AdvoCare Invitational, Disney Wide World of Sports Complex

I went to round one as usual on Thursday. Even less people this year than usual. Maybe because tickets per session are now $40. I was reminded that Pac 12 and Florida college (UF and Miami) can't be bothered. Midwestern fans are supportive. Florida and Seton Hall were the only teams capable of making an outside shot. The Indiana State coach will blame the officials for his loss, but, he stuck with 4 and 13 and they cost them the game. Not sure if I should be mad at $40 tickets. The LosOr-lando City Lions and LosOr-lando Magic charge that much. At least parking is free here. Ends Sunday.

Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs

I had dinner on Thursday at this eponymous restaurant. I had boasted a few weeks ago when I reviewed Jimotti's that I would spend less and have a better meal here. I would have been wrong on both counts if they didn't comp a fishy tuna tartare app that I disliked. Let's see how that happened. And this says more about Morimoto's failings than Jimotti's blessings. Since it was Thanksgiving, they were monkeying around with the menus. I wasn't even aware that there was a separate sushi menu until after I ordered. I went with the aforementioned tartare at $12, pork dumplings at $11 and a yellow tail roll at $12. The tuna came in some sort of dashi/cold broth. I'm not sure if I was supposed to mix the tuna in and drink it or what. The tuna was too pureed. Mouth feel of puss. It tasted fishy. They claim it is supposed to. A third of the small sized Dixie cup worth. Terrible. The pork dumplings (4) were over steamed. The pork had no flavor. One on the dumpling's seals was broken. Pathetic. The yellow tail was also a ghastly puree. They could be using fish heads for all we know. The rice was good. Obviously $12 is two times too high for even something of this quality. Strike three. It's a shame because I love Morimoto. I knew about him before he crossed the Pacific. I went to his first restaurant in the first month it was open. This offering is alot less Japanese than I expected. I missed the "Asia" subtext. Maybe those dishes are better. I walked by the sushi bar and the quality and selection wasn't anything to write home about. I do have to warn that a $6 bowl of laksa in Singapore will run you $24 here. The same with the rest of the rice and noodle dishes. The place does look nice though. Super high ceilings with white lanterns hovering over the main dining room. The vibe is that kind of Japanese sparkly deco that you seem to need to use if you have a high end Japanese venture. There is a bar up front. It is really an afterthought. The bar above it is less of an insult. The sushi bar and some private rooms/cabanas and patio are on the second level. You take an impressive staircase to them. I believe the occupancy sign said 282. The bathroom has as many diaper changing tables as toilets/ One. I'm not sure if I would return. It seems like a hard reservation to get and I don't really care how a Japanese guy re-imagines Asian cuisine. I will go to the source for that. I especially don't want to pay through the nose for it. I'm no "comfort girl". Even if I paid $3.50 for a soda. Oh, and I forgot to add that I spent the rest of night burping up an odor that usually is reserved for a Tri Delt's easy bake oven. They opened last year at this time. Avoid.

