I ate at these restaurants around the main street (Donnelly) in the afternoon on Sunday.
The Windsor Rose - I had chicken and leeks which turned out to be a pot pie. I thought I read the description close enough, but, I guess I did not. It was a ramekin pot pie with a pastry top. I usually find this short cut to be off putting, but, the pie was good. The vegetables were fresh and the "gravy" wasn't too salty. The pastry wasn't raw or burnt. The portion size was adequate. I didn't love that they used pre-shredded commercial chicken. It was way too perfectly and uniformly shredded to be home made. It came with an acceptable field green salad. The place is an English Tea Room. It's mostly girls who have traded their dolls for real people. Some were even reliving the pantomime by donning "prop" hats they provide their patrons. No fear of lice? The decoration is composed of culturally appropriate photos, signage and curios. Lots of "royal" love. They serve "high" teas, sweets and mostly English styled meals. My meal was around $12. The service (4 or 5) was good. They all switched in and out. They are in costume. The place is on 4th in between Donnelly and N. Alexander. They have a Sunday breakfast that I was too late for. The place actually got more crowded after 1:30. It seats about 70.
Pices Rising - I was going to just save this place for another time because it has a nice view of the lake, but, I accepted that I don't come here as often as I say I will and they baited me with a boast about having the best fish in Florida. After perusing the composition and prices on/of the menu (barely any fish on it/slightly high prices) and consulting my watch (past two), I decided the best course of action was to just get something at the outside bar. I settled for a crab cake for $9 (plus the price of having to listen to a live entertainment). I figured it would give me some indication of their ability with fish and they were also boastful about how this had no fillers. Predictably, the cake stunk. All claw meat and half cooked. I knew they were full of it. However, if you want a nice-ish view and some nice-ish food then buy into the hype. Maybe they do deliver if you take the time to dine inside. I'm just not wasting my money or time to find out. The service was polite and the meal did come out quickly. It's on 4th after N. Alexander. It seats over 100.
Goblin Market - The place I wanted to eat at all along. They were full (seats around 80) and I should have just taken the bar seat offered. However, I did wind up with a very good Kurobutas (aka Black Berkshire's in Japan) porkbelly sandwich to go. The bun was good. The pork was good. The orza salad was good. The flat sided french fries were good. The sauteed rhubarb green topping was good (and a first). And this was after it survived a car ride home and some time on the counter. They even wrapped it intelligently with a tin foil cover to keep the food warm. The only downer was that they charged me $13.50 instead of the $12.50 on the menu. That and that I didn't get to eat in this cute, little place. It has two cute patios. I will be saying cute often. One in the front and a cuter one in the back. It has two, cute, first floor nooks. It has a cute second floor dining area and a cute bar. It's a converted home. Lots of charm. Very B and B. The menu is smart. The food came out quickly. They said it has been around for 17 years. My guess is that it is the best place in town. It will be fun finding out if my hunch is right. En vogue/urbane food without pretentiousness. It's in an alley between 3rd and 4th and in between Donnelly and N. Alexander.
I also suggest that you consider a lake tour. They have a $28 one that is two hours and a one hour that is $20. That was at the pier off 4th. They had others at the Inn.
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Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Club Crawl - Downtown: Saddle Up, Don Jefe's, Schumann's Jaeger Haus, Vixen and El Budare Food Truck
I went to these locations on Saturday night. It was an ok night despite the threat of rain. Alot of people were dressed up as gangsters from the 20's for some reason.
10-10:30pm: Saddle Up - A new country themed bar on Orange and Washington that takes up two or three commercial spaces. The girls here were the hottest. It makes it a prisoner's dilemna whether to stay and have your brain tormented by purile lyrics and infantile melodies or leave the most "normal" looking prospects in the area. The fact that most of the hip hop places offer the same but different conundrum makes the choice a little easier. You have to choose between Hannah Montana Cyrus and Twerky Cyrus. To me there is nothing more pathetic than Spring Breakers-like white trash, so I guess it's Hannah. The place doesn't charge a cover and I hope most of the "average" people who now go to Wall St come here. Save the ten bucks. They have three bars and people (mostly girls) were line dancing in the back. They have a patio. They weren't showing my football game so I had to leave. Came back later though.
10:30-10:40pm: Don Jefe's - I walked through the old Antigua's on Church St. They did an ok job. Seems like the same crowd, yo. Took to long to get served. Two of the three bars were bartender-less. 10:40-11:30pm: Schumann's Jaeger Haus - I caught the end of my game here and had a beer. The bartender had painted on eyebrows. It's the old Dragon Room on Church. They did a good job making it look like a German beer hall that would be at Epcot. I don't know why the didn't take the Bliss space. It already looked like a beer hall. I have to go back and try the food.
11:30pm-12am: Vixen - I can't remember how long this spot has had this name (or theme). It's a little, narrow spot on Orange across from Corona Cigars. It's so narrow that it is cut in half by the bar. It looks like the owner of the club next door kept getting bugged by his lower twenty something RISD girlfriend and gave her this spot to shut her up. It's a female empowerment bar. The manifestation of that message is sexually charged and confused women on canvas. The walls are covered with sluts. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just get ready for that type of night. Friendly service. The hottest bar (by line size) is two doors down. I just can't see waiting on line in Orlando.
12-1am: Back to Saddle Up
1am: El Budare Food Truck - Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Arepas. I went to a Chicken Arepa for $5. Large and very good. They are on Pine on the highway side or Orange.
10-10:30pm: Saddle Up - A new country themed bar on Orange and Washington that takes up two or three commercial spaces. The girls here were the hottest. It makes it a prisoner's dilemna whether to stay and have your brain tormented by purile lyrics and infantile melodies or leave the most "normal" looking prospects in the area. The fact that most of the hip hop places offer the same but different conundrum makes the choice a little easier. You have to choose between Hannah Montana Cyrus and Twerky Cyrus. To me there is nothing more pathetic than Spring Breakers-like white trash, so I guess it's Hannah. The place doesn't charge a cover and I hope most of the "average" people who now go to Wall St come here. Save the ten bucks. They have three bars and people (mostly girls) were line dancing in the back. They have a patio. They weren't showing my football game so I had to leave. Came back later though.
10:30-10:40pm: Don Jefe's - I walked through the old Antigua's on Church St. They did an ok job. Seems like the same crowd, yo. Took to long to get served. Two of the three bars were bartender-less. 10:40-11:30pm: Schumann's Jaeger Haus - I caught the end of my game here and had a beer. The bartender had painted on eyebrows. It's the old Dragon Room on Church. They did a good job making it look like a German beer hall that would be at Epcot. I don't know why the didn't take the Bliss space. It already looked like a beer hall. I have to go back and try the food.
11:30pm-12am: Vixen - I can't remember how long this spot has had this name (or theme). It's a little, narrow spot on Orange across from Corona Cigars. It's so narrow that it is cut in half by the bar. It looks like the owner of the club next door kept getting bugged by his lower twenty something RISD girlfriend and gave her this spot to shut her up. It's a female empowerment bar. The manifestation of that message is sexually charged and confused women on canvas. The walls are covered with sluts. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Just get ready for that type of night. Friendly service. The hottest bar (by line size) is two doors down. I just can't see waiting on line in Orlando.
12-1am: Back to Saddle Up
1am: El Budare Food Truck - Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Arepas. I went to a Chicken Arepa for $5. Large and very good. They are on Pine on the highway side or Orange.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Grub/Pub Crawl - College Park: Hangar Bar (Closed), Soda Fountain, Alfonso's and Ollie's
Here be (I feel like speaking like a pirate) three resturant/bars that have changed ownership since I last went to them (must have been pre-blog because I couldn't find mention of them when I searched) and one new ice cream shop that are all on Edgewater Dr. I went there on Friday night.
The Hangar Bar and Grille - Two things don't fit here at this unremarkable franchise wannabe - the snippy host(ess) and the well crafted food. I wish I could have been more of an acolyte for the menu, but, the aforementioned queen soured me on the place almost immediately. Not because he she was "born that way", but, because this average working man thinks gay means class or means not ostentation and vulgarity. You must know that you aren't even skilled enough to be a server. This is where the manager puts the high school girl with no job experience that he wants to bang. Dial down the pretentiousness. You have nothing to be pretentious about. My first piece of advice to management is to explain the pecking order to this fop. This is not an en vogue New York club. This is a sports bar, that by the looks of it, is barely scraping by. Look up obsequious and adjust. On to the food. I would have ordered the $25 mixed grill if not for Fruity Peebles and the fact that they didn't have the chorizo (25% of choices) and they offered chicken, but, it wasn't on the menu so I didn't know what kind it would be. The waitress couldn't clear it up and didn't seem to understand why this would be an issue. I wasn't going to trust a sports bar with steak or tuna (the remaining options). That may have been a mistake because the pulled pork sandwich I did order ($9) was really good and came out hypersonically. The fries they were paired with were also good (if starch coated) and plentiful. I did eschew the soda refill because I was scared Fruity may have tried to have it adulterated. So, nah nah nah if you did. Like I said, the place smells of theme envy. I wouldn't mind so much if I just didn't feel that they were going for something that could be reproduced mechanically. The place is where the old Harmoni and Wildside were. The layout is similar. I'm not sure if they expanded to another room or not. I wasn't here when it was Wildside. The corner section has the bar and window seating. The "inside" room has booths, tables and house the open kitchen (where they wanted to inconvenience me in an empty, unreserved dining room). It's clean and wooden and full of aviation themed wall hangings. The menu was gastro-pubby. It has flat screens that were tuned to sports. I'm not going out of my way to come back here, but, I wouldn't discorage you. Lunch is especially sensible. Most of those meals were under $10.
