Grub Crawl - Oviedo: Kimchi, Meridian Court (Closed) and Pho Hoang Minh

I ate at these spots on 434/N. Alafaya Trail Monday afternoon. They are all in a shopping mall near Red Bug Lake Rd.

Kimchi - I had a Kalbi special they spell Gul Bi for $11. It was on of the pricier lunch specials. I can't remember a Korean place around here that can do a short rib properly. It was beyond tough. Seven pieces. The rice and kimchi were good. The fritter and gyosa like dumpling less so. The salad was good, but, more appropriate in an Italian restaurant. The picture on the menu also differed wildly from what they served. The place seats around forty. It was packed. Diverse crowd. The decor is appropriate. They have Korean beer and soju (although I see a sake like drink called this in a lot of places and it should be a vodka like drink). Service was quick. Parking is very limited.

Meridian Court - This should have been the worst of the trio, but, I found it to be the best value. It's a Chinese restaurant that was farther back in the strip mall for around 25 years. They made the mistake of moving up towards the road four years ago. It was empty. They say people won't park farther up and the other places make it hard for their customers to reach them (hog the spots). The place was empty. It's a shame because they do a good job of Hong Kong (most familiar to American diets) cuisine. I ordered Schezuan Chicken with white rice and a soda out of pity. It cost $7 (a little higher than most places charge for a lunch special. It was worth it. It came with tons of good white meat chicken and vegetables (red and green peppers, canned mushrooms, snow peas and water chestnuts. I asked for spicy. It was mildish and a little sweet (Hong Kongese don't do hot). I think they think it's low class. The place had pretty good furniture for a small Chinese place. Usually it's a mish mosh of reclaimed items from a supply company. They have a buffet. I know Chinese places are a dime a dozen, but, this place could easily go high end. Now they are chasing the "value" customer. I'd urge them to abandon the lower end and try and find a market segment that is under served.

Pho Hoang Minh - I had a Banh Mi Cha Lua (pork roll that they call pork ham) for $6. You usually get pork and pate on such a sandwich and I've had it for as low as $2 near Mills. However, what made this a colossal disappointment was that they use a roll from Publix instead of a nice baguette. The baguette is 50% why you order this. Shameful. I was all excited because you can never find a place that serves Pho and Banh Mi. It's usually one or the other. I hope they do better with their other dishes. The place looks clean and modern. It has a red color motif. Service was good and knowledgeable. I just can't beyond that bun. The place is named after the owner.

Dustin's Bar-B-Q, DeLand

I had a half chicken to go at this barbeque restaurant on S. Woodland Blvd on Sunday. It's on the Orlando side of Stetson. It was a Sonny's until a tornado took it away a few years back. It's a minor chain that started in Edgewater in 1991 (the town on the coast not the area in Orlando). The chicken cost $6 and was nicely smoked. The rest of the items seemed overpriced. You have to order them as a meal and a sandwich started at near $9. The decor looks like it is a cookie cutter replica of a "real" barbeque/country place. It was clean. It seats about eighty. It was very symmetrically apportioned. You could do worse. It could still be a Sonny's. At least this chain hasn't risen to that level of automation. It's only five branches (mostly on the Coast).

Izzy's Island Tacos and Ice Cream, New Smyrna Beach

I had an ice cream here for $1.50 on my way out of town on Sunday. They totally overloaded it. There is an ice cream store in front and a taco place behind it. The tacos are $2-$3. Burritos are $7 and Quesadillas are around $6. The taco part looked brand new and clean and nice. Much nicer than the sign out front would lead you to believe. It is smallish. They have benches outside the ice cream part. They also serve kebabs, tamales, burgers, hot dogs, nachos, churros, flan and corn on the cob. It's a good menu that has authentic/en vogue recipes. I'd wager the food is a great value. I will try it out next time I'm in town. It's on that long stretch of road towards the National Park (nearer to town).

