A COUPLE OF NIGHTS BEFORE SHOW 05

LA FOGATA IN GULFPORT

Show Co-Host Dan Chappelow joined my wife, Kimberly, the love of my life since 1988, for , what would have been a romantic night out had he not come, at LaFogata in Gulfport. If you're not familiar with this area of Pinellas County, it's near the beaches, and has a quaint, old time neighborhood feel to it. Largely because, Gulfport, is mostly a quaint, old timey neighborhood.

La Fogata, has, for the past couple of years, been an "all you can eat meat" restaurant..meat cooked rotisserie style, with a beautiful salad bar. They recently added an "ala-carte", and that's what we ordered off of.

This photo shows my wife, ogling her dish, a nice sized

Salmon Filet, cooked and served on a cedar plank.

Photo above, right, shows a portion of La Fogata's large wine selection. Owner Hans Klenke, is

a true wine gourmet. He has one of the best wine lists in Pinellas County. He even has a bottle that sells for around 5,000.00. Though I graciously offered to

take it of his hands for a "few free plugs on the radio show", for some reason,he

declined the offer. Seriously though, if you're a fan of the grape, you will find

a wine list to love, at La Fogata. That's a promise!!

This shot below, captures me, hovering over all the food they brought to the table.

Since I'm the host of the show, and I set the dinner up, I got first dibs.

Actually, I got second dibs, cause my wife was with me. As with most successful marriages,

she's the boss.

Below, with eyes closed, and a stupid grin, is Dan. No, he's not drunk. He just can't believe I've actually invited us to join him for such a nice dinner. I still can't believe I did it either. However, he was on his best behavior, and said that his New York Strip, was delicioso. (that's spanish, he explained, for "delicioso"). For more on La Fogata, listen to the show this Saturday, September 4th. We'll chat it up some more, and interview Chef James, who joined La Fogata a few months ago, and is one of the driving forces behind the new, superb "ala-carte" menu.

You can also see more of the place, and learn more of their story,

by going to their website, LA FOGATA-ONLINE.COM