I started out the new year by trying these places in or around the Florida Mall. The first is inside the food court near the entrance, The second is right outside the food court entrance. The last is in a strip mall on the OBT entrance to the mall. I think used to house a sushi place (Sushi House?).
Fat One's - I swear I was the first to realize that the ex-N'Syncers name broke down to this. I'm glad he has a sense of humor about it. They opened in the spring and I wasn't going to haul my ass all the way down here for a hot dog. Luckily, there has been a fair amount of turnover and new construction around the mall and here we go. It wasn't that bad. Now I think I ordered the only dog combo that is close to justifying the $5 base price, but, it's better than what the Wahlberg family offers up. I had the Cuban dog for $5. It was a dog split down the middle with Swiss cheese and pickles and mustard. They press it like a Cuban sandwich. The dog reminded me of the dogs they served at the snack bar at the beach club I worked at as a teen. I think they used Sabrett's. Possibly Nathan's. It's a beef dog with a touch of salt and maybe garlic. It was good. The bun wasn't all oiled up too. They also have $5 dogs with sriracha or sauerkraut or make your own, The $6 dogs have chili or pepperoni or corned beef or guac. There is a $12 dog that piles on ALL of their toppings. They also had Italian ices ($2-$4). Not the train wreck I expected. Better than most of the food court. And they go to battle with a wiener.
Carvera - They are the first US branch of a Puerto Rican chain (different name) of an Argentinian grill that is apparently very popular down there. They also opened in the spring. It's a fast casual place up here. Read the bio on the wall to understand the Argentinian - Puerto Rican connection. I had the Chicken Milanesa platter for $8.49. It was 85 cents less after they offered me a 10% discount for no apparent reason (maybe you have to say you shopped at the mall). It came with two sides. I chose a baked potato and potato salad. The chicken was huge. It was fresh. Crispy. The potato salad was very good. They put some garlic in it. Otherwise it was your typical recipe. The portion was ridiculous. 2+ giant scoops. I haven't tried the baked potato yet. too stuffed. I ate this for dinner. The place looks posh. I wasn't prepared for fast casual. The main elements are wood. There is a backless "cabinet" on the left that is decorated with cute metal objects from the early part of last century. The place seats about sixty. Service was very friendly. They also sell salchicha, churrasco, burgers, sandwiches, grilled chicken, salads, warps, turnovers (empanadas), soup, chorizo, pimento, desserts and alot of sides. I'm glad it took the chance. Great value.
Taste of Peru - I think the just opened very recently. I had the lunch special for $9. It was a steal and why I continue to laud Peruvian cuisine as the best in South America. Value and variety and verve. That's a good combination. I chose Aguadito de Pollo (from among three choices) for the first course and Tallarin Saltado de Pollo (from among five choices) for the main. They also thrown in a soda (with refills). The first course is a chicken soup the last is a form of lo mein (noodles). The soup was huge. I was full after this. It had carrots, celery, hominy, peas and maybe quinoa (or some starch, like rice, to thicken it), All but the peas appeared to be fresh and most chefs suggest using frozen peas anyway. The chicken it it was very tender. It took a tiny while for it to come out, so, I wouldn't be surprised if they cook it to order and that there is only one person in charge in the kitchen. The Tallarin is something I have avoided in the past because I don't really want the "Chinese" dishes that they love so much as my indoctrination into Peruvian cuisine. Still to much to learn. Plus I can get Chinese at a Chinese place if I am so inclined. But, I caved because I had already tried all the other choices. It was ok. The noodles were thin fettuccine noodles. I believe lo mein uses round noodles. Not that I like lo mein enough to care about the noodles. They were covered with a dark soy sauce and mixed with chicken sauteed in that sauce and tomato, red pepper, scallion and a ton of onions. It was a huge portion. The place is a little shabby. There are wires all over the ceiling. They should remove some window "posters" that hide the view and make the place darker. The color scheme is white, red and black. The white is on the bottom of the walls and the furniture. There is a "best of Peru" mural on the back wall. They have seven booths (small), two four tables, two two tables and one eight table. Service was great. The dishes did seem to come out one person and table at a time. Once again, good because you aren't getting warmed up slop, but, bad because you may be starving. On that front they prep the table with a bowl of fried maiz. I won't say corn nuts because they are softer. The menu has all the usual suspects. It's rather large. The place was almost at capacity. Most, if not all, Peruvian. It's always a good sign when the home town fans show up. All in all it was a great value. I would need to order a few more things to see how they stack up against the other Peruvian options. But, that just means the others are that good. They even threw me a 10% of card as I left. AFTER offering a to go soda. Should I end with my memory of Memories of Peru? That would be a little hacky I think. But you can noodle something out for me.
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