I tried these places Saturday night. The first in on Pine St where Golden Knife and a few breakfast themed restaurants operated. The others are in Thornton Park. The first is where Tijuana Flats was on Summerlin and the other is across from Spice on Central Ave. My intended destination was a new place in that cursed spot behind Hamburger Mary's called Maddey's. It was supposed to open in March. I saw an ad they placed in Edible magazine saying it was open. I swear I googled or yelped them and saw reviews and articles and posted times saying it was open. It wasn't. Now it is on my shit list and it will be months (months in which they will probably fail) before I try again.
Red Mug Diner - It's back to the future for this spot. It was Breakfast Club and then Zilly Bee (I think) and then Knife. What kills me is that they (society) wasted all this time and money redesigning this space when there are plenty of other needy spaces. Now it looks like a Fifties diner. White tile. Metal back splash. Red and black accents. I had their chicken pot pie for $11. I was not prepared to eat diner food and this was the most "normal". It was astoundingly good. It's a "deconstructed" type of pie. They ladled some gravy and chicken and vegetables into a skillet and topped it with two of their biscuits. The menu said it came with potatoes. It don't recall seeing any. There were green beans though. It was really good. Tons of white meat chicken. The gravy wasn't salty. The biscuits were light. In fact, I think the dish is filling enough to where they could take away a biscuit half or two and not short change you. The biscuits dissolve into the gravy. Service was pretty good. It did seem that they zigged when I wanted them to zag. The menu is all over the place on pricing. A BLT (even if it has 8 slices) is as much as all but the highest price entree. It is tied as the most expensive sandwich. A patty melt (a burger with cheese) is the same price as a burger without cheese. Desserts cost almost as much as most breakfast items. I don't care if The Dessert Lady makes them. In any case, it is open all day and they serve all the items all day. The prices are pretty reasonable. They have all the classics kicked up a notch. It seats about eighty. There were around a dozen people eating dinner. They have booze. They just opened on Monday. $3 tiny glass of half ice soda is too much.
Verde Cantina - I had an order of what they call Chicken Chicharonnes for $8. They are actually pork shanks. I've had them at WOB and the defunct Cantina Laredo. It's a little disturbing imagining the baby pigs or where ever they come from.These didn't all look like shanks. Some even looked like they had tiny rib cages. It was a big order (10). Too big for a stomach that already had pot pie. It came with a chipotle dip. They were fine. Crisp. The place seats about forty inside and twenty on the sidewalk. It was almost empty. They had lots of staff. The menu is pretty basic. Tacos. Burritos. Etc. A few specialties like ceviche or fish Veracruz. The ceviche was talapia. I'd guess the fish in the Veracruz is that too. Are you kidding me? It's the stuff you catch fish with. Not fish. I've never heard of a Flats failing. I don't think I would take that info and say "You know what this town needs is a Mexican joint". But, hey, maybe a slightly more refined experience is what will work. They have been open for two months. *I just remembered there is already another (popular and seasoned) Mexican place two blocks away - Mucho.
Pizza@ - I grabbed a pie for today (and so I wouldn't have to make a special trip back) on my back to the parking garage. The voodoo one of my ex's uses on me kicked in and caused the beer in my belly to react with the pot pie or Subway tuna sub or chipotle sauce I had earlier and distend my stomach. I decided to ignore the lure of drunken Orlando Pride fans and drive home before something more embarrassing than looking pregnant happened. I made the right call. Damn voodoo! This place just opened last week. I don't get why it's not pizz@, but, who really cares. They serve a Turkish (Arab) style elliptical pizza. The original Neapolitan shape if we are being accurate. It's also conveyor belt pizza. However, it wasn't half bad. Even cold and at room temp. And it only cost $6. It's an assembly line operation. You order a dough and a sauce and toppings if you want them. Obviously, those aren't free. But, some extras are. They have alot of choice. Some of the odder ones are mahi-mahi and shrimp. The cooking is done in front of you in about thirty seconds. That's it. It doesn't have seating for a whole host of people, but, it has some. They have another location in the Artegon Mall and one in Tavares. The staff was friendly. It is also across from a pizza place that has been there for years. However, I just went to a Mexican place that replaced a Mexican place, so, anything is possible.
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