From Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives…

So, after Laurie, Dawn and I had spent the day driving from Miami down to the Everglades for a little bit of exploring, we headed back north looking for a place for a casual dinner.  In my outline of possible attractions and restaurants for this trip, Dawn remembered I’d listed a place in South Miami that had been featured on Guy Fieri’s TV show, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.

This is the place… Scully’s Tavern!  The story goes that 20+ years ago, a carpenter and a flight attendant teamed up to open this establishment, although neither one had any restaurant experience at the time.  They're still going strong!

This is a neighborhood bar…of that there is no doubt.  The place has that warm neighborly feel that you would expect and it is in reality, a big bar that serves food…

Scully’s got quite busy while we were waiting for our food.  Everyone…except us…seemed to be regular patrons.  After a day traipsing around the Everglades, the casual feel of the place was just right.

We ordered a couple of appetizers… Our first choice was the Fried Calamari with melted garlic butter and parmesan cheese ($7.95). The melted garlic butter was a nice change from the usual marinara sauce.  The calamari was very nice…tender and not at all chewy.

Other appetizers stray quite a distance from ‘typical’ bar fare… How about ‘A Wheel of Brie’ covered with Toasted Almonds and served with French Bread and Fresh Fruit. ($9.95 for 2) Or one could order Oysters Florentine, oysters topped with cream of spinach and gratinee with Parmesan Cheese. (6 for $9.50) another option is the Escargot served in Mushroom Caps with garlic, butter and topped with Provolone Cheese, accompanied with Garlic Bread. ($8.95)

Our second appetizer was another old standard…Jalapeno Poppers ($9.00) They were better than average…with a little ‘bite’ left in the peppers, a good thing for those of us who like a little heat.

Scully’s also does wings.  They were featured in Guy’s take on this restaurant but we weren’t in the mood for wings.  Still, the way that they’re prepared is interesting and sounds worthy of a try the next time.  The wings are flash fried until crispy, then coated in the sauce, then grilled, then recoated in the sauce and finished off on the grill. (10 = $8.50/16 = $12.50)

Laurie ordered one of her favorite sandwiches…a Hot Italian Sub ($8.95). It was loaded with fresh ingredients, including a crazy amount of meat!  Laure really liked her sandwich as well as her slaw. 

Dawn ordered a Greek Burger…but she modified it to fit her taste and it didn’t turn out well.  I didn't include a photo since it was ‘off the menu’.  The burgers on the menu ranged in price from $6.95 to $8.95.

My sandwich was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.  It’s the Incrusted Pan Fried  Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) Sandwich served on a fresh baked Kaiser roll. ($11.95) The best part about this sandwich was the crispy potato chip coating on the fish.  There wasn’t a lot of flavor… The sandwich was OK but it missed the mark for me.

There are daily lunch and dinner specials such as strip steak and prime rib.  There were a couple of interesting Caesar Salads on the menu…a Smoked Fish Caesar, ($9.95), and a Fried Clam Strip Caesar ($9.50)

We decided to try dessert and we split a couple of them between the 3 of us.  This is Scully’s famous Bread Pudding ($4.95). It was OK…but not what any of us expected when we ordered Bread Pudding.

The Carrot Cake was much more traditional and it was quite good. ($4.25)

Service was OK and the waitress was friendly enough.  If we lived close to Scully’s, we’d probably patronize the place on a regular basis.  Still, we weren’t blown away by this Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives pick.  There was more variety on the menu than in most bar settings but other than Laurie’s Italian Sub, nothing seemed that special.

Scully’s Tavern is located at 9809 Sunset Drive/SW 72^nd Street, in South Miami Florida.  They are open Monday through Saturday starting at 11 AM.  Phone: 305-271-7404.  Scully’s website is under construction but you can view their menu at http://southflorida.menupages.com/restaurants/scullys-tavern/menu.  To check out Guy Fieri’s visit to Scully’s Tavern, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6L6Nsi-dA.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave