Munn Park – Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill – Circle B Bar Preserve, Lakeland
When planning trips lately I’ve been bearing in mind my Triumvirate of Funvirate concept wherein I try to plan a bite, a sight, and an activity. This particular day we were going to Lakeland to visit my grandfather and I thought this might be a good time to take Christa to the Munn Park Historic District in downtown Lakeland.
That would cover a sight and a bite, as this was both a part of the historic district and chock full of restaurants including a spot I’d enjoyed twice before: Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill. As far as an activity goes, sure, we could walk around the city a bit, maybe take in the Polk Museum of Art, but since my acquisition of a used camera, I had also been itching to get back to Circle B Bar Reserve to capture some better pics of our feathered friends in the wetland habitat.
So, we hopped in the sporty little runabout and rather than take our usual back way into Lakeland via County Road 640 and Rt. 37, we thought we’d give the curiously numbered Interstate 4 a try. So we took Rt. 39 to Plant City, hopped on I-4 and overshot Lakeland by five minutes when I got to jabbering away and thought I was too cool for map apps.
Christa turned navigator and got me headed the right way into downtown Lakeland. We reached the square via West Main Street and turned left on North Kentucky Avenue. Street parking wasn’t too difficult to find a block north of Munn Park and after we buttoned up the runabout, we walked south to Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille.
Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill
101 N. Kentucky Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33801
Phone (863) 686-2228
Hours:
Sunday to Thursday – 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday to Saturday – 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
https://hookedonharrys.com/location/lakeland/
The neighborhood is a picturesque grid of streets through renovated storefronts and townhouses which some people would call gentrified and I’d call appealing and open for business.
Munn Park is a typical southern block-sized grassy square with trees, a fountain and a memorial to the dead of the Confederate States of America. Save your thoughts one way or the other, it’s already been decided to move it once a destination is found and the funds are allocated. In keeping with more agreeable southern tradition the park is shaded by grand oaks festooned in moss and beds of bright roses. It’s a pleasant oasis and I imagined eating lunch there if I worked in the vicinity, watching Roscoe chase Bo and Luke around the block.
I had been to Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille twice in previous years and fell in love with their delicious New Orleans inspired cuisine. Their jambalaya, etouffee, and shrimp and grits made my tummy sing. Harry’s is a Florida chain with five locations, but my previous visits over a year prior proved this location to be pretty good. We arrived just after the business lunch rush and missed the crowds. The hostess guided us to our table on the patio adjacent to the park and left us to peruse the menus.
Now, Christa doesn’t dig on spicy hot food, but I thought there’d be a few nice choices for her. She decided on the Bacon Jam Burger – “Our signature sweet and smoky bacon jam, cheddar cheese, mayo, lettuce & onion” for $10.49 with a side of fries. I chose the Fish Tacos – “Fried or blackened mahi-mahi, chipotle aioli, lettuce, pico, blended cheeses and fresh lime” for $10.99, blackened with a side of sweet corn grits. And yes, I have a rule about blackened fish in general, but this restaurant is Cajun/Creole—they invented blackened. And I’m trying to avoid too many carbs. I mean you can’t have tortillas, cheesy grits, and batter-fried fish—that’d be ridiculous.
The iced tea was cold, gently brewed and went down easy on this hot May day. Bonus points for being served with a side plate of lemons. The basket of bread was polished off with the whipped butter sooner than you can say “decorum.” I saved a dollop of butter in case my grits needed help. But even if they didn’t need help—it’s butter, baby.
After a reasonable wait, we were presented with our food and it looked pretty tasty, though a glance told us Christa’s french fries could have been left longer in the deep fat. They did look to be fresh cut which was a plus. Between the fries and two pickle chips sat her burger: a thick beef patty perched high in a nest of shredded lettuce and red onion on a golden brioche bun. A slice in half revealed it to be cooked to a moist well done, but over the requested medium-well. Gooey melted cheddar dripped over its sides and obscured a small smear of bacon jam. Considering it was their signature bacon jam, you’d think they’d put a prouder spread all over the patty, but alas it was a penny rather than a pound.
My tacos looked a tasty treat in their shiny wire racks: a pair of white corn tortillas, warmed on an open grill and filled with cheese, the blackened mahi-mahi drizzled with creamy aioli, lettuce, fresh pico de gallo, and a wedge of lime. The bowl of sweet corn grits kept luring my attention from the tacos with a wink and bat of its shredded cheese lashes. I took a bite of the grits and they were well seasoned, savory, naturally sweet and creamy. I stirred in the salvaged honk of whipped butter just for good measure.
I suppose more of the spice coated fish could have fit in those two tortillas, but it wasn’t too small a portion for ten bucks. Still, either a bigger stuffing or a third taco would have rounded the plate out nicely. Tacos, like George Lucas creations, should only come in threes.
I pinched a lime wedge over one and lunged for the hook. The corn tortillas were fresh with a nice toasty flavor from the grill and didn’t split apart along the fold. The pico was a mix of fresh tomato, red onion, and cilantro though it was missing chilis and a vinegar tang. Lucky I had that lime. The Mahi was firm but flakey and had a mild flavor detectable beneath the spicy veneer of blackening. There was no old fish flavor, just a clean, almost sweet taste. Everything came together, with the cheese and aioli, too, into a nice composition that satisfied my taste for a Creole/Baja fare.
