AJ's Press, Longwood - Closed

I was originally in this area yesterday for this newcomer. It is the brother location of a one off Tampa based sandwich shop that somehow is/was the number 4 "top 100 places to eat" nationally in 2017. Now the sandwich I had was good, but, I'm not even sure they are the fourth best sandwich shop in Orlando. I had AJ's Cuban because it seemed like one of the more complex sandwiches (another reason why the ranking is questionable and hopefully not purchased). It cost $9.49 (for the larger one) and consists of two slices of pit style ham, four slices of Cantimpalo chorizo, slow roasted pork, jack cheese, pickles, mustard and mayo. It comes on a pressed 'locally baked" Telera roll (smaller size comes on a Bolillo roll at $7.49). It was good. I liked that the chorizo wasn't thickly sliced or worse - loose. The ham was good. The pork can be described as Carolina style (vinegar). I'm not sure if they roast it with vinegar or add that later to moisten it. The serving size could have been more generous. Maybe a hardball's worth. It comes with good home fried "lattice" potato chips. Think waffle cut fries. The other sandwiches that are a bit interesting (I'm reaching) are a brisket at $11 and a crunchy chicken at $9.49 (for the larges). The Grilled Chicken BLT, Chipotle Grilled Chicken, Sonora Bacon Dog, Roasted Mushroom, Burger, Mojo Pork, BLT, Grilled Cheese, Ham and Cheddar and Fish sandwiches didn't really wow me. And that is the main issue I have with the place. It's pretty vanilla. They could use a bit more funk. They also serve all these items (and breakfast sandwiches) as bowls. The breakfast items come on potatoes. The lunch items on black beans. They have a few sides, soups and desserts. It's on 434 near the RR tracks (near Ronald Reagan Blvd). It took over the spot that was Zorba's and some other spot most recently. They give you a very good jalapeno hush puppy while you wait. They are amiable. I didn't have to wait long. A family run business. I'd go back alot if it wasn't in such a traffic nightmare. They are closed on Sunday (the one light traffic day) and 8-4pm on M-F and 9-3pm on Sa.

Jon Jovonni's Pollo A La Brasa, Longwood - Closed

I had lunch at this new (13 weeks) Peruvian restaurant on Ronald Reagan Blvd (near the light rail station on the north side) yesterday. I had the fish (corvino) ceviche for $14 and the 1/4 chicken lunch special for $7. The ceviche was ok. They said they add the lime juice as ordered, but, it seemed a little "cooked" for that. Who knows? Maybe the fish is a fast cook. The portion was large. It was topped with thinly sliced red onion. I usually don't order this dish because in addition to it rarely being prepared properly, the portion size is usually an appetizer's worth at an entree price. This was enough for a meal. They also tossed in some corn nuts, some big, boiled hominy and a half of a sweet potato. I was getting bored with the ceviche, so, I started mixing it with the potato and the hominy and it made the fish a little more interesting. I'm not sure if that is how it is supposed to be consumed. It's not intuitive. The hispanic cultures often just throw stuff on a plate that doesn't seem to be complementary but is maybe all that they have in the larder. They serve two other types of ceviche. The chicken is cooked "a la brasa" and was moist with crisp skin. It was very good. They may have used a jerk rub. The bird was smallish, so, I expect it wasn't "roided" up. Maybe even free range. Normal size. You can get white or dark meat pieces. It came with crisp fries, a can of soda and an acceptable, basic salad of lettuce and tomatoes. You can get it with rice and beans and without a soda ($5). The rest of menu is representative. Beef, chicken, pork, seafood. Around a three page menu. The place seats around forty. The color scheme was black and red. They have no decoration. They seem to be leaving the wall space clear for people to write on. You order at the counter and it is delivered. The co-owner is a ball of energy. They are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Til 9 on Sn-Th and til 10 F and Sa. The last Peruvian place I believe I wrote about was Gaviota. They would probably consider themselves higher end than this. I would say that there isn't much difference. Especially for the 50 location. They seem to be trying and those lunch specials (the have others) are great. I just spent $7 for disappointing Chinese take out this afternoon. I'd go back.

