Pom Pom's, UCF

I had lunch at this teahouse/sandwicheria on Sunday. I had a Low Rider for $8. It needed a little more than one quarter of of a half of promised avocado. The salsa also seemed like it came from a big plastic pre-made container from the supermarket. Otherwise, the turkey, bread, CC and beans were good. It stays open until 5am on Thursday and all night on Friday and Saturday. The service was fine. It seats about 60. It has a faux Bohemian vibe. The menu is fanciful. Don't go expecting Subway. This location has been demolished to make dorms. Maybe they are open in a new location. That's why I didn't say closed. I was originally vague on where they were located. 11/18/2013

Club Crawl - Dragon Lounge, Deko at UCF - Closed

10pm-12pm: Dragon Lounge. Became busy after 11pm. All college aged girls so who can complain.

12am-1am: Deko. Bad call. Full of grenades.

UCF is now rife with clubs in that strip mall. The aforementioned plus Fubar and Knight Library and the two others. Update - Whole shopping area that housed these places has been demolished to make dorms. 11/18/2013

Falafel Cafe, UCF

Last night I had dinner at this Mediterranean restaurant on University just before UCF. I had the Kibby dinner for $11. It contained a meatloaf of ground meat mixed with bulgur wheat and onions and pine nuts plus Hummus and Yogurt and Pita and Lentil Soup. Everything was delicious. The Lentil Soup was purred and creamy. The Yogurt was thick. The Hummus was light. The Kibbeh portion was large. That's usually a good thing, but, it is so flavorful that too much overwhelmed my senses. The place is small (serves 36ish). It has glass window in front and one one side. The tables mostly populate the right side of the space. The service (1) was good for me, but, might have been a little slow for others. They serve all the usual suspects plus a variation on yogurt called Labneh (with olives) and Holloumi (cheese). They also have regional wines. I had Lebanese. Great food experience. Strangely, Steve O from Jackass was sitting at the table across from me (really).

Universal Studios

Islands of Adventure was a joke. The Neptune ride is becoming ancient enough to be a real relic. It's so boring and amateurish. Most restaurants were shuttered (ie Jurassic Park's and the one in Marvel Comics Land). Looks like they've been closed a while. Really helps the fantasy. The flume at Jurassic Park had non-working dinosaurs. Harry Potter has caused Deuling Dragons to be offline. I reiterate that this addition will be colossally underwhelming. The BMX bike show was closed.

Universal was better but still not 100%. They finally had Disaster back on line. It's lame. The RV selling dipping dots was finally open. The Horror Cafe and Gardens of Allah restaurant were still closed. The mechanical donkey from Shrek was closed.

It's amazing that they don't even consider giving you a discount when they can't deliver what they sell in a commercial. No wonder revenue is down so dramatically. But, of course it's the economy not their product (the refrain of every non-performing CEO).

Orchid Court, Universal

Wednesday night I had dinner at this sushi bar in the Royal Pacific at Universal. It was worse than their "croquet court". I had conch, surf clam and tuna for $5 to $5.50. All were old. The tuna smelled and was barely red. The conch had no flavor. The surf clam was dry. The setting is nice (faux Hawaiian). It overlooks the pool. The service was fine. The building blocks were just unacceptable. It's hard to believe a hotel bar can't turn it's fish. The best part was the boat ride from Universal.

Anatolia, Sand Lake

I had lunch on Wednesday at this Turkish restaurant in the shopping plaza at Sand Lake and Dr. Phillips (I think the previous owner had a hot dog place here). I had an Adana Kebab wrap for $7.50. The kebab was made out of ground lamb. It was a long wrap cut in two. The tomatos in it were very fresh. It came with a side salad and a side of tatziki and a cup of soup (yogurt with bulgur wheat). Everything was tasty. They have all the traditional menu items plus some harder to find ones like fried calves liver and tripe soup. The place was clean (save some detergent spots on the knife). Earth tones and tablecloths. It seats about 60 inside and an additional 20 outside. The clientele was a tapestry of ages and cultures. The service (3) was good. My only complaint would be that they broke the $2 soda barrier.