The Soda Fountain - I had a Banana Foster's single scoop cone at this gourmet aspiring dessert shop that cost under $3. It was delicious. You know I don't even like sweets. Great flavors and texture. Made with expertise. The place is cute too. They just opened two weeks ago. You really shouldn't be getting your ice cream anywhere else in the area. I think they change the flavors regularly.
Alfonso's Sports Bar - I wish I could remember the Irish Pub this was and the thing it was before then. I can't. McSorely's? Any way. Nothing has changed except the menu. Instead of predictable American fare with some Irish to it, it is now predicatble American fare with some pizza to it. Take your fat American family here and wallow in your own fecund crapulence or lower your insulin levels with pitcher's of beer and then accept anything that is put in front of you. That's what places like this are for. Of course they had to have an annoying band of forty somethings. We don't want to watch you play pick up basketball and we don't want to hear you play The Heat Of The Moment.
Ollie's - Hopefully occuping a higher level on the bar food pyramid is this old Jax (from the people who brought you FinnHenry's Downtown). I didn't eat here, but, the beer and liquor selection (and patron's promises) makes me believe they care more about what you put in your body than Alfonso's. The beer was cheap. The selection was varied. The place is cute. They still have the patio. It looks similiar to the old Jax. Maybe a little nicer. It's near the high school.
The Hangar Bar and Grille - Two things don't fit here at this unremarkable franchise wannabe - the snippy host(ess) and the well crafted food. I wish I could have been more of an acolyte for the menu, but, the aforementioned queen soured me on the place almost immediately. Not because he she was "born that way", but, because this average working man thinks gay means class or means not ostentation and vulgarity. You must know that you aren't even skilled enough to be a server. This is where the manager puts the high school girl with no job experience that he wants to bang. Dial down the pretentiousness. You have nothing to be pretentious about. My first piece of advice to management is to explain the pecking order to this fop. This is not an en vogue New York club. This is a sports bar, that by the looks of it, is barely scraping by. Look up obsequious and adjust. On to the food. I would have ordered the $25 mixed grill if not for Fruity Peebles and the fact that they didn't have the chorizo (25% of choices) and they offered chicken, but, it wasn't on the menu so I didn't know what kind it would be. The waitress couldn't clear it up and didn't seem to understand why this would be an issue. I wasn't going to trust a sports bar with steak or tuna (the remaining options). That may have been a mistake because the pulled pork sandwich I did order ($9) was really good and came out hypersonically. The fries they were paired with were also good (if starch coated) and plentiful. I did eschew the soda refill because I was scared Fruity may have tried to have it adulterated. So, nah nah nah if you did. Like I said, the place smells of theme envy. I wouldn't mind so much if I just didn't feel that they were going for something that could be reproduced mechanically. The place is where the old Harmoni and Wildside were. The layout is similar. I'm not sure if they expanded to another room or not. I wasn't here when it was Wildside. The corner section has the bar and window seating. The "inside" room has booths, tables and house the open kitchen (where they wanted to inconvenience me in an empty, unreserved dining room). It's clean and wooden and full of aviation themed wall hangings. The menu was gastro-pubby. It has flat screens that were tuned to sports. I'm not going out of my way to come back here, but, I wouldn't discorage you. Lunch is especially sensible. Most of those meals were under $10.
The Soda Fountain - I had a Banana Foster's single scoop cone at this gourmet aspiring dessert shop that cost under $3. It was delicious. You know I don't even like sweets. Great flavors and texture. Made with expertise. The place is cute too. They just opened two weeks ago. You really shouldn't be getting your ice cream anywhere else in the area. I think they change the flavors regularly.
Alfonso's Sports Bar - I wish I could remember the Irish Pub this was and the thing it was before then. I can't. McSorely's? Any way. Nothing has changed except the menu. Instead of predictable American fare with some Irish to it, it is now predicatble American fare with some pizza to it. Take your fat American family here and wallow in your own fecund crapulence or lower your insulin levels with pitcher's of beer and then accept anything that is put in front of you. That's what places like this are for. Of course they had to have an annoying band of forty somethings. We don't want to watch you play pick up basketball and we don't want to hear you play The Heat Of The Moment.
Ollie's - Hopefully occuping a higher level on the bar food pyramid is this old Jax (from the people who brought you FinnHenry's Downtown). I didn't eat here, but, the beer and liquor selection (and patron's promises) makes me believe they care more about what you put in your body than Alfonso's. The beer was cheap. The selection was varied. The place is cute. They still have the patio. It looks similiar to the old Jax. Maybe a little nicer. It's near the high school.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
La Casa de Las Paellas, UCF Area
I had the seafood paella for lunch at this grossly misnamed Caribbean/Latin restaurant on 50 near UCH/434 on Saturday. It has two paellas! The Valencian ( I think they misspelled it on the menu) which I ordered, but, didn't get. It was made with four legged ingredients. And a seafood that was made with frozen and canned water breathers. A full portion is $35. Ridiculous, but, not unheard of (why I usually never order it). A half is $17.50. I would reiterate that this place is more of an islandy mofongo and tripleta place. They have no justification for tricking you into thinking it may be Spanish food. Not that that should be enticing enough anyway. I should have done a two entree meal for $20 or just a sandwich for $6. I could sense that this place wouldn't know what it was doing. But, we all have to be so open minded these days. The place itself is also underwheming. It must have been an old Long John Silver's (it still has a drive thru) that they didn't redocorate. And on top of those fishing nets and shell diaramas, they hung Asian fans. Makes perfect sense. The chairs are all mix and match. The tables are covered with plastic. They have exposed wires and dusty glasses disturbing the eye. A real mess.
Back to the "paella". As I said, the shellfish (3 mussels, 3 clams, 3 shrimp and a lobster claw) that came with their unis on were obviously frozen. The meat had freezer burn or just tasted rancid (clams). The mini mussels, squid, scallops and clams they added to supplement the decorative pieces were straight out of a can. They were salty and desicated. They added some some chewy calamari rings, but, they had no flavor. Which is probably good because flavor must mean salt where they learned to cook. I would bet they even chintzed on the saffron and used turmeric. The rice was probably not even bomba rice. You know you are in trouble when you are experiencing the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) during your meal. I'm not sure if I ever got to number five. My bargaining was to just not get seafood poisoning while out on the town later in the day. The waitress said the food was (at least in part) Dominican. That explains it. It's like trusting an Asian buffet to prepare your sushi. They just don't know how to do it and don't know that they don't know because they have never seen it done right. This place also serves to expose Bite magazine and the fat lady at the Sentinel as the charlatans that they are. If they refuse to retract their opinions on this place (paella in particular) then I suggest that they be relieved of their duties. Only the most generous of untraveled yokels would find this acceptable. If you don't believe me, book a flight to Valencia and see for yourselves. The place seats 120. All the more unfortunate because they can disappoint greater numbers. Happily, the place was almost empty when I ate there and the ones who were there were probably brought up on these bastardized versions of European staples. The one good thing was the service. The poor one woman show was polite. I felt bad for her that her task masters fed themselves in front of her until I received my meal. It was actually an act of kindness. Huge miss. The worst part is that the preparation took a long time. so, either they were cooking their own lunch when they should have been cooking mine or this travesty was freshly made. I suggest you leave this place to the ex-pat day laborers that come here for the "back of the plantacion" make do's.
Back to the "paella". As I said, the shellfish (3 mussels, 3 clams, 3 shrimp and a lobster claw) that came with their unis on were obviously frozen. The meat had freezer burn or just tasted rancid (clams). The mini mussels, squid, scallops and clams they added to supplement the decorative pieces were straight out of a can. They were salty and desicated. They added some some chewy calamari rings, but, they had no flavor. Which is probably good because flavor must mean salt where they learned to cook. I would bet they even chintzed on the saffron and used turmeric. The rice was probably not even bomba rice. You know you are in trouble when you are experiencing the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) during your meal. I'm not sure if I ever got to number five. My bargaining was to just not get seafood poisoning while out on the town later in the day. The waitress said the food was (at least in part) Dominican. That explains it. It's like trusting an Asian buffet to prepare your sushi. They just don't know how to do it and don't know that they don't know because they have never seen it done right. This place also serves to expose Bite magazine and the fat lady at the Sentinel as the charlatans that they are. If they refuse to retract their opinions on this place (paella in particular) then I suggest that they be relieved of their duties. Only the most generous of untraveled yokels would find this acceptable. If you don't believe me, book a flight to Valencia and see for yourselves. The place seats 120. All the more unfortunate because they can disappoint greater numbers. Happily, the place was almost empty when I ate there and the ones who were there were probably brought up on these bastardized versions of European staples. The one good thing was the service. The poor one woman show was polite. I felt bad for her that her task masters fed themselves in front of her until I received my meal. It was actually an act of kindness. Huge miss. The worst part is that the preparation took a long time. so, either they were cooking their own lunch when they should have been cooking mine or this travesty was freshly made. I suggest you leave this place to the ex-pat day laborers that come here for the "back of the plantacion" make do's.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Pub Crawl - I Drive: Twin Peaks and Dave and Buster's
I stopped into these place on I Drive on Friday night.