Spanish River Grill, New Smyrna Beach - Closed

This is the real reason I made two trips to NSB last weekend. I came back on Sunday afternoon because it is the only time they are open during the day (Brunch). I had heard about them when one of their cooks went on one of those cooking programs years ago and was reminded of them when they opened Txokos in Audubon Park. They serve small dishes and some full plates. The small dishes are in the mid-teens for the most part and the plates are $20-$30 if you subtract the sandwiches. The Brunch menu is different. It is less expensive. I had a Seafood Salpicon for $12. It was a small serving of rock shrimp, octopus and 2 tiny mussels (seemed canned) in a marinade. A bad choice (value wise). It came with three triangles of some flat bread that tasted like salt tack and two okra pods. Nice plating, but, it's not wise to order the special. There is probably a finite amount and they must watch that they don't ladle it all out to one customer. I wanted fresh seafood after my wiff at JB's the day before.I could have received much more substantial dishes at that price point.  I added a fried chicken liver dish because I was still hungry and it was the cheapest thing they had. I wasn't going to be hoodwinked again and it was a delicacy item worth experimenting on. It was great and thoroughly made up for the salpicon. It was a huge order and fried perfectly. I don't even really like livers, but, this was good. It came with a tartare like sauce. It was a well spent $6. The place is hip and clean and casually dignified. It seats around seventy inside and twenty outside. It's in the Publix shopping center as the road curves (almost at the ocean) to go all the way down to the National Park. There were some other cute places around it, but, a strip mall isn't the most romantic setting. In any case, this is a top notch offering. I'd venture to say the best in NSB. I hate the tapas concept, but, at least they do it credit. It's their identity not a ploy to charge more for less. If you choose wisely here, you can find some excellent food at reasonable prices or splurge. They were only charging $1 for a mimosa (I think). The place catered to a diverse crowd, but, nobody was an embarrassment to have eating there. I recommend it. Service was attentive and knowledgeable, yet affable and not self important.

Pub Crawl - Milk District: Space Bar, Sportstown Billiards and Sandwich Bar

I went to these place in the Milk District on Saturday night. It was a ghost town. Last time I give this area a try. Two of these bars have little to no signage. Look for black doors in the middle of the block where the other bars are. They also serve no hard liquor.

Space Bar - A cute little bar with black walls and crystal orbs hanging from the ceiling. The vibe was great, but, there were only five others drinking. They claim one hundred patrons were there on Friday. The bartender was cool and talkative. They were showing Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. They have a small selection of beer and cider and wine.

Sportstown Billiards - This place has a sign and unsurprisingly was the most packed. They have all these arcade style games of skill. However, they allow smoking so I drank half a beer and left. I think it has been there forever.

Sandwich Bar - I just had a shot of Viking's Blood because I was falling asleep from all the beer and it was the closest thing to the hard stuff. They had a large selection of beer. Who doesn't anymore? It wasn't enough of a reason to compete with a hang over free day at the beach the next morning.

Pharmacy, Sand Lake - Closed

I went here after dinner on Saturday. This is a kind of secret bar/restaurant that was opened to handle the run off of The Table (22 seats - $100+ per person) in the Delaggio (I think that's what it's called) shopping area at the end of the road. It's at the far end of those shops. It's around a corner from Table. You press an elevator button that opens the front door. I just had a $6 beer and left. It had poor/no AC, no elbow room and it was next to impossible to get the bartender's attention from behind the wall of people eating at the bar. It also doesn't help that it's one of those pretentious "craft" cocktail bars and each drink takes about ten minutes to finesse. Only two bartenders too. The menu/food looked like the real reason to show up. I thought it was to be only a bar, but, they had an interesting menu. I remember grouper cheeks. It seats around sixty. It was full. They don't take rezzies. The decor/furniture is cool. The crowd is foodie drab, young chic and old (age of person not bank account) moneyed. It's interesting, but, maybe not worth the hassle. They have to get that AC addressed and figure out someway to free up the bar area or get a velvet rope. It now has the same problem that I heard made The Table open up this place in the first place.