Art Smith's Homecoming, Disney Springs

I had lunch at this Southern restaurant on Thursday. I want to start out by saying that there is nothing wrong with the experience, however, that is not the same as being right. The pre-eminent reason I (and probably most people) chose this to eat here was because of its namesake. I believe I was first made aware of Art Smith on Iron Chef or some similarly themed timed cook off show. It was a "Senior PGA" battle. Guys who preceded the celebrity chef hysteria. I also remember thinking that he showed the least amount of talent an imagination in the contest. I think it was a pairs competition. And although I believe he/they won, it was more because the city slickers on the tasting panel considered Southern cuisine to be a lark. And maybe it was up to four or five years ago (when the show filmed) or way back when he started his Chicago restaurant. For those in the North. However, we are in the South and in 2016 "new Southern cuisine" is the latest played out fad. Which brings me back to my opening statement. There is nothing wrong with what he/they are doing. It's quite good. Probably still a little progressive for Disney tourists. However, I can think of four or five local "new Southern places" that it would lose to in a food battle. The new 1921 by Norman Von Acken for one. And he is AUSTRIAN! The menu is small. This isn't always a negative. But, it's also too safe for an adventurous food acolyte. The most ambitious thing on the menu is a chicken and waffles riff using donuts. Yawn. On my dish (his signature chicken meal) the most interesting element was the pickles. We're talking pulled pork and fried green tomatoes. Yawn. There are around ten main items. The lunch and dinner menu are the same. Yawn. My meal cost $26 and consisted of a fried breast (with half wing), de-boned thigh and drumstick along with mashed potatoes and a cheddar biscuit. The chicken was soaked in butter milk for a day. It was moist and crisp. The quality was good. Side note - how can nearly everyone serve Bell and Evans chickens and it not violate some agro-snobs definition of acceptable? And can anyone invent a de-veiner for chicken drums and wings? The coating was light and stuck to the bird. Non-greasy. Plus. Plus. However, it lacked flavor. Bland everything. No salt. No pepper. Nada. The potatoes were equally bland. They also seemed to be over whipped (and over pureed). They had a sticky, gummy consistency. I needed to dip the chicken into the potatoes to find any flavor. I burped up potato all afternoon. The biscuit was fine. Light. A touch of cheddar. But, once again little taste. It's almost like since he had his health issues that he decided to reconfigure his menu to make it healthy. Not that I have ever tried his food before. Maybe this is the Art Smith way. So, that was the meal. Some apple cider pickles and a splash of hot sauce completed the opus. Basic plating. Once again, it was a good meal. I just wasn't changed by it.

The place holds about 182 if I remember the occupancy sign correctly. It was filling fast once the doors opened at 11. The dress code seemed to be casual. Alot of people seemed to have come there because of Art. It has vaulted ceilings and is composed of wood in natural and gray tones. The cushions and chandeliers are wrapped in faux potato (?) sacks that look like burlap. It has windows more than walls. The bar in on the left and the kitchen (windowed) is on the right. They have table options for all sizes. There is a screened in patio. Art was there and was very gracious and came to every one's table. Service was good. They had about ten costumed wait people at the ready. Food came out fast. A soda was $4, but, you did get a refill. They even offered to "to go cup" me. And that is a good note to end this on. Even though Art is a "celebrity", he doesn't appear to be full of himself. You can still get a soda to go. How un-snooty is that? How Southern. So, if you want to keep it casual yet have something to Instagram about at Disney, this is a fine option. Maybe it's a little pricey for fried chicken. But, you were probably stupid enough to pay $125 (without parking) to get on three rides that weren't under construction. Don't get sensible now. They opened in July and appear to be operating smoothly. Park in the Lime lot.

Pub/Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Maestro and Deadly Sins Brewing

I went to these spots yesterday afternoon. The first spot took over for that Brazilian sushi place on Park Ave (next to Burgerfi. The brewery is on the street on the non-parking lot side of 4 Rivers in an industrial area with car repair shops. 

Maestro - They brand themselves as a "Cucina Napoletana". I'm not sure that a southern Italian restaurant would have the amount of meat dishes that they have, but, no matter. It is a blessing to have the option and large percentage of the menu is seafood and vegetables. Another blessing is that this place is run by the Terra Mia people or people associated with it. They always deliver. I had a pizza because that was what the little I had read up on had prepared me for. I took a $10 lunch pizza and added broccoli rabe and sausage for $1.50 each. They had a stuffed pizza on the lunch menu that was composed of this, but, I wanted to see what they do with a normal pizza. It wasn't shaped Neopolitan style. A regular round disc. It was good. They do the "hunks" of mozzarella thing that is traditional, but leaves two thirds of the surface area naked. The sauce was just squashed tomatoes. The rabe was wilted in garlic. The sausage was crumbles. Good quality. Thin. Not charred or undercooked. Good dough. Large enough that I could only eat half. They also supplied me with fresh bread and a twisted bread stick. Service was informed and polite and quick. The place seats about forty inside and they can add two or three table on the sidewalk. A weird design element is that the bar is so close to the sidewalk that sliding glass doors will cut off bar seats on that side when closed. The decor is minimalist. I think I remember black and a light Earth tone on the walls. They have an open kitchen in the back with one of these red tiled brick oven that I seem to be seeing more and more of. The place was about half full. They have only been open for a week. The menu looks conventionally ambitious and enticing. Everything from paninis to pastas to whole sea bass. Pastas top out at $16.50. The main dishes (secondi) start below $20 and end at $25.50 for Zuppa di Pesce. A small pizza (13") tops out at $16.50. I'm not sure if another Italian option was necessary in the area, but, a good restaurant is a good restaurant. I think they may get first dibs on Rollins students and parents, but, that may be off set by how much of a pain it is for everyone else to find parking at this end of the avenue. Time will tell.

