Firefly, Winter Park - Closed

I tried this newish (two months) gastro pub on N. Orlando in the Winter Park Village last night. It replaced the very similar venture (Taps) across from Mitchell's Fish Market. The Weekly said the menu was uninspiring, so I wasn't really itching to waste a slot to find out if they were right. However, it just so happened that my plane would be landing at a weird time and it was on my way home. I'm kind of glad it worked out that way. The changes (to the menu in particular) are minimal. The one thing that jumped out at me was that they have lanterns/jars filled with jumbles of Xmas lights that I'm sure are meant to simulate fire flies. You know, the ones that kids trap on summer evenings and suffocate. The decor seemed the same. The wine vending machines survived. The beer selection may be a tad larger and better. The menu probably has some new items, but, it is still basically finger foods, flat breads and burgers. Maybe the chicken dishes and poutine are new, but, those are just mash ups when you get down to it. I tried the most risky and over loaded item for you. I had a Piggly Wiggly burger with fries for $12. It let my try the burger meat, pulled pork, bacon and fries (and peanut butter and bun if we are getting technical). Even though the kitchen was closing and I had no right to expect that any attention would be paid to it, it came out perfectly. The meat was even a tad under medium. I liked the flavor and grind. The bacon was thick and crunchy. The pork was a bit bland. The fries were a tad limp. But, the type (skin on) they use invariably are. The bun was a bit "crumbly/old". I would not recommend the combination. Based strictly on taste. I think it needed sweetness and/or spice. Maybe a chutney or peppered chocolate mole? The peanut butter overwhelmed the already savory mix. It was just three or four upper cuts of richness. I even tried to temper down the assault with the fries. It helped a little. But, once again, not bad. Just "too"! I had had a triple patty burger at the Indianapolis airport (96th St Burgers - pretty good) for lunch, so, I'm actually surprised I had any appetite for it at all. They served the burger on a wooden cutting board. The fries came in a little mock fry basket. The change in ownership has probably lifted the rating of the spot without doing anything that would anger anyone who used to go here. It was better than I was expecting or what I remembered about the last place. I was scared it would be the same experience. I'd be interested in trying the other items on the menu. The beer "curation" seems to be in good hands. I believe the bartender who was on duty is in charge of it and he seemed to be very invested with his responsibility. Always a good sign. I didn't check out the wine.

*There is now a Rubio's Tacos across from Firefly. I lived in Southern California for a while and it WAS a very good fish taco play. Now it is a little "corporate". I don't love their "specialty" - fried fish tacos. It's like putting a corn dog in a bun in my mind. The whole seafood tacos idea was a bit strange for an Easterner. We call that crap a "wrap". I don't know who "invented" it first. But, that's what they do and it's there. For how long they have been there, I have no idea. Just letting you know because I'm not making an extra trip to try a chain I've already tried a bazillion times.

Bad As's Sandwich, Milk District

I grabbed a Bad As's to go at this sandwich spot on Saturday night. It's in the building that Seven Bites used to occupy. Go to 50 near the airport and turn on N. Primrose. The sandwich cost $10 and consisted of two slices of pastrami (beef), healthy piles of shredded pork and chicken, chips, some veg and a garlic aioli (on a sub roll). Plus a side of home made chips. It was very "Puerto Rican" in flavor and make up. I think that's their bailiwick. I find these combinations a bit overwhelming. Very rich (and in this case, garlicky). The pastrami can't be located. In texture or taste. The chicken and pork kind of disappear into each other. They were both very salty. The chips aren't necessary (and I put chips in all my sandwiches and ff in my burgers). The pickled onions (the brightness) are overwhelmed by the garlic. It's a sloppy mess. Not a bad mess. Just a bunch of stuff that is probably better off individually. That said, I enjoyed it (picking each item off individually with my fingers) and the quality was good. The portion was generous. They have around six other "staple" sandwich that use the three meats written about. Plus three specials. I think they had a breakfast menu. They renovated the inside. I think they have been open for four months. I think their story is that they were the food truck behind the building when Seven Bites was the tenant.