Sizler, I Drive

I finally marked this last of the Indian restaurants down here off my list on Saturday night. It has such a ridiculously generic and misspelled name that I never took it seriously. I figured they just took over an old Sizzler and painted over a "z" after a cease and desist order. It was ok. The lack of AC and confused decorating didn't help. It seats about sixty inside and twenty outside. They have to be pressured into accepting AMEX. It's only open at night. There were four families there at eight. I had a mixed tandoori plate that had three pieces of some kind of flank steak, ground beef kebabs, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori and another kind of chicken each. It came on a "fajita" like serving pan with sauteed onions underneath. It cost $17. It was pretty good. The service was good enough. Not very talkative. They seemed to just be clad in their own clothes. They may have had a "corporate" T shirt in common. I got the sense that it is more Islamic Indian than Hindu Indian. I think they said it has been open for ten years. I'll neither recommend nor criticize it. There are a few Indian places in the area (across from Yama's) and there isn't a huge difference in them. I mean once you get used to the aggressive spicing of Indian food, it's hard to separate the nuances and the food kind of tastes the same. The quality and freshness of the ingredients then becomes the defining element and I'm sure that can fluctuate. I will say that my tum-tum felt a little queasy for 24 hours after eating here. It could have been just it's increasing inability to digest beef or one piece of the chicken seemed a little raw or the general strain of eating Indian spices.

JB's Fish Camp, New Smyrna Beach

I ended up at this seafood restaurant on the inter-coastal and almost at the end of the road near the National Park looking for another place on Saturday afternoon. I think I have picked up a snack here before. Instead of backtracking, I decided to eat here and go to the beach down here. The place is cute. It has all kinds of junk on the walls/ceiling (deer heads, boat motors, skis, etc). The place is very ramshackle, but, they do enclose the main room and the AC works. They also have a patio and a deck area. They rent paddle boards too. They even farm and catch some of their own seafood. They have live music. I had a tuna sandwich because I thought it would be fresh/raw Ahi. It wasn't. Just regular "in the can" tuna. I asked my waitress to confirm it was fresh tuna and she promised it would be. Lines crossed. It came with chips at $8. I would have ordered some fresh seafood had I not been mis-informed. They were out of crabs and the oysters were those salty Texas oysters that seem to be prevalent now. They did have rock shrimp. I had a side of Key Lime Slaw because doesn't that sound good? It was $2. It was a small cup of non-Key Lime tasting slaw. Another miss. They have a big menu that has alot of apps and sandwiches and fried dishes at reasonable prices. I found the platters a little uninspiring and pricey ($20+). It's not gourmet, but, not awful for a fish shack. They have something for almost any taste. The service is well oiled. They even write the waitperson's name on the paper tablecloth. First time I've seen that. They check on you often and are polite. The place seats around eighty inside and sixty outside. It was close to packed. It's worth the trip to the end of the peninsula. The sand at the beach (Bethune) at that part of NSB is softer and larger than the powdered flower near to town. It also has no cars on it and is closer to the water. Parking was free and not full. I'd head down here for a two-fer of lunch then beach. Or just paddle the day away on the IC/river. Or get drunk and watch others on the water and listen to music. The menu says that the "owner still alive and well since '79". Not sure if that means the place opened then.

Pub/Grub Crawl - Downtown: Tap and Grind, Super Rico and Therapy Brew Bar (Closed)

I went to these place Friday night.

Tap and Grind - This place is on West Central across from the unnecessarily expensive Fire Station. It has a decent selection of craft beer. It has been open two years. It has a small interior and a patio. It was pretty full. Kind of a me-too place at this point. I'm sure it was a bigger draw when it opened.