Twin Peaks - How could you not add this to your to do list after seeing the billboards? It's, predictably, a pale clone of Hooters. The theme is Ron Swanson hunting lodge. All the fake bric a brac you can counterfeit. The one "differentiation" is 29 degree beer. I ordered Guinness and someone should inform management that 29 degrees doesn't work for all brands. This needs to be served "warmer" to allow that cascading action to take place. A large-ish mug was $7. The bimbos were artificially flirty (as expected). A little less marked up than Tilted Kilt girls, but, still too trashy for guys who believe tattoos are for sailors. All in all a perfectly uncomfortable, artificial experience conjured up to franchise a by the numbers assortment of fattening food. But, maybe you are a loser enough to want ogle single mothers and highschool drop outs yet so meek that you are intimidated by a strip club.
Dave and Buster's - Talk about yin and yang. The only oversized, artificial breasts were on the video screens. A really impressive arcade. I had never been to one. Part arcade and part carnival. I just walked around, but, I could see coming back to while away an hour or two. They had a restaurant and bar too.
Twin Peaks - How could you not add this to your to do list after seeing the billboards? It's, predictably, a pale clone of Hooters. The theme is Ron Swanson hunting lodge. All the fake bric a brac you can counterfeit. The one "differentiation" is 29 degree beer. I ordered Guinness and someone should inform management that 29 degrees doesn't work for all brands. This needs to be served "warmer" to allow that cascading action to take place. A large-ish mug was $7. The bimbos were artificially flirty (as expected). A little less marked up than Tilted Kilt girls, but, still too trashy for guys who believe tattoos are for sailors. All in all a perfectly uncomfortable, artificial experience conjured up to franchise a by the numbers assortment of fattening food. But, maybe you are a loser enough to want ogle single mothers and highschool drop outs yet so meek that you are intimidated by a strip club.
Dave and Buster's - Talk about yin and yang. The only oversized, artificial breasts were on the video screens. A really impressive arcade. I had never been to one. Part arcade and part carnival. I just walked around, but, I could see coming back to while away an hour or two. They had a restaurant and bar too.
Atlas House, Sea World Area - Closed
This will be the first time I get to write a review and then close the page in the same post. I went to what is now no longer the regions only Uzbek restaurant just past where I Drive meets the CF Parkway. It's "transitioning" into a Mediterranean restaurant that I won't be trying out. For no other reason than I don't want to go this far out of my again. I settled for one of the two Uzbek dishes they must not have sold out of. It was a rather unspiring dish of steamed beef dumplings called Manti. And no they didn't have an imaginary girlfriend. It cost me $10 for a plate of eight. They were ok. I wasn't really expecting grastronomic excellence from this region of the world. It came with a really thick sour cream. Hopefully that was authentically ethnic. It's sad. The place looked nice and clean and appropriate. I guess they just couldn't make that menu work. It's basically Middle Eastern and Russian style foods (including all the regions and ethnicities that have been represented in them over time) with some Indian mixed in (ie Non bread). It makes sense. The country was in the middle of the spice route. Not sure who influenced who. They even had spaghetti/noodle dishes. I wanted a rice dish/stew called Palov (saw it on Rudy Maxa in Uzbekistan), but, you read above. And so ends a perfectly pointless exertion of effort. They say they will try and keep a few Uzbek dishes, but, the name (which means something about rugs or tapestry) will be different so I'm not sure how you will know.
Deland Museum of Art, Deland
I went to see the exhibit at the museum at 600 N. Woodland Blvd on Friday and was given a free pass to the exhibit at 100 N. Woodland. Woodland is the main thoroughfare that runs through town.
600 - They were showing a Florida artist collection of permanent and "on loan" pieces on the first floor and a Latin/South American collection on the second. The Florida collection had more breadth than depth. The show cased some jewelry artist. Check out the bronze that resembles a found art piece. you won't believe it's metal. The "Latin" collection - I was going to say had more depth, but, it also had photography, paintings and sculpture. I especially liked an arist (I think Mexican) called Jesus Leuus. Some creep eyes on his figures. Very evocative. There was also an interesting Costa Rican sculpturess. Cost = $5. Ends January 5, 2014.
100 - They were showing a collection of "small" paintings from the Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown, Ohio). I think the earliest piece was mid-century 1800's. It was mostly artists from the North East with some South West and a few local (Ohio) boys tossed in. It's always nice to focus on lesser known artists and schools that you usually pay little attention to in the bigger museums. They did have Lichtenstein, Warhol, and Motherwell for you contemporary nuts. And Grandma Moses and Edward Hopper for you historians. I'm not sure when this ends.
600 - They were showing a Florida artist collection of permanent and "on loan" pieces on the first floor and a Latin/South American collection on the second. The Florida collection had more breadth than depth. The show cased some jewelry artist. Check out the bronze that resembles a found art piece. you won't believe it's metal. The "Latin" collection - I was going to say had more depth, but, it also had photography, paintings and sculpture. I especially liked an arist (I think Mexican) called Jesus Leuus. Some creep eyes on his figures. Very evocative. There was also an interesting Costa Rican sculpturess. Cost = $5. Ends January 5, 2014.
100 - They were showing a collection of "small" paintings from the Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown, Ohio). I think the earliest piece was mid-century 1800's. It was mostly artists from the North East with some South West and a few local (Ohio) boys tossed in. It's always nice to focus on lesser known artists and schools that you usually pay little attention to in the bigger museums. They did have Lichtenstein, Warhol, and Motherwell for you contemporary nuts. And Grandma Moses and Edward Hopper for you historians. I'm not sure when this ends.
Grub Crawl - Deland: Santorini, Mr. Bill's Donuts and Pat & Toni's Sweet Things
I cobbled together a food adventure on Friday after I learned that Cress is too successful to service the lunch crowd. I really should call ahead.
Santorini - I ordered a pork souvlaki to go because I always do chicken and most Greek dishes are over priced in my estimation. I've been watching this hairy munchkin named Yannis' The Cooking Odyssey cooking program and he must have subconsciously crept in. It ran me $6. The pork in these sandwiches is usually sinewy and full of fatty, chewy nonsense. This was all palette pleasing white meat. It wasn't even dry/overcooked. The portion was enormous. Usually you get to the bottom of the pit "cone" and it's all rabbit food. You usually have to save a few pieces that have tumbled out of the front of the sandwich and stuff them into the last bites. Not so here. It was pork to the bottom. The tzatziki was nice too. Just a hint of Horseradish. The apologist who commented on the Meditteranean Blue review should encourage his homeboys to drive up here and learn a thing or two. The pita was fresh and spongy. The lettuce and tomato could have been a little fresher, but, they usually could. I had the sandwich to go because the place (though small) was packed. It's a usual Grek menu with some interesting specialties. A bit more seafood than the Greek places around here. The service people were friendly. The food was ready in an acceptable period of time. The place is small and not too appointed, but, it's a good representative of Greek cooking.
Mr Bill's Donuts - I just had a $1 regular donut because I was stuffed and I wasn't convinced by the cover of this book that the sandwiches, etc they serve would be judged delicious. The donut (almost out of everything) was freshly made and respectable.
Pat & Toni's Sweet Things - Two bites into my chocolate bacon strip I asked myself - "How long does cooked bacon stay eatable"? Doesn't really matter because I won't be having it again. At least without a better quality of chocolate. To me it's a bad marriage. And one that gets worse the more you see of it. Maybe as an accent. This caprice cost me $2. I also had a little cluster of chocolate covered potato chips that some how came to $3. I should have asked the same question of this as I did of the bacon. The answer would be - not as long as they offer them for sale. These things were rancid. The started giving me stomach cramps. I also tried a cluster of chocolate covered frosted flakes. A little better than the chips, but, I think they were turning too. I'd advise you to avoid the chocolate covered "naturally occuring" items. Stick with science experiments like twinkies and gummy bears. The place has a lot of candy. I think their questionable milk chocolate is a remnant of amother era. An era of ignorance. Don't settle for this poor relation.
Santorini - I ordered a pork souvlaki to go because I always do chicken and most Greek dishes are over priced in my estimation. I've been watching this hairy munchkin named Yannis' The Cooking Odyssey cooking program and he must have subconsciously crept in. It ran me $6. The pork in these sandwiches is usually sinewy and full of fatty, chewy nonsense. This was all palette pleasing white meat. It wasn't even dry/overcooked. The portion was enormous. Usually you get to the bottom of the pit "cone" and it's all rabbit food. You usually have to save a few pieces that have tumbled out of the front of the sandwich and stuff them into the last bites. Not so here. It was pork to the bottom. The tzatziki was nice too. Just a hint of Horseradish. The apologist who commented on the Meditteranean Blue review should encourage his homeboys to drive up here and learn a thing or two. The pita was fresh and spongy. The lettuce and tomato could have been a little fresher, but, they usually could. I had the sandwich to go because the place (though small) was packed. It's a usual Grek menu with some interesting specialties. A bit more seafood than the Greek places around here. The service people were friendly. The food was ready in an acceptable period of time. The place is small and not too appointed, but, it's a good representative of Greek cooking.