Nalan Sultan Mediterranean Grill, Apopka

I tried this newish (7 months) Turkish restaurant in the red brick strip mall across from the Publix strip mall for lunch on Wednesday. It is on 436 where Altamonte Springs turns into Apopka. It was ok. I find that this type of cuisine is rarely very good and often very bad. I am satisfied if it is in the not very bad category. Like this place. I mean ground or cubed meat and bitter herbs can only aspire so far. Like geometric art. I had a ground meat (kofte) platter - lamb for $12 and a starter bowl of cacik - yogurt with mint, dill and cucumber for $6. Let's start with the cacik. How does 25 cents worth of watery yogurt justify a $6 price tag? Maybe it is the half a pita they serve with it or the essence of cucumber. Not that this was bad. It's just an industry wide outrage. It's a dip/side. It should be free or $2 max. But, I guess it is like trading with a team that has a poor minor league system. They over value the talent in their bare coffers. The lamb was ok. Four "thumb to middle finger" sized patties. Not much if any seasoning. Tough. Stringy. It came with "soggy to wet" rice, a salad of lettuce and parsley and a tiny cup of tzatziki. The soda came in a can and since they poured the contents into a glass, I'm not sure I got the whole can. The main issue (I think) is that the owner/cook is a one man band and looked disinterested/hung over. Let's hope it was an off day. The interior is pretty bare. The kitchen/grill is on the right in the back. Five or six light wood benches round out the rest of the room. They have some travel posters of Turkey on the wall. I'm not putting it in the "very bad" category because the other employee (owner's wife?) was nice about boxing up the large portion and she also gave another table's child some crayons to play with. Plus a few guys on the patio said they love the place. Plus the gyro meat wasn't pre-sliced. See I am not always so inflexible. The menu has the usual stuff plus four seafood options. Now the name may be an "in-sultan" comparison to Turkish royalty , but, I've seen and tasted alot worse around town. A step above a take out gyro place. A small step.

Luke's Kitchen and Bar, Maitland

I tried this fairly new (1 month?) entrant from the folks at Luma/Prato at lunch on Sunday. I was worried that it being Mother's Day it might have been the wrong call. However, I found a seat at the bar and the food came out quickly. I had a roasted green bean bowl with prosciutto, poached egg, zucchini, potato cubes, radish and some kind of "crackle" on top. They subbed in snow peas for the green beans, so, it wasn't exactly like the rustic breakfast dish they were trying to riff on. It was still good. A better quality of prosciutto (and green beans) would have helped. They prosciutto was hard to separate into bite sized pieces. They could cut it into strips for you. The concoction was served in a tiny bowl that made eating it akin to performing micro-surgery. It was on the brunch menu. It cost $12. I also had a Lobster Louie ceviche for $14. The "Louie's" I have had were usually made with French dressing. This version consisted of tiny (probably actual homard) lobster tails (sub one pounders), cherry tomatoes, mayo and lemon or lime juice. It's a smart pairing. The juice adds a clarifying quality that contrasts the savoriness of the mayo and vica-verca. Ceviche can be a bit astringent. Adding the mayo tempers the bitterness and adds body. They served the fair sized portion in scallop shells (3). I was very pleased with the choices I made. The rest of the menu was pretty derivative. Things like burgers and fish sandwiches and roasted chicken. All were "funkified" in some way and the quality of the ingredients have provenance. The dishes I saw my neighbors eating looked good. The portions were big. Prices were all over the place. Some things were bargains and some things were overpriced. Choose wisely. Things topped out in the high twenties. The floor was in the teens. I forgot to check what was "on offer" on the dinner menu. The place looks good. I don't want to go into a whole dissertation on it though. They tore down the old Napa-whatever it was and now it's an open room floor plan with a bar in front and open kitchen in the back. There is a patio on the right. The thing I remember most is wood. Lots of wood. It's similar in look and feel to many of places that have opened lately. Think Earl's at Millenia. Service was perfect. No real complaints overall. I just don't get why they went this route. It's not really that much different than Luma. Maybe a tad more casual? It's at 640 South Orlando Ave/17-92 near the Enzian. Across from Antonio's. Probably will make the Favorite's list in the $$$ category.

