2018 Favorites List

I'll post these early this year. I think I asked for more authentic Chinese last year. Wish granted. I've already railed against the effusion of high priced (and low) Mexican and poke joints and ramen bars. You know what I think they say about the state of our community and culture in general. Here's hoping they all die a painful death and are replaced with something more exotic. Or at least new recipes from time tested regional fare and/or slight deviations in representative locales. How about regional cooking from "second" or "third" tier cities and towns like Xi'an or Nantes or Como or Kyoto or Ching Mai? Or "freaky" things like an unbroken noodle.

And remember that these rankings depend on price points as much as execution. It's like boxing. There are weight classes. A few received bonus points for ambiance/panache.


$ - Sausage Shack, Chou La La, Sticky Rice, Papa Sabz, Brownierie, Nam Giao Deli, Bahn Mi Cali, Geni's Philly Steaks.

$$ - Tamale Co, Pizzeria Roberti, 081 Wood Fire Pizza, BBB Tofu House, Pastrami Project,  Buttermilk Bakery, Zero Degrees, 5th Element, Stasio's, Bem Bom, Mr. Worldwide Famous, Ka

$$$ - Glass Knife, El Buda, Peter's Kitchen, Grille's Lakeside, Café Linger, Peppino's, Wa Sushi, Tartine, Grato

$$$$ - Kadence, Mario and Enzo's

Cinco, Winter Park - Closed

I had lunch at this Mexican restaurant across from Trader Joe's on 17-92/ N. Orlando today. I was less than pleased a few weeks back when I saw that this place (Carmel Kitchen) had switched over to yet another Mexican restaurant. One with presumptions to boot. After espying the $4 soda charge on the menu I became more so. Then the uninspired and limited menu really had them playing from behind. I ordered the reasonably priced (for here) taco plate at $15. It came with three tacos and beans and rice. I tried to over-sample (for you) and ended up with a chicken in a lettuce (romaine leaf) cup, a carne asada in a soft corn tortilla and a barbacoa in a soft wheat tortilla. They were all mediocre. The chicken was dry. The carne was cooked medium, but, the pickled onions clashed with the aged cotija. Same with the chipotle bbq sauce on the barbacoa. Plus a third of the "pull" was uneatable. This isn't the first time I've been perplexed by the flavor choices at "high priced" Mexican endeavors around town. They seem to be embarrassed by the pricing and compensate by piling add ons onto it. I know it was early on Christmas Eve day, but, I doubt the execution is ever noteworthy. And like I said, the recipes are suspect. And even if wise, all they seem to do is provide coverage for ham handedness with the principal elements of the dish. The rest of the menu is pricy. $30 salmon. $30 pork chops. $20+ for enchiladas and other Mexican staples. They seem more concerned with the booze. It is featured more broadly on the menu. Which falls apart while you are reading it. The chips were good. The salsa had no kick. Tasted like pureed tomatoes. I want to digress for a second to wonder how there is always one "razor blade" tortilla chip in every batch. Felons shouldn't ask for cakes with dangerous objects baked in. They should ask for tortilla chips. Back to the meal. It took a while to arrive. Thirty minutes. Only two other diners competing for the attention of the kitchen. I'll accept the possibility that they cook fresh to order. I do this because the rice and beans were fresh. And flavorful. The style seemed a bit more Latin than Mexican. Maybe that is why the main components seemed to suffer. Maybe the cook is Latin? The space is cute. They added a little flair to the outside. Two murals in the dining room. A cliché "skeleton painted" senorita and a tribal figure in an agave pina. The rest of the place is the same if I remember correctly. They have parking in the back. They were nice. They gave me a free margarita coupon on the back of the business card. I'm not sure if they would have extended that generosity unless I had asked for the card and they all have that printed on the back. In any case, I have one. Which is good because I think they start at $16. I'm pretty sure they had one on the menu at $29. The menu said they plan on opening in NYC. I think even Gotham-ites are familiar enough with Mexican cuisine at this point to think twice about the price to value ratio. They have been open for six months. It's odd that their name fits perfectly with what score I would assign them. They were less than necessary and even more so after sampling them. I wish I could have ended the year off on a more positive note. Hate to be Grichy. Not really. But, yes in this case.

*I was going to try out a new Italian pizza chain in Maitland, but, they said they won't open until January 20 something. It's called Midici.

Taste of Chengdu, West Colonial *LV Travel Notes

I went to this new (6 months) Sichuan restaurant aside a Best Western for lunch on Wednesday. They have started running a food show by guy who was at the forefront of these kind of shows (Martin Yan) on UCF PBS lately. And the shows have all centered around Chengdu. So my interest was already kindled. I would have been here earlier, but, it was always on a Monday and they are closed then. Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province (SW China). The chef here once ran Zen at the Omni Orlando. If that is the one at Champions Gate, I may have seen it. I don't think I ate there. He has developed a pretty robust menu. It features the land and sea and even oddities such as pig intestine and rabbit. Not a ton of freak show material, but enough to make it interesting. They did say something about "changing" the menu, so, let's hope they don't dumb it down too much. They initially tried to hide the lunch special for me, but, I got one and tried the shredded pork with spicy garlic something or other. It came with rice (fried) and soup (egg drop) for $8. That was less than the price of the app (rabbit) I was going to order off the main menu. The pork (strips) was fine. It came with sliced peppers and onions and mushrooms. The fried rice was barely fried. And too fluffy. The soup was good. Not too salty. I also ordered Spicy Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork for $7. Either this or the lunch special would have been enough on their own. I powered through like a good soldier though. The noodles were good. The pork was fine. Two versions. Nice heat. Service was a bit anxious. Nice though. The hostess chose to chat with me. The table next to me had a guy who sounded like Javier Bardem and they were ordering everything and enjoying it. No air holes to the forehead. The place seats about eighty and started filling up. The place looks clean and redone. I think it was a diner with a Hollywood theme the last time I was here. It is before that huge police headquarters if you are coming from I-4. I'd go back. They said they do the "American" breakfast for the hotel. I'm not sure if anyone can enjoy it.

*I'll hip you to some Asian places I ate at in Las Vegas this week since we are on the subject. The last four have been on TV. They are all on or just off Spring Mountain Road. It starts at the Wynn. I found it looking for some place called Raku. It has a ton of Asian restaurants. And almost as many rub out joints. Here's the list.

Kapit Bahay, Mian Sichuan Noodle, Takopa, Pho 87, Joyful House, Hot N Juicy Crawish "The Original Location" (Richman), Hobak Korean BBQ (Zimmern). Consult TVFOODMAPS if interested. Kaizen sushi across from the Hard Rock also gets 4.5 stars on Yelp. It was ok.

I also should point out a potential franchise called Bruxie. They do chicken and waffle sandwiches, etc.

Capital Grille, International Drive

I hauled my ass over to Pointe Orlando from the airport to try a place (Itta Bene) that ended up throwing a private party. I audibled to this. I've been to other ones in other cities and that plus the prices have left it off my to do list. I had a wedge salad for $12 and steak tartare for $18. Both from the appetizer section. The wedge was ok. Lots of blue cheese dressing and thick bacon bits and a few cherry tomatoes. They say the tartare feeds two people. As an app, I agree. One as a main. It was good. Not very minced. Atop some egg and onions and capers. The tiny capers were good. A side of pickled onions. Five toast halves. Very cracker like. A bit dressed. These things (and soup) are the only off ramps on the menu. The cheapest main was a salmon at $29 or $39. No matter. Most everything else is over $40 anyway. Be prepared for that. The one salmon is saw served was burned. Service was good. At the bar. The tap water is Fiji. That saves a few bucks. They validated the parking. That saved $4 more. It was full. It has that steakhouse look. Black on black. Wood and leather. Easier to stomach when it is being expensed, but, digestible on your own.

*They are opening a place called Hop Daddy. Across from CG. I think it was an ice bar. There is a bowlorama/arcade in the rear of PO called Main event. I'm not sure how long that has been there. It's huge.

Pizza Pie Tutorial

The following is from John Crudele at the NY Post (today's issue).

Full pizza pies are smaller than the "by the slice" pies. 16" versus 20". If you posit that a full pizza is $15 and a slice is $2.50, given the eight slices in a pie, then the per slice price is less. 6 cents versus 7 cents per square inch. The full pie is 201 square inches. The sliced pie is 304 square inches. Per slice that is 25.12 versus 39.25 square inches. So. even with the higher slice cost, you are getting more pie and it costs less per inch if you do the math. According to article, this is common practice. They say that is why they will never sell you the whole "on display" pie and you have to wait for a "fresh" one. Give it a looksy.

Grub Crawl - Disney Springs: D-Luxe Burger, BB Wolfe's Sausage Co and Chicken Guy

I dropped by here at lunch last week to sweep up the remaining dust from my list that normally would have happened over Thanksgiving. That is no longer going to be a tradition. The "wonderful" people at Dismay decided to raise the prices at the Advocare Invitational again. Now a once $10 all access session (2) ticket costs $55. Or from $20 to $110. For mostly garbage match ups.

D-Luxe Burger - I'm not sure if they are Disney owned, but, they might as well be. This was the most expensive and the worst of the three places I went to on this day. The place looks like a Zaxby's. It's supposed to be a ranch/barn. The burger was a blend of machine pressed fast food hockey puck and house burger. It was the worst of both worlds. Rare/cold inside. Rubbery outside. And it was greasy and salty. I had been using a pound of cheap ground meat (for meat sauce) at 70-30 that week and it gave off this amount of liquid fat as this burger. It came with some limp veg and a brioche bun. I find brioche too rich. Especially when paired with this much fat. This joke cost $10+. They also offered $8 fries that looked (battered) like Burger King fries. A soda was $4. The menu has a few burgers, one chicken sandwich and a grilled cheese on the kid's menu. I was expecting very little and got less. They also gave you a pager for some reason. They came and served the meal. They need the beeper. I need a sign. I'm not even going to tell you where it is. That is to help you.

BB Wolf's Sausage Co - I won't tell you where this is either. It's a kiosk that sells a few $9 sausages and a few slightly less expensive snacks. I had a pretzel twist because it was the cheapest thing I could get away with. It cost $6+. It wasn't very big, but, it was ok. It came wit two dips. A cheese fondue and mustard. I wonder how much they cost at Wetzel's Pretzel's? I just got that this Big Bad Wolf's Sausage stand. Slightly meta. Double entendre?