Deadly Sins Brewing - I had a flight (4) for $10. The sweet potato ale was really interesting. Pick some up for Thanksgiving. The IPA was subtle. The darker beers seemed to be their sweet spot. They just had their firm opening a week or so ago. It's basically a store room with an L bar. The bar seats were full. They were hosting an adopt a pet affair. A food truck pulled up in the lot. The owner told me a funny story on how he had to be on a main sewer line to operate and that is how he ended up where he has. Ah, the things you'd never think of. A nice addition.

Dead Lizard Brewing, Orlando

I tried out this new (one month) brewery in an industrial park off Highland (on 36th) yesterday. It is near the Holy Land theme park. I had a flight (4) for $9.50. The IPAs were a little weak and similar. The cream ale wasn't too oily or vanilla-y. The stout was flavorful with a little fizz. They said the owners are third gen from Indiana. They concentrated on stouts and porters before moving here. That seemed evident. The room/bar is smallish. You can see the "machinery" from there. They have been "sort of" open for a few months. They just had their grand opening. A welcome addition.

Saigon Blvd, Winter Springs

I had lunch at this new (one month) Vietnamese restaurant in that strip mall at the intersection of Tuskawilla and 434 on Wednesday. This is the third place I have reviewed in that spot in the last two years. I had the special noodle soup for $12. It was a sweet chicken broth with choice of egg or rice noodles (I chose egg) and squid, shrimp, pork, quail eggs, lettuce and green onion. The squid and shrimp came in pairs and were fresh and not overcooked. The pork was good (sliced). The noodles were toothy. Alot of them. The serving size in general was large. A mixing bowl's worth. They are pushing it on the soda front. $2.50 for half a glass (half ice) of 2 cent syrup. A refill was offered. But, do you really need more liquid after downing two liters of broth? The menu's only real surprises are the non-Vietnamese items (ie wings, shumai). Phos, crepe, rolls, rice and noodle dishes, Prices are maybe a dollar or two high. However, they don't compound the issue by undercutting you on the quality. Service was fine. I was the only one left at around 2pm. They seemed a little eager. Now that can be a good thing or a sign of desperation. Let's hope that this spot doesn't swallow another family's dreams. They are open every day from lunch until 10pm. They did little to the decor. I think they added a white "brick" wall and pretty much stripped it to its essence. The color scheme was some kind of beige with black accents. They aren't doing anything noteworthy, but, I think this area had a hole in this category. Fine if you live near by.

Dixie Belles Cafe, Orlando

I had lunch here last week on my way to the airport. It is near Gnarly Barley. on S. Orange  It was the only place open in the area that I hadn't been to yet. I had an egg plate with chicken fried steak and potatoes for $8. It was about what you get everywhere else. Maybe a tad better. Service was fine. The place is one big open floor plan with four person tables surrounded by six person booths. It has kind of a western-y feel. Light on decor. It seats about eighty. I was pretty full. The usual diner menu. I think they said they have been there for ten years. Now you know.