Big Kahuna's, Winter Springs

I tried this newish (seven months) poke bowl place in the strip mall at Tuskawilla and Red Bug Lake Road (the one with Flanagan's Bar) last night. It fronts Tuskawilla. I had a traditional tuna bowl and a salmon bowl because I hadn't eaten since four in the afternoon of the previous day. The tuna bowl was ok. I asked for sesame oil. It would probably be less good their way. The tuna was a bit pale. It didn't taste off though. It came on top of rice with seaweed, onions and a few other things. There were temperature variations in the ingredients that affected the taste and mouth feel. Some things were too cold (almost frozen). They could iron that out. The rice was very good. Toothy. Right grain. Unfluffed. Superior to alot of sushi places in town. The salmon bowl came with edamame, seaweed, avocado, cucumber, ponzu and a few other things. The salmon looked fresh, but, was bland. Could probably use some soy. The avocado and soy beans had redundant flavor profiles. Maybe a contrast element instead? Both bowls were $10 and had alot of fish to them. $14 gets you 5 scoops. $10 gets you 3. They have five-ish pre-fab bowls and then you can make your own concoctions. The bases are tuna, salmon, shrimp (elbow macaroni sized), octopus, yellow tail and maybe ahi (I think they had two types). I think they had one veggie option. They also offer alot of sauces. I'm of the belief that this can be a dangerous thing. Think; eggs with ketchup, hot sauce on popcorn, ranch and pizza to name a few gastronomic liberties. I don't even like it when they offer up "choose your own sauces" with chicken wings. But, go ahead and experiment. The place reminded me of a paint your own pottery store for some reason. They make some attempt at appropriate decoration. It seats around twenty. It's an assembly line type set up. It was better than I expected, but could ratchet it up a notch with better sourced fish. Still a good value as it is. And it isn't a chain. Open until 9pm.

Austin's Buffet, Longwood

I tried this new buffet (one month) on 434 today at lunch. It replaces an Asian buffet and before that a Long Horn Steakhouse or something similar. The decor inside is western. I can't remember if the Asian place colored in around it or if these guys added it back. The place wasn't changed that much. It cost $11 and a soda was $2.50. They don't leave a line on the bill for tips. You are expected to leave them in cash. The food was average. It seems to have a different concentration each day. Today must have been Southern. It was mostly fried fish and poultry. I tried the fingers, fried chicken, fried chicken livers, fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, turkey, rolls, brownies, potato salad and salad. Nothing was particularly outstanding. The bread (the make it and probably the desserts in house) was yeasty and dense. I think it wasn't proofed or baked long enough. The brownie was not very chocolaty. I would say that the pork chop was the best. They also had two soups, a variety of sides, a quesadilla, a salisbury steak, fried fish and a few other things. If I'm in this area, I'd rather spend $8 at Koy Won sushi and worry less about the calories. This is like a Golden Corral. They open at 12pm (late for lunch?) and serve dinner. At least it isn't a vacant waste of space any longer. I'm sure it is some people's cup of tea.

