Beef O' Brady's a Consistent Winner

As my wife, daughter and I entered the Beef O' Brady's located at 4330 Bell Shoals Road in Valrico, I ran into a friend of mine I usually only see once a year at the Nativity Novemberfest in Brandon. It was funny, though, because I just ran into him back in February at a different Beef O'Brady's so it seems this is our destiny now. We joked around as we left and I told him I would meet him at a third Beefs on Aug. 15. He thought I was kidding, but I'll be there just to prove a point.

That seems a bit odd saying, "a third Beefs" when I remember there being only one. I met Jim Mellody, the founder of Beefs, back in the mid '80s and was offered a job by his then-manager. Of course, me being the talented psychic that I am, I told him that they weren''t going anywhere and I didn't want to jump on a sinking ship. I'd like to smack the person who sold me that crystal ball! There are now more than 300 locations in over a dozen states and growing stronger every day.

There's a reason for their success and I think it's a combination of consistently cooked good food served by above-average servers. You're not going to find a group of underdressed girls in bright colors who are hired to flirt as they serve you overpriced food, but you will find a group of worker bees who swarm you with smiles and courtesy.

We were met right away by a hostess who could define soft charm without saying a word and we were seated and almost immediately greeted by a server who took our drink order.

I overheard another server telling the table next to us that our waitress was headed home so I expected a slight delay in lunch. On the contrary, suddenly we had a pair of servers and a super-polite manager all over our corner of the room. The two servers were Carol and Nette but the manager didn't hear me when I asked her name as she never stopped moving while we were there.

Our glasses of tea and soda never got to the halfway empty portion of the glass and, at one point, Nette came up to the table with two pitchers in hand and looked blankly at the three full glasses on the table. She made me smile as she walked off with a confused look on her face.

I ordered the pablano chicken with rice and broccoli, and am happy with my choice. I was a little skeptical when I saw the 'NEW' tattoo on the menu but I thought I'd give it a whirl instead of my usual Watterson sandwich. The rice had very little seasoning but I could tell it was cooked in a chicken stock that gave it a slightly salted taste and was drizzled in a white pablano sauce. The broccoli was slightly mushier than I like but my daughter loved it and hers was crunchier than she liked, so we traded. How someone managed to have two entirely different batches of broccoli go to the same table confuses me but it all worked out in the end.

I can't begin to say enough about the pablano chicken--awesome! The chicken was seared to a golden brown on the bottom and covered in large diced tomatoes with a delicious cream sauce. It was fork tender and as juicy a piece of chicken I have ever eaten. The pablano pepper wasn't overpowering but had a small bite that added to the dish. I'll have this next time I come here.

My wife ordered the grilled grouper with rice and broccoli and she was almost happy with her decision. She was somewhat uneasy about the glossy appearance of the grouper when she cut into it but I pushed down in the center and it flaked easily so I know it was cooked thoroughly. It was perfect for me but my wife would have liked it cooked a little more. We took hers home and I finished cooking it for her and she was delighted.

Sidebar: if you push down in the center of your fish fillet and it holds solid, you have a medium grade of sushi and it needs to go back on the grill until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

My daughter ordered the shrimp and fries with broccoli and only ate about half of it--that 12-year-old phase, I'm sure. She ate most of the fries and they were cooked right but the shrimp could have been cooked at a slightly higher temperature to crisp up the outside a little more. They were passable to the untrained eye but I don't have one of those and I noticed the inside was somewhat doughy. They were cooked enough to go out, but it was like having a piece of bread wrapped around your shrimp just like when you make deviled crabs.

I'm giving this Beef O'Brady's a three stars and will probably be back this weekend since I'll be in the area.

1 Star--Wouldn't go back on a bet

2 Star--Would have to go back, but only on a bet

3 Star--If I was in the neighborhood and hungry

4 Star--Would go out of my way even if I wasn't hungry

5 Star--Would make reservations and wait in a line