Boston Fish House, Sanford - Closed

Today I had lunch at this seafood restaurant on Rinehart Rd in Sanford near the 7-11. Strangely, I was watching a PBS special late last night on architecture that looks like objects and they visited a place I went to last summer called the Clam Box in Ipswich Mass. So I was really in the mood for some fried clams. I have to say that I think the world famous Clam Box had inferior food. Definitely more greasy. I had a "lunch meal" of fried clam strips with two sides (Cole Slaw and French Fries) for $9. You could have had onion rings, mashed potatos and some other things. The clams were recognizable and the batter came out oil free. The portion was large. They didn't even get rank after sitting long enough to get cold. They got cold because the great staff kept plying me with free samples. They gave me 5 large pieces of fried catfish which were of equal quality as the clams. They gave me clam chowder. It was a bit sweet for my taste, but, the clams in it were enormous. It was more thin than thick and at $7 a bowl it may be a bit overpriced. The cole slaw was also a bit too sweet. The sugar granules didn't dissolve (which I actually thought was cool from a texture POV). The fries looked outstanding, but, they had that awful Burger King starch coating on them and were somehow underdone though they looked crisp and golden. Most dishes (even at lunch prices) are over $9. The lobster roll was $24! Isn't lobster at it's cheapest in decades? It has that "half service" service. You order. They deliver. The service was on a rotation basis. No one dropped the ball. I was double covered all game (err meal). Plenty of refills and answers to questions. The place was packed. I almost left before ordering because I thought I wouldn't get a seat and they didn't take AMEX. Turns out they did and they turned the tables fast enough that I didn't wait a second. The clientele was mostly post Gen X. The decor is similar to when it was American Pie or the place after that. They still have flat screens on the wall. The soda area is now empty. Maybe they should put a counter there to free up tables. Quite a few booths or 4's were taken up by singles. It seats about 70. It's funny. A month ago we didn't have one seafood restaurant worth a damn and now we have two. This is more of a traditional New England style option than Fresh On The Fly. It may be too expensive or caloric for everyday dining, but, pencil it in once a month.

Chef Henry's, Longwood - Closed

On Wednesday I completed the relocation shuffle (Journey's/Henry's) at Journey's old location in Longwood (east off I-4 where you see the Boston Market on 434). I had something called Flecken for $9. It was pork loin served open faced on artisanal bread. I was a little surprised it was breaded and open faced. The menu description was a little vague. It was very good no matter how it was described or what it did to my arteries. It was topped with sauteed onions and a jus replete with oil. They left the interior as you would have remembered it. They added some Austro-Hungarian/German relics. The clientele seemed the same (mostly older people who you would think were unworldly by their dress, but, refined by the things they were speaking of). I swear the same imbecile tried to seat me in the same Siberian ante-room two owners haven't yet found a solution for. At least it's not storing wine like the old days. Is there no way to light it? Thankfully, my waitress was less dis-obliging slash passive aggressively insulting. I think she was at the old location. Service was fast. The place is clean. It's tiny (seats 40?). Most things were more expensive than the Flecken. It's probably not a daily lunch place for most budgets nor would you want to indulge on this cuisine often, but, add it to a bi-monthly rotation.

Journey's at Alaqua, Lake Mary - Closed

I had lunch at this restaurant in the Golf Club in Alaqua (are there more architectural anathemas in one spot in the country?) on Tuesday. For some reason they tore down the old edifice (which was nicer) to put up this little loft that has zero character. I had the Airline Chicken Breast with Risotto for $12. The chicken was a little small (think anemic, farm raise guinea hen) with a drumstick the size of my thumb. But, I understand the mentality of a fine dining establishment. It's got to be ORGANIC. I ordered it seared, but, that must mean burn the skin. It was moist inside, however. The risotto portion was large, but, I found it a bit cloying. It was very starchy (unwashed?) and the seasoning (I believe some kind of cheese) only added to that. They also added two asparagus stalks that didn't compliment the risotto. Perhaps they were to be decorative. It's a shame the execution was a bit below what they usually deliver. I would wager that I had the B team kitchen since I was the only patron accounted for on that day. The table setting was nice. The waiter was great. The place has high ceilings and seats about 100. They have a bar. It has that faux luxe feel of a hotel dining room. It looks unfinished. My meal was by far the cheapest thing on the menu and dinner prices were about double. Surprisingly, they were below the $2 level on sodas. They have alot of ambitious menu items that you can't find everywhere. They just need to tighten up the execution.

New Dim Sum Feast, West Colonial

Today I had lunch at this self-proscribed Dim Sum Feast. It's really more of a buffet. They had about 8 Dim Sum items. None of them are worth the trip. The shrimp dumplings (Har Gow) didn't have big enough pieces of shrimp. The seafood and beef dumplings (Shu Mui) were bland and gamey respectively. I had one interesting item. A shrimp, chive and garlic dumpling. It was very greasy however. They had some oddities like chicken feet and tripe if you are looking for that. Fortunately, it was a buffet and only $7. However, the place is old and dirty and ugly. I would skip this place unless I was in the mood to graze on garbage. It seats about 100 and was pretty full. The people were nice. Slight language barrier.