Christa was working on her burger while I was parsing my tacos and said it was okay, but could have used more of that bacon jam. For all intents and purposes, there might have been none at all in its flavor fight with the beef and cheddar. She also was disappointed that there was something making it spicy—too spicy—for her palate. There was nothing in the menu description to betray any hot ingredients and, though the menu was inspired by a chili-happy regional cuisine, any hot ingredients not inherent in the recipe of a basic dish, such as a burger, should be disclosed for those intolerant of heat. She decided it was okay but she wouldn’t have to get it again.
I polished off those tasty grits and forced myself to not lick the bowl clean. We declined dessert in order to leave space for any chance encounters of sweets in town and after settling the bill we crossed the street to settle our tums with a stroll through the park.
Munn Park, named for Lakeland founder Abraham Munn, is the centerpiece to this revived neighborhood with an active rail line forming its northern boundary. Brick and iron arches form ceremonial gates at the two Main St. corner entrances. We entered under the one at Main and Kentucky and studied the park’s sculpture installations.
We first glimpsed a large white swan with a grubby head that looked to be the victim of el Marko. Pop artists strike again. I was next struck by a bronze man in a wide conical hat walking a tightrope between two oaks while balancing windchimes. It is called Feng Shui and I thought it was a particularly clever work of kinetic art by sculptor Jerzy Kędziora.
Though fine articles abound on the subject of the Britto swan, it was surprisingly difficult to find information on the tightrope walker online. Any search involving “Munn Park” and “sculpture” results in a landslide of stuff on the Confederate memorial and the scribbled swan. Not so much as a page and a paragraph on Munn Park turned up on the municipal website. After digging up the artist’s name I finally found this on the City’s Facebook page.
The party can have their swan, this prole with enjoy the tightrope walker.
We then passed the CSA statue and smelled the roses before heading toward the fountain. A group of students on a field trip were doing what kids do in parks on field trips. The concrete fountain was the calm style that bubbles and blobs, spilling over the rims rather than exploding in jet arcs. When the kids abandoned it, we walked over for a sit.
We soon felt the call to find some ice cream. A block away we found Cake Makers Studio. The custom cake bakery also serves hand-dipped ice cream from Working Cow, a Florida company that makes a fairly tasty chilled confection from Florida dairies and also offers home delivery (at a fairly salty price.) Though they call their product homemade, unless the employees live in the factory batch made is a more appropriate descriptor.
We chose our flavors and adjourned to a bench out front to lick our scoops. It wasn’t half bad and did the trick. I’d place it between Hershey’s and Mapelhoff or Oregon Dairies, but not as good as Carmen and David’s. Sorry, non-Lancastrians—you just don’t know.
We had a few minutes to spare so we browsed the adjoining comic book shop, part of the local chain Coliseum of Comics. I’m miles away from where comics are these days and though I often think I’d like to get back into a few titles the sheer volume of publications between 1994 and now is enough to intimidate me into saving my money. The staff bid us farewell as warmingly as they welcomed us hello. They must get our sort of non-buyers all the time and are used to it. They were so nice, I regret not buying so much as a ragged Crazy Magazine.
Our day was drawing past noon and we needed to get to my grandfather’s place. I decided to take the scenic drive around Lake Hollingsworth. Lakeland comes by its name honestly and with a glance, a map of the region could be mistaken for a slice of Alpine Lace. All roads eventually lead to a pool of water ranging from a few square yards to several square miles.
We arrived at my grandfather’s and cajoled his wife into joining the three of us on a little stroll around the scenic trails of Circle B Bar Reserve. She caved and we loaded up his sporty little mobility scooter onto their car and the four of us headed over to the park.
Starting with a visit to the Polk Nature Discovery Center for bathroom breaks and to top off our water bottles, we then took off for a walk/roll along the trails that traverse the marshes of Lake Hancock (7.146 mi².)
The paths around the Center are paved and easily traversed by foot or scooter, but I wasn’t completely sure the mobility scooter could handle the rough trails beyond the parking area. We gave it a shot to moderate success, though the gravel surface made for a bumpy ride in places.
We made our way out Heron Hideaway from the parking lot through the intersection with Marsh Rabbit Run to the start of Wading Bird Way before turning back. Though it was a short trek, the sun was broiling the skin and we ambled at a slow pace to watch the various birds.
We spent about an hour basting in our own sweat to a nice-a golden-a brown but seeing some great specimens of waterfowl, raptors, and wading birds, including a roseate spoonbill, that took wing in such a flash that we first mistook it for a flamingo. It moved too quickly for my unskilled hands to get a good shot of it with the camera, but it was a sight. Feeling the heat, we returned to the Discovery Center to cool our hides.
There’s a nice resource library that I’d like to check out one day, though I’d rather spend the time in the field. We checked out the life-size diorama and learned a bit about the native and invasive species that can be found in the area. It’s a pretty decent resource considering it’s free of charge, though you might consider donating a few bucks when you visit.
We called it a day and headed back for home, our bellies full of burgers, tacos, ice cream and Polk County water, and a visual cortex filled with birds. I’d say these three stops with bonuses passed the test as a triumvirate of funvirate for Lakeland.
A beautiful sight was the birds and landscape of Circle B Bar, but also the diminutive Munns Park. The bites to eat at both Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grill Cake Makers Studio were savory and sweet treats, and the stroll around both downtown and Circle B Bar were fun activities out of the house and inside nature.
Our first official day trip into Lakeland was a success and I hope to make some more treks into the town. Truthfully, I just want to eat at all the great looking restaurants.
Thanks for reading!