The Meatetarian Eats AMI: Part 1

Never heard of Anna Maria, Florida? Then y'all got some researchin' to do. My family discovered Anna Maria Island last summer and I'm forever glad we made it a regular trip. There are SO many good places to eat here!

Over the next two days, we're going to walk around the island and I'll point out a few of my favorites and why you should get here when you can.

The Donut Experiment
By far, my absolute most favoritest (Yes. It's a word.) place to eat on this island, and also potentially the state of Florida. Here's the concept of The Donut Experiment, which was formerly known as Anna Maria Donuts: You go in and fill out an order form for your doughnuts, selecting the icing and topping combo of your choice. Take it up to the counter, hand it over, pay for your doughnuts and coffee, then hang out until they call you with your order. Simple as pie. This place is good and is therefore always packed. And like any other place that hand-makes you fresh doughnuts while you wait, it is so worth it.

You can't walk down Pine Ave. and not smell the luscious, sweet odor of freshly cooked cake doughnuts. It draws you in and then you're faced with a potentially life-changing choice: "Do I want caramel icing with sea salt, or should I go for the big one and bring home a Sriracha doughnut?" The answer, clearly, is both.

I only managed to make it to TDE (unofficial abbreviation) thrice during our most recent trip, but dang y'all. I could've easily eaten here every single morning that week. Let me show you how much better my breakfasts were than yours:

Out of these three, the favorite was key lime. This includes a good dip in creamy white frosting, a dunk in crumbled graham cracker and a zig-zag of key lime syrup on top. It's what would happen if you made a dessert that is a layer of key lime pie on top of a layer of cake. In other words, magnificence! I stuck to the "one way" doughnuts on this trip, which means you order them and you get it how it comes. The special one-way this week was caramel delight, which I ordered despite having no idea what I was about to be presented with. As you can see, it's chocolate icing, crispy toasted coconut flakes (which were great, by the way; I'm not a huge coconut fan, but I loved this addition!) and a drizzle of caramel. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and caramel. That final one is the Sriracha, and it is the definition of "spice is nice." The moist cake doughnut is smothered in a rich peanut butter that melts on contact with the piping hot doughnut, sprinkled with chopped peanuts and then a layer of peppery Sriracha hot sauce is drawn on top. There is nothing sweet about this breakfast except your mouth crying out for sweet Jesus as you chow down -- both because it's spicy and because you can't get over how good it is.

Poppo's Taqueria
Second favorite place in Florida ... which just so happens to be right next door to The Donut Experiment. They share a porch.

I love pork tacos these days, and Poppo's does not disappoint. All of their food boasts such amazing flavors that one moment there's a taco on your plate and about three seconds later you look around and wonder where the heck your lunch went because you ate it that fast and already want more. I love the Classic concoction, which is pork with cilantro, diced red onion, hot sauce and lime on a corn tortilla. That hot sauce has a good kick, but I absolutely crave it when it's on top of succulent, melts-in-your-mouth pork and the burst of freshness from the cilantro.

To be honest, Poppo's may have the best carnitas I've had the pleasure of eating. Carnitas is a Mexican way of cooking pork by braising or roasting it before shredding. It's just so juicy here. I don't know what they put in it, but the pork tacos here are crave-worthy. In fact, I typically get a second taco (seriously; finishing one will leave you wanting more, so you're gonna want two at a minimum). That one is pork (duh) full of slaw, cheese, pico, cilantro and a drizzle of sauce. Having this taco is what made me start to like red cabbage -- yes, I realize it took me 25 years to appreciate red cabbage -- because the slaw is honey and lime marinated red cabbage. Can we talk about food that makes me hungry?!

Thankfully in Atlanta there's a Willy's, which is the closest I can get to pork tacos of this caliber, but it just ain't the same as being outside at Poppo's, eating a freshly made taco with carnitas juice running down your fingers and dripping on your plate and swallowing a tasty craft IPA from local Big Top Brewing to wash it down.

Rod & Reel Pier
If you don't do doughnuts for breakfast (at which, I must inquire what on Earth is wrong with you!), I recommend the bike ride to Rod & Reel Pier. There are two piers on AMI -- one is City Pier, which is larger and home to bar food, apps and brews; and the other is Rod & Reel. It serves food all day, but what I've been most impressed with is breakfast.

You go upstairs, sit down and have a view of the Gulf of Mexico while you eat. There are fishermen downstairs on the dock, the St. Pete bridge in the distance, a solid look at Egmont Key State Park and plenty of open water to watch for dolphins, rays and all other manner of sealife as you chow down on eggs and bacon. I recommend the omelettes of all varieties: they're pretty much the size of an infant so you might want to pay the $1 price to share it with someone! The pancakes are amazing too. Light, fluffy, almost cake-y in flavor, and they're served hot with powdered sugar on top, which caramelizes as the pancakes cool. You can also be healthy(er) and get fresh berries or fruit served on top.

This trip I tried out the bacon, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich. Sandwiches are an essential part of my diet, so it's hard to resist the offer of one full of fried egg, salty bacon and melty cheese. Rod & Reel breakfast is comfort food that'll keep you full until dinner, at which point you can return for fried grouper.

Tune in tomorrow: I'm taking you on a stroll to some other tasty treats you can devour while in this beautiful island community.