Super Rico - The Que Rico food truck people opened this place around a year ago. It has a bigger menu (perros, pinchos, patacones and arepica) than the burger-centric truck. I had an "original" burger (for old times sake) for $6. It was still an overstuffed Colombian style burger. They took their time on it. Still good. Go and see what those other dishes are and are all about. It's a small space with a patio next to Tap.

Therapy Brew Bar - This place is near the lake on East Washington. It was a wine bar. It really has just subbed out wine for beer. It looks the same. Still upscale. It was totally empty. Nice bartender. I felt bad for him. They have food too.

I was going to try Hanson's Shoe Repair at NV for you, but, they really do make you dial their secret number to reserve a spot. I wanted to be fresh for a beach day, so, I called it a night.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Antiques District: Ta-Ke and Lucky Lure

I ate dinner and had a drink here on Friday.

Ta-Ke - This is a sushi bar that is operated by a Vietnamese family. I think they said they have been here for a year or two. I think it was an Italian place before that. The sushi was pretty good. I had conch sashimi for $5, yellowtail sushi for $5 and Wasabi Bomb sushi for $5. The conch was fresh. The yellowtail cut was long and thick and I think they used wild yellowtail (browner). The "bomb" was wasabi infused fish eggs. It was a first for me. Good differentiation. The rice prep was ok. The place is small (thirty) and the AC barely works. It's not visually impressive. However, it seems like they try and source well. The menu isn't the cheapest (even lunch specials) and parking is limited (try the public lot across the street that looks like it is Gargi's lot). Service was good and knowledgeable. It was close to full. The name means "bamboo".

Lucky Lure - This is a bar next to Ta-Ke. It's a long, narrow, open air joint with a pool table and misters. The theme is island/surf casual. They have an ok selection of booze. It had a diverse crowd (thirty something women who could have gone to Rollins, red necky guys that might have gone to Rollins and now fish for a living/pastime, old Florida biker/sea dogs that probably own a profitable business yet still dress like children and jailbait. It was a fun atmosphere and I should probably have seen where it would have gone, but, I had to try two places downtown that I had been curious about. I'd go back.

Pub Crawl - Mills Ave: St Matthew's Tavern and Bart

I went to these bars before dinner on Friday.

St. Matthew's Tavern - I had a Blue Oyster Bar moment here years ago when it was called Paradise (I think) and I didn't know it was a gay bar. I recently read an article online and one in the sentinel (I think) that said they had remodeled the place and it was now a nice brew pub. Huh? It looked exactly they same to me and the crowd did too. They only had around eight beers and they were overpriced. All I recall about St Matthew is that St Matthew's Passion by Bach is considered one of the finest classical works, he was the tax collector and he authored the first gospel. Not sure why the gays would find any of that camp. Pass.

Bart - This place is across from Matthew's. It's a small bar with a decent beer selection and old video games. It has been open for two years. Maybe this was unusual two years ago, but, now it's just a shark that that has been jumped.

Grub Crawl - Downtown: Acquittal Cafe and Oasis Grill (Closed)

I refueled at these places on Friday afternoon.

Acquittal Cafe - I grabbed a Judge Rueben to go for $7 at this place on the side of the courthouse (E. Livingston). I have to admit that I was expecting next to nothing. I was wrong. It was a fairly good corned beef style Rueben on marble rye. The rye was good and the corned beef was ok. It was more like a Irish style "cured" or smoked beef than Jewish deli style corned beef. It had no fat and was sliced thin. It still may have been from a supplier (like the stuff you get at a chain sandwich place), but, it was acceptable. The swiss and kraut were good. The kraut was brown. Boiled in beer? It came with a soda and some very good potato salad. The salad had alot of smoked bacon in it. I think they used sour cream and/or yogurt as the binder instead of mayo. They have some parking (free!) behind the store. They are open 9am-3pm (on weekdays only I think). The place is larger and nicer than you would think it would be. It must seat around fifty. The menu isn't overly large, but, they have enough breakfast and lunch items for most tastes. You could do worse before you get sent to ass rape camp.

