Grub Crawl - Eustis: The Crazy Gator and Barnwood BBQ

I had lunch at these places near the lake around a week ago. The first is on the street that runs north and south on the east side of the lake. The second is at a train crossing on that street (N Bay St) called West Orange Ave. It is a few blocks south. As I have said in the past, a way to get here from Orlando is to take I-4 to 46W to 441W/N to 19N. The first restaurant was in that Sentinel article. The other was one I found (but was never open) a few excursions ago.

The Crazy Gator - It's not much food wise. Your basic bar fare. I settled on chicken fingers and fries for $9 because I needed to eat while driving and the rest of the menu was yawn inducing. The fingers took a while to prepare. I think they forgot. There were three of them. They were plump tenderloins. They packed the wrong dipping sauce. The fries were half cooked and dripping with oil (one reason why I think they forgot about my order). They had that horrible starch coating. Don't go for the food. The only reason (unless the bar gets rollicking) to go is to see what they haven't ruined of the old provisions building they are located in. And the nice view of the lake. Open since 2000.

Barnwood BBQ - This as a combo bbq and cafe. I had a brisket sandwich for $7. It was very good. The best in the area. It had a smoky (almost chipotle like) bark that had hints of Hungarian paprika. It was a thick bark. Dark and silky. I believe they served me the burnt ends. If not, it was a cut close to the surface. The bun was sweet. I really enjoyed it. Some might have found it a bit dry, but, I think it was just the cut I received. It came with a sauce that I didn't try. They also bbq other meats. Ribs, chicken and pork. The "cafe" menu had burgers, sandwiches, etc. They do breakfast. They are closed on the weekends. I forget when they open and close during the days they are open. It looks like a little "granny cafe". It seats about 40. They also sell a variety of swag (including t-shirts, honey, rubs, etc). It has been open for three years. They will be on the Favorites list.