Chicken Guy - I was on the way out (confirming Wolfgang Puck's was open) and saw this Guy Fieri fast food chicken spot. I grabbed a Sauce Boss to go for $6. It was just two fried tenderloins (ala Zaxby's - again) on a bun with shredded lettuce and tomato. Sadly, it far exceeded anything else I sampled that day. If I had a family at Disney, this the cheapest/best option. It  has chicken sandwiches, salads, tenders, slaw, fries, street corn, fried pickle chips, mac and two desserts (one has Apple Jacks)  They have a ton of sauce combinations. My order allowed my to select any two. I think I did something green (lime and/ot chili and/or avocado) twice over. The place is an order at the counter type. It looks new and plastic-y. Clean feel. It just got in before the line got long. I think they opened in August. It is across from Wolgang Puck's. A left off the parking lot escalators.

*Jaleo is not ready. They are adding some kind of pub next to the proposed NBA place down by the Cirque tent. They aren't charging for parking in the Lime lot, yet.

How To Get A Good Table In A Restaurant Tutorial

This was also in yesterday's post (Melissa Malamut).

It basically boiled down to be a regular or family or grease the maitre d' ($20 to $50) or dress to the nines.

Best tables: Visible from the door, but, far away enough from the draft. I was taught that the corner tables were the best. I believe the one diagonal from the door (if other factors don't interfere) was the best and the one in the left hand corner was the second best. The article didn't mention that.

Worst tables: Near the door. Near the bathroom. Near the kitchen. .

Online: Open Table and Resy (some places) let you chose tables (in a general sense - like patio or bar area). You'll have to confirm. I won't use them.

Other tips: Schmooze on the phone. Arrive on time.


And I have two recommendations that work for me. Go at weird hours and/or just ask for the table you want. You can always threaten to bolt if they big time you (reserve this for when/if the place is empty and you don't look homeless). At certain places and certain locales the dim wit at the hostess desk may not know what is a good table is.

I remember a mafia or spy movie where the lead character always took the table in the corner which had all the sight lines and was away from ambush points and windows. Factor that in if it applies. And memorize all the points of ingress and egress and items within reach that can serve as weapons or shields. Bring along a food taster if practicable. And for God;s sake check the back of the toilets for taped up hand guns. Tape yours under the table like Han Solo.

White Truffle Tutorial

Here are some tips from yesterday's article in the NY Post (Steve Cuozzo).

Season: October through December.

Price: In 2018 they are running at $7 a GRAM in a restaurant (someone once told me a gram is the size of an M&M). The usual serving size is 10 grams. The article said that the price depends on the quality and they have heard of places charging double that because the source was better. They cost twice as much last year.

Ordering: You can ask them to weigh it in front of you. Ask when they came in. They lose their smell and flavor very quickly. Decline if more than 24 hours old.  I'm not sure how this really helps unless you ask the follow up question of when they were picked. Ask to see them. Anything smaller than a golf ball is a no go. The smaller the surface area, the quicker they lose their lustre. Seems counter-intuitive.

Cooking time: Zero. They must be served raw. Black ones can be cooked.

Characteristics: Even top chefs disagree. They combine 120 different aromas. Some include - Parmesan and roasted garlic or mushroom or bark or wet leaves.

Warning: Avoid white truffle oil. It is just olive oil and a chemical compound (2.4-Dithiapenatane).

Lai-Lai Chinese Cuisine, Orlando

I was looking for a place called The Noble Smokesman in the area last Wednesday afternoon. When I finally found it, it had a note on the door that said they were relocating. Too bad the reviewer at the Orlando Weekly wasn't apprised of this fact before (or after) he wrote about it. At least it wasn't conveyed to me in subsequent issues. Therefore, I was forced to audible. I had nothing concrete on my list, so, I decided to finally try this Asian spot on OBT in between Sand Lake and Oak Ridge (Southland Blvd). I've passed by it for years. They said they have been there for 33 years. It's nothing special. But not value less. I had the buffet because they pushed it and I wasn't planning on Asian food and it only cost $6. Plus it looked alright. It was. I tried the egg rolls, spring rolls, chicken with broccoli, fried pork, honey garlic chicken, kung pao chicken, pepper steak, pork lo mein, fried rice, white rice and the fried chicken. The fried chicken was the best. So fried. Sometimes you get that because it's the second or third time out and they refry it every day. The chicken wasn't dry enough for that. I think they just know how to do it. Thighs and drums. I had eight pieces. Take that KFC or Popeye's. Already saving money by eating here instead of there. The second best thing was the chicken and broccoli. Kind of like Moo Goo Gai Pan. I think the Moo or the Goo means mushrooms. Gai is chicken. So, this was that with broccoli instead. The rolls were what you'd expect. The pepper steak (just had one piece) was very tender. The fried rice was bland. The white rice was properly cooked. The lo mein wasn't too greasy. The other dishes were on par or better than most take out plus Chinese places. I just had a taste, so, it's not worth analyzing. There were three soups, a full dessert section and other dishes in the buffet. They have the full Chinese menu and a full sushi menu. The place isn't new or fancy. Basic wood tables, etc. It is clean. The two ladies working there were very nice. It is a great value. I'm not sure if it should be on your culinary to do list, but, it is a real value for those in the area. Maybe an option if you are going to the mall (or strip club I guess). If I lived near there I would go once a week. Seven times if I was bulimic.

*I stopped by a new French place (La Boucherie) on Turkey Lake Rd to see if it had opened. They said they opened on December 6th. I think the spot was a Graffiti Junction. It still look like it might be closed. I found the pricing a bit steep. I will be in to see if it is worth it sooner rather than later. They renamed the PGA golf place across the street something Greek.

Grato, Lake Mary (Moved to Winter Park)

I stopped at this Italian restaurant in the strip mall on Lake Mary Blvd and Rinehart (has the Burger Fi) yesterday. It seemed to be under construction for a year and finally opened three weeks ago. It was great. You know I usually take no joy in trying yet another Italian option, but, they may replace F&D as my Lake Mary fave. The place looks appealing. The menu is great. The execution was spotless. The service was friendly. The prices were reasonable. They even played background music (mellow Sinatra) at a unobtrusive volume. I had something from the lunch menu. It is less expansive than the dinner, but, not a four or five item cop out. I had the Italian Mac and Cheese for $12. I just saw an episode of 3D and Kid Rock took him to a place where they claim to have the best mac and cheese. It must have been on my mind. And then I saw Italian sausage and I had to have it. It had plenty of diced up sausage along with a blend of gooey cheese and sliced garlic and orecchiette and bread crumbs. A nice combo. Perfect portion size. The pasta was toothy. Sun dried tomatoes added some contrast to the savory elements. They also added some thyme or oregano. It wasn't salty. It came with some fairly good reheated rolls. The soda glass was large. They had other things like pizza and subs and meats done alla francese, marsala, etc. I saw a huge burger being delivered to another table. I was there at two pm and it was still about a third full. It seats about sixty in the windowed main room (with a bar) and thirty on an outside patio. The decor is more modern casual French or American, but, it works. Lots of wood. Black palette. everything is new. They have one of those sliding farm door at the rear. The kitchen is pretty much out of sight. The wine list wasn't picked by the distributor. It had some interesting options. Same with the hard stuff. Mostly well chosen. The beer seemed to be widely distributed craft options like Shocktop. The pizza area is up front. I think you can grab slices to go. The dinner menu has sixteen items ranging from burrata to carpaccio to chicken wings to some sliced sausage ring and fennel and broccoli rabe thing called Meeker Ave. If they were really serious they would dump things like mozz sticks and wings, but, it makes the place more accessible and it doesn't seem to hurt the authentic stuff. Pastas like cacio e pepe. While not mixed in a wheel of cheese, it is good to see that some one in this town has heard of it and is offering a version. It's one of about a dozen pastas. Sixteen including "classics". There are four fish dishes and four chicken dishes and four veal dishes. Six beef/steak dishes. Four salads. Two soups. Five heros. Five calzones/stromboli. Seven desserts. They even have a kids section The highest priced thing is steak at $33. Fish is in the low $20's. Pasta in the teens. A 10" pizza is $8. a 14" is $13. I thoroughly intend on coming back and it will be on my "favorites" list. Very surprising. Very welcome. I couldn't find out much if anything about ownership or the kitchen.

*11/25/2018 - I returned for dinner and it was less inspiring. My cacio e pepe tasted of neither. Nor seasoned. I tried a piece of a friends chicken dish and the chicken was rubbery. My salad came on a frigid plate that denoted pre-assembly and staging that you see at catered affairs. It tasted similarly The mussel soup was also unseasoned and bland. The calamari was good. The chicken wings were bland. The salmon looked unappealing (over cooked). They didn't serve bread. I'll chalk it up to Thanksgiving weekend fatigue. I'll give them one more shot to get back on my good side. Place was packed though.

**12/12/2018 - I grabbed their two slice and a drink special today. The pizza was good. They get back into my good graces.

Geni's Philly Steaks, Longwood - Closed *MI/OH Travel Notes

I grabbed a cheese steak to go at this deli next to Lyman High School yesterday. I even forced it to sit until dinner and it was still very good after a good nuke. The meat was cut paper thin. No fat or gristle. Grilled. The cheese oozed into it. Diced white onion. Ok roll. Surprising. It cost $7. They also serve wraps, sandwiches, breakfasts, quesadillas, burgers, salads, gyro sand subs. I would not have had faith in their ability to deliver on those, but, now I have reason to believe. The place is a little dingy and short on decor. Not a destination, but, maybe a fail safe if you are in that part of town. Perhaps at Hourglass Brewery or something. It has been open for two years. I think they said they replaces something called Jelly Belly's. Question - is Geni multiple Genos?

*A few recipe ideas I came across while in Ohio and Michigan. Black bean and plantain soup with monk fish. Cream of potato soup with sea bass. A riff on chowder.

*Travel Notes - Michigan and Ohio: Here a few places to try if you go. North Market in Columbus OH (Hot Chicken Takeover and The Fish Guys. I also tried a place called Dirty Franks. Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger and Maize and Blue Deli in Ann Arbor. Supino Pizzeria near Eastern Market in Detroit. Golden Fleece in Greektown had a voluminous gyro. I also went to a bbq chain (they say it's in Florida) called Mission BBQ. It was surprisingly good.