Tomoka Brewing Company, Port Orange

This place was not on that Sentinel list. I found it in a local magazine. Plus I've had their beer, so I wanted to see the brewery. This is a brewery/restaurant. It is at 4967 South Cyde Morris Blvd. That is around a quarter mile on the right if you make a left off SR 421/Dunlawton. Second left, I think. Not sure what exit is off 95. I take 46 to 95 or I4 to Daytona and backtrack one exit on 95 to get to 421. I came here on my way back from the TPC on Saturday night. I just wanted to try a flight, but, it was dinner time and I knew I'd be too tired to go out locally, so I tried some of the food. I didn't order anything "difficult", but, I liked what they gave me. I had a bowl of their green chili for $6 and a table prepared bowl of guac and chips for $10. The chili had some pork in it, but, was very vegetable oriented. More of a ratatouille. Pretty hot. Came with some soft tortillas for some reason. The guac seemed endless. I almost made myself sick finishing it. So filling. It would have been as good as it can get if they mixed the onions, etc more evenly. Chips were fresh. also, came with a sweet tomato salsa. They also have a pretty inclusive menu and "major" in pizza. A step above "sports bar" food. The place looks nice. I mostly remember polished wood. They had sports on tv. A big bar on the right. Service was great. The stuff came out fast. It seemed popular. And the beer was good. One of the more pleasant experiences I've had in Port Orange. And there is some kind of old timey ice cream stand on the corner. Rittner's? Ritter's? Will try it next time i'm in town.

Pat's Riverfront Cafe, Port Orange

I had lunch at here on Friday. It is located at the Seven Seas Marina at 3300 South Peninsula Dr (make a left after the bridge on Dunlawton Ave). It's a little dive that is open for breakfast and lunch (7am to 2pm). It is on the river/intercoastal. I had a fried flounder and FF plate for $9 because they were talking about catching flounder in Jacksonville on the radio. I'm not sure if these were local or prepared there of just defrosted as is. The quality left me uncertain. I could make an argument for any of those possibilities. However, what it lacked in quality was made up for in quantity. Two giant pieces over a plate of french fries. They fry on both was good. And that's that. The place is dingy. My glass was sticky. Service was polite and efficient. They could have cleaned off the other tables more quickly. They serve typical breakfast stuff and burgers and sandwiches a a few rotating daily specials. Some Pennsylvania oddities like scrapple. Pat is a she. Cash only. One more place to go on that Sentinel list for this area. It re-opens (hurricane damage) in October.

Tin & Taco, Downtown

Ok. Cinco de Mayo present number two is this fast fresh Mexican spot on West Washington from the folks at Gringo's. Now why a Mexican place finds a need to open a slightly different Mexican place down the street is anybody's guess. I'm just glad they did. I had three tacos to go for $11. Two are $8. All were great. large. Stuffed. Cheese infused soft tortilla. The first was a pulled pork and pineapple one called Al Pastor. Number two was a ground beef and "usual toppings" one called Tacosaurus. And the piece de resistance was a bleu cheese, hot sauce, celery and pulled chicken one called Buffalo Soldier. Who knew thinly sliced celery would taste so good in a taco? And the bleu cheese! The rest of the menu is around four other riffs on each meat (ground beef, chicken and pork). You can get the ingredients in a bowl, burrito, etc. They also have a decent selection of craft beer. It's tiny and rectangular. Maybe a capacity of fifteen. Counter seats. Half the footage is taken up by the prep area. The decor is minimal. Wood back splash is the budget buster. They aren't open on Sundays. I suggest they rethink that if the Lions are playing. With the free Sunday parking, it might draw a lot of traffic.They have been open since the Fall, I think. Another winner. Will be on the Favorites list.