Oasis Grill - This place is down the street (away from the courthouse) on N. Magnolia. It was a Italian/pizza place that I may or may not have written about. It's on the corner. Now it is a Mediterranean place. I just got an order of humus to go for $4. Anything else was over $7 and I wasn't as interested in trying this place as getting it off the list. The hummus was good. Same price as in the supermarket and I got some pita triangles with it. They put whole peas in the middle. They have a basic menu. Maybe it's good. It doesn't look like it would be by the environment, but, looks can be deceiving. At least the owners are from the region (Syria via NY). They haven't made any substantial changes to the interior. They have been open for just a little while.

Grub Crawl - East Colonial: Tasty Wok and Se7en Bites (Closed/Moving)

I ate at these places on Friday afternoon.


Tasty Wok - I believe I grabbed something to go here at one time. It must have been pre-blog. It's in between Shine and Mills on 50 at the Shine end. It's authentic Hong Kong style Chinese food. I had a house special of stewed pigs feet for $8 and rice paste with roasted pork for $3. They tried to talk me out of the feet, but, I managed. Not much meat in there, but, what there is is delicious. They give you a big bowl and you have more than enough skin and fat if that is your thing. The sauce is sweet and sour. The rice paste is really a cold "lasagna" like rice noodle that they roll up and fill with a choice of things. They give you three. It's in a soy sauce with scallions. Good. The place has been open (from the award signs on the wall) since 2007. It's no frills. It has 1 table for 1, 8 for 4, and 2 for 6. The menu is in Chinese, English and Vietnamese. Service was fast and they speak enough English. They have "exotic" items like duck tongues, duck feet, duck wings, quail and jellyfish. The place was packed. It's slightly pricier than your average take out place, but, it is not that type of place.

Se7en Bites - I just grabbed a "duffin" from this bake and small bite shop on N. Primrose in the Milk District. I tried to go her the last time I was in the neighborhood, but, they close at 3pm. It's your typical "girlie" place. A place that drains the opposite sex of all the money they have left after "investing" in new clothes, shoes and cosmetics. An egg sandwich is like $8. It's all nice and I'm sure it tastes alright, but, it doesn't deserve the premium they think it does for being cutsie. The "duffin" was supposed to be a doughnut/muffin. It tasted just like a muffin to me. Dominique Ansel can rest easy. It was dry as well. Not my cup of tea. I have to economize so I can pay for others who do not.

Grub Crawl - Belle Isle: Conway Cafe and Bronx Pizza

I got a few things to go here on my way to the airport on Wednesday afternoon. I was going to try a Turkish place on 436, but, they were closed (Ramadan?) until August. These places are on Hoffner Ave (Belle Isle).

Conway Cafe - I had a BLT for $4 at this prototypical cafe because I feel that these kinds of places are usually a tad overpriced for the level of food. It was fine. The place is a little old. It's in a strip mall before you get into Belle Isle from 436. They said they have been in business for fifteen years. It seats around fifty. It was pretty empty. I think the breakfast/lunch rush was over.

Bronx Pizza - This is right next door to Conway. It was the reason I chose this area. I saw the sign on a previous trip to a Cajun place nearby. It was very authentic NY pizza parlor pizza. The cheese is mass produced and the sauce was almost non-existent, but, I've had worse down here. The place seats about fifty. It was empty. They have NYC themed posters, etc on the wall.

Donut King, Winter Park

I had a glazed donut here on Wednesday for like 90 cents. I believe they have another location (or locations) somewhere in Florida. I think they just opened this branch a few weeks ago. It was damn good. Very fluffy. The rest of the options (bear claws, etc) looked good too. They even have a version of that Voodoo Doll that they make at Voodoo Donuts in Portland. The place isn't much to look at, but, who cares. It's in a strip mall a mile or so of 436 on Howell Branch Road (the Oviedo side). I reviewed a few places (pizzeria) here a while back. Good find.