Jinya, Thornton Park

Today I had lunch at this ramen bar on N. Summerlin Ave (near the 7-11). It opened a few months ago. It is part of a chain that started in LA. I had a Jinya pork bun for $4 and a Sukiyaki Q bowl for $14. The bun was ok. The place on Mills is better. The bun was a little moist. Like it had been defrosted. The pork wasn't oozing umami. The ramen bowl was ok (lacked contrast). The place in Chinatown has better. The pork broth was very viscous. Adding hot sauce didn't help. They put too much onion in and it tasted like it had been battered and that batter disintegrated into the broth making it even pastier. What there was of the beef was very fatty and cut into indigestible long strips. The "six minute" egg was cooked around that. Not cut in half. Unnecessary in this one note (savory) compilation. The noodles were ok. You can add another helping of noodles for $2.50. I was watching a show last night called Food Flirts. They learned how to make ramen noodles. It's simple. All purpose flour, salt, water and some kind of liquid baking soda. I think I'm more likely to make my own noodles than try this spot again. I guess slicing raw fish and steaming beans isn't rocket science either, but, I just don't get the hysteria over these things. They also have "tacos". But, they are $6 a piece. Most ramen bowls are $13. They try and pimp you to add in add ons  They have a few rice dishes and some other Japanese go tos. They have a fairly large sake and craft beer selection. Some wine. The place seats 16 in the back, 14 right in front of that (communal high top), 8 or more at the bar (moving forwards towards the entrance) and a few tables at the door. The color scheme is red (brick wall) black and wood. They have some fake green grass on the walls. Glassless, iron ceiling fixtures. It looks like a hip izakaya. Service was good. However, the bus boy just scraped the dirt (etc) onto the floor and seats and used a paper towel (no disinfectant) on the table. It was about half full. A "bun" place failed around the corner just recently. This is kind of the same menu. It will be interesting to see how different this appeal will be to the neighborhood. I would like it at half the price. At this price I want a "real" meal.

Dajen Eats, Eatonville

I had lunch at this vegan spot on East Kennedy Ave on Thursday. I had a one meat (chicken) entree with beans and rice (can have salad) for $9. It was good. The rice was over fluffed and overcooked. That seems to be par for the course at Jamaican places. It had a fruity sauce mixed in. That added to the mushiness. The beans were done properly/ The chicken was good. Too good. It was air fried. I swear it wasn't tempah or whatever they use. It had "strings" when you cut it up. I think it could have been real chicken. But, this is a vegan place. Maybe they accommodate others? They also had a beef option. Four in all. Make sure you ask if you go. The chicken serving was small. One, coaster sized unit. The place looks like a cute book store. It had some honkies in there. It is on the main street through town. I came from the Maitland side. You go down some road off Orange (Copper Rocket intersection) and that road became Kennedy near the Birds of Prey Sanctuary. I'm not sure how long they have been open, but, I think it is recently. At this location anyway. They said they had been at Lee Rd and Edgewater or whatever they call it when it runs through Lee). They do breakfast.

*I think I have failed to mention a food item that I had in Germany. It's a great franchise opportunity. It was called a schneeballen. That means snowball in German. It is a ball of pastry strips layered into a ball and deep fried. Then they top it with powdered sugar and it looks like a snowball. Now they have many varieties of them. Some with the inside space filled.

Kai, Winter Park

I had dinner at this Asian Street Fare restaurant on Wednesday. I had LeGit Wontons for $7 and Legendary Garlic Noodles with Shrimp for $10. The wontons were boiled or poorly steamed. Sticky/tacky skin.  5 pieces. A pork and shrimp mix that you would think I would know by now basically means pork. They were served in a lemongrass and sweet fish sauce. They were ok. They have a spicy version at the same price. The noodles are an ode to some "famous" ones in San Francisco. The chef said Crustacean. I think they do a dungeness crab one. I'm not sure if that is what they use here. They are what they purport to be - garlic noodles. There is so much garlic in there that I reserved a third for the next night and added another bowl of pasta and I still have some garlic left over. And I overdosed on the intake at both seatings. I'm sure that is how it is meant to be and it didn't effect me in a bad way, but, it just seemed so decadent. The garlic is sweet. It is garlic and oil. The shrimp were ok. Probably frozen. Small to medium size. Around seven. Their crab version costs $15. The menu is small. An egg roll, soup, wings, fries, tacos and a curry dish. Four more options at lunch. This is the fourth time I've been to this spot (a strip mall near Howell Branch Rd). The kitchen is against one wall. They repainted in gray and black. Some wood elements. It seats about twenty. You order at a counter. It's casual. I liked the ethos. I'll probably go back. I like the variety. It's like a food truck. Kai means chicken in Thai if you were wondering. I think they opened this summer. Closed on Monday.

Dancing Pigs Deli, Belle Isle (Closed)

I had lunch at this deli on South Orange Ave a little over a week ago. I had a pork taco and a "steer" sandwich. The taco cost $3. The pork was of a pulled variety. It was good. They loaded it up like an American would. That was a bit sloppy. Generally acceptable. The sandwich was made up of their in house roasted beef with grilled onions and goat cheese. The combo wasn't really working until I broke down and tried the jus. I thought it was a culinary mismatch, but, it tied the bland cheese and meat together. And I guess now is the time to remind everyone that it is jus (as in juice) not "au jus" which means "with juice". So, one does not have "au jus". One has "jus" or orders the sandwich with juice (au jus). The roast beef was very rare. It was sliced to thick for my taste. It was also a little gray (old?).  The roast beef at Jersey Mike's (for example) is better in comparison. The sandwich was sloppily constructed. One side had almost all the onions. The cheese was smeared around the edges. It came with a side. I chose potato salad. It was the best thing.  It cost $8. They also serve hot dogs, salad, soup and sides. They have around sixteen sandwiches. Things like: muffaletta, Cubans, reubens, Italian beef and beef on a weck. They say the get bread from Buffalo, Tampa, NY, NO and Philly. They make pastrami, lamb, turkey and pork. The place is small. A few tables. Seats around eight. It is hard to pick up off the road. Next to and abandoned gas station in a strip mall. They sell little finished goods in the store. They have been open for three years. Probably not a destination spot.

*A few recommendations if you are going to NYC - Juliana's Pizza (under the Brooklyn Bridge) any pie, Jacques Torres Chocolates (under Brooklyn Bridge) flour less chocolate cake for $3, Epicerie Boulud (Lincoln Center) breakfast sandwich with ham, The Casbah food cart (Lincoln Center) lamb gyro for $4, and Parm (71st and Columbus) chicken parm.

**Can some one tell me why my blog doesn't come up even in the first page of results on the search engine that owns the blog company I use and it comes up number one on Duck Duck Go? Thanks Google.So glad I didn't choose Word Press.

Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar, Winter Park

I tried this fairly new sports bar on 436 near University Ave (next to Full Sail) today at lunch. It is the only "southern" location to date. The chain is based in Harrisburg PA. I had a meatball sub because the rest of the lunch special menu was just as uninspiring and I didn't want to pay twice as much for something off the regular menu. *Side note - I was planning on trying a new Asian street food place nearby, but, they are closed on Monday. The special cost $9 and came with fries (a side) and a soda. It was an ok sub. Only long enough to hold four, golf ball sized meatballs. If you told me they buy them by the bag full, I wouldn't be surprised. Not bad. Just not special. They tried for a little pizazz with the presentation by angling the two halves and making the cheese spill out. The fries were those gross battered kind. They have burgers, ribs, salad, Mexican, wraps, quinoa bowl, etc. Some fun things like pierogis, vegetable kielbasa and a donut grilled cheese. There are tvs all over. Two super sized ones. It is split into two sections and a patio. The front section has the bar. The color scheme is gray, red and black with wood. High, exposed ceilings. It seat over 100. Service was fine. As good as the others (Duffy's, Gator's, etc). They serve most nationally distributed "craft" beers. The wine selection was poor. They serve cocktails. It does what it is meant to do.

Grub Crawl - Parramore: Jesse's Rib Shack (Closed) and Bulgogi House

I tried this two fairly new restaurants, within walking distance of each other on 50 just west of I-4, yesterday at lunch. The odd thing is that both sites have held the other type of cuisine at some point in the past.

Jesse's Rib Shack - Jesse is not a friend. Nor has he always been a good friend of mine. He serves small portions or mis-priced, amateurishly cooked, backyard bbq. I tried the rib and chicken plate. No sides. Some lame white bread. The ribs (3) tasted like pork chops. I don't think they used a smoker. They tasted steamed. Either they baste too often or they inject the ribs with fluid. In either case they have a boiled/steamed texture and taste. No bark. No liquified fat. Hardly "fall off the bone". The meat (what there is of it) clings on for dear life. You have to use your teeth to rip it away. I'm not sure if they are going for a Carolina style (and if that is not smoked - I forget - I think not), but, the sauce was tangy. One rib had no meat. One had some. One had what you'd expect/ The chicken was no better. Maybe worse. It was a portion of a tiny quarter piece. It was smoked. I'm not a fan of that. The meat always seems under cooked and rubbery. The smoke flavor doesn't help. The combo cost $12. Too much for this environment and probably even more costly than better bbq places. I initially was scared of the prospect of coming here. It looked like a half ass attempt and I have suffered through other half ass attempts in the area. However, the place looked clean inside and they finally had a sign. And when they said they had been in business for years and were friendly, I held out hope. Nope on the hope. Maybe at one point this might have passed muster (probably not). Not anymore. Bbq is now a refined art. They are cooking like they have a "World's Best Chef" apron. I don't want to think how awful the seafood is. Probably fried frozen dreck. Too bad. We can always use more bbq. Bad value and worse execution. They have been in this spot (that was once a vegetarian Korean place if I remember correctly) for three months. They moved from around the Citrus Bowl. The inside is all brick. Avoid.

Bulgogi House - They are just after the 7-11. It was a Mexican Korean place right before this. Now it is mainly a cook at your table spot. No connection with the old owners. You can do a full, all you can eat experience for $30 or a more limited one for $20. You get two hours. Around a dozen options at full price. Half  a dozen at the lower price. The meats looked fresh. I had one of the six or so "set" dishes. I had the beef bulgogi dup bap for $13. It was one of the better ones I've ever had. Primarily because they slice the beef so thin. I usually hate this dish because the meat is so inferior. Grisly. Tough. Cheap. Slicing it thin makes all the difference and adds some sophistication to the prep. Something I often find lacking in Korean dishes, They didn't over sauce either. There was alot of meat. The rice was mushy. However, that could be because it sat in a container until dinner. They also provided some bin chon. An odd mix. Macaroni salad. Tomato and onion salad. Broccoli. Kim Chi. And some pickled root vegetable (maybe burdock). The other dishes were two other dup bap and two soups and one stew. It was a three person operation. More people than I expected had found this place out. The interior was bare bones and messy. Tables weren't cleared. Tables were being used as prep stations. But, it was better than I expected and I might go back to try the all you can eat. They have been open since February. They have parking in the back.