Mesa 21, Ivanhoe Village - Closed

I tried this new (one month) Mexican restaurant on N. Orange at the lake for lunch on Wednesday. It replaced Gargi's. I had been waiting forever for it to open. I think they first anticipated opening in the Fall and then in January or February. It was worth the wait and because Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, I lost no time telling you about it. It is visually and gastronomically satisfying. You have the lake view of course. But, they did a bang up job with the remodel as well. The inside/outside dynamic is minimized by some elegant floor to ceiling glass. Even inside, you have a satisfactory view of the lake from almost all the west facing seats. The one exception is the cloth curtained "private room". I don't think they have a clear view. But that's what you get for putting on airs. They also "connect" the two bars with a designated byway for the bartenders. The result is that it doesn't feel like two restaurants and you can enjoy the AC without sacrificing the beauty outside. And they also have misters and fans on the deck. The layout also splits the seating in equal parts. Maybe there are a few more seats outside. I counted a rough 60 and 60 seats. The patio colors are black, white and orange. They copy that scheme and add some wood inside. The decor is what I think they are terming "steam house". Old black metal industrial objects with a concentration in things electrical. Think of the set of the Time Machine or any modern gastro-pub. They also have a fifties style sign and some decorative art. Great attention to detail. The tables are maple(?) inside and plastic outside. The cutlery is steel and the napkins are black cloth. It was about half full and filling up as I ate. Representative crowd. Even though they gave me the worst seat in the house (next to the rest rooms), I forgive them thanks to the beef carpaccio ($12) and Mexican Sampler ($13) I had.

The carpaccio seemed freshly prepared. Neither it nor the plate was stone cold. They were a little excessive with the seasoning and the toppings, but, who can really get too mad at generosity. The seasoning was some kind of chipotle powder and the toppings were diced tomatoes, onions and capers. They added some thinly cut jalapenos, oil and they "ceviched" it. I'm used to an Italian preparation, but, I'm not totally against "cooking" the meat a little for variety's sake. Maybe rename it something in Spanish then? This beef didn't need to be cooked. It was of a good quality. They also served it with some home made chips that came in a precious little fry basket. I could have stopped eating here. However, the Sampler was in the queue (so I could report back on the most objects for you) and I don't have to obey what my stomach tells me. The Sampler consisted of two cheese empanadas/tamales that they call quesadillas (because I think they just don't want to reprint the menus), two chicken taquitos and two chicken or pork sopes. All were great. Great quality cheese and fry and sweet batter on the empanadas. Covered with white crema. The sopes were tiny and a little chewy, but, sopes usually are chewy. They were piled high. Covered with lettuce tomato and crema. Bean base. The taquitos were great. Maybe the best I've eve had and I lived in LA for eight years. The shells were so light. No fear of cutting the roof of your mouth on them. Stuffed full. Wonderful. Covered with lettuce, cheese and crema. I used to get taquitos every Monday during my Senior year of undergrad. I would stop by the best Mexican spot near campus (after my internship at the talent agency) and bring them home and watch Monday Night Football. It's on at 6pm on the West Coast. I would have looked like fat Schmidt on New Girl if these taquitos were sold back then and there. Or I would have had to extend my run to the Rose Bowl. The rest of the menu is a mix of old favorites (classed up) and chances. They have soups, a rib platter and Veracruz fish and steak for example. That end of the menu gets a little pricey (up to $28). However, I'd expect them to make it worth your while. The bar is also loaded with a decent selection og scotch and whiskey and tequila and wine and beer. Beers were only $4-$5. Wine was around three times retail. They have a glassed in tortilla making kitchen.

Service was great. Friendly. Attentive (3 refills). Quick. Music was at an acceptable level. Mix of Latin and Pop. The manager/owner was a task master. He was making sure everything was in order. With a guy like that running his finger over every nook and cranny, you can rest easy knowing that everything is in order. That and that great view push this newbie (original location somewhere west of Orlando) beyond the other "upscale" Mexican places I have reviewed this year (and in the past). The tasty food might have been enough on it's own. However, just like the decor, the devil is in the details and they are straight up evil. The one sticking point is the parking. There isn't much. They have a valet. But, I will not trust them. I saw Ferris Buellar. Maybe you'll be lucky like me and find a spot on the street. That said, you shouldn't be mesa'ing around and ignoring this great newcomer. Will be on the Favorites list.

Did you hear some comedians (Jimmy Fallon?) take on Cinco de Mayo. He said "Someone (probably Trump) thinks it means a sink full of mayonnaise."

PSA - Bloating Triggers

According to television (and has it ever lied to you?) these foods/actions increase bloating:

Broccoli
Roast Beef (cured)
Turkey (cured)
Corn
Pears
Apples
Drinking through a straw

These counter-act bloating:

Sauerkraut
Cucumbers
Miso Soup