Mayfair Country Club, Lake Mary

Yesterday I had lunch at this 19th Hole at the Mayfair Country Club on 46A in between I-4 and 417. I had a Club Sandwich for $9. It was what you'd expect from a working man's golf course snack bar. The cheese was Kraft. The turkey and ham were supermarket brand. The lettuce - iceberg. The tomato - beefsteak. The bread - Wonder. You get the picture. It came with fries (mostly crisp). The place is a notch below nice. Nice view of the course but a little aged. The windows were dirty. It seats about 100 in 4 tops. There were two other people there. They only ordered fries because most of the menu was unavailable due to a family emergency with the purchasing manager. The service was alright once I made myself known as a customer. All in all I thought the menu was about 30% too expensive for what they offer. Especially for a club that I believe was running a $89 yearly membership special. However, If you want a change and a nice view or are unable to go elsewhere in between 18 holes, you could do worse. I believe they have a cheap ($10) dinner special on the weekends.

Pub Crawl - Milk Bar

9:00-9:30pm: Milk Bar in the Milk District. After eschewing the five other bars nearby because of smokers, I tried this sister of Black Cat and Chameleon. People said it was crowded. It is small so that is possible. However, I learned why they call this area the Milk District. The women are all cows. I'm not talking muffin top fat. I'm talking Mike and Molly fat. If you are looking for tons of fun this is your place.

Spooky's Black Cat Cafe, Milk District

I had dinner at this Eclectic restaurant on Robinson off 50 down Bumby on Saturday night. I had ribs with red potatoes for $9. I was disappointed with the meal and with the sparse selection in general (they even ran out of some of the offerings). They served me three tough ribs and a half a hand full of potatoes. I really suggest that non-barbeque joints refrain from serving ribs. You don't cook them long enough. The place mostly serves lunch fare - flatbread, Indian and Mediterranean dips, and wraps. The service is SLOW. How long does it take to stuff a wrap? I got the feeling that the kitchen was a scene out of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares or Half Baked. I even spotted one underling rushing out to the 7-11 for ice. I hope the refrigerator didn't go down. The service is pleasant but undermanned. There is one Joe Walsh looking hippy and the Manager. If the food didn't come out so slow you would really feel the lack of wait staff. The place is a cross between a stoner's dorm room and a deli. It's furnished with all forms of furnishing recycled from the street on trash day (they even have an old futon cover on the ceiling). It gives it character. But Gary Busey is a character too and I'm not sure how much time you would want to spend with him. They have a big beer menu (what I think most people come for). They also sell wine. Wine that you can find a block over at Total Wine for half the price. I could see my way recommending it for lunch. Tepidly. It's small. It seats about 20. People were waiting for seats. The place was patronized by a surprisingly diverse set of people for a hipster spot in the middle of no where. I should note that I was only there because my first choice - The Social Chameleon (a sister restaurant) - could only seat ten inside.

San Jose's, Altamonte Springs

I had lunch today at this Mexican restaurant in the farthest, rear part of the strip mall off 434 that contains a Wal-Mart. I had a Stuffed Burrito for $6.25. It was full (like 1/2 a pound) of shredded beef. It also was stuffed with rice and beans. It had Guacamole, Sour Cream, Lettuce and Cheese on top. It was resting in a cheese sauce. I liked that they kept the cool and hot ingredients separate. It was good although they used way too much black pepper for some reason. Some other weird things. I think they baked the burrito. The plate was scalding and the tortilla was toasted (bad). However, the cheese sauce was congealed. I don't know what the hell was going on. Plus the Guacamole tasted like celery. Maybe it was the lettuce. Maybe they put the lettuce near the celery in the fridge? The chips were ok. The salsa was a bit to viscous and garlicky for me. The service was quick and pleasant. It's a big (100) place with a bar and a large patio. They have booths and tables. Most entrees cost under $10 at dinner. There were about 12 people there. It has a pastel, Mexican theme. Fine not spectacular. The Sodas were $2.

Metro Burger, Lake Mary - Closed

I had lunch last Thursday at this build your own Burger restaurant in Lake Mary across from the now (Thank God) defunct Carlos and Charlie's. I had a 1/3rd pound burger with French fries and a Soda for $9. I tried Blue Cheese, Fried Onion Strips, Mushrooms and Corn and Black Bean Salsa. I stripped off the last two because they wouldn't blend but I wanted to try them. The Blue Cheese was plentiful. The Onions were sparse and stale. The Mushrooms were too finely chopped. The Salsa was fine. The Burger itself was overcooked (I didn't notice a spot on the order form for this most important request). I know it was overcooked because...here we go again... it was tough, had no juice and was flattened to look like Ireland. Another burger another ham handed, douche bag who thinks he can suppress the laws of Physics by smashing the patty into the grill. You would think that at a place that only does burgers that they could master this concept. Put it on the the grill. Don't touch it. Flip it when 2/3rds of the way done. Don't touch again. The bun was good. It was buttered. The fries were half crisp and half limp. They were long cut and thick. The portion was huge. I think the owner dropped a log when I walked by with the plate. They were too salty. As was most everything. It is my most vivid memory - salt. The place is medium sized. It looks a little worn for being brand new (bad contracting). It has an open blueprint. You walk down an alley created by a half wall and pick up your form. You then sit in one of the four tops after collecting your beeper. You then go to the back and pick up your order. The front is windowed. They have Flatscreens showing ESPN on the walls. That's about it. No servers or tableware to critique. There were maybe 10 people there. It seats about 100. Management was scaring away looky-loos by being too aggressive at the door. It's ok. Probably won't make the rotation.

Good Fortune Buffet, Winter Park - Closed

Today I had lunch at the Good Fortune Buffet across from the old Bally's on 436. It was $6.49 or $6.99 ($8 with a soda). It was pretty good. The sushi was adequate (7 kinds). I had crawfish, clams, nuggets, calamari, wings, baby octopus, kim chi, and thai chicken. Still feeling ok. The place is big. It's an open space with tables and booths. The food is in the center. It looks newly renovated (it should as it just opened). The staff was clean. They have big photographic murals of cityscapes (ie Hong Kong Harbor) on the walls. They have flat screens showing ESPN. Perfectly adequate asian et al buffet.

Olympia, East Colonial

I had lunch at this Greek restaurant on 50 (East of 436) the Monday before Christmas. I had Avgolemeno Soup for $3 and a sampler platter of their "spreads" for $8. The soup, which is a lemon and chicken based soup was tasty. The "spread" platter came with Humus, Mutabel, Red Pepper Humus, Scordalia, Taramosalata, Tzatziki and Pita. All were very good. The Scordalia (potato) was the the blandest. Mutabel is eggplant and tahini. It was next in line. All portions were about the size of a coffee cup turned upside down. Very filling! Each spread is $5 on its own. They did charge $1 extra for unasked for extra Pita (which actually was necessary). The service was good. It did seem to take a little while in the kitchen for the platter to be plated. How long does it take to scoop? Maybe they were baking the pita fresh. It tasted that way. One waitress held down the fort. There were about four other people dining there. It seats about 100 in a low cielinged, frescoed atmosphere. It's not the most aesthetically ambitious place and from outside it looks worse (even possibly closed). However, the food was really fresh. I was told that two Greek guys run the place. It's been around forever so they must be doing something right. I was told they have entertainment on certain nights. It's probably a lively scene for dinner. Top notch Greek food. They even have some pizza and steak.