Wa Sushi, Casselberry - Moved to 436

I wasn't full from breakfast at Sourdough, so, I got something (lunch) to go at this highly regarded sushi restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It was on my drive home, so, I decided to knock it off the list. I had a rice-less spicy tuna kobachi and a wasabi octopus special. I'm not sure if they forgot the rice or if they do it that way, but, the tuna chunks were fresh. Firm. No cartilage. Decent portion. A bit expensive at $14. I kind of only ordered it so I could make a comment on how this is the original poke. That's what I think. I haven't looked it up, so, maybe they stole it from the Hawaiians. However, that seems less likely. The octopus was fresh (slimy). It was raw octopus in a wasabi sauce. Pretty good. It cost $5. They serve fresh fish. Some from Tsukiji market in Tokyo. They have the usual suspects plus some exotic (seasonal) options. Pricing was on par with mediocre sushi places (who think they are good). Salmon was $2.50 a piece. Tuna was $3. They do rolls. They have lunch specials. They have some hot dishes. Udon and soba. 20 Japanese beers. 10 sakes. The place seats about 60. The color scheme was gray walls and floor (tile) and black ceiling and chairs. The tables are wood. They also sell Japanese grocery products near the register. I'll be back to do it right. I wish it was closer. I'd probably have it in the weekly rotation. They have been open for three years. It in a strip mall at 1285 Seminola Blvd. That is the road that intersects with 17-92 at the "dog track" road. I think it intersects with Tuskawilla on the other side. A hidden gem. Closed on Tuesday.

*2/22/2019 - I went back for dinner and almost dropped a C note (with alcohol). I had blue fin, uni, conch, salmon, surf clam, whelk, yellowtail and some others I forget the English name of (ainame, kuro soi, and madai). I even tested there regular tuna in a tuna roll. Most everything was great. The rice seemed to come apart a little too easily and the cuts were small. But, mostly what I was hoping for. I would suggest you avoid the "special" soy sauce and fresh wasabi. They charge for both and may not make you aware of that.

Sourdough Bread House, Maitland

Today I had breakfast at this Turkish bakery that serves breakfast and lunch (closes at 3:30 pm). I just got back from Greece/Bulgaria and my clock (and appetite I guess) hasn't reset yet. I had the Bread House omelet for $11. It was nice, but like all the other selections, it was about 50% overpriced. It would be considered under filled by most Americans. It had a leaf or two of spinach, some feta and a mushroom or two. It was probably a two egger. It was slightly tough. It came with a large slice of walnut bread with butter and jam and a grape and a half slice of pineapple. The bread was the best part. Nice presentation. The rest off the breakfast menu consisted of a Turkish melange that cost $20 and some other things around $10 (eggs, french toast, avocado toast). The lunch menu had some salads, paninis and plates with assorted meats. All around the same price points. I think their breads cost $7 or $9 a loaf. The decor was trying to be shabby chic/modern. It was kind of girly. It seats about 40. It was empty at 11:30 am. The waiter disappeared without giving me the check. I had to chase down someone. They have been open for a year and a half. I don't see how. It's not bad, Just not a value. It is in a strip mall at the intersection of N. Orlando Ave (17-92) and Howell Branch Road (I think). In between where the Publix is and the McDonialds is. They would have to drop the prices to get me to come back.

Aspendos, Lake Mary - Closed

I went to this Turkish restaurant in the strip mall at 46a and International Pkwy today for lunch. It was called Istanbul. The partners broke up, so, now it is called this. Same everything else though. I had the sauteed lamb for $13. It was very tasty. Peppers, mushrooms, onions in a tomato sauce. The lamb wasn't gristly. A fair amount. More than the veg, The rice was buttery. The name refers to some region in Turkey. If you want more info, find my Istanbul post.

Grub Crawl - Mills/50/Audubon Park: Bites and Bubbles (Moved), Poke Hana and Farm & Haus

Yesterday, at lunch, I went to these places north of downtown. The first is in a much turned over spot on Mills (near the Crawfish place). The second is aside Mamak on 50 (near Mills). The third is in the back of the East End Market on Corrine in Audubon Park.

Bites & Bubbles - I've avoided this because I think I've been sucked into this eddy three times in the past year. That and the unimaginative moniker. The next to give it a whirl is the property's owner. He envisions a swanky supper club (I'm assuming) with wine and caviar (read about it but didn't see it) and French cuisine. I experienced an empty restaurant with one foot stuck in the past. I'm not against this. I just hope it is intentional. I'm not sure what was older. The recipes or the music emanating from the sound system. They are doing things like raclette and bananas foster(french toast) and monier sauce. *I checked on the last and some hits came up on the search engine. I thought it was a misspelling of meuniere, and maybe it is. I didn't click through to see what it was. Like I said, I'm not against it. I was kind of hoping to try the raclette (not offered at lunch). But, I'm atypical to begin with and I don't think it is "old is new again". I think it is "old is still old". That's the vibe I felt. It felt more Ian McKellen than Ian Sommerfeld. And that reference is an assumption. My waitress seemed to be a trans man. The chef seemed gay. Not that there is anything wrong with that (and that). I'm trying to put all the evidence in place and what I am extrapolating form it is that this place is intended to be a gayer Maxine's On Shine. In any case, let's leave that be and I'll return to the food. I had a crab cake sandwich for $14. It came on a croissant that I swear tasted of cheese. French fries were an extra $2. They seemed hand cut and were almost crisp. It came with some pickle slices and gherkins. I guess it's not good news when I say i liked the gherkins the best. Crab cakes always seem to disappoint. It didn't help that they use the cheaper crab meat (claw) . I've had worse. It came on a wood cutting board. I've seen reports where they say wood is hard to clean. so, those don't thrill me when I see them. Service was fine. I believe she said she was the owners sister. She was the only employee. The rest of the menu was a burger, a chicken salad sandwich, some expenisve breakfasts and a few other unmemorable items. They have oysters too. A few more intricate dishes at supper. But, it mostly a small bites menu. And most of the bites cost as much as the "meals". I really didn't like that they charged $4 for a soda. Full of ice. No refill. Flat. Poorly mixing syrup. I'm not anymore encouraged by this iteration than all the other failures. They have been open ten weeks and I will predict that that is the half way point. I have often thought that they (all the aspirants) should close the lunch down. I've never seen customers at that time. But, they say they close at 10pm. I can't imagine that their traffic ends at that time. That is unless you are attracting Ian McKellans. The wine list was thought through. 3 to 4 times mark up over retail though. Be ready for a specific kind of evening id you visit here. And I don't see it as a lunch place. Maybe Sunday brunch. *Moved down the street to condo complex.

Poke Hana - They sell poke (and sliders). 5 styles. 4 or so fish. Plus tofu. I had the Maui style with yellowtail for $13. I'm not sure if I received the real McCoy because I was telling them what I wanted in it, but, I was pleased with the result. The yellowtail was fresh. Nice sized cubes. enough. They didn't mix the soy into the rice. I hate it when they do that. The rice was properly cooked. They topped it with some seaweed salad and cucumber salad and some edamame. Served in a recycled paper bowl. They have had their sign observable for many months, so, I was happy when I found out that they finally opened last Wednesday, The place looks modern. Alot of white. Hawaiian decor. Order at the counter. No complaints.

Farm & Haus - It's a little stall that serves mostly breakfast and lunch fare. I tried for a cold zucchini soup because it was the cheapest and I wasn't excited about this experience to begin with. They were out, but, let me order what I wanted at that price. I went with a Whole Burrito (usually $10). It was good. It was composed of chicken, chorizo, black beans, sweet potatoes, avocado and queso fresco. I would do without the sweet potatoes myself. I saw a noodle bowl and a salad being prepared before my dish. Nothing to write home about. They had two awards from some local tabloid framed and on the wall. I don't see who is coming here before work for breakfast (and then voting for them,) but, I guess it's more than the competition gets. If it isn't Russian hackers. I just see what the fuss is about. Not bad, but, not exactly exerting themselves either.

Grub Crawl - Mount Dora: Shiva and Le Petit Sweet

I went to these spots at lunch on Friday. They are on 5th Ave. That is the through street in town that you turn off to get to what most consider the main street in town. Around the theater. I was going to try the Peruvian place, but, it has closed. I have pretty much reported back on all the restaurants in town now. There are couple of iffy places that I may try in the future.

Shiva - I have driven by this Indian restaurant for at least three years it seems. I would be harder on them, but, the owner was nice. I had the meager lunch buffet fro $12 because most dishes are near $20. It had two meat dishes (Butter Chicken and another off menu chicken dish). The butter chicken was bland. The other chicken had traces of chicken. I also tried a mushroom dish. It was the tastiest. They only offered eight options. One was rice. They did serve naan. The place is small. It was empty. It is decorated with Hindu symbols. The ceiling had embossed tiles. They serve mostly Northern dishes. Veg, chicken, lamb, goat and shrimp. I think they consider their identity as up scale. 5th Element eats them alive.

Le Petit Sweet - The window makes them seem as though they are a cake place. They are more. Sweets, ice cream, coffee, tea. I had a lavender cookie for $1 and a pumpkin pie and an eclair for $1.80. The cookie was ok. It tasted more of rosemary than lavender. The pumpkin pie was half of a donut sized cup. It was good. The eclair was smallish. Great flavor in the icing and filling. It looks cute. Very girly. They have been open for four years.

*I will casually mention a place I stopped by on the way. It is in Eustis (more like Sorrento) on 437 and 44. It is called Momiji. I learned of them through a billboard on 46 that is no longer there. I won't go because their prices are high. $6 tuna or salmon sushi. I guess lack of competition will do that. Like I've said, Koy Wan is like $3 more for unlimited. There was also a bbq truck on 437. No name that I could see.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: The Half Wall Brewery, Mango Tango, Da Kine Poke and Panhead's Pizzeria

I went to these places on Wednesday. The first one is on 44 before you cross the bridge to the beach. The next two are on Flagler Ave in town. The last is in that older area between the two (near US 1).

