Thailicious, Longwood

I had lunch at this new (3 weeks) Thai restaurant in the old Bites Hot Dog location on 434 (near the hospital and Ronald Reagan) on Monday. I had some steamed pork and shrimp dumplings for $7 and Bangkok Chicken for $8. Both were very good. The dumplings (4) were "open faced", fairly large and seemed home made. The plating was nice. The Bangkok Chicken was fried (unbreaded) ala Orange Chicken. Not salty though. It came with a nice inverted bowl of decently cooked white rice. They also started me off with a simple salad. The place looks nice. It's bones are bad, but, they dressed the corpse. It's minimalist and modern. It seats about thirty, There were four other parties there at 2pm. The menu has lunch specials all around $8. You can still get apps and the dinner menu (more ambitious) at lunch. I think the menu topped out in the seventeens. It's a good representation of Thai cuisine. There are two other Thai places within half a mile, so, I hope the community can support them. If I remember correctly this may be the "fanciest" one of the bunch. It's run by a Thai family giving it their first try. I didn't see any rookie mistakes. Service was good (fast and polite). I recommend it if you live close by.

Duffy's Sports Grill, Lake Mary

I've been to this sports bar three times since they opened a few weeks ago. The first time I had a few drinks. The second time I had a mediocre (overcooked) tuna burger with a small portion of good fries for $12. The third time I had some very uninspired seared tuna for $15. I can confidently say that they are not a quality food option. I would stay away from anything more complicated or sophisticated than a burger. The prices are also around 20%to 50% too high. The tuna burger was like dry cat food. The seared tuna was small (6oz for the large). It came with a bad attempt at cucumber salad and cold soba noodles. The place looks great. It's about the sixth time someone has poured mucho dinero into this location in the center off 46a that has the Amstar theaters. The service is good now, but, I wonder what will happen when the Hunger Games like auditioning process subsides. I expect that only the most masochistic entrants will remain and the carnival like vibe will die. The place is decorated in sports memorabilia, football helmets and televisions. It is run like a corporation. Heavy sales and marketing emphasis. They will exploit every opportunity to turn a profit. As an MBA holder, I appreciate the professionalism. As a customer, I kind of resent the imposition. Also on the down side, they won't publish most of their drink prices (I can see why when they charge $9 for a glass of cheap wine that you can buy for $7 a bottle at retail) and they close at 1pm. I don't see how they thrive once college football season ends. Shula's across the street is better and cheaper.

Nikki's, Parramore District

I went to this Soul Food spot on West Carter (below the 408 on the Citrus Bowl side) after the Rainbow debacle. I wanted fried chicken, but, they only do that on Sundays (closed Tuesday). So, I audibled for something I had never tried before - pork necks. They were $7 and came with two sides and cornbread. I took mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. The necks (6 pieces) were salty. I assume they were vertebrae. Not a ton of meat. I could swear the potatoes were a mix, but, there were some small chunks in there. The gravy was ok. The mac had tons of punchless Parmesan (is that even possible) and ricotta (I think). The pasta was way overcooked. The place seats about thirty. There were five others there. It has been open a while and is in now in the hands of the son of the original owner. Since it is not breaking any new ground and the execution doesn't impress and the neighborhood is sketchy, I would pass on it.

Rainbow Cafe, Parramore District

I had lunch at this coffee shop inside the Parliament House (motel/club) on OBT a week ago. It answers the question - why are gay guys so fit. It's not the party drugs that are depressing their appetites. It's the menu at the Rainbow Cafe. These guys had the nerve to advertise in My City Eats. It's not in that class of establishments. It's a sad coffee shop for a sad area of town. A double negative that doesn't equate to a positive. I had the safest thing on the banal menu - a cheeseburger. It cost $8. It was an obvious frozen hockey puck that was overcooked. The cook/owner was a black woman, so, the bun had to be buttered. Who (except Southerners) thinks that this is necessary or a value add? It's a pointless health hazard. The fries were coated with that junk that Burger King admitted they put on to please black customers. The accoutrements were not fresh. Service (1) was friendly, but, no refill. The place is ugly and smells of smoke. I couldn't wait to leave. Only one other person was there. I thought I might feel a little uneasy because of the location. The food was all I had to worry about.