Korea House, Longwood

Yesterday I had dinner at this Korean restaurant on the east side of 1-4 on 434. It's in a strip mall that could be the best ethnic food locale in the area if they could get a few more occupants and 86 the Cici's. It now houses Ali Baba, Sushin and Korea House. I had a noodle soup with seafood that started with a J but has been forgotten. It was $8. It was ENORMOUS. A ton of thick noodles and julienned vegetables (onion, carrot, green onion, zucchini). The broth was red and red hot. There was a decent amount of squid and octopus (they could have removed the cartilage from the squid more assiduously). It even had a shrimp and mussel. The place seats about 100. It has a very orderly, column and row flow. The ceilings are high. The walls are white. It has 5 cook top tables on one side and a "room" behind a half partition for large parties. Most tables were for four. The decor is appropriate for the region. The service was good. A little language barrier. They serve a typical Korean menu of stews, soups, roasted meats and rice based dishes. They serve complimentary sides. I had pickled, yellow radish and Kim Chi. All in all it's probably the most complete Korean option in Orlando. Lunch specials on the weekdays.

Ceyfa, Longwood

Yesterday I grabbed two slices at this pizzeria on the east side of I-4 on 434. It's in a spot that has been the kiss of death for previous owners. The pizza was ok. Pretty thin. Large slices. The crust seemed to expose it's lack of freshness (dry and crumbly). But, a fresh pie is probably good. They also offer non-italian fare (poppers, nuggets, wings) and pastas, subs, salads, soup, calzones, rolls, etc. They have really cheap lunch specials (2 slices with topping and soda for $3.99). I do question the 50 cent credit card fee. It seems like the remnant of a distant age.

Pickles, Longwood

Yesterday I had lunch at the deli in the strip mall behind the Boston Market on the east side of 1-4 on 434. I had a corned beef sandwich with potato salad for $8. The corned beef was tasty (they say they smoke it after it's delivered) but sliced a bit thin for me. I felt I was eating shavings. The sandwich was also tiny. You could finish it in two bites. The bread (rye) was cut too thick. You can't make up for a narrow loaf by cutting it thick. That just compounds the problem. It was like eating a vertically instead of horizontally. It was way too crusty as well. The potato salad was ok. A bit plain. A bit sweet. It needs some kind of seasoning. The location is in the old Volcano's coffee bar. They have retained that element of it. I don't remember the decor, but, I don't think they changed much. "They" are the owners of Craving's which is next door. The place seats about 60 (indoor and outdoor). About 5 others were there (all outside). If they can increase the portion sizes and ratios, I could recommend it. Nice people.

Maitland Breakfast Club, Altamonte Springs

Today I had lunch at this "diner" on Orienta Ave in Maitland. Where the hell is that you ask. Take a right on Maitland Ave off 436 (near Panera's) and then the first left and look for the abandoned strip mall. I went because the readers in the Sentinel Best Of Poll recommended it. I call ballot stuffing. It was passable, but, hardly great. I had a breakfast special for $4.99. It had french toast (undercooked and no hint of vanilla or cinnamon or whatever else they said it would contain). The eggs (2) wer cooked nicely. The bacon was good. It was interesting to eat fried eggs with no mopping device. The place has an old ambience. Decor and patrons. It is split into two rooms that hold about 25. Service (2) was good. It was a bizarre spectacle. They had Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd on the sound system. It was an odd choice considering the customer base. I'm sure they wish you were here, but, I can't see a reason why you would search out this place unless you have an insatiable curiosity like myself.

Winter Park Fish Company, Winter Park

On Saturday I had lunch at this new seafood restaurant on Orange Ave in Winter Park (next to the Rollins baseball field). I had a salmon burger for $8.50. The salmon was minced into a pate. It had a thick, oily crust that suppressed all the flavor. The bun was stale and fell apart. They have a half serve restaurant in which you order and they serve and clear. I still not understand the concept (unless good help is hard to find or give health care to), but, at least you can avoid a tip. The place is small (seats 50). It is fashioned after an old surf shack. Half of it's seating is out of doors. Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the fountain. It was full. Most things are a bit pricey ($20 lobster roll). Try it for a lark, but, I wouldn't put it on speed dial.