The Half Wall Brewery - I was set to try them before the hurricane last fall. That put a stop to that. It has taken this long for me to find my way back. They are located at a spot after the Harley dealership that once housed a similar restaurant called something 44. Now this is a place that brews in house, has food and drinks and show sports. I had their IPA. They brew four styles. It was average. Malty. The hops acted as a mint after a smoke. A masking agent. That cost $6.50. They have a large selection of drafts and bottles. They do flights of other beers, but, not one of their own. Odd. I should have gone with the burgers I smelled in the air, but, I knew they were on the menu for later in the week. I saw a few and they looked good. I went wit a half rack or ribs because I had seen that Reichlen guy on PBS cooking up ribs on a rotisserie the night before. These St. Louis style ribs were small (5 bones), fatty and cold. They came with medium sized battered fries and cole slaw. I usually don't like battered fries. This larger shape was more conducive to the curious preparation. The cole slaw tasted like fish. I hope it wasn't caused by the wrong kind of snapper. Stopped after a bite (load?). The menu is what you would expect and a dash more. They have pork schnitzel sandwiches and pasta. Some seafood. The place is huge. It can seat at least eighty in the front section and eighty in the back. The have a huge patio (misters) and two private rooms. It has a wood cabin feel with HIGH ceilings. Retention pond/lake out back. Mosquito issue? Service was fine. They have been open for a year. It was filling up. They seemed like locals.

Mango Tango Dessert Bar - This is a frozen ice cream/yogurt shop. I grabbed a little pomegranate/cranberry sorbet because I had to have something to knock this off the list and I was parched from hours in the sun. It was like it is everywhere else. It's a clone. You get the deal. They opened eighteen months ago.

Da Kine -Poke - A few stores away is the latest in this four location chain. They opened in June. it replaced some little restaurant. I think some guys name and something about "surf". I had the ahi poke. The tuna was fresh. The rice was cooked properly. I f upped the add ins, but, that is my fault. Should have known mango and sesame oil wouldn't play well. Wanted to get some value for my money. It cost $13. A little annoying because I had 60 pieces (that's right) of sushi at Koy Wan the day before for less than that. The place looks nice. They are open all afternoon. Unlike alot of places.

Panhead's Pizzeria - I couldn't remember if I had knocked this off yet. I think not. I had a personal cheese pizza to go for $6 and their meatballs marinara with foccacia to go for $8. The pizza is a square pan pizza. It tasted like whatever spray the prep the pan with. The crust (the majority) had no flavor. They didn't spread the cheese well enough. It "puddled" in the middle. This made that area soggy. Parts of the dough or cheese formed a "sand" under the cheese in that area. Like tiny cottage cheese curds. It could be better. I didn't like the one meatball I ate yesterday. But, I nuked them tonight and added spaghetti and they suddenly had flavor and texture. I think they add crumbs, cheese and onion to the balls. The marinara was nice. Tomato and basil. Some parmesan cheese on top. The balls were shaped like a medium sized egg. The foccacia was good. They have been open for nine years. They have awards. They have an artisinal sensibility. Whether they always live up to that is up to you (or them on that day). Not bad. It is a small room with a patio on the side. I think they do well. Prices were fine. The menu is mostly pizza. Some variety though. This is an area that most people don't know even exists. There are more and more places opening up every time I pass through.. I believe my receipt says they are at 113 S. Orange St. It's smudged. That is one street from US 1 (I think that would be US 1 - if not then A1A) on the main drag. Where the "fort" ruins or train tracks are.

Grub Crawl - Audubon Park: Redlight Redlight, Bangrak and Bem Bom (Closed)

I went to these places last night. I was just going to try what Redlight is brewing and then I was talked into the pop up and then learned that Bem Bom had finally opened.

Redlight Redlight - I had an IPA. It was good. They even discounted it because it was pouring slowly. $4 happy hour price.

Bangrak - People were jizzing so much over the food that I had to try it. It helped that it is from the Chiang Mai region of Thailand and I have had no conscious knowledge of sampling that cuisine. I had Khao Soi Neva (noodles in a red curry broth with beef) for $13. It wasn't worth half of that. The noodles were chewy (that was a compliment) and the curry was ok. Only three nuggets of beef. And it wasn't overpoweringly good. They also sold three other dishes (tofu, pork shoulder and shrimp and egg in glass noodles). I think they are there alot.

Bem Bom - Here is why you need to read this article. The two year wait is over. It's a tiny place next to the East End Market. An old bank. You can still see the vault. They serve a bizarre Portuguese and Mexican menu. I went with half chicken in peri peri sauce ($12) because it was the most Portuguese and that was what I was expecting. The rest of the menu is mostly Mexican. It is listed under some name, but, I forget it and it's not on my receipt. It was surprisingly good. It was taking so long that I figured the whole night would be a disaster. I was wrong. The chicken was cooked beautifully (on the rare/moist side). It had good flavor. The sauce was nice and the presentation was unique. They give you a little paint brush and "inkwell" to baste the chicken to your liking. It came with fries and a salad. The fries were crisp. The salad was interesting. Not just greens. It was a melange. Hard to describe. Everything was mixed together. Like I said, the food took a while to get to me. But, the main hostess/waitress helped by being proactive. The owner also came over to see if I was enjoying myself. The place is tiny inside (30). It looks cool though. Antique looking colored lights. Tiled wall splashes. Open kitchen. They added patio seats to what I guess was just supposed to be the day time walk up area. That doubled the seating. It was about half full. They were playing Portuguese music. It was a romantic setting. It all coalesced into an enjoyable evening and a nice first impression. Pricing was fair. The menu is eclectic. I will definitely be back. BTW bem bom means good good.

*I want t thank the I-4 Ultimate for murdering more drivers and causing traffic jams. There was a big wreck this night and one going west the day before. Love getting out on those open roads. Maybe if you consider it has to affect the economy, you will do something about it? Can we have a list and photos of those in charge of this tremendous boondoggle?

Pub Crawl - Ivanhoe/Mills: Ivanhoe Park Brewing and Grape & the Grain

I went to these places on or off Virginia yesterday at dusk. The first is on Alden (the turn before or after the tracks) Rd at the edge of Lake Highland Prep school. The second is across the parking lot from the market, etc on Virginia (nearest to 50).


Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co - They said they opened in June, but, the official opening is in a few weeks. I had a flight (blond ale, ipa, porter and witbier). They were mostly good. The ipa was a little bitter. The porter was the best. And I don't love that style. It had good balance. Not heavy. Each 4oz pour was $2. They also sell a few other breweries. I had 2 4ozers of those. I don't recall many places allowing that. Maybe I'm misremembering. The place looks good. It's new. Inside and outside areas. Warehouse-y. They had The Pastrami Project food truck there (how I found out they had opened). They have parking. It seemed like every other person had a dog there. Varied clientele. Fine service. Too few tvs.

Grape & the Grain - Here is another that I missed the memo on. I've been waiting almost two years since they announced. They opened in June. It's just a wine and beer bar. Not special in any way. They have a patio. Some distinct options. It is decorated in copies of Warhol paintings. It looks like a little house. I could swear I saw that a chain in the West has the same name. They said they weren't affiliated with that.

Grub Crawl - College Park: Mr Worldwide Famous and Taritine (Closed)

I went to these places on Edgewater Dr at lunch on Friday. The first is located in the Cavanaugh wine (Digress) parking lot. The other is to the north of Princeton.

Mr Worldwide Famous - They opened a month ago. In from outside of New Orleans. Po boys and platters. Shrimp. gator, whiting, red fish and lobster that day. They had red snapper recently. I had the gator po boy for $12 ($1 soda). I wasn't planning on eating here. Just seeing if Digress had metamorphasized yet. They hadn't. will take until late Fall. The gator was very good. Maybe the best I've had. Plentiful. Corn bread batter. Slightly spicy. The cook said you have to cook gator longer than the other things. But, not to long or it gets chewy again. Glad to see he had a plan. They (father and son) get the gator from Titusville. The bun was also appropriate. The veg were good enough. It was supposed to be dinner, but, I couldn't help picking on it on the way to the planned lunch. *They (Cavanaugh/Digress) also have a food truck here called Smoke & Donuts. It serves donuts and bbq. It wasn't open. I think they are going to be the cooks when it turns into Digress.

Tartine - I already stated my displeasure at there Monday and Tuesday closures. I was ready to eviscerate them. Maybe even just get something cheap to go. I'm so glad I counted to ten and put down my gator. It was great. The chef is from the Bordeaux region. They bake all the bread for Croissant Gourmet. The menu was fun, representative and manageable. I went with the coq au vin. It was an odd preparation, but, very good. The chicken wasn't "pieces". It was a boiled roulade of sorts. Not abounding with flavor, but, interesting. The real stars were the mashed potatoes (another non-traditional element) and the jus. The mp were buttery and succulent. The jus was red wine based . Nice flavor. They also added brussel sprouts (not usual) and pearl onions. It cost $15. They provided me with complimentary bread and a tasty basil salted butter. They do the tartines and beef bourgignon and chicken normandy and salads and soups and a few other things (like breakfast). The tartines were piled high with ingredients. They came in twos. Like open faced sandwiches. The wine list was interesting and not laid out by the local wholesaler. Some diversity on the wines by the glass. Mostly French by the bottle. They have some beer too. I'd avoid the $3.50 tiny euro bottles of soda. They also serve a few pastries. They gave me a croissant filled with butter cream and it was good. The place looks nice. I recall black counter tops and a map (in chalk) of France. Lots of windows. A seated bar area and a few tables. It's not very big. Service was engaging. I think I heard every table gushing about their food. Prices are reasonable. The waiter said they have been open for six months. I think it's less than that. It was his first day, so, maybe he was wrong. I'd like to think I didn't let this slip under the radar for that long. They will be on the Favorites list. with all the French closures, it's good to get a quality one back in the rotation.

Grub Crawl - Downtown: Chela (Closed) and Nifty's

I stopped by these places today at lunch. I also tried to find a place (Selectos Fructos) that the Orlando Weekly said was opening up at 55 West. Either they haven't or they have and have closed. A resident said some smoothie place did just that. And it is becoming apparent that you can't spell DON'T without DOWNTOWN. The more people that move down there, the worse the quality (of everything) seems to get. It's incongruous. So forgettable. A shame.