Mr Bill's Donuts - I just had a $1 regular donut because I was stuffed and I wasn't convinced by the cover of this book that the sandwiches, etc they serve would be judged delicious. The donut (almost out of everything) was freshly made and respectable.
Pat & Toni's Sweet Things - Two bites into my chocolate bacon strip I asked myself - "How long does cooked bacon stay eatable"? Doesn't really matter because I won't be having it again. At least without a better quality of chocolate. To me it's a bad marriage. And one that gets worse the more you see of it. Maybe as an accent. This caprice cost me $2. I also had a little cluster of chocolate covered potato chips that some how came to $3. I should have asked the same question of this as I did of the bacon. The answer would be - not as long as they offer them for sale. These things were rancid. The started giving me stomach cramps. I also tried a cluster of chocolate covered frosted flakes. A little better than the chips, but, I think they were turning too. I'd advise you to avoid the chocolate covered "naturally occuring" items. Stick with science experiments like twinkies and gummy bears. The place has a lot of candy. I think their questionable milk chocolate is a remnant of amother era. An era of ignorance. Don't settle for this poor relation.
Grub Crawl - Downtown : NY Deli, What's Your Beef, Big Wheel Provisions
NY Deli - Orange Avenue - I had a grilled cheese at this non-descript cafe across from the Suntrust building. Everything looked average at best and I had bigger fish to fry so I settled for this bland excuse for a grilled cheese made in a panini press. I don't even think the bread was buttered. It's a small shop that survives because of it's proximity to the office workers above it. They must be easy to satisfy.
What's Your Beef - Washington St - I had an Italian Beef sandwich at this deli/cafe a few blocks north. I didn't grow up on these things so I guess it was a good representation. I just think all Mid Western fare is unimaginative and boring. This was warm roast beef slices in a roll and dunked in broth. Yawn. Maybe it will bring back childhood memories for you? The place is small and rectangular. It's mostly counter. They serve a variety of hot dogs, sandwiches, salad and breakfast.
Big Wheel Provisions - Washington St - Right across the street from Beef, this food truck is really interesting. The menu is all over the place and the portions are small, but, it delivers flavor. I had a sopprassetta (it's like salami) sandwich on a baguette with field greens, cucumber slices, shaved white asparagus that was sweetened and pickled, mayo and some sort of cheese. It was wonderful. I actually felt better after eating it. Is that what freshness can do to you? It was $6.50. They had about half dozen entrees and a few amuse bouches. They said they change it up regularly. Check it out.
I have no idea why this post was redated when I edited it. I went to these places over two years ago.
What's Your Beef - Washington St - I had an Italian Beef sandwich at this deli/cafe a few blocks north. I didn't grow up on these things so I guess it was a good representation. I just think all Mid Western fare is unimaginative and boring. This was warm roast beef slices in a roll and dunked in broth. Yawn. Maybe it will bring back childhood memories for you? The place is small and rectangular. It's mostly counter. They serve a variety of hot dogs, sandwiches, salad and breakfast.
Big Wheel Provisions - Washington St - Right across the street from Beef, this food truck is really interesting. The menu is all over the place and the portions are small, but, it delivers flavor. I had a sopprassetta (it's like salami) sandwich on a baguette with field greens, cucumber slices, shaved white asparagus that was sweetened and pickled, mayo and some sort of cheese. It was wonderful. I actually felt better after eating it. Is that what freshness can do to you? It was $6.50. They had about half dozen entrees and a few amuse bouches. They said they change it up regularly. Check it out.
I have no idea why this post was redated when I edited it. I went to these places over two years ago.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Renting A Car in Europe Tutorial
I rented a car in Europe this summer and found out the following things:
1. Your credit card doesn't cover your deductible (unless you have Amex Gold or above).
2. Your auto insurance doesn't cover you at all in Europe (probably). You need to buy some from the rental company.
3. You still need an international driver's license. I'm told you can get it at any local AAA office for $15 and a one hour class. A joke of a class.
4. Rates vary wildly by city. If you are driving to a few countries, check the car rates before you make an airline reservation. It might be cheaper to fly into city A than city B.
5. Gas is expensive there. You have to use a 98 octane at a minimum. Don't put in the wrong stuff. Ask before you pump. Credit cards won't always work or they pretend they won't. A real problem if you run out of gas near a station with no attendent. You will learn why they have 20% unemployment. It's all machines.
6. Some countries have bizarre rules about breathalyzers or toll passes, emergency equipment, etc. Check that you have what is required in each country you will visit. And always check you have a spare and jack, etc. A cel phone is nice to bring along. 7. Alot of tolls have no collector. Make sure you have enough change or credit cards that are on their system. I had some that were supposed to be, but, didn't work when the time came. Make sure you get in the right lane if you want change, want to use cash, etc.
8. They are installing alot of robotic speed detectors with cameras (even on the non-highway roads)! The rental company will charge you credit card for them weeks to months after you have left. Use that time to replace your cards (new number). For some reason they can't find your new number later on even though they have all your other contact info.
9. If you get in a crash, the cops will take forever getting to you and then tell you that you could have just filled out a form with the other driver. If you do crash and ask the rental company to replace your car, they will charge you for the tow (even if it was the other guys fault) and tell you that they aren't. You will see the charge when you drop it off. they will also try and stick you for a full tank of gas. take a picture of the gauge before you release the car. They will also charge you for the repairs immediately and then never chase down the guilty party to indemnify you (or they pocket that $). Call you credit card company and then dispute the charge. Then replace the card. They will be too lazy or disorganized to respond by the date they are issued. You will get a letter in the mail later. Just ignore it a remember not to rent from them the next time you go to Europe (it didn't effect my renting domestically from the same company). Hopefully, you won't have a warrant out for you. Haven't gotten that far yet.
10. Triple check the car, fill out the form and photograph it and things like the fuel level. They still play games. I wasn't allowed to inspect my car before they gave me the keys. I wasn't offered the inspection form. The guy who was supposed to go through it with me and sign it never could be located. I kept having to run back to the counter.Not what you want to do at six am after a red eye.
11. Rent from the local website not the US .com one. Supposedly better prices. Also, check out some European rental companies.
12. Almost everything the US agents will tell you over the phone will be wrong, inconsistent or ignored when you go to the counter. There they have you by the balls and you will agree to anything.
13. Don't say you are coming in by plane or give them that info. If the flight times change, the computer changes your rental times and can put an extra day (for example)on your bill that will change the quoted rate. You will be confused as to why the bill is more than quoted. You don't want too many issues when the counter person can pretend not to speak english well.
14. You will be hassled in countries that are different from you license plate. They even do breathalizer checks in areas around booze producers. I'm not sure if it is legal, but, they pull you over randomnly.
15. They have tolls everwhere ($!). Try the smaller roads.
16. They are jerks about bringing the car in early or late.
My Experience -
I started getting quotes around a month before I left. The rates were outrageously low without insurance. I kept calling in to inquire about the insurance protections and prices and got a different story everytime. Everything was included, theft was extra, you only need collision, it's this price, it's that price. It turned out they have a "super insurance" that covers everything with no deductible. It tripled the price! The next one down had a $800 (they told me $500 over the phone) deductible and doubled the price. Collision only was slightly less. Theft and personal property protections were about half the rental price. Theft was about 2/3rds of PP ins. I didn't want to buy them a new car if it got stolen. I took the one with the deductible. A kid rear ended me and they charged me (not over the deductible) to fix it even though I waited to get a police report that exonerated me. They did get me a tow truck and took me to a different city to get the new car (was a hassle). They didn't seem very thankful that I didn't try and keep driving the car around and damaging in further. I want to reiterate that they quoted me a different insurance price everytime. I think they knew I was going to have to buy it and they tried to take advantage. Some of it could have been lack of lead time (price goes up), but, it happened in the same day.
Summary - Don't get fixated on the non-insured price. Get the full insurance and don't speed. European roads and parking spaces, etc are tiny. You will probably have some sort of damage to the car. Pick the right city to rent from. Prices fluctuate wildly.
1. Your credit card doesn't cover your deductible (unless you have Amex Gold or above).
2. Your auto insurance doesn't cover you at all in Europe (probably). You need to buy some from the rental company.
3. You still need an international driver's license. I'm told you can get it at any local AAA office for $15 and a one hour class. A joke of a class.
4. Rates vary wildly by city. If you are driving to a few countries, check the car rates before you make an airline reservation. It might be cheaper to fly into city A than city B.
5. Gas is expensive there. You have to use a 98 octane at a minimum. Don't put in the wrong stuff. Ask before you pump. Credit cards won't always work or they pretend they won't. A real problem if you run out of gas near a station with no attendent. You will learn why they have 20% unemployment. It's all machines.
