Grub Crawl - Universal and SoDo : Agave Azul, Frank's Bistro (Closed), Sweet Potato Pie, Dabeni's

Agave Azul - I had a Chimichanga Couzumel at this Mexican restaurant in the strip mall past the bridge past Universal. It cost $9.95. Make sure you check your bill. They, mistakenly, charged me the dinner price of $12.75. It was more like a burrito. It wasn't very fried. That's fine with me, but, you may expect the old paper sack looking namesake. It was filled with 6 moderately sized shrimp and fried onions (I deleted the green peppers). I mainly ordered it for the side of steamed brocolli and cauliflower. A great substitute (and something more Mexican places should emulate) for the banal beans and rice everyone serves. Unfortunately, steamed seemed to mean boiled. They were extremely wet, soggy and limp. Still better than beans that look like the contents of a baby's diaper. They also had to force the obligatory rice. It had kind of a twist. It had carrot squares. The service was ok. The place looks like a modern lounge/club. Lots of glass, metal, bright colors and water. However, it is showing age. Even my plate was chipped. All in all not a bad spot. You can see that it was created with big aspirations in mind. But, it got Orlando-ed. Now it's on a slow decent until it pays itself off.

Frank's Bistro - I grabbed a chicken sandwich on Turkish flat bread at this multi-ethnic restaurant in the strip mall across from the strip mall previously mentioned (S. Kirkman). I came for the lamb sandwich I saw on the menu before I had lunch 1. It's off the menu until further notice (inflation). It was $6. It came with a healthy portion of grilled chicken cut into strips. It had a tatziki-ish sauce and fresh tomatos and onions. The bread was made on the premises. It was tasty. The place has a full menu of breakfast items as well as lunch and dinner. They have alot of fish and even steak.

Sweet Potato Pie - I grabbed a piece of sweet potato pie at this pie maker on Michigan just East of Orange. It cost $4. Pie pieces ran up to $8 a slice. There were about 5 types. It was a good pie. It tasted a little like marzipan.

Dabeni's - I grabbed a pork and tomato sandwich (I forget its catchy name) at this Latin (PR) restaurant next to Sweet Potato Pie. It cost $5. It was ok. I'd stick with a Cuban. The pork was a little fatty. The tomatos were supposed to be pickled. I didn't see signs of that. The place looks like a little deli. It seats about eight. They have about ten items and specials. The people were nice.