Chela - This used to be some kind of tapas restaurant. It is on the corner of Orange and Church. I was really surprised to find out how "casual" lunch service is. It's basically a Tijuana Flats. You order at a counter. That plus the relative expense of the menu made me get two tacos to go. They were $4 a piece. I chose carnitas and brisket. They were served in tiny-ish, soft, semi-thick tortillas. They were stuffed. The beef was too salty and the hot sauce was bad. It came with aged cotija cheese and cabbage. The carnitas had pineapple and pickled onions with it. It wasn't as salty as the beef. But, am I mistaken or isn't pork with pineapple referred to as "al pastor" in most places? The decor seemed exactly the same. The menu seemed pricey. They want $3.50 for a soda. At an order at the counter level establishment! I think they opened this winter. I wouldn't be surprised to hear they opened again as the next played out trend. Poke anyone?

Nifty's - This is a deli and Korean restaurant under the movie theater where Chela is. I believe it was called Mochi before. Don't take this the wrong way, but, I think Korean food is a poor attempt at copying Chinese and Japanese dishes. Case in point - the Kimbop (I believe that was what it was called) that I ordered here. It's just bad sushi with (in this case) chicken in place of seafood. And it cost $9 for what is essentially a roll. Everything here was 50% over priced. A basic breakfast egg sandwich was around $6. A juice was $9. It took a while to get my order completed. The place also has suffered from a change in direction/ownership. The once stylish interior is all ratted up with junk. They tape menus to the counter. It's just aesthetically to a Japanese understanding of taste to what the food is to a Japanese (for example) understanding of flavor. Sloppy. Overlooked. I will accept the argument that bonchon (not theirs - I didn't try it) is interesting. But, let's get back to the smaller picture. I didn't find this place Nifty.

*I also tried (again) to get something from Jinyo in Thornton Park. They wouldn't (couldn't) do a to go order. For bad spaghetti in piss water? So, you open in a city that is a steam room? In the summer. You sell bad soup. You pick a place with hard to find parking? You pick a location that has failed more than once/ You open late? And you can't buy some plastic bowls to accommodate forlorn customers? Does it affect the experience? Do you need to slurp the dashi from a clay bowl? Lacquer?Are you that pretentious? Or that out of your element that to go business wasn't a consideration from the get go? And yes I realized that I just criticized Nifty for not being anal enough. Piss off.

Pearson's Cafe, NoDo - Closed

I grabbed "dinner" to go at this deli on North Orange. I reported back from here when it was another deli. They have been open for two years. I tried a Chicken parm sandwich for what appears to $9 on my receipt. It was a special. It was ok. Not really Italian. It had the wrong bread. The chicken wasn't pounded and tasted of rosemary. They have a catering company, so, I hope this wasn't a repurposed left over. Small portion. They serve a variety of sandwiches, soups,salads and breakfast items. It looks clean. They have a private room (of all things) in back. It's near that tequila place. Wasn't expecting much. Didn't receive much. I was only down there because I though there was a donut shop at the intersection of 50 and Orange. It's a record store.

*They seem to be replacing North Quarter Tavern with City Pub. If a a similar concept with great food failed, why would someone try the same thing again? Make sure you add something to the mix. And I think a bar is opening a few doors down too. You can never tell if it's legit or landlord marketing.

Grub Crawl - Audubon Park: Florida & Co (Closed) and Gideon's Bakehouse

I went to these places at the East End Market on Corrine today at lunch. Not that anyone seems to care at this point.

Florida & Co - This was Local Roots until about a year and a half ago  Same owner. Now it's more of a restaurant. I had the Pesto zucchini bowl with white shrimp for $14. Most meals are at this price point. It was good. I'm not sure what possessed me to eat healthy, but, the zucchini "noodles" were grand (plentiful) and the pesto sauce was full of flavor (a little red pepper zing). The shrimp (6 medium) were ok. They seemed a little brittle and overdone. A few had a salty, chemical taste. The place takes itself seriously. Right up ti the edge of pretentiousness. They "curate". They only had one cook, so, the meal took a minute to prepare. One service person as well. There are eight seats at the bar and two tables for two. They said they may 86 the market and "expand". Two more tables? They serve wine and craft beer. Some sandwiches, salads and a steamed basket. They all mostly incorporated the shrimp. Some pulled pork too. They use seasonal items. Not bad. About one quarter full.

Gideon's Bakehouse - I grabbed a $5 cookie at this stall diagonally across from Florida. It gave me an upset stomach. I don't ever recall having one as a child. I guess you can eat to many sweets. That's a thing. It was a cinnamon roll and butterscotch cookie. Too much fluff and not enough cookie for me. It was like eating a bag of candy. Some nasty pockets of salt and probably baking soda in there. It made me think that these sweet shops with ridiculous portion ratios are just soft serve ice cream adjuncts. A vehicle to pile on candy for Veruka Salts. I get it now. They have been there for two years.

*There is also a new food stall in the back. Farm & House. It had a limited menu that was a bit pricey. Over $10 for burritos. I'll try when Bem Bom opens.

Grub Crawl - West Colonial: Chef Wang's Kitchen and Banh Mi Cali

I went to these two places in the area I refer to as Chinatown today at lunch.

Chef Wang's Kitchen - I had the beef stew in flaming wok for $16. It came with white rice. It was a wok full of beef shank. It was mostly skin and tendons. Not bad though. It was stewed long enough to make everything fork tender. Yet, I still probably eschewed eating half of it. The flame also went out too quickly and the stew became cold. Not a ton of flavor in the broth. It was an interesting presentation and that is what I was looking for. The rest of the menu is composed of beef, poultry, pork, vegetables and seafood dishes. About a half dozen of each. Not your usual suspects. Shrimp walnuts. Shredded potato. Seafood Shark Fin soup. Chili Pepper Shredded pork. Stuff like that. They also have Kung Pao chicken and fried rice (and more) if that scares you. A few whities came and left. I think they were freaked bu the menu. More for us. The menu is south eastern. Mostly Szechwan in style. Although they have a whole dim sum section that says "North". So who knows. They also do some noodle dishes. Prices are good. My dish was on the high side. Apps are little too close to main prices for my taste. It's a replacement for Ming;s Court (once on I Drive). They have been open for just few months. It's in the rear middle of the parking lot. Next to that Korean place I reviewed recently. Unsurprisingly, the layout of the place is similar. A rectangle with the short side up front and back. They have around ten tables of four on the walls and two large tables in the middle. Some minor decoration. White walls. Clean look. There seemed to be only one cook and one host/waiter. Four other tables were there while I was. No problem with service. I'm not sure how much they can handle with that staff. Maybe they bring in more at other times? Maybe some were hidden? They are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'd go back.

Banh Mi Cali - I grabbed a traditional banh mi (ham, pork roll and pate) to go for $5. It was great. The way it should be done. The best I can remember. Probably not the best , but, the best I can remember.. Great baguette. They may have baked it themselves. They sell bread, etc. It seems plausible. All the veg were good. The meats were fine. Tasty pate. The sandwich was big. They even buttered the bread. Oooh la la. They have been open for fifteen months. They are across the lot from Wang's. Nearer to Colonial. It's a take out place. They offer four other banh mi. A few other things. IE - something called a sesame donut. They will be on the favs list. Now I believe I've hit up all the restaurants in that plaza for you.

*I noticed some new places between here and I-4. Near where the O-rena used to be. A barbeque and a Korean place.

Off the Hook, Ponce Inlet

I went to this new location on Thursday for lunch. I went to the one in NSB and found it ordinary. To tell you the truth, if I knew it was another "Hook" I wouldn't have come. I was under the impression it was to be another place. It is the last (in this area) from the Sentinel article I have referred to in past posts. It was to open a year ago. I tried it last summer and it wasn't ready and then the hurricane pushed it back even farther. They opened in January. I liked it it. It looks sharp. Very modern. Light decor. Some kitschy things like deep sea fishing boat seats. Inter-cosatal view. Lots of windows. A large deck. I think it had boat tie ups. I had the clams at $15 and a half pound of crawfish. I believe they called the clams Cedar Creek. I have seen them called out before, so, I should be more familiar with them. They were served in a sherry wine broth. Mostly overcooked. A few soft ones. The broth probably hadn't had the sherry cooked out of it. Too much of it. The dipping bread was a lazy choice. Poor, mass manufactured quality. It needs better bread if you call it out. The broth also has to be "soup" worthy. Somehow I was ok with the dish however. Maybe it was the salt air. Similar story with the mud bugs. Probably frozen. Mostly tough. Over seasoned with Old Bay.  I usually don't do butter, but, they glazed them with it and it helped. Service was fine. I'm sure it doesn't seem to add up, but, I think I like this place the best over all the others in this area. The menu was interesting and the venue is appealing. Way better than the strip mall it's sister location is in.

Grub Crawl - Baldwin Park: Meza and Tutto Caffe

I stopped at these places today at lunch. The first is aside the Publix. The second is on the main street (New Broad). I was here because Bem Bom is STILL not open.

Meza - I think they are over a year overdue. They opened two weeks ago. The owner was behind Cafe Annie downtown. The heart of the menu is Lebanese. Or at least the owner is. I had the chicken tagine. It was a sort of deconstructed/modern tagine. More of a stew around rice served in a porcelain bowl. One breast cut in two. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, chick peas, onions and cauliflower in a slightly sweet broth with tumeric (among other things). The chicken was a little tough. Stewed meats are like that. The basmati grain seemed a little fatter and shorter than the type you get in Indian dishes. Hard to tell how it was cooked amongst all the broth. It cost $16. $22 at dinner. Mostly a good dish. Very encouraging. My main problem with food (etc) from this region is that it is rarely "modern" or "innovative". The menu is a little predictable. Kabobs, side dishes/dips, etc. But, there are some elements that nudge the envelope. Aka lamb chops and the tagine preparation. I'd like to see more. The main dishes are in between $20 and $30 at night. Cheaper during the day. Apps are under $10. The room has high ceilings. One big room with a bar in the rear. The color scheme is monochrome with red brick wall accents. Nice, new, modern tables and chairs. Cloth napkins. They spent some money. It seats about eighty. There were three other tables (one Arab) seated while I ate. They only had one waiter. But, he mostly handled the weight. I did have to ask for a refill. It was better than I expected.