F&D Cantina, Lake Mary

I had lunch at this new (one month) Mexican offshoot from F&D today. It is in the old World of Beer spot in that strip mall on 46A that has the Amstar movie theater. It was the mirror experience of my last post. It started out with reserved enthusiasm and eroded from there. The food was just poorly prepared. I could excuse the fact that it is just another modern Mexican addition to a thoroughly played out genre. But, there is no way I can support this level of carelessness. It's as if they don't have a quality control person at the pass. Half the items I sampled were in need of salt (or other listed components) and half were in need of restraint. I started with the trio of dips (so I could report on a host of things for you) at $10. Now considering that a whole order of guac is $12 and queso is $8 and salsa is $3 (not free), the $10 seemed reasonable. The guac was supposed to have serrano chiles. It didn't. That left no foil for the lime. It could have also used salt. Fresh but bland. The queso was "stadium" style and had way too much salt. Couple that with salty tortillas and it was offensive. The salsa was spicy and good. A bit of garlic. However, it was a bit foamy and watery. Like when I make it in a blender. I wonder if they are as bad at salsa prep as I am or if they didn't churn it enough before they scooped the less dense area of the cauldron. The chips were fresh. I had a main course of Floridian Fish (grouper) Tacos for $14. The fish tasted and smelled fishy. The moron in the kitchen also doused them in salt. Some dull cabbage slaw completed the dish. They came in raw flour tortillas even though the menu said corn. The drunken golden raisins (the main draw) were nowhere to be found. The aoili tasted like McDonald's buffalo sauce. I ate one and asked for the rest to go because I didn't want to cause a scene when I didn't eat the rest. The tacos came with black beans. They were undercooked/hard. Plus that is a bad pairing with fish especially when you add beef to the beans. You also get hosed if you come on a weekend. Their lunch pricing (around $3 less) doesn't apply. The rest of the menu is ordinary. Tacos, burritos, chimis, fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas are all they aspire to. They have a few trendy (actually not at this point) like street corn and ceviche, but, they aren't breaking any new ground or bringing authenticity to the table. Oddly, they remind me of the Mexican place that F&D replaced. And they failed. The place looks great. Yet, not ground breaking there either. They have murals and paintings from that artist that does the hot chicks in "day of the dead" make up and those metal star light fixtures. I'm seeing that everywhere. They opened the kitchen. They have a big selection of tequila. Service was good. It seats about eighty. I'll try it once more. But, if they haven't worked out the kinks, I won't try again. There's no need to. These places are a dime a dozen. And God help them if they bring back the live music that made WOB insufferable. They get a F'ing D for this performance.

The Waterfront, Orlando

I tried this hand off from Julie's on Tuesday night. It's at 4201 South Orange Ave. I was scripting a hatchet job in my head thirty minutes into my visit. And then they served the food. The original three strikes came when: I had to return to a visited location, the menu was routine and they had a warbler making it impossible to think (let alone talk) with his amp turned up to eleven in the main room. I won't even dwell the next three (double strike out): waitress that jumped down my throat before I had a second to peruse the menu and then didn't return for ten minutes after I had, the seemingly high prices for the meals they were offering and the fact that they did nothing to the decor (which wasn't stylish when the place opened years ago). However, as I was saying, The food (when it came a half an hour later) was delicious. I went with the fried chicken thigh with cheese grits because all the other stuff (sandwiches, burgers, fried catfish) was yawn inducing. It was dumb luck. For $13, I received two largish (made doubly large by the breading) thighs that were cooked beautifully. Skinless and boneless. Moist inside and with a perfect crust. A crust that I have often wished they (some entrepreneur) sold in bags. A crust that would be eaten like potato chips. Now, I don't mind a thick crust. Some may. Some may think it is employed to cheat the customer of his precious chicken. A fake out. I say that there was enough chicken for that man AND a "crustie monsters" like myself who will appreciate the extra "peelings" of crunch. There was so much chicken that I could only down one thigh. The other was partly eaten cold and partly reheated and was still good (both ways) the next day. The cheese grits were also wonderful. Probably stone ground. They also included some kale that was sauteed in garlic and something acidic. Very good. And kudos for using kale instead of spinach. The plating was a bit cramped. They put all that into a little porcelain skillet. It made it a little hard to get at the grits. And people who like to segregate their components will not like the cross contamination. The chef is from North Quarter Tavern. I liked my only visit there, so, I will wager all the other "boring" options are best of breed if he trained there. And maybe most people aren't as freaky as me and like the bread and butter dishes. If so, they will probably J(ay) Z all over themselves at The Waterfront. A regular guy menu prepared in an irregular (good) way. Most things are priced in the middle teens. They had some ahi apps that were around that price too. It seats around ninety in two inside rooms and a lakeside patio. It is owned by the Harry Buffalo et al people. It made the change from Julie's in February. I would go back. Maybe for fried catfish and ahi tartare?

*I tried a place written about in the Orlando Weekly before I came here. It was some seafood joint in a Sunoco off Hoffner and on Conroy (or Conway - I can't keep them straight). The guy at the station says he kicked them out five months ago. Now you are updated.