I had a second lunch at the first place and some to go from the second. they are in the first strip mall where Aloma and Tuskawilla meet. It's a convergence point between winter Park, winter Springs and Oviedo. Just west of 417.
Yuki Hana - I found this place after (I think) I read a blurb in the Weekly. I wasn't expecting much. I just wanted to knock off another sushi place. It didn't make me regret the effort. I equate it with the Maso Canali they offer on the wine menu. It's good not great. I had a lunch roll special (choice of 2 of 10) for $11. It only came with a soup or salad. I chose a salad. It was a big portion and the dressing was better and fresher than most places. However, they lost points by putting fried wonton strips in it. The place is owned by a Chinese family, so, it's not traditional. This works in some areas and not others. The whole thing also looked like it was "pre-bowled" and left in the refrigerator. The bowl was nice. As was the platter (both glossy, white and modern china) the sushi came on. I chose tuna and salmon with cucumber and avocado. The tuna was actually not the usual let down of small remnants of off pink ahi. It was ahi, but, big chucks of darkish color that had no "dental floss" attached to them. The salmon portion was a little less generous. It was unevenly "loaded" in the roll (more in the middle). It also wasn't bursting with flavor, although it look fatty to the eye. The cucumber was also a little dry. I would just ditch it. The rice was ok. Cold. A little starchy (improperly washed) and sticky. The pieces were fairly uniform in size. The ginger seemed wilted. Therein lie the imperfections of the sushi. I can't speak for the udon or the varying Asian hot dishes. They need to You Tube how to wash/cook/season the rice. Make sure the rice is the most appropriate type and cook it more frequently. Keep the vegetables at room temperature. Pay attention to the slicing. It's doable if they want to make the leap to the next level. The pricing was a little more than some places. Most roll specials are under $10 and I've seen more than soup or salad attached. Those places tend to cheat on the fish though. The place looks much better than I expected. It's tastefully appointed. There is a huge silver, metallic "back splash" behind the sushi bar. The rest is black. They have Ian Shrager-esque light fixtures. They utilize black leather booth seating around the exterior. The tables and chairs are black wood. The place seats about 50 with ten sushi bar seats. There were ten people there at 2pm. They have been open for a year. This is the only branch. They have a better than average wine and sake selection. The menu has some interesting and unique elements. They use blue crab, pistachios, shiso, bacon jam in dishes (including the sushi). The standard sushi menu is a little restrictive (16 items). I do give points for calling the shiromi and escolar by name and not trying to pass them off as something else. They have Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese influenced hot dishes. They have teriyaki and tempura and katsu. They have Kobe beef. Like I said. This place could be great with a little pushing. It's definitely better than the area requires. The people were nice and the service was good. I just hope they push it to the next level. Maybe play some lounge type music. The name means snow flower. I found it more experimental than the supposedly creative Sushi Pop. They also aren't as narrow in their focus. Not yet a must have, but, it could get there.
North End Pizza - I only went to Boston inspired Italian because I was there and didn't anticipate being there again in this lifetime. I had the 2 slice special for $5. It came with a soda. The pizza was typical. The cheese and sauce were probably purchased in mass quantities. They weren't of the greatest quality. Salty and tasteless. The pizza was under cooked. The crust was dense, crumbly and dusty. Someone used too much flour in the dough AND while stretching it out. It was thin and low on sauce. I'm not making any judgement calls on those points. I'm just describing it. The place also serves calzones, stromboli, pasta, subs, salads and the usual snacks and entrees (think the things that are are on the subs on some pasta). The people were very nice. It's clean. It seats around forty. It's the typical, no frills pizza place that you all know.
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