Tutto Caffe - They were to open about the same time last year as Meza. They beat them by six months. I was under the impression it was just a coffee place. They also serve breakfast and sandwiches and wine. A deli/lounge set up. I grabbed an English Lunch panini for $7. It was roast beef, cheddar, horseradish on a ciabatta roll. Served warm. It was pretty good. It could have used a little more horseradish and I'm not a huge fan of ciabatta (too dense and dry). The cheese was tasty. Mostly good and I'd eat it again. It also came with a decent frisse/field greens salad. They had a half dozen other sandwiches. A chicken pesto. An Italian meats. That's all I remember. Good value.

*Two new places have also opened or will open here. Vintage (wine bar next to Tutto). Open. And some brewery. Not open.

**I had a few interesting food finds in South America. See if you can find them or make them. Carrot cream dip. In place of a tapanade. For bread. A thicker carrot soup. Aguaymanto or Peruvian ground cherries. Look like cherry tomatoes. Taste citrus-y. Arvejas frita. Fried peas. Aceituna (black olive) sandwich. And I finally tried Thai ice cream in Mendoza of all places. They take cream and fruit and pour it on a cold steel plate and then it freezes and they scrape it up in a roll. I think it's supposed to be the latest craze. I saw it on tv before I left. Coldstone plus. We need that here. You probably have heard of the rest of the stuff I ate. I ate that big corn (choclo) - on the cob. Only had it in kernels before. I will point out that Burger King had a burger with a hot dog on it (Parrillera) that they should sell here.

Grub Crawl - Hourglass District: Cilantro's and Leguminati

I tried these two places last night. The first is on Bumby right before Curry Ford Rd. The next is at/near that intersection on Curry Ford Rd.

Cilantro's - This is an eight month old Mexican spot. It serves mostly hand held stuff - burritos, tacos flautas and dillas. I sampled a few tacos for you. I had a shrimp ($3.50), fish ($3.75), al pastor ($3) and a hard shell ground beef ($2). The shrimp was good. Four, medium sized, fresh. firm shrimp. The fish (mahi) was also fresh. and probably better (equal in size) than the salmon I had at the place on I Drive. The pastor was a little dry. Could have been chicken. Could have been anything. Big serving. No pineapple. I should have gone with carnitas. The ground beef was a little Jack in the Box-y. Fine ground. The seafood tacos came in a medium size flour tortilla. The pastor in a corn. All came with differing toppings. From cotija cheese to raw onion. They added some nice tortilla chips on the side. The food was mostly good. The place is into between a totally authentic $1 taco place and a Tijuana Flats. The chefs were tiny abuelas. The place is small. Six or seven little high top tables. All weren't clean. Not a bad little joint. Ok salsas. On the cusp of the favs list. We'll see how I feel in a few months. Got to clean those tables!

Leguminati - They are part of the Foxtail Coffee outpost. I've been waiting on them for months. They opened a week ago. They are a vegetarian place. I had a LGBT (I guess you can't be questioning when it comes to your sandwich) sandwich to go for $8. To see what rice paper bacon is. If it was anything, it dissolved into the LB. The T was fresh. The G (guac) was good. The bun was great. Nice flavors overall. And you know I can do without veganism. They have four or five other sandwiches and a few breakfast (all day) items. They were also serving wine and craft beer. I'm not sure who runs what, but, the other things in the building are a wine rack area, a fridge of beer, a sign that says Hourglass Social House and a Foxtail coffee bar. It looks hip. Or hipster.

Stasio's, Milk District

I grabbed lunch to go from this Italian Deli and Market on Bumby (and I think Robinson) about two weeks ago. I don't remember much. They had just been open for a week or so at that point. The place looks crisp and clean. I remember glass and white. I had a sausage and broccolini hero for $9 because it was the cheapest thing (most other sandwiches over $10) and I had had only chicken and broccolini before (iie at DaNic's in Philadelphia). It was very good. All the components were good. Top notch. I recall a limited menu. Ten or so items. More take home options. They said my sandwich would take ten minutes (they were telling everyone that), but, it came out in two. They also have a coffee bar. It was pretty packed. Which leads me to my only concern. The parking is inadequate and they share it with others. It won't be long before they start complaining and making a bad situation worse. I liked this place alot. I'll go back. It'll be on the favs list. Too busy to write more.

Shadow Ban

Does anyone think Google is shadow banning my site? It seems to be some method they use to hide sites from searches. When I search for my site (or posts), it rarely comes up. Even when I search - orlandoer. I'm the only one. It should be first. Or at least on the first page. It never shows up. Even if I use quotation marks. I think the only people who read this are ones that were on the mailing list pre- shadow ban. Let me know if I'm wrong and you have found this site through a search and if it was a Google search. Or ask them to un-ban the site.

Grub Crawl - West Colonial: Huong Viet, Nam Giao Deli and Zero Degrees (Closed)

I tried these places at lunch today. The are all in that area on West Colonial I call Chinatown. On the western side (more abandoned) side of the complex. I was supposed to try Chef Wang's. But, they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Lucky for us. Two were real surprises. And new. This area is becoming a destination.

Huong Viet - This a typical Vietnamese restaurant. I had a rice dish because I was prepared to eat Chinese. It had pork and shrimp cake on it. A small carrot salad as well. It cost $10. The usual. Grisly pork. Slightly mushy rice. The decor, condition and menu are familiar. They have been open for four years.

Nam Giao Deli - I looked in here a few months ago when I reviewed the Korean place. It looked like a bar not a deli. The owner said he has had trouble with the change over and put the deli sign up before he remodeled. Hence the confusion. He opened two weeks ago. It is a great Vietnamese take out spot. All these little "snacks" that I thought was missing from Vietnamese cuisine. It will be a joy to come back and get an education. I sampled a shrimp on sugar cane (tried that before), a palm leaf covered pork roll stuffed with periwinkles (come on!), lemon grass and ginger that was shaped like a Jimmy Dean sausage roll, a flat fried green panko crusted pork roll and fried ball stuffed with a quail egg that was covered with pork roll (three). The cost - $2, $2.50, $2.50 and $4. He also sliced off some samples of his two large pork rolls - fried and steamed. There were also spring rolls, a soy curd noodle type dish, an egg pancake and other snacks ready to go. And I haven't written about the regular dish menu or the bahn mi yet. Everything reasonably priced. Better than Huong Viet. The owner said he is worried about getting things in order before people find out about him. He's ready enough as far as I'm concerned. I'm so glad serendipity maneuvered me here. Can't wait to try my next batch of authentic Vietnamese items. It's named after a region in Vietnam.

Zero Degrees - This place is in between the first two. It opened three weeks ago. I thought it was another dumb boba place. It's more. It has food. Just chicken wings or popcorn, chicharron, fries, street corn (elote) and dessert. It's a chain. They said Western. I've never run into it. The best way I can describe it is that it is a hostel - if a hostel was a restaurant. It could be the snack bar in a hostel. It has that insouciance. The cheese fries have Cheeto dust. The floats have oreo crumbs. The sundaes have kids cereal on them. I had a popcorn chicken with salt and pepper for $5.50 and a cheese fries for $5. Both portions were huge. The chicken wasn't very tasty. Kind of like bad Chinese take out. But, they filled an entire circular tin container for me. It could feed four. The fries were better. Very thin. Big portion. Same container. The cheese was like game day melted goo. They put on too much red spicy Cheeto dust though. They have glass mason jars, milk bottles and travel containers that you can buy for a buck or two. For your liquid refreshments. You can add a swirl - a tornado of mango - to any drink. It's a Me-lennial dream come true. They just need to snap your picture when you enter and stream it to a monitor or straight to Instagram. The place is gray and black with dark wood patches. Pay and order at the counter. It's fun. Why they opened here is a mystery. It's the only non-Asian business. However, it just adds to the roster of choice places in this strip mall.

5th Element, Sanford

I had the lunch buffet at this new (two months) Indian restaurant in the strip mall on Rinehart across from the Mercedes dealership on Friday. It was excellent. Huge choice. Reasonable price ($11). Good quality. I had a goat dish, chicken tikka masala, a chicken kabob dish, garlic chicken, tandoori chicken, chicken jalfrezi, another curry chicken dish, sweet and sour soup, another soup, a flavored biryani (they had three or four), basmati rice, that donut that I forget the name of - that I think is made with chick pea flour, a puffy white roll like thing, naan, a coconut square, rice pudding, a rice and curd thing and probably some other things I can't remember. And I didn't even get to the vegetarian dishes. Almost as many. The regular menu has even more (ie lamb). They kept the trays filled and fresh. The place was almost at capacity. Alot of mechanics from the car dealerships close by. Alot of Indians too. They did a fair job on the remodel. They have tvs in the corners, booths around the perimeter and tables in the center. The other half of the space is the buffet area and bar. Culturally appropriate decor. They have four other locations around the state. They know what they are doing. Even the soda was cheap. The one misstep was that they weren't very attentive to the soda level. I had to ask for a refill. I really was not looking forward to this after the Southern Spice experience. The caloric intake Indian buffets expose me to even makes me apprehensive. However, this was a good learning experience and I will definitely go back. Calories be damned. If you live in the area, you have been blessed. And remember - I'm just reviewing the buffet! First an unsung movie with a naked Mila Jovovich and dog like creatures that look like Common and now this. The 5th Element must be love.

Grub Crawl - Disney Springs: Terralina and Yesake

I stopped by these spots yesterday at lunch. The first is near Boatyard. The second is in the shadow of Planet Hollywood.

Terralina - They said they just opened three weeks ago. I thought it had been open longer. The Olive Garden decor and pricey menu had me sharpening my claws the second I sat down. It didn't help when they asked if I wanted to sit at the bar in an empty restaurant and served me stank water (that I believe is purposely adulterated to force you to order a $4 soda). I tried the water fountains by the bathrooms outside the restaurant and the water there was ten times as potable. I settled on a sausage pizza because it was the cheapest thing at $14. And I didn't trust a place that looks like Olive Garden and sounds like a sandal company to cook anything of value. I may have been wrong. Not about the prices. They are Disney outrageous. $44 rib eye. $25+ pastas. $16+ "lunch special" sandwiches. $10 soups. $15 apps. The pizza was actually quite good. Especially for a "cracker style" pizza. and the dishes I saw other tables receiving looked good as well. My pizza was about ten inches across. Rustic style. They said it was made with mozzarella, but, it seemed like a blend. Little sauce. Plops of freshly ground, savory pork. The real star. Fresh red chilies. The pie was thin. I usually hate ones this thin. But, it was just thick enough and I had been pizza-less in the UK for three weeks, so, maybe I was a soft sale. I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't dousing the heat with sips of pee water (or not drinking at all). I should mention that they provide the table with a loaf of foccacia bread with a side of jardiniere (cauliflower, etc). It is an odd match. The veggies fall right off the craggy bread. It also made me think that this is Chicago Italian and not the real McCoy. Service was ok. She was a little dim witted. She wanted to know if I wanted red pepper flakes on a pizza loaded with spicy red pepper pieces. All in all, it is too mundane for me to recommend. False ambiance. The food may be good (and that is an assumption), but, you need to click on all cylinders at these price points. It's unmemorable.