The Chef's Table, Winter Garden

On Tuesday I ate dinner in this exclusive area of what is now a two experience dining entity on Plant St. I made a reservation, but, it was unnecessary. There were seven others dining while I was there at 7pm. Even though they label the area as a "chef's table", there are actually two other "privy" rooms back there. The main room I was in seats fourteen. An annex seats around twelve. And they have a private "wine cellar" that seats around a dozen. The decor is a bit "rustic". It's in an old hotel. That can make it either charming or declasse depending on your disposition. I would suggest that they iron the table cloths. If you are going to do the scraping the crumbs with the metal implement thing then take two minutes and steam or iron the cloths. It's also not great that the "busing" station and the orders are posted back there. The place has been open for six years. A married couple with work experience from the higher end Disney restaurants opened it. They aren't involved in the day to day operation anymore and I got the sense that there is some tension on the direction the menu should take. It seems like the owners or maybe the head chef want a more traditional fine dining experience and the people who actual run the kitchen want to do what is au courant. I think the way they compromise is that they choose an old fashioned base component and let the sous chefs "experiment" with the accompaniments. I could be way off, but, some of the dishes seemed to lack a consistent voice and this is how I reconcile it. There were some strange combinations. I had the salmon tartare, rack of lamb and peach or apple and blueberry crumble. It's around $55 for the tasting menu. There were around three or four choices per course. They change the menu as things are made available. The salmon was recommended to be Copper River and very fresh. I found it bland. They added alot of fresh mango and cucumber to the mix. The mango thoroughly overwhelmed the salmon. They also plated it with a  mismatched remoulade sort of sauce and a wasabi sauce that worked better with the fish, but, did not help the "remoulade". I'd drop both sauces. If you have to get your creative juices pressed, then do some finger painting or clay modeling before you come to work. Leave the food alone. When I responded (to a direct question) that the salmon was "over (sea) salted", they sent over their "famous" mushroom crepe tort as an apology. This seems to be their oldest and most renowned dish and this is why I think the original menu was 70's style traditional. It was ok. The mushroom and brandy sauce lacked flavor. The crepes were ok (a tad thick, but, probably necessary in this preparation). They fill it with whatever mushrooms are in season. They say the reduce forty pounds of them. I think all they had that day were button. They didn't have alot of flavor. They cover the "pie" with Gruyere from Austria. The rack of lamb was perfectly cooked. There were probably five chops in two pieces. I think they were from New Zealand. They accompanied it with two (in my eyes) mismatched sides. It was as if they just wanted to use these things or this what you get when you handcuff your creativity to seasonality. Side one was some kind of non-olive tapenade. It was superfluous at best and reductive at worst. Side two was a similar (this made side one even more questionable) compote/ragout of Sea Island Red Peas (Beans) with sauteed red peppers and dates or figs. All you tasted was some bitterish bean mixture with a hard texture. I was going to continue to ramble on how this whole sustainable, seasonal, locovore movement is sometimes a bridle to chefs who aren't able "choose a lane" with their menus, but, I'll move on to the dessert. The crumble came with vanilla ice cream. I really just wanted the ice cream. The crumble was served in a small flat iron pan. The fruit was a little sourish from the heat. The wine list was a little underwhelming. Their hard liquor menu was better. The bread and butter was fresh. The service was excellent. Knowledgeable and presentable. They have opened up a small dish (actually mostly full dishes without sides) area up front that they call a tapas menu. That room seemed nicer to be honest. It was pretty empty. It must seat around sixty. They could tidy it up a little. I can't say that the experience rates as highly as I expected it to. It's not in the CF Top Twenty. I need more in terms of execution and menu synergy. That said, they really try and that means that my next experience could be totally overwhelming. They care about the quality of the ingredients and want to make you happy. I'd still give it a try if I was you. $55 (really $70+ after tax and tip) won't kill you and the experience is still a holistic aberration in Central Florida. What I mean by that is that is a unique experience in its entirety.