Domu, Audubon Park

Congratulations Domu! You are entry number 1000 in this lunatic's personal Diner's, Drive Ins and Dives (and everything in between). Can you believe I have wasted your and my time and my money at over 1000 (alot of these entries were crawls) places around town. Who would believe there are/were that many places. Oops. Subtract some for tutorials and games and events. Any way. Back to work.

I went here today after DoveCote. I heard they just replaced Txokos at the East End Market on Corrine and I was still hungry. It's (what is becoming too ubiquitous) a noodle bowl place. A Japanese one, if that makes it a little more esoteric. I had a tuna don bowl for $12. I'm not really sure what the diff is between tuna kobashi and tuna don, but I like both even if they are the same thing. The tuna was fresh. Ahi. The rice was fresh. I think the difference between a don and kobashi may be that "the don's" rice is warm. I didn't love that the rice was slowly cooking my tuna as I ate. However, it is a minor criticism. They also had other rice bowls and noodle bowls. A small menu. About five of each. They have done nothing much to the space. Maybe they took down some decorations. Now there are none. It was pretty full for a post-lunch time slot. Service was good. The crowd was half Asian and have Anglo. Young. They have been open for two weeks. It means "dome".

*The areas two other new additions (Bem Bom and Kadence) look like they are months away from opening.

DoveCote, Downtown

I tried this bistro in the Bank of America building today for lunch. And while nothing they did disappointed me, I wasn't knocked of my feet. It's not that rustic French food isn't still better than most everything else or that we have such a profusion of French options, but, I just felt that I've seen this movie before. The lunch menu is composed of "schmears" and dips. Pork terrine, chicken liver pate, fish brandade, onion soup and tartare. Three prototypical French salads. Two burgers. Three typical sandwiches. An omelet. A fish and a chicken dish. The one "stretch" is a tomato water risotto. Dinner isn't much more expansive nor unusual. I had salmon with quinoa (with preserved lemon, almonds and black olives). The menu says kale. If there was, it was the fried herb I thought was a tasteless basil or mint garnish. The menu I left with listed the fish as grouper. Not sure if they go with what is fresh or they are already conceding another item (on a conceded menu) to the cookie cutter. The salmon was cooked perfectly. Two stapler (what I just stared at) sized pieces. Nice coat. Some might say not pink enough. I don't mind that if the fish stays flaky. It was. The quinoa "medley/melange" was tasty and had personality. It cost $18.50. The dinner cost was $26. Yet, that was one of the few double entries that increased in price. Either good news if you are a dinner patron or bad news if you are a lunchee. The "schmears" were cheap (depending on portion size I guess) at $7 or under. The soup is overpriced at $13 (even if they add oxtail). The tartare is $16. The burgers and sandwiches are $16 or under. The other entrees are reasonable (at $12, $13 and $16). The sides may be the most enticing things on the menu. They have a raw bar (at least shrimp and oysters). I think it is only filled at night. Another French tradition they replicate is the "tiny" soda in a bottle at an exorbitant mark up. Here they charge $3.50.

The place is tinier than I expected. Forty four in the main room. Twenty to thirty in the bank lobby. Hopefully, it never gets full enough that you are stuck in that makeshift insult. There was also a room partitioned off with curtains. A private room or extra seating. I suppose. The bathrooms were nothing special. No money spent there. And they smelled (they were airing them out). The "to go/coffee" area is also an eyesore. Makes you feel that you are in one of the cheaper dining options in an upscale hotel. The backdrop of the restaurant is kind of hard to describe with a stock word or phrase. It's a little California French (like a Thomas Keller place) with a dash of Parisian apartment salon and traditional Parisian bistro and a little shabby chic pied-a-terre thrown in. I know that means nothing to almost everyone. Let me describe elements. The walls are light blue. The trim is white. That reminds me of the salon. The main decorations are photos (some of the bigger ones look like Richard Avedons) seemingly haphazardly placed. That helps the shabby chic vibe. The bar area has an old absinthe contraption and is (in my probably faulty memory) classic with stained wood and the attached oyster "aquarium". That is the Parisian bistro element. The California vibe comes from the light stained wood tables and the lighter tones in general. I think the abstract mural (or maybe the waiters in dark jeans and collared shirts) on the higher end of the wall (cubes) also drew me to thoughts of Napa Valley, but, it could be The French Riviera as well now that I think about it. They also have three steel beams (painted white) above your head just for good measure. Find the dove. That is enough time spent on that.

