Evermore Taste Garden, Sanford - Closed

I had lunch at this self-proscribed Oriental Restaurant on 17-92 (on the side of 417) in the strip mall that has the Bravo Market last Thursday. I had a bowl of Taiwanese Soup for $6.25 and Wine Chicken for $9. The soup was what I was in the mood for after my frustrated attempt to find the elusive Taiwanese restaurant on Wednesday. That is how I found out about this place. It was on Yelp when I searched for Taiwanese places. In retrospect, the soup wasn't too complicated. I believe they just add some bamboo shoots, carrots, mushrooms, pork strips and black pepper to the wanton soup's broth. It was refreshing nevertheless. The pork may have been a little gamy. The wine chicken was half a bird stewed in wine and served cold. I have to believe they use a rice wine. It didn't have the tart after taste of a grape wine. It was savory, salty and moist. It came with the skin on. The skin was of a boiled texture and full of gelatin. I believe real advocates of Chinese cooking will be excited about that. I understand they consider that a delicacy. I haven't achieved that level of sensory evolution yet. The novelty of it made it worth the risk. I, in no way, want you to think it wasn't good because it was. The chef said it's a Shanghai recipe. This is funny because I always was led to believe that Shanghai meant spicy. Live and learn. The place couldn't be in a worse location. But, maybe that will add to the allure. This strip mall is poorly located , old and filled with undesirable tenants. The restaurant itself is clean if a little worn. It looks scary from the outside. But, overcome your apprehensions. They have about 50 seats (mostly tables of four). The decor is spartan. The service (1) was helpful and polite. The chef even hand delivered a sample plate of their new special (fried chicken). The regular menu is a little pedestrian. Your usual suspects. Good for those of you who do not want to stretch your boundaries. But, the secret (and the reason you may want to seek out this place) is the Chinese language menu. That is where the real goodies are. I suggest you try and find this place. Authentic Chinese is hard to find and you can be a trend setter. The place has only been open for two weeks. Check out the Bravo Market when you are there. It caters to Hispanic tastes and serves some prepared meals.

Melissa's Chicken and Waffles, East Colonial

I stopped at this bright orange food truck at the Chevron on East 50 near Vietnam town on Wednesday. It is in the spot that is also home to The Crooked Spoon food truck. I was looking for some secret Taiwanese restaurant that I though was in an Asian market on East Colonial, but, is in fact on West Colonial. I had chicken and waffles for $7. Even though I have a soft spot for food trucks, I have to say I felt the fried chicken tasted like it was fried in old/rancid oil. The waffle was good. Not too sweet. I also have issue with the prices. They serve 4 little blocks of chicken and one waffle. It's about 100% too expensive. A waffle with nutella and peanut butter is even $5. Waffles top out at $9. In any case, it's your money. Don't let me scare you away. They serve about 5 types of waffles daily. They are there M,Tu, W, & Sa. See what you think.

Shine, Orlando - Closed

I had lunch at this old Bravissimo's spot a few blocks east of Thornton Park on Wednesday. I had a soup and sandwich special for $10. The soup was gazpacho. It was too spicy and pulpy. The waiter said they use habaneros. That would explain it. I love spicy, but, this was too hot for salsa let alone soup. The one unintended/serendipitous consequence of the failure of execution was that it served as a good palette cleanser for the disappointment of the sandwich. It was labeled as a Veal Sandwich. That meant (of the myriad of possibilities) pan roasted veal covered with cheese, tomatoes and salt. Interesting in concept. The veal was the best part (if you can believe it). It was tender and had some flavor. It was blanketed with a garlic oil. The garlic was too raw, therefore, too sharp. It overpowered the veal and left an acrid aftertaste. Not as much as the salt however. Let's hope it was a slip of the wrist and not a desired effect. Although, in conjunction with the gazpacho, I wouldn't be too worried about laying odds that the cook is a cigarette smoker and may be a bit off target on his seasoning. Back to the sandwich. I also disliked the roll it came on. It tasted like it hadn't been baked thoroughly (pasty). They also cheaped out on the soda. Cans! The room has been opened up. It makes it look bigger. They have a rounded bar on the left underneath a large, home improvement store chandelier. It seats 14. The right side is mostly all table tops (black). It's an odd choice. They are uncomfortable, but, they did provide eye level symmetry with the bar area. There are about 40 seats on that side and a prep area in the back. They have about 12 seats outside. They repainted. One side is dark. One wall is light (with four keyhole looking paintings). One wall is window. The decorations/accoutrement's are minimal. The building has charm or wear based on your inclinations. They still have almost no (4 cars) parking. And since it is in a residential neighborhood, it can be competitive. It is also a pain to get to/find. I also thought the prices were a bit high. The don't have a lunch menu or lunch prices. Most entrees were over $10. Not so bad at dinner, but, pushing it at lunch. My choice turned out to be the most reasonable if you take $3 off for the cup of soup. The menu is heavy on Italian (alot of pastas). Do we really need more of that? I can't recommend this place because of all the reasons stated above. However, I'm sure that they will realize a loyal following of locals who have no other options or standards.

