Pollo Tropical - Bartram Park - #PolloTropical #Giveaway

Disclosure:  I received a press kit including free meal passes to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Don't worry...Be Happy

...that's a life lesson I can live by.  

Bob Marley was on to something.  Lifes too short - find things that make you happy and ride them like a wave.

Neil and I went to the grand opening of Pollo Tropical in Bartram Park last Friday.  Just walking inside you get the feeling that your troubles stay outside the door.  The restaurant has that relaxed Caribbean vibe that leaves you happy!  It sort of reminds me of a theme restaurant at Disney World.  A mini vacation of sorts.

There was a Calypso band to get you in the mood and a prize wheel to spin, because who doesn't get in a party mood when prizes are involved.

Those citrus flavors make the food like a bite of sunshine and sea! There are so many fresh choices like citrus-marinated chicken along with Caribbean-inspired soups, salads, wraps, fried yuca, sweet plantains and slow-cooked black beans. Oh' and the Mango tea is my new obsession!

Pollo Tropical is different than any other restaurant I've been too.  The main reason of course is the delicious tropical inspired food but it's also a mix of fast/casual.  In-other-words, the hostess seats you with a number at your table, then you proceed to the counter to order.  You're given a cup to get the drink of your choice and they bring the meal to your table when it's ready. You eat on real plates with real utensils and they clean up when you're finished, just like a casual - not fast food restaurant should.

Another big plus - No Tipping!

See what I mean a mix of casual dining and fast food.  The decor features planked walls, ceiling fans, bamboo & wicker styled furniture, tiled floors plus fun colorful artwork.  It's a decidedly Miami or Caribbean feel.

I love the freshness of the food. Especially the bold and tangy flavors that come from the savory island spices, mixed herbs and citrus that are blended into rubs and marinades to season their chicken, pork and beef dishes.

Speaking of chicken, Pollo Tropical's chicken is hormone free, steroid free and never frozen.  A variety of vegetarian dishes make this restaurant a good choice for everyone. They feature made from scratch cooking, fresh salsa bars, drive-thru service and catering. In other words they've got you covered.

We choose the "Create Your Own Family Meal" which includes 1 whole chicken, 4 rolls & sweet plantains.  We also added 2 Caesar salads. It feeds 3-4 easily.  We were so full and seeing that we had another meal left for us to eat at home, we thought that was a great deal for around $21.  The only advice for Pollo Tropical is: Please warm the rolls.  Other than that is was wonderful.

If you live in Jacksonville I encourage you to stop by the new location in Bartram Park or any of the other 3 locations here.  We received great service along with our delicious food. If you're not in Jacksonville you can look for a location near you on their website here: http://pollotropical.com/locator/

Lucky for you, I'm giving away 1 FREE Create Your Own Family Meal with 2 sides and 1 Be Our Guest cards thanks to Pollo Tropical. But you'll have to hurry the #giveaway ends Wed 6/25 at 11:59 p.m. You can enter here: 

**Update - Giveaway has ended.  But I still enjoy comment love!!

Pollo Tropical Giveaway

Life's short, eat the good stuff now y'all...

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

~Proverbs 22:9

Summer Days at Atlantic Beach

What's one of the first things you want to do when you leave New York and move to Florida.  Why go to the beach of course!

Neil and I have had the best summer with so much family around.  We got to spend a whole 2 months with my sister's family staying in here in Jacksonville.  I got to spend time with nieces and nephews we never get to see.  Then just a couple of weeks after they left our daughter-in-law Christal and our 2 grand kids moved back.  We couldn't be more thrilled!!!  My son Ty will soon be here and it's going to feel so complete.  My heart is so full, it could burst!

These kids didn't skip a beat.  It was like they've spent their whole lives in the ocean.  The rough ocean had the beach littered with seaweed. There are so many good and healthy things about the beach.  

• It's great for your sinus',  it really opens them up.  
• The salt water will help heal wounds so much faster.  
• The sandy beach is like getting a mini foot scrub and gets rid of all the hard skin and your tooties are clean and pretty.  
• Just the smell and soothing roar of the ocean makes you feel miles away from everything and provides total relaxation.  I mean, just look at the photo's.  You point your chair towards the sea and there is nothing as far as you can see.  Your mind totally relaxes!  
• And best of all, studies have proven that the ocean water is excellent for Cystic Fibrosis patients.  It helps to break up all the mucus in their lungs.  This is a great thing for Zach!

These kids bring back so many memories of my own childhood.  I spent the most wonderful summers at the beach with my sister and cousins.  Countless hours on the beach from sunrise till sunset.  I love the thought that when these kids are old they'll be cherishing the same memories and thinking we had so much fun at the beach.

I love these faces!!

Worries all disappear for an afternoon.

The moon rising over Atlantic Beach in Jacksonville.  It looked so much bigger in person.

Zach being silly at the park.

I love this sculpture of a boy riding the porpoise.  Or is it a dolphin?  Shouldn't I know the difference by now?

My little fashionista.  I keep smiling at these happy faces!

Time to head home all tuckered out with the moon at our backs.....

P.S.  Be sure to check out the giveaways on the right side of the page.

Well it's been a really busy week here. Neil and I were lucky enough to have my only sister (only sibling for that matter) Joni and her family come in from Atlanta for a few days. It was so great to see everyone. We haven't seen them since last July 4th. They missed the 4th this year but still made it.

Unfortunately we got a lot of rain while they were visiting. We did head to the beach one day but it was cloudy and overcast. The kids all went swimming but not Joni and me. By the time we left at 7pm it was really cold. I had to actually dig through the trunk and find a sweater. Can you image that - in July!!!! Just last week we had a heat index of 105 degrees. The cool air was wonderful. The rest of the time was spent enjoying the cool weather on our porch. We have a wonderful wrap around porch that Neil built that looks out over the river. I'm so lucky that he is willing to take on so many projects. The inspector said it was so well built that we couldn't have found anyone else that would have done such a good job.

Our property is lined with age old oak trees draped in Spanish moss. I don't know what we'd do without these lovely old trees to take the edge off our sweltering hot summers with the gosh awful humidity. They truly are a God send.

I don't have any pictures of anything I've made recently but hope to post some soon. Instead I'm leaving you with a few pictures of Jacksonville, Florida, the city of seven bridges (I know there's more). I've also thrown in a photo of the fireworks over downtown Jacksonville.

This picture is a beautiful purple sunrise over Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island where we grew up spending all of our summers.

The downtown fireworks celebrating the 4th of July. You can see the Main Street bridge to the right.

The beautiful Hart bridge over the St. Johns river with downtown Jacksonville in the background. This was taken not far from our home.

This is a photo of the Dames Point Bridge. When first completed in 1989 it became the longest cable-stayed span in the United States, the longest concrete span of its type in the Western Hemisphere, and the third longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It crosses the Intercoastal Waterway, you can see the marsh in the background.



This is a view of the Downtown skyline from the old Ortega Bridge. It's gorgeous at night. I always thought it was one of the most romantic spot in Jax. Very romantic.