Yesake - This is a food stall that is kind of Asian and more. They serve udon, rice and maybe wraps that probably started as Japanese, but, they just decided to add ingredients and sauces until it appealed to any ethnic group. I mixed and matched udon noodles with shrimp, sesame sauce, kale, carrots and onions. The kale ruined it, but, I was struggling to add things. The shrimp were tiny. The noodles were scarce. Thankfully so was the sauce. Not a great meal. It cost $10. I wouldn't try them again. Some how they have survived for 2 and a half years.

*It seems like they have finished construction on this side. A new wine bar is also open.

Mo-Chica, I Drive

I had lunch at this Peruvian restaurant at the intersection of I Drive and Kirkman three weeks ago. It's in a location that most recently had a disappointing pizza place if I remember correctly. The interior is much the same/ They added a few murals. I had their salmon with risotto for $20. I kind of knew it would suck and I wasn't disappointed. The salmon was fishy smelling, dry, old and a small cut. The risotto was (over) flavored with pesto. It was also overcooked. Most seafood options are at this price point or higher. The whole menu is overpriced. Even the lunch "specials" are $10 and don't come with a side or anything. They discontinued the rotisserie chicken. I'm guessing it was too much of a bargain at $8 for a quarter. They think they are high end. They better hire more qualified cooks and ingredient purveyors if that is their ambition. I suspect they will join the long line of failures that have occupied this space. How they have survived for a year is a mystery. Now that I have wasted my time going here, I'm sure the kiss of death is in the air. There were two other tables eating while I was there. They seem to be focusing on seafood. They have ceviche and tiraditos. Some beef and chicken dishes. They are named after some ancient Peruvian peoples. Mo Chica, Mo Problemas.

This Little Piggy, Winter Garden

I went to this bbq stall at the Plant Street Market tonight. I grabbed a half pound of brisket to go because I found the prices out of line. They want $12 for a pulled pork sandwich. $14 if you want sides. And that is the cheapest option. A brisket sandwich (solo) is $15. Pork rinds are $9. The kids menu start at $9!. The brisket cost $9. To add insult to injury, it was half uneatable. Unrendered fat and sinew. The other half was dry. They over salt it as well. I tried their berry hot sauce. The salt activated the areas of my taste buds that react to heat. It made the sauce burn. Bad marriage. I knew I was in trouble when they started to chop the brisket. In my mind this a clear sign of embarrassment. An attempt to hide the inadequacies of the cook into a jumble of junk. They are in the lower tier of local bbq. Not even the best on their block (one competitor). They opened in January. And we could have done without that. Aside from the listed items they really only do ribs as well.

*Three or four new places have opened in WG. Two in a new building aside the market. A taco place (4 Loco?) and a steak place (Mathew's).

Grub Crawl - Sanford: Mr Z's and Boba Babes

I went to these two places on 1st St on Thursday at lunch. The first is in the old Zocalo location. The second is in the old Rabbit Records location farther down the street.

Mr Z's - This is sandwich shop and pizzeria that draws its inspiration from Philadelphia.. I had a roast beef sandwich special ($10) and a slice ($2.50). Regular sandwiches are around $8. This came with fries and a drink that I didn't get now that I think of it. The roast beef was a little dry. I would guess from age rather than overcooking. They said they get it specially done. It had a little too much fat for me as well. Hard fat. Maybe it's better when fresh. The roll was suspect too. The sauce (some kind of creamy Italian) was ineffective. I had to add some blue cheese that I had in the fridge to give it adequate flavor. The pizza was better. Nothing special. The usual Northeastern model. They tout their cheese steaks. The owner has some Philadelphia roots. The interior is mostly the same. Some new decoration. They opened in December.

Boba Babes - A tea and coffee place. I had a boba flavored tea with juice pearls (they didn't have the tapioca ones ready). They didn't exactly vibe with the milky tea, but, they were fun to pop. I had a level two sweetness (one is nothing). That was still very sweet. I think they made the look white. White walls and furniture. Can't remember the old look. The tea cost $6+ for a large (which isn't). They opened in May.

Andy's Frozen Custard, Sanford

I went to this frozen custard franchise (appears to have started in Misery emm Missouri) last night because I hoped they served food. Nope. I grabbed a small old fashioned soda for $4.39. It starts as soda water and vanilla ice cream (pardon me - custard) and you add a syrup. I chose chocolate. Is that an egg cream?  It was good. The custard was soft serve. Tasted like most others. The chocolate syrup was great. It tasted familiar. Hershey's? I think custard is ice cream with egg added to it. They also serve "concretes', sundaes, splits, floats, cones, cups, malts, etc. It looks like a Fifties McDonald's. They have a drive thru. They opened six weeks ago. It was popular. They are behind the Red Robin off Rinehart by the Wal-Mart. I stopped at PDQ after and the custard and the fried chicken sandwich weren't the worst combo.

*A few dishes I encountered in the Rocky Mountain states: chicken and quinoa burrito (Denver, CO) eggs benedict on quinoa cakes (Fort Collins, CO), powder (Fort Collins, CO), runza (a ground beef and cabbage stuffed roll) and frings (french fry and onion ring combo) (McCook NE) and wheel cheese (round grilled cheese sandwich) (Oakley, KS).

Four Guys Pho, Casselberry - Closed

I tried this new (one week) Vietnamese restaurant on 436 yesterday at lunch. It used to be a Greek place. I grabbed a 1 item (sliced beef eye round) pho for $8.75 and an order of summer rolls (2) for $3.75 to go. They are offering a limited time 15% grand opening discount, so, they were less. The rolls were fine. I've never had a shrimp with any flavor in one of those. Still haven't. The peanut dipping sauce was very dark and thick. The beef in the pho was medium rare as advertised. Alot and of a good quality. Very lean. The noodles were plentiful. A little over cooked and spongy. Not freshly cooked. Cold. The veg was fresh. I didn't add the jalapenos or basil or black sauce (is that duck sauce or tamarind or neither?). The beef broth was light and sweet. I discovered a way to eat this thing. You take a slice of meat in your mouth and chew and then take a spoon of broth and repeat until the meat is chewed up enough to swallow. I have found it hard to eat this dish as a whole. It's always - let's chopstick some meat or noodles or veg - now let's put those down and pick up the spoon and sip some broth. It's really difficult to get those solids to not flip off the spoon. I left the noodles out and ate them with the left over (diluted with water) peanut dip later in the day. They also have brisket, tendon, meat balls and tripe as add ins to the pho. Plus a lemongrass beef soup, wonton soup, chicken noodle soup and "Vietnamese" chicken noodle and egg (Mi) noodle soup that you can add pork, shrimp, wontons or squid to. The menu is standard. Some Asian cross over. Rice vermicelli bowls, spring rolls, rice platters, etc. A surprise was clay pot dishes. Pricing is in line. The place looks like I remembered it. They painted and added some decoration (Vietnamese field hats, posters, paintings). It was clean. It seats about forty. There were three tables seated (all women) while I was there. Service was lickity split. Would you believe my home town had an ice cream place named that? Not pho-nomenal, but, not pho-geddaboutit. Better than average. I'd go back. They seem to be trying to impress.

Southern Spice, Sand Lake Road Area - Closed

I wasn't exactly pleased when I learned I would have to haul my buns back here just to try another Indian restaurant (was Chutneys). The fact that they serve a Southern Indian menu didn't really make it anymore enticing. But, at least it isn't a totally duplication. They are in that strip mall with the gym (Gold/World's?) right around where Turkey Lake and Sand Lake meet. Incidentally, I'm going to have to do it again because the Graffiti Junction closed and is being replaced with what I assume is a French place. I went here for lunch last week. They were doing a $10 buffet, so, I just went with it. It's a shame because the large menu has some interesting items on it. I had a few mini samosas. I'm not sure if you can buy these by the hundred in Indian markets. I'd guess that was their provenance. Not bad in any case. I also had some chicken biyrani. butter chicken, tandoori chicken and one other that I think was in curry. They keep the bones in. All sections. I got a neck. They were in line with how they are supposed to taste. The butter chicken seemed a tad sweeter. I didn't love all the extra pods and leaves left in the dishes. I also had some white basmati rice, paneer/cheese (Makhani style I think), aloo/potatoes (possibly Telengana style), naan and a rice pudding with short noodles. I liked the potatoes very much. Paneer was good as well. I prefer rice to short noodles (in my desserts) it appears. The naan was a little burnt. I can't prove it, but, I think they give the "mistakes" to the white customers. That was pretty much the selection. Some salad greens and veggie entrees. I can't remember if they offered a soup. I would have done more damage but I had a plane ride ahead of me and I had already awoke with a huge case of flatulence. Just air. No smell. Bizarre. Carbonation/? Speaking of which, they charge $3 for a soda. Boo. The normal menu is large. Maybe 70 things. Some look interesting. They offer shrimp, chicken, mutton, fish, lamb and plants. Some descriptions seemed posh. $15-$24. I'd give them a go if I lived down there. Not going back for the buffet though. My town alone has four places that offer much the same. They did a little tinkering around the edges with the interior. Still familiar. Utilitarian. It was a buffet so service wasn't really on display. Give it a go if you live nearby. They had some Indian customers and some local business people there for the buffet. I think they opened in April or May.

Papa Sabz, Casselberry

Today I survived a gauntlet of aggravation that started on the Eye-Sore and ended with this lucky encounter. Let me start by saying that we have a special species of imbecile running the I-4 "improvement" project. Either that or a special kind of grifter. It is unbelievable how slow this is going. And today I encountered a new piece of imbecility. I won't dwell on the crash that caused a traffic jam that most certainly was the fault of the "improvement". I will talk about the traffic light they placed