Grub Crawl - Millenia and S. Hiawassee : Zaxby's, NYPD Pizza, Treasure Stars, Baklava/Carvel

Zaxby's - I was fooled into thinking (by its structure) that this was in the TGI Mc PuffNStuff category. It wasn't. So this turned into a pub crawl. Zaxby's is a fast food restaurant (probably no surprise to you) specializing in chicken. But, that doesn't mean it is any worse than those ubiquitous citadels of mediocre ability. It's located across the Millenia Mall on Conroy. I had a Big Zax Snack (3 chicken fingers, crinkle cut fries, texas toast and a soda) for $5.49. I found it superior to the rest of the fast food chicken haunts (Chik-Fila, KFC, Bojangles and Popeyes) even if I jettisoned that unwelcomed grease sponge. They provided more food at better or equal quality. In addition, they put in much more effort into the atmosphere than the aforementioned competitors (50's era memorabilia). It's TGI Mc PuffNStuff ambiance at fast food prices. I hope they build one near me soon.

NYPD Pizza - Had a slice. Same as the rest. A little friendlier. This and the rest were in a strip mall on S. Hiawassee to the west of Universal off Conroy.

Treasure Stars - I had a bowl of wonton soup. Same as every other wonton soup I have ever had at a Chinese take out restaurant.

Baklava/Carvel - This was an interesting one. A Carvel with a Middle Eastern and American restaurant within. I just had (have to remember got is not a word) an assortment of desserts to go, but, they had a pretty exhaustive menu. They have the expected dips and pies plus breakfast, salads, burgers, sandwiches and platters. I would suggest that they call this out more effectively in the store. I only realized they had this when I looked at their menu at home. The signs in the store made you think they just had a few options. The owner (a very nice Syrian out of NYC) said they would be trying pizzas soon. Let me know how it is.

Vida, Lake Mary - Closed

I went to this Latin restaurant run by Dominicans (Republic - it's an island!) this Monday. It is in the strip mall next to Too Jays and Firehouse Subs (less sub for more money!). I had a roast chicken appetizer for $2.50 and a shrimp sandwich on fried plantain mash with a side salad for $8. The chicken was superb. It was big enough to be a meal. It was simple enough. Roasted chicken cut up into pieces and covered with pickled onions and boiled yuca strips. The sandwich was correspondingly over sized. I could only force myself to eat half of it in house. The plaintains serve as the bread (artery alert!). It came with about 12 medium to smallish sized shrimp cooked in garlic and olive oil. It was dressed with a french dressing/remoulade type spread, tomatoes and lettuce. I liked the taste and the creativity. The salad was a basic lettuce, tomato and shredded carrot mix with and apple cider vinaigrette. It was very fresh, though. The place seats about 50. It's in the old Firehouse location. They put the kitchen where they used to prep the sandwiches. The tables are on the same side as before. They gave it a bright, modern, glossy look. The glass topped tables have hand beaded blue stones beneath them. The chairs have been given brown, cotton slip covers. It's a nice bright contrast. They have some large, expressionistic canvases on the wall. They are serving a menu that is health (gluten, organic, fresh) conscious. They have a wide variety of dishes. They have peasant dishes like mofungos and stews and high dollar items like lobster and whole fish. I've seen places that serve one or the other, but, not both in the same restaurant. I'm looking forward to my next visit. The people were very nice. It may be a little understaffed. There were 8 others there on Monday and I was already starting to be forgotten about.

I suggest you give it a try and just forget that you probably have never had/wanted Latin food. It's all the same except they use some different root vegetables in place of potatoes and rice and beans instead of fries and cole slaw. But, you can get by without having to acknowledge that those things exist (just like spell check). You can get a meal consisting of things you are already comfortable with. The portions are huge. They cater part of their menu to you socially conscious and/or genetically unfortunate eaters. They hit all price points. They integrate alot of flavors and textures. And they have that raw, bad for you Latin street food if you disdain the attempts to modernize the cuisine. It can be a place for a quick, cheap snack or a fine dining experience. Give it a try.

High Five, Lake Mary - Closed

See previous post. This one is in the Moe's/Fish Bones strip mall.

Yo' Belle, Longwood

I went to this fro-yo shop in the strip mall of 434 (Mykonos, Tijuans Flats) last week. Whee! It's exactly like very other one of these asinine places. Just letting you know it's there. Stay porky, my friends.