There were only ten others eating at lunch. Doesn't auger well. But, I think they have deep pocket owners. I know it is a collaboration. The site is a tough one to attract non-courthouse or bank building visitors to. If it helps, they said they validate the in building parking charge. I think that the reviews have been very good. I would love to fall in love too, but, it doesn't feel like it has pizazz and the food stays to close to a worn out script. Maybe I need to analyze the menu more. Maybe these croque monsieurs and cassoulets are tuned up. Barring that, I'm not even sure it is the best bistro that opened this year. And I think there have only been two. I think I like that one on Sand Lake Rd in that Italian sounding complex past Dr. Phillips better. And it didn't mean enough to me to remember the name. However, I have to reiterate that I liked DoveCote. The execution was great. The service was great (even if it would have left a needy customer feeling a little forlorn at times). The place looks pretty great (except for the lobby and the to go area). They didn't have an attitude. And maybe that's it. They didn't have an attitude. Attitude in a good way. No real raison d'etre as they French would say. They need something that makes one NEED to go back. And the sad, paradoxical thing that they need is probably life force. They need a crowd. They need that buzz. Maybe it's there on non-Friday lunch gatherings. I know it's not there on Sunday nights either. I passed by last Sunday and it was dark. I guess that it didn't help that I watched Cafe Society last night and there was a big banging night club in the center of that. So (and this is the proper place to utter the word "so" - at the end of a a long dissertation - not at the beginning), my advice is to try it out. It may not be the end all be all, but, it is unlikely to disappoint.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Third Wave, Sasaki Sushi and The Original Famous Philly's Cheesesteak

I chowed down at these three establishments on or connected to Flagler Ave Sunday afternoon. All reflected admirably on their genres.

Third Wave - I just chose this place because it was the next on the block on my list. No prior intel. I was resoundingly (some may say bigly) impressed. It looks like a little house that they turned into a snooty coffee bar from the front. That area/house is cute in its own respect, but, the thing that makes it special is the outdoor area in back. It looks like it may be a whole other restaurant. In fact I thought it might be. But, it isn't. It's a sizable nook with a bar that seats around sixty. It was packed, but, the cute hostess found me a table expeditiously (just re-saw Lean On Me with Morgan Freeman). The space has personality without calling attention to itself. They have the front half/grill of a truck over the bar and orchids nailed to planks nailed to trees. It's shaded by trees. I had the Southwest Hash because it had the greatest mix of the elements that spoke to me among all the dishes. But, I could have gone with shrimp and grits or the cranberry citrus chicken salad or or chai banana bread french toast. I was jonesing for avocado and potatoes so I chose what I did. It consisted of the aformentioned plus two over easy eggs, choice of chicken or chorizo or fennel sausage (I chose chicken for heart burn reasons), roasted corn, mozzarella, carmelized onions and rosemary topped by a red pepper couli. Fancy right? It was very good. The chicken seemed like the pre-sliced stuff you can get in a bag. That was the only disappointment. It came in a skillet. It ran $12. Filling. Service was good. They also serve pizza, salads, crepes and other breakfast and sandwiches. The dinner menu is different. It has fresh oysters, rock shrimp, pimento cheese dip, lamb meatballs. And those are just some of the apps. Highest price brunch was $15. $25 for dinner. Hard to beat this place. Seemed like the "it" place in town.