6. Some countries have bizarre rules about breathalyzers or toll passes, emergency equipment, etc. Check that you have what is required in each country you will visit. And always check you have a spare and jack, etc. A cel phone is nice to bring along. 7. Alot of tolls have no collector. Make sure you have enough change or credit cards that are on their system. I had some that were supposed to be, but, didn't work when the time came. Make sure you get in the right lane if you want change, want to use cash, etc.
8. They are installing alot of robotic speed detectors with cameras (even on the non-highway roads)! The rental company will charge you credit card for them weeks to months after you have left. Use that time to replace your cards (new number). For some reason they can't find your new number later on even though they have all your other contact info.
9. If you get in a crash, the cops will take forever getting to you and then tell you that you could have just filled out a form with the other driver. If you do crash and ask the rental company to replace your car, they will charge you for the tow (even if it was the other guys fault) and tell you that they aren't. You will see the charge when you drop it off. they will also try and stick you for a full tank of gas. take a picture of the gauge before you release the car. They will also charge you for the repairs immediately and then never chase down the guilty party to indemnify you (or they pocket that $). Call you credit card company and then dispute the charge. Then replace the card. They will be too lazy or disorganized to respond by the date they are issued. You will get a letter in the mail later. Just ignore it a remember not to rent from them the next time you go to Europe (it didn't effect my renting domestically from the same company). Hopefully, you won't have a warrant out for you. Haven't gotten that far yet.
10. Triple check the car, fill out the form and photograph it and things like the fuel level. They still play games. I wasn't allowed to inspect my car before they gave me the keys. I wasn't offered the inspection form. The guy who was supposed to go through it with me and sign it never could be located. I kept having to run back to the counter.Not what you want to do at six am after a red eye.
11. Rent from the local website not the US .com one. Supposedly better prices. Also, check out some European rental companies.
12. Almost everything the US agents will tell you over the phone will be wrong, inconsistent or ignored when you go to the counter. There they have you by the balls and you will agree to anything.
13. Don't say you are coming in by plane or give them that info. If the flight times change, the computer changes your rental times and can put an extra day (for example)on your bill that will change the quoted rate. You will be confused as to why the bill is more than quoted. You don't want too many issues when the counter person can pretend not to speak english well.
14. You will be hassled in countries that are different from you license plate. They even do breathalizer checks in areas around booze producers. I'm not sure if it is legal, but, they pull you over randomnly.
15. They have tolls everwhere ($!). Try the smaller roads.
16. They are jerks about bringing the car in early or late.
My Experience -
I started getting quotes around a month before I left. The rates were outrageously low without insurance. I kept calling in to inquire about the insurance protections and prices and got a different story everytime. Everything was included, theft was extra, you only need collision, it's this price, it's that price. It turned out they have a "super insurance" that covers everything with no deductible. It tripled the price! The next one down had a $800 (they told me $500 over the phone) deductible and doubled the price. Collision only was slightly less. Theft and personal property protections were about half the rental price. Theft was about 2/3rds of PP ins. I didn't want to buy them a new car if it got stolen. I took the one with the deductible. A kid rear ended me and they charged me (not over the deductible) to fix it even though I waited to get a police report that exonerated me. They did get me a tow truck and took me to a different city to get the new car (was a hassle). They didn't seem very thankful that I didn't try and keep driving the car around and damaging in further. I want to reiterate that they quoted me a different insurance price everytime. I think they knew I was going to have to buy it and they tried to take advantage. Some of it could have been lack of lead time (price goes up), but, it happened in the same day.
Summary - Don't get fixated on the non-insured price. Get the full insurance and don't speed. European roads and parking spaces, etc are tiny. You will probably have some sort of damage to the car. Pick the right city to rent from. Prices fluctuate wildly.
Air Conditioning Tune Up Tutorial
I had a home inspector over a few months ago and he said my A/C was blowing low so I I had someone come and look at the system a few weeks ago. I compared a few offers that I received in the mail.
Top Quality - $49 (Diagnosis with one free pound of freon) Certified - $59 (Diagnosis) Sears - $39 (Diagnosis and filter) DBK - $69 (Diagnosis) Harell - $29-$49 (Service call extra) Home Depot - $38 (25 Point Diagnosis)
I went with Home Depot (outsourced it to ARS) because they described what they were going to do the best (over the phone and in the store). Plus I believed I had a leak after reading up on this stuff (will cut and paste the best article at the end) and knew it would be pointless to get the free freon.
A few tips before we get to the service call. 1. Freon or R22 will be outlawed by the end of 2014. The price has jumped from a few bucks to almost $100/lb in some areas. ARS quoted me $69. I probably have a 6-7 lb unit. Some of these guys were touting a free filter. They cost around $2 each in a package of three at Home Depot. By far the lowest price. Don't even think about buying them in a supermarket.
Service Call - He (pleasant fellow) came 1 1/2 hours late. He checked the freon with some kind of pressure gauge. Said I needed 75 lbs and was at 45 lbs. He couldn't add the freon because the added pressure would just force freon out at a greater rate than it does now. Logical. He then did some more stuff around the outside unit and unscrewed the cover to the inside burner. He scraped around the inside, but, did none of the heater inspections or servicing promised by HD. I didn't complain because I know it is fine. He then went back outside and attached a wet vac to clean out the drain pipe. He said he drew out dirty water. I didn't see the wet vac before he used it so I hope it wasn't a slight of hand. I didn't really care at this point because I had just wanted to confirm that I was low on freon and have a leak. The whole process took about an hour.
Impressions - I think this service is a waste of money even if they do what is promised. If you have low output, you have a leak and need to schedule a leak search. They offered one for $280. I have to shop around for a better price. The search doesn't include a repair. Lord knows what they quote for that. The inspection (if done properly) was supposed to help a little (see cut and paste below). My tech said I would see no difference. It made me wonder if he did all the things that he was supposed to. He also said that those commercials for cheap units from Appliance Direct only are sold to commercially licensed customers. I'll have to check on that because they were advertising units around 2k and all the other ones either don't list or I think list around 6k and then give a rebate.
Helpful Article from the Internet...
Air-Conditioning Tips, original prior to 1990?? Edited 07-17-2010 Edited 03-25-12 Edited 07-25-13 The information will help you stay cool and save money by keeping your A/C running at peak performance. It will help assure that your Air-conditioning is keeping you as cool as possible and working and cooling as efficiently as possible while saving you money. And help you decide if you need a professional to service your Air-conditioning system.
(1) Air filter(s) MUST be clean. Filters are located in the return air duct adjacent to the air handler or in a return air grill(s) in your wall or ceiling. Check your air filter every 30 to 90 days to make sure it is clean. Depending of the house, i.e. if you have animals you may need to clean or replace the air filter(s) more often. (Go clean them now!)
(2) Flip the switch or push the button on the thermostat for the fan setting to FAN ON, not AUTO. This will run the indoor fan nonstop. The outside A/C unit will still cycle with a call for cooling from the thermostat. The constant air moving will keep you cooler. You can probably keep the thermostat a degree or two higher than normal and still feel comfortable. You will also maintain a more even temperature between upstairs and downstairs. This will SAVE you MONEY because the outdoor condenser will not come on as much!
(3) Make sure that you wash the outside condenser coil once a year. If it's dirty the A/C will run hot and inefficient. A sign of the coil being dirty is the small exposed copper pipe (tubing) line, usually 3/8" O/D connecting the inside unit with the outside unit will be HOT to the touch.
(4) If the small exposed 3/8" copper pipe connecting the inside unit with the outside unit is hot to the touch there can be several reasons why; (a) A/C is low on refrigerant. (b) The outdoor condenser coil is dirty. These are the two most common reasons for it to be hot to the touch.
(5) "Warm Rooms" on the lower levels of the house where it is cooler cut back / partially cut off some vent registers (Diffuser) but do not close them off all of the way, doing so could interfere with the static air pressure (air balancing of the system.) Make sure that all the ones on the upper floors where it is warmer are open all the way! Also, see paragraphs #2 & #9.
(6) "Doors" if you close the door to a room make sure that there is about a 3/4" gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. You may have had carpet put down on the floor and now there is no gap. This is necessary if you have a central return air duct in the hallway. The return air ducts need to pull the warm air from the room.
(7) Never leave the house and turn OFF the A/C. then come back home and turn it on and expect it to cool the house anytime soon. Doing this will not allow the unit to cool down the house for several hours. You can set the temperature up five to ten degrees but NOT OFF. This is because of Latent heat buildup in the walls and furniture in the house and will make the A/C work harder to remove the heat, this takes a long time.
(8) Never turn the A/C off than back on in less than five minutes, this will short-cycle the compressor and can trip breakers, blow fuses, or cause permanent damage the compressor. You should have a time-delay install on the A/C to prevent this during power outages! Most digital programmable thermostats have a time-delay of 3-5 minutes built-in. Having a start capacitor and relay is a good idea. This will increase the life expectancy of the compressor by starting faster thus keeping motor electrical windings temperature down, using less electric to start.
(9) Keep blinds closed, curtains drawn, window shades down. A working attic fan would be a good idea. Plenty of insulation in the ceiling & walls. Air tight storm windows. Keep outside doors and openings close, etc.
(10) Ceiling or other fans are a good idea, they can keep the air moving and make you feel cooler. Ceiling fans also help with keeping the temperature more even between the floor and ceiling. Note: during the summer ceiling fans should be blowing the air in the downward direction, but in the winter you would reverse the air direction to blow upwards and at a much lower speed.
