicious treats like these deviled eggs! They were out of this world!



We were so giddy with excitement over the eggs (and his cuteness) that we forgot to ask his name. But, stalkers that we are, we consulted the receipt and came upon the name Ryan. We hope that his name really is Ryan. What we know for sure is that he is a real cutie! Kind of a mixture of Greek god and Italian lover. What do you think?


We would definitely recommend eating at Lambert's for the food, fun, and, obviously, Ryan. Mom had the brisket, I had the pork ribs and we were both satisfied (even if our clothes still smell of meat days later). For you vegetarians out there, fear not! For a side, we had some mac and cheese that was TO DIE FOR! So creamy and delicious, with more than one type of cheese. The collard greens with BACON wasn't bad either. Our one and only complaint about the place is that our wine (a Cabernet Sauvignon from California) was served a tad too warm. Otherwise, this restaurant is a must do in Austin.

Enjoy!

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon

How this all started...

Traveling is all about doing things that you wouldn't normally do in your everyday, humdrum life. At least, that's how my crazy mom and I see it! So it makes perfect sense that we would have this idea whilst on vacation in a new and exciting city.

You see, if there is one thing that mom and I enjoy more than anything it is eating. More to the point, we love finding new places to eat. But, more often than not, what influences our opinion of the restaurant in question has little to do with the food itself. Rather, upon leaving a restaurant we comment on things like the ambiance, the feel of the restaurant, and, most importantly, the waitstaff. It went something like this...

It all began one night in a restaurant in the trendy Warehouse District in Austin, Texas. After sharing a scrumptious meal together and offering the remaining contents of our bottle of wine to two delightful ladies from New York, my mother asked our waiter if she could take a picture of him. He was, you see, one of the cutest waiters we'd ever seen. Under the guise of a "cute waiter contest" he happily agreed!

We got to thinking: Maybe we should take pictures of ALL the cute waiters we find in our travels and everyday life. Maybe we should share our cute waiter stories and pictures with the rest of the world! And so, here we are, writing a blog and sharing our stories of yummy food and yummy waiters! We hope that you'll enjoy them as much as we do!

Love and yum,
Amy and Sharon