Sasaki Sushi - This place is a twelve seater in the middle of the avenue on N. Cooper St. I just grabbed a yellow tail and scallion roll and an avocado (still jonesing) roll to go. $8 for the YT. $5 for the A. Got to get that A! Both were full of die sized pieces of the good stuff. The YT was a little bland. Probably not wild YT. Still, it was worth $8. The rice was properly made. Big kernels/grains. They did fall off the A Roll though. Probably because he put such big chunks in. The menu is limited. Probably for the better. Ensures quality. The place is tiny and is functional. A good food-centric place to patronize.

The Original Famous Philly's Cheesesteaks - Their name reminds of the Pat's pizza nonsense that goes on in NYC. For those who are not aware, there are like a dozen configurations and places that use some version of that name. Anyway. I had a cheesesteak with wiz to go on my way home. It was what a CS should be. grilled, thin, crispy, nice quality beef on a fresh roll with wiz permeating every available free space. It cost $9. The place is middle of the way up on Flagler on S. Cooper St. They had another in Port Orange, but, the hurricane got the roof. They also serve egg rollers, burgers, hot dogs, nuggets, etc. They have four tables outside. Better than the place near the bridge. Much better.

*FYI - Watch out for stuff in the water. I stepped on what was probably a nail in a board. Just caught the edge of my big toe. Lucky. Plus the water looked green.

Ivanhoe Wine and Spirits, Antiques District/Ivanhoe Village

I ended my Saturday night at another new place that just popped on my radar. They just opened within the week. It is next to (what has been described as) the gay bars down there (nearest to Princeton). It is both an upscale cocktail bar and retail liquor store. High end. I just had a whiskey ($8) because I had to get up and go to the beach the next day and it was empty. I mean - me, myself and I. The place looks great. Clean. Bright. Brand new. One wall has the bottles for sale and the other has the bar. Lots of selection. Good choices. I'm not sure if they want "breeders" or not, but, I would try it no matter where you prefer to stick your pee pee or your hoo ha. I'm not even sure they think of themselves as a "gay" establishment. I don't know the "rules", so, I'll pretend we are past any gay/straight labels. They have a done a good job setting up the backdrop. Now we'll see how it develops.

The Bear and Peacock Brewery, Winter Park

I couldn't bring myself to do downtown on Saturday night, so, I drove by to see if these guys had finally opened. They were slated to open in early summer. Thankfully there were. Just recently. I had a glass of red because I had already started with wine and their beer isn't ready yet. They are crafting their own beer to go along with the spirits that the owners (Winter Park Distilling Co) are now distilling next door. The wine was fine. One of six or so options. It cost $9 for a heaping glass. They also have a few draft options from other brewers. The place looks cool. It was an old repair shop of which they salvaged much of the original elements. It's sleek now. You can see the crafting area. It was pretty empty, but, that should change. The floor plan was pretty open. A mingling spot. They had the Series and college football on the tube. I chatted with the owner (and his friend). He seemed like a guy you would root for. It is next to where The Ravenous Pig is (will not be in soon). I will have to go back. Parking may be an issue.

DeVine Bar and Grill, Oviedo - Closed

I popped in here Saturday night to check things out. The menu seemed interesting (beef tartare, poutine, etc), but, I wasn't hungry. The other attraction is their "self serve" wine system. I believe I have tried three other wine bars in CF with this set up (the one DT failed and I am not sure about the status of the one in the WP shopping area on Orlando Ave). It is smaller than the Wine Room in WP. Half the price though. Twenty dollars (plus $3 for the card) allowed me to sample thirteen vintages. I believe the size I chose was 2 oz. That was the smallest of the three sizes. Most of the selections were at a buck and half (give or take a quarter). The selections were good too. About fourteen reds and fourteen whites. From all over. A vast spectrum. Little overlap. The place looks sharp. Upscale accessible. The main area has some booths with the middle relegated to high tops. Then there is a bar with seating. And an upstairs room that was hosting a private party. It was pretty empty for a Halloween party night. They had the FSU Clemson game and the Series on the TVs. Not a bad place. It is kind of misplaced in that shopping area on Alafaya Woods Blvd near Red Bug Lake Rd. Good value and maybe good food. They have been open a couple of months. They open at 3pm.