(11) "Icing of the indoor coil or the large insulated covered copper pipe. There are two main reasons for this, lack of air flow or low on refrigerant. Lack of air flow can be a dirty air filter, dirty indoor evaporator coil, dirty fan blades, damper in duct restricting air flow.
(12) "Water inside around air-handler." The condensate line is a drain pipe coming from the indoor evaporator coil to an indoor drain or to the outside. This can become clogged and cause water to backup and can produce about five gallons of water an hour. This is where all the humidity and moisture from the house goes. This is usually a 3/4" white PVC plastic pipe.
(13) You should NEVER need to add refrigerant (Freon) to a system, if you are adding refrigerant this means that there is a refrigerant leak in the system that NEEDS to be fixed! (Why KILL the Ozone layer?) and running your system low on refrigerant can cause damage.
(14) Checking the cooling with a thermometer. There should be a 15-20 degree (Delta-T) temperature drop across the indoor coil at the air handler. Check the temperature drop in the duct close to the coil, if air coming into the coil is 75 degrees than the air leaving the coil should be 60-55 degrees. If it is higher or lower there is probably something wrong. Too high of a drop, IE more than 20 degrees drop, could mean lack of air flow or low on refrigerant. Less than a 15-degree drop could mean too much air flow, dirty outside coil or low on refrigerant.
(15) Never cover the A/C (Outside unit) with plastic or an air tight cover; this will cause it to rust.
(16) Do NOT let animals (Cats) (Dogs) etc. Urinate on the outside coil. This will cause it to corrode (rust) and then leak refrigerant.
(17) Keep grass, leaves & weeds from blocking air flow on the outside A/C.
(18) Do NOT build a deck close to the top of the outside A/C or anything else that could cause the warm discharge air to re-circulate back to the unit.
(19) Fuses, Circuit Breakers and wires should never be hot to the touch; if they are hot you may have a sizing problem or a loose or bad electrical connection. (20) You can stop hear, the rest may not interest you.
When you need to have your equipment repaired/serviced make sure you use a licensed contractor who should be insured and obtain permits from city/county officials when required/necessary. Or a member of the (PHCC) Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association. PHCC contractors are professionals who adhere to a published code of ethics that improves the industry and protects your health, certified by the State Board of Contractors. They also have licenses, bonds, insurance and obtain permits when required by local municipalities. The PHCC logo is your assurance of quality in this profession! Isn't your health & safety worth it? It should be! Call 1-800-533-7694 for more information about the PHCC.
Air-Conditioners DO NOT add cool air. What they do is move warm air from the inside and transfer it outside. R-22 & R-12 ETC.. Refrigerant is a manmade product invented by DuPont and given the trade name FREON. Warm air travels towards cool air. So saying close the door I am trying to keep the heat out would be correct. Warm air rises.
The temperature of refrigerant is directly relate to the pressure it is at and vise versa, ie. R-22 at 0 psi is -40 degrees below zero or at 60 psi it at 32 degrees. This is misleading; the temperature change is NOT related to pressure really, but almost totally tied to the change from a liquid to a gas. When liquid Freon is expanded to a gas it gets really cold (latent heat of evaporation) and when the warm gas is compressed to a liquid it gets hot. The temperature change in say compressing liquid Freon to a higher pressure (adiabatic compression) is small. You see the same effect when you crack the valve on a CO2 or propane bottle for example. You will get a smaller effect with a pure gas, like when you fill a Scuba tank it gets warm or drain it quickly the valve gets cold right at the expansion point, but this effect is not great enough to run an AC system.
The physics of phase change from a gas to a liquid and vice versa drives most weather as well, for example.... With water it takes as (I recall) 560 (or was it 590...) times as much energy to boil water from 100c liquid to 100c gas as it does to raise the same amount of water 1c in temperature. Freon is less dramatic than water in terms of this energy amount, but it boils at a much more convenient temperature for human AC units than does water. If you wanted the inside of your house to be 100c you might want to run water in your AC.
FYI only. ***************************************************** Keep in mind that heat goes toward cold and not cool to heat. All the A/C compressor does is pump vapor to create a high and low pressure, ie. A low pressure at the inside coil for a low temperature for the refrigerant to absorb the heat in the house and a high pressure at the outside coil to give off the heat the refrigerant absorbed from the inside coil to outside. Over sized A/C will run short cycles and not remove the humidity and moisture from the house, an under sized unit will not be able to keep the house cool on a hot day. You MUST be careful to get the correct size A/C for your house. A/C's are sized by tons; there are 12,000 BTU'S to a ton of cooling. ("Ton" means 12,000 BTU'S of heat is needed to melt one 1 ton (2,000 Pounds of ice) You need to move 400 CFM of air per ton of cooling across the indoor coil. 450 CFM for Heat Pumps. Each CFM (Cubic foot per minute) of air will carry 26.7 BTU's of cooling. You need a heat-gain calculation done per room to get the proper (CFM/BTUs) to be delivered to each room and the total (Tons/BTUs) needed to cool the house based on designed weather conditions in your area.
The above is my personal opinion and advice, please feel free to obtain other opinions as I may have got something wrong. (I am sure if I did you will let me know)
Top Quality - $49 (Diagnosis with one free pound of freon) Certified - $59 (Diagnosis) Sears - $39 (Diagnosis and filter) DBK - $69 (Diagnosis) Harell - $29-$49 (Service call extra) Home Depot - $38 (25 Point Diagnosis)
I went with Home Depot (outsourced it to ARS) because they described what they were going to do the best (over the phone and in the store). Plus I believed I had a leak after reading up on this stuff (will cut and paste the best article at the end) and knew it would be pointless to get the free freon.
A few tips before we get to the service call. 1. Freon or R22 will be outlawed by the end of 2014. The price has jumped from a few bucks to almost $100/lb in some areas. ARS quoted me $69. I probably have a 6-7 lb unit. Some of these guys were touting a free filter. They cost around $2 each in a package of three at Home Depot. By far the lowest price. Don't even think about buying them in a supermarket.
Service Call - He (pleasant fellow) came 1 1/2 hours late. He checked the freon with some kind of pressure gauge. Said I needed 75 lbs and was at 45 lbs. He couldn't add the freon because the added pressure would just force freon out at a greater rate than it does now. Logical. He then did some more stuff around the outside unit and unscrewed the cover to the inside burner. He scraped around the inside, but, did none of the heater inspections or servicing promised by HD. I didn't complain because I know it is fine. He then went back outside and attached a wet vac to clean out the drain pipe. He said he drew out dirty water. I didn't see the wet vac before he used it so I hope it wasn't a slight of hand. I didn't really care at this point because I had just wanted to confirm that I was low on freon and have a leak. The whole process took about an hour.
Impressions - I think this service is a waste of money even if they do what is promised. If you have low output, you have a leak and need to schedule a leak search. They offered one for $280. I have to shop around for a better price. The search doesn't include a repair. Lord knows what they quote for that. The inspection (if done properly) was supposed to help a little (see cut and paste below). My tech said I would see no difference. It made me wonder if he did all the things that he was supposed to. He also said that those commercials for cheap units from Appliance Direct only are sold to commercially licensed customers. I'll have to check on that because they were advertising units around 2k and all the other ones either don't list or I think list around 6k and then give a rebate.
Helpful Article from the Internet...
Air-Conditioning Tips, original prior to 1990?? Edited 07-17-2010 Edited 03-25-12 Edited 07-25-13 The information will help you stay cool and save money by keeping your A/C running at peak performance. It will help assure that your Air-conditioning is keeping you as cool as possible and working and cooling as efficiently as possible while saving you money. And help you decide if you need a professional to service your Air-conditioning system.
(1) Air filter(s) MUST be clean. Filters are located in the return air duct adjacent to the air handler or in a return air grill(s) in your wall or ceiling. Check your air filter every 30 to 90 days to make sure it is clean. Depending of the house, i.e. if you have animals you may need to clean or replace the air filter(s) more often. (Go clean them now!)
(2) Flip the switch or push the button on the thermostat for the fan setting to FAN ON, not AUTO. This will run the indoor fan nonstop. The outside A/C unit will still cycle with a call for cooling from the thermostat. The constant air moving will keep you cooler. You can probably keep the thermostat a degree or two higher than normal and still feel comfortable. You will also maintain a more even temperature between upstairs and downstairs. This will SAVE you MONEY because the outdoor condenser will not come on as much!
(3) Make sure that you wash the outside condenser coil once a year. If it's dirty the A/C will run hot and inefficient. A sign of the coil being dirty is the small exposed copper pipe (tubing) line, usually 3/8" O/D connecting the inside unit with the outside unit will be HOT to the touch.
(4) If the small exposed 3/8" copper pipe connecting the inside unit with the outside unit is hot to the touch there can be several reasons why; (a) A/C is low on refrigerant. (b) The outdoor condenser coil is dirty. These are the two most common reasons for it to be hot to the touch.
(5) "Warm Rooms" on the lower levels of the house where it is cooler cut back / partially cut off some vent registers (Diffuser) but do not close them off all of the way, doing so could interfere with the static air pressure (air balancing of the system.) Make sure that all the ones on the upper floors where it is warmer are open all the way! Also, see paragraphs #2 & #9.