Grub Crawl - Sanford: Docktails and The Deli

I ate lunch at these two place near I-4 and the St John's River in the Port of Sanford at Boat Tree Marina. I had been to them a while back when they were different entities. Docktails has been three or more things since then.

Docktails - Imagine that you could transport six am at a strip club to noon at low priced condo's pool. This place has everything - single stripper moms, mixed race-fatherless children who can barely swim, meth addicts, hillbillies, muscle heads, pot bellied white guys dancing to Michael Jackson, anorexic and not at all-orexic waitresses in biker shorts... You get the picture. This is everything that is wrong with Spring Break in Daytona with ten to twenty years added to it. The real issue though was the service. You can not have Skinny Pete (Breaking Bad) as the face of your organization. I don't now if he is a relative or a friend who fell (caused himself to fall) on hard times, but, he needs to be washing dishes not serving them. I changed my order just because I thought he'd F with it or he'd get the cooks to F with it. If this what the wait staff looks like, I can't imagine how frightening the line is. SP just had that look. That petulant cowardice of a prison chicken head. That look became even more devilish half way into the meal. Think Jose Guzman or Dane Cook in Waiting. He may just have gotten more stoned in the interim, but, he was nearly giddy when he asked me how I liked my food. He asked so many times that I stopped eating. He may just have been out of his head, but, it set off alarm bells. What I did order was a semi-decent hamburger with a side for $8. They came pretty close to medium rare and the 1/2 lb of meat was pretty good. I wiped the outside and the veg (lettuce was wilted), so, if they got me they would have had to have done something to the meat before cooking. They charge an extra $1 for any topping. The side I chose was cheese grits. I had a small sample off the top just in case they went to town on it. It was pretty good. And that is the shame of it. The whole meal may have been fine, but, that Depression Era train hobo made me very uncomfortable. I can't believe I left him more than a dollar tip. I forgot to add that he was all over me the second I sat down (No I don't know what I want. I am looking at the menu for the first dime, dipshit) and then was no where to be seen when I was ready to order. They (or one of the three previous owners) did a good job making the space more modern. They kept the pool. It seemed clean enough. They had a band playing. I thought it would be more crowded on a July 4th weekend. I guess their type of crowd is just waking up at noon. I didn't like that they charged nearly $3 for a soda. I'll venture that all drinks are overpriced. They had a few "different" items on the menu. It was a fairly typical American selection. I would only go if you think of it as a sociology field trip.

The Deli - This place is across the parking lot from Docktails and I assume it's used mostly by boaters for take out. I had a 1/4 lb CHEESE burger for under $4 and an egg salad sandwich for under $4. That's less than what I paid for one burger at Docktails. The beef was better at Docktails and there was ostensibly twice as much, but, I felt way better about eating the burger cooked here in front of me by two kind looking women. It came with whatever toppings I wanted. They serve a 1/2 lber (two patties) for just over $5. The egg salad was fine. Probably fake eggs. It also came with whatever I wanted. If I went back to this area I would choose the deli every time. Not just because it's half the price. Because of Skinny Pete. Sodas here were 75 cents. They also have breakfasts until 11am. They clain their Philly is the best in town. Alot of marina delis act like places at the airport. They overcharge. This place does not.

Riverwalk Pizzeria, Sanford

I went to their new outpost on 46 on Monday. I had a two slice (one topping) and one soda special for $6. The pizza was pizzeria pizza. It had chemically based cheese on top of under cooked dough. I know they under cook to make sure it isn't overcooked when they reheat a slice, but, this was under cooked even after the reheat. The dough was also over floured. I'd guess the cook is sloppy with the flour during the kneading process. It's a shame because they did a create job with the refurb. It was a Gio's for years. It looks great now. They have flat screens galore and real bar area. I'll have to try some of the other dishes before I totally write them off. Not a good start though. They were generous with the slice sizes and the topping was fresh.