(6) "Doors" if you close the door to a room make sure that there is about a 3/4" gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. You may have had carpet put down on the floor and now there is no gap. This is necessary if you have a central return air duct in the hallway. The return air ducts need to pull the warm air from the room.
(7) Never leave the house and turn OFF the A/C. then come back home and turn it on and expect it to cool the house anytime soon. Doing this will not allow the unit to cool down the house for several hours. You can set the temperature up five to ten degrees but NOT OFF. This is because of Latent heat buildup in the walls and furniture in the house and will make the A/C work harder to remove the heat, this takes a long time.
(8) Never turn the A/C off than back on in less than five minutes, this will short-cycle the compressor and can trip breakers, blow fuses, or cause permanent damage the compressor. You should have a time-delay install on the A/C to prevent this during power outages! Most digital programmable thermostats have a time-delay of 3-5 minutes built-in. Having a start capacitor and relay is a good idea. This will increase the life expectancy of the compressor by starting faster thus keeping motor electrical windings temperature down, using less electric to start.
(9) Keep blinds closed, curtains drawn, window shades down. A working attic fan would be a good idea. Plenty of insulation in the ceiling & walls. Air tight storm windows. Keep outside doors and openings close, etc.
(10) Ceiling or other fans are a good idea, they can keep the air moving and make you feel cooler. Ceiling fans also help with keeping the temperature more even between the floor and ceiling. Note: during the summer ceiling fans should be blowing the air in the downward direction, but in the winter you would reverse the air direction to blow upwards and at a much lower speed.
(11) "Icing of the indoor coil or the large insulated covered copper pipe. There are two main reasons for this, lack of air flow or low on refrigerant. Lack of air flow can be a dirty air filter, dirty indoor evaporator coil, dirty fan blades, damper in duct restricting air flow.
(12) "Water inside around air-handler." The condensate line is a drain pipe coming from the indoor evaporator coil to an indoor drain or to the outside. This can become clogged and cause water to backup and can produce about five gallons of water an hour. This is where all the humidity and moisture from the house goes. This is usually a 3/4" white PVC plastic pipe.
(13) You should NEVER need to add refrigerant (Freon) to a system, if you are adding refrigerant this means that there is a refrigerant leak in the system that NEEDS to be fixed! (Why KILL the Ozone layer?) and running your system low on refrigerant can cause damage.
(14) Checking the cooling with a thermometer. There should be a 15-20 degree (Delta-T) temperature drop across the indoor coil at the air handler. Check the temperature drop in the duct close to the coil, if air coming into the coil is 75 degrees than the air leaving the coil should be 60-55 degrees. If it is higher or lower there is probably something wrong. Too high of a drop, IE more than 20 degrees drop, could mean lack of air flow or low on refrigerant. Less than a 15-degree drop could mean too much air flow, dirty outside coil or low on refrigerant.
(15) Never cover the A/C (Outside unit) with plastic or an air tight cover; this will cause it to rust.
(16) Do NOT let animals (Cats) (Dogs) etc. Urinate on the outside coil. This will cause it to corrode (rust) and then leak refrigerant.
(17) Keep grass, leaves & weeds from blocking air flow on the outside A/C.
(18) Do NOT build a deck close to the top of the outside A/C or anything else that could cause the warm discharge air to re-circulate back to the unit.
(19) Fuses, Circuit Breakers and wires should never be hot to the touch; if they are hot you may have a sizing problem or a loose or bad electrical connection. (20) You can stop hear, the rest may not interest you.
When you need to have your equipment repaired/serviced make sure you use a licensed contractor who should be insured and obtain permits from city/county officials when required/necessary. Or a member of the (PHCC) Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association. PHCC contractors are professionals who adhere to a published code of ethics that improves the industry and protects your health, certified by the State Board of Contractors. They also have licenses, bonds, insurance and obtain permits when required by local municipalities. The PHCC logo is your assurance of quality in this profession! Isn't your health & safety worth it? It should be! Call 1-800-533-7694 for more information about the PHCC.
Air-Conditioners DO NOT add cool air. What they do is move warm air from the inside and transfer it outside. R-22 & R-12 ETC.. Refrigerant is a manmade product invented by DuPont and given the trade name FREON. Warm air travels towards cool air. So saying close the door I am trying to keep the heat out would be correct. Warm air rises.
The temperature of refrigerant is directly relate to the pressure it is at and vise versa, ie. R-22 at 0 psi is -40 degrees below zero or at 60 psi it at 32 degrees. This is misleading; the temperature change is NOT related to pressure really, but almost totally tied to the change from a liquid to a gas. When liquid Freon is expanded to a gas it gets really cold (latent heat of evaporation) and when the warm gas is compressed to a liquid it gets hot. The temperature change in say compressing liquid Freon to a higher pressure (adiabatic compression) is small. You see the same effect when you crack the valve on a CO2 or propane bottle for example. You will get a smaller effect with a pure gas, like when you fill a Scuba tank it gets warm or drain it quickly the valve gets cold right at the expansion point, but this effect is not great enough to run an AC system.
The physics of phase change from a gas to a liquid and vice versa drives most weather as well, for example.... With water it takes as (I recall) 560 (or was it 590...) times as much energy to boil water from 100c liquid to 100c gas as it does to raise the same amount of water 1c in temperature. Freon is less dramatic than water in terms of this energy amount, but it boils at a much more convenient temperature for human AC units than does water. If you wanted the inside of your house to be 100c you might want to run water in your AC.
FYI only. ***************************************************** Keep in mind that heat goes toward cold and not cool to heat. All the A/C compressor does is pump vapor to create a high and low pressure, ie. A low pressure at the inside coil for a low temperature for the refrigerant to absorb the heat in the house and a high pressure at the outside coil to give off the heat the refrigerant absorbed from the inside coil to outside. Over sized A/C will run short cycles and not remove the humidity and moisture from the house, an under sized unit will not be able to keep the house cool on a hot day. You MUST be careful to get the correct size A/C for your house. A/C's are sized by tons; there are 12,000 BTU'S to a ton of cooling. ("Ton" means 12,000 BTU'S of heat is needed to melt one 1 ton (2,000 Pounds of ice) You need to move 400 CFM of air per ton of cooling across the indoor coil. 450 CFM for Heat Pumps. Each CFM (Cubic foot per minute) of air will carry 26.7 BTU's of cooling. You need a heat-gain calculation done per room to get the proper (CFM/BTUs) to be delivered to each room and the total (Tons/BTUs) needed to cool the house based on designed weather conditions in your area.
The above is my personal opinion and advice, please feel free to obtain other opinions as I may have got something wrong. (I am sure if I did you will let me know)
Monday, November 4, 2013
Food Truck Bazaar - Sanford: La Empanada, Caro-Bama BBQ and Swededish
I ate from these food trucks on Saturday night. They were near the harbor.
La Empanada - I shared a trio of empanadas (chicken, beef picadillo, mac and cheese)for $9. All were great. Pastry was light and non-greasy. Probably egg roll wrapper. Made to order. A great start to the night.
Caro-Bama BBQ - I shared a brisket sandwich with Alabama white sauce (vinegar and mayo) for $7. My first white sauce. Fine, but, classic is better. Nice smoked brisket. Good second step.
Swededish - Grinding halt. Let me start by revealing that I'm half Swedish and I went with my full Swedish first gen cousin. We both hated it. Agreed that it was a piss poor representation of Swedish cooking. I had a Leif (meatballs, mashed potatos and cucumber salad) for $9. The meatballs were dense as gob stoppers and tasted like the salisbury steak you can buy frozen for $1 from Banquet. I had one and through the rest (5) out. Mt mother is a terrible cook and these made me long for her meatballs. The potatos were watery (not buttery like The Bite opined). I thought they might be mix in the bowl powdered, but, I think they were just poorly made. The cucumber was ok. My cousin had a Odin Sandwich (roast beef)for around the same price. It came with nothing. She took a bite or two and threw it out. I think she only ate what she did because I was so pumped to finally find this truck. Once again I apologize for my people. Swedish cuisine is trying to shake a poor reputation and this truck set us back decades. The menu isn't even a good representation of Swedish food.
La Empanada - I shared a trio of empanadas (chicken, beef picadillo, mac and cheese)for $9. All were great. Pastry was light and non-greasy. Probably egg roll wrapper. Made to order. A great start to the night.
Caro-Bama BBQ - I shared a brisket sandwich with Alabama white sauce (vinegar and mayo) for $7. My first white sauce. Fine, but, classic is better. Nice smoked brisket. Good second step.