Cafe Mineiro, I Drive - Closed

I was really hoping this place would be bad so I could write a short review. Wish granted. This place (across from the CSI Experience) was bad. They only offered four types of meat (chicken, ribs, steak and sausage), some hot stews, some vegetables, some salads and a soup. The chicken was just drumsticks. The "sirloin" was more like "sous-loin". I think it was chuck. It was tougher than leather and worse tasting. The sausage was ok. The ribs were tough. They were not cooked long enough. I tried the chicken stew. Disgustingly salty. I tried the beef stew and it was the same. We all know why people oversalt, right? The salads were all cat food. This buffet cost $16, so, I was ready to cut them some slack. But, not this much. Santos around the corner on Kirkman was much better and (I think) cheaper. They had a much more generous spread. This place is in, what looked like, an old steakhouse location. It was about half full of Brazilians. I can only imagine how much they hate this place. Then again, they do wear dental floss as swimwear. I went here on Monday at lunch.

Grub Crawl - Downtown/Thornton Park: Mingos (Closed), Qarma Crepes (Closed) and Artisan's Table

I went to these places around Lake Eola on Sunday afternoon.

Mingos - I wanted to knock out these remaining missing pieces around Thornton Park (this is a block away across from Mucho Tacos) and figured this would be the cheapest way (afternoon pricing). This place is only open for dinner. However, they do a brunch on Sunday's. A brunch that was way more expensive than I expected. I believe it started at $30 or $40 for the non alcohol version. I eschewed on principle alone and had a fairly prices eggs benedict at $10. It wasn't the prettiest plate of eggs that I have been served, but, it was ok. The muffin and the canadian bacon were very thin. The hollandaise was a little thick. The home fries (more like nuggets) were accosted with that white trashy flour coating. They did also charge almost $3 for a narrow glass of soda. Thankfully they did refill it three times so I did receive a full glass in the aggregate. The service was good. I think the buffet is so much because they have it WAY over staffed. It didn't seem like it was because of the food. I saw an omelet and waffle station and some cold stuff. The regular dinner menu was much more reasonable. I think it topped out at $30 and most things were near $20. Pretty good for fish and steak. The selection didn't have much for the curiosity seeker. Marlin tacos were by far the most intriguing. I won't go into much detail about the space. I have reviewed the location around five times. Hearken back to my Prickly Pear review if you want more info. They really haven't changed the decor since then. It seats around forty on one side, thirty on the patio and thirty on the bar side. The service was very amenable. It has been open for over a year. It was around half full at 1pm. it's not a destination spot, but, it is serviceable.

Quarma Crepes - This place is across from Wildside around the spot that housed Hue. I had a $3.50 lemon crepe with caramel and butter. It was ok. The crepe guy seemed a little green. They have savory crepes too. The pricing was pretty good. Nothing over $9. Then again I have California pricing in my head from the last month and may be warped. They charged my nephew $6 for lemon crepe in Encinitas. They also serve wine, coffee, beer and dessert. They place looked nice. everything is straight from an IKEA catalog. They have a little upstairs area. They have a $8 lunch special and I think Wednesday had some special at $6.

Artisan's Table - This place is in the old Pine 22 spot across from NV in Downtown. It is another location that I have been forced to revisit around five times. I had a Fried Chicken Sandwich for $7. It was the best meal of the day (even after I ate it cold for dinner). It was dressed with mayo, pickles and boursin (I think). Very simple. Very effective. They didn't do much with the decor. I think they swapped in some rusted farmhouse implements. The menu isn't overflowing with ambition, but, they are trying to keep it fun and evanescent. Expect modern pub fare. The pricing is very reasonable. I'm not sure how many of these types of restaurant one area can support. It was better than Avenue though.