Swededish - Grinding halt. Let me start by revealing that I'm half Swedish and I went with my full Swedish first gen cousin. We both hated it. Agreed that it was a piss poor representation of Swedish cooking. I had a Leif (meatballs, mashed potatos and cucumber salad) for $9. The meatballs were dense as gob stoppers and tasted like the salisbury steak you can buy frozen for $1 from Banquet. I had one and through the rest (5) out. Mt mother is a terrible cook and these made me long for her meatballs. The potatos were watery (not buttery like The Bite opined). I thought they might be mix in the bowl powdered, but, I think they were just poorly made. The cucumber was ok. My cousin had a Odin Sandwich (roast beef)for around the same price. It came with nothing. She took a bite or two and threw it out. I think she only ate what she did because I was so pumped to finally find this truck. Once again I apologize for my people. Swedish cuisine is trying to shake a poor reputation and this truck set us back decades. The menu isn't even a good representation of Swedish food.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Grub Crawl - Antiques District: Santiago's Bodega, Cindy's Tropical Cafe (Closed) and The Hammered Lamb
I ate at these restaurants around the Antiques district on Wednesday.
Santiago's Bodega - I was sitting at this tapas restaurant on Virginia (between the antiques district and downtown) preparing a diatribe against tapas in general and this place in particular, when the food came. I had a Spanish Board for $12. I was expecting some yellowfin debris and some greasy potatoes and a grisely piece of pork and an unsatisfied tummy. I received a nicely marinated yellowfin ceviche, an unbelievably tasty pot of potatos and a superb piece of pork loin. The ceviche was done correctly with citrus juice. The pieces were lightly seared. Not drowned in caustic liquid. The portion was huge. Around ten ounzes on fish cut into three large junks. It was complimented with onions, avocado, mango and herbs. The potatoes had some heat and worked to balance the ceviche's brightness. The pork (pincho) came on a skewer and added savouriness. It came with a chutney (with mango pieces on top) that added sweetness. It was cooked perfectly. A fully rounded, smartly conceived meal. I've talked to others who have eaten here and the staff and they confirm the portion sizes here redeem the name of tapas. I find they usually charge you post-sushi level prices for hors d'oeuvres. Some just picked from a can. A real curiosity and a possible explanation for their continual fiscal incompetency. It's just too much for what they barter in exchange. Not here though. Each dish is a meal unto itself. The selection is less than Ceviche downtown, but, they have a fair selection and serve much larger portions. They even throw in some Greek elements. The place has an outdoor patio that seats around thirty, a bar that seats about forty and a skinny main room that seats fifty. The place has that Spanish ranchero feel. It's a little gypsy-ish with its bric a brac and chandelier melange. The ceiling is brown. The walls are burnt earth tones with yellow and red elements. The wall art was a bit odd. Like a modern El Greco collection. The service was responsive enough to handle the other rooms and myself. I had been waiting for them to open for a while and I'm happy to say I was not disappointed. Worth finding.
Cindy's Tropical Cafe - I had a small Cuban sandwich to go for $5 from this cafe on Virginia. I ate it for dinner. Pefectly fine. The place is kind of a dump. It has been under this ownership for thirteen years and around forever. They serve some special Cuban meals on Tuesday and Thursday. The rest of the time it's menu is basically cheap deli fare.
The Hammered Lamb - I had a lamb pita to go for $10 from this pub looking spot on North Orlando. It was unbelievable and capped a good day of eating. The lamb was served pulled pork style in a pita. They must have cooked it in all spice or cumin. It had wonderful flavor. The pine nuts added another element. It came with an ok cold penne pesto salad. I should have ordered ten and frozen them. I'd go back just to try that again. Since it's the only pulled lamb dish I have encountered in the area, I would recomment you go just for that. They seem to also have a perfectly acceptable bar as well. It has an outdoor patio and plenty of games of skill inside. The menu is limited (ten items or less), but, some it had some interesting combinations. Good find. They have been open for just under a year. Parking is a pain. Try the park lot across the street if you get desperate.
Santiago's Bodega - I was sitting at this tapas restaurant on Virginia (between the antiques district and downtown) preparing a diatribe against tapas in general and this place in particular, when the food came. I had a Spanish Board for $12. I was expecting some yellowfin debris and some greasy potatoes and a grisely piece of pork and an unsatisfied tummy. I received a nicely marinated yellowfin ceviche, an unbelievably tasty pot of potatos and a superb piece of pork loin. The ceviche was done correctly with citrus juice. The pieces were lightly seared. Not drowned in caustic liquid. The portion was huge. Around ten ounzes on fish cut into three large junks. It was complimented with onions, avocado, mango and herbs. The potatoes had some heat and worked to balance the ceviche's brightness. The pork (pincho) came on a skewer and added savouriness. It came with a chutney (with mango pieces on top) that added sweetness. It was cooked perfectly. A fully rounded, smartly conceived meal. I've talked to others who have eaten here and the staff and they confirm the portion sizes here redeem the name of tapas. I find they usually charge you post-sushi level prices for hors d'oeuvres. Some just picked from a can. A real curiosity and a possible explanation for their continual fiscal incompetency. It's just too much for what they barter in exchange. Not here though. Each dish is a meal unto itself. The selection is less than Ceviche downtown, but, they have a fair selection and serve much larger portions. They even throw in some Greek elements. The place has an outdoor patio that seats around thirty, a bar that seats about forty and a skinny main room that seats fifty. The place has that Spanish ranchero feel. It's a little gypsy-ish with its bric a brac and chandelier melange. The ceiling is brown. The walls are burnt earth tones with yellow and red elements. The wall art was a bit odd. Like a modern El Greco collection. The service was responsive enough to handle the other rooms and myself. I had been waiting for them to open for a while and I'm happy to say I was not disappointed. Worth finding.
Cindy's Tropical Cafe - I had a small Cuban sandwich to go for $5 from this cafe on Virginia. I ate it for dinner. Pefectly fine. The place is kind of a dump. It has been under this ownership for thirteen years and around forever. They serve some special Cuban meals on Tuesday and Thursday. The rest of the time it's menu is basically cheap deli fare.
The Hammered Lamb - I had a lamb pita to go for $10 from this pub looking spot on North Orlando. It was unbelievable and capped a good day of eating. The lamb was served pulled pork style in a pita. They must have cooked it in all spice or cumin. It had wonderful flavor. The pine nuts added another element. It came with an ok cold penne pesto salad. I should have ordered ten and frozen them. I'd go back just to try that again. Since it's the only pulled lamb dish I have encountered in the area, I would recomment you go just for that. They seem to also have a perfectly acceptable bar as well. It has an outdoor patio and plenty of games of skill inside. The menu is limited (ten items or less), but, some it had some interesting combinations. Good find. They have been open for just under a year. Parking is a pain. Try the park lot across the street if you get desperate.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Oblivion Taproom, 50
I stopped in here for a beer and ended up supplementing the meger dinner I had just had. The place answers the question - what would happen if you combined a Dungeon and Dragoners den with a Heavy Metalers garage and served alcohol. I had a Seaside Tony for $13. It was nasty. It's my own fault. I had to try something called pork roll that they had on another sandwich for $10 and I decided to try out their burger for you for the extra $3. They originally brought me out another burger that had pulled pork, onion rings and bacon. It looked phenomenal. It was a foot high and beautiful. My slop had the pork roll, cheese whiz and a fried egg on it. Pork roll is salty spam (or was it sperm). The burger was disappointing. It split horizontally. I think they are of the school that says smush it to get a good crust. I say it dries it out. In any event, it wouldn't hold together. Maybe the mix (brisket, pork and something else) is not fatty enough to bind it. It came with some decent french fries. I also tried a lager from Cask and Larder. It sucked. Makes your mouth pucker. Way too much hops. This seems to be a popular flavor profile among small batchers. I don't get why. It tastes like herbal tea not beer. The service was good. The crowd was interesting. The girls had more tattoos than the guys and more than a european soccer jersey. A group of people in fox costumes meandered in. The TV's showed sci-fi/horror shows not sports. It is an intriguing alt option with some decent food. They have a lot of microbrews and imports and even more cider. They (not the bar) say it's going to be the next thing. so I guess they are ahead of the curve. The place is near 436. I'd go for the bird watching.
Kabooki Sushi, 50
Run by the son of the owner of a sushi restaurant (Bangkok Square) in the now torn down strip mall across from UCF. I had 2 orders (2 pieces) of salmon for $4 each, 1 order of scallop for $5, one order of wagyu beef for $7 and one order of baby octopus for $4. They were out of conch. The salmon was fresh and fatty. The serving size was a little small. It was a short cut and not as thick as a cut that length should be. The scallops lacked flavor. They had not lost their chill from however they were stored. The wagyu was a lark. I think I've only had beef sushi once before. It could have been any breed of cow. One piece was ok - one was a little gristly. Both were cooked medium rarish. The baby octopus was a sub for the conch and ended up being the best. Very fresh. The heads had a snap. The rice needs some work. All the nigiri pieces fell apart to easily. Maybe water the fingers more or press a little harder. The place is smallish. It probably seats 60. They have a big open kitchen that takes up half the area. There is a sushi bar between it and the dining area. There are four booths on the left, a bunch of tables on the right and some in between. The decor is Japanese modern. The way they hang the art is perplexing. Some are hung real high. There are blank spaces that could fit a canvas. All in all it is clean and acceptable if not inspiring. The prices are in line. The service was good. There were eight others there eating at 9pm. They have some Thai dishes (Mom runs Thaitanic Sushi so there must be some Thai relationship). The appetizers have entree prices. The menu doesn't really have any unique, signature draw. And that is the draw back. It doesn't wow you by its look, execution or location. It needs a reason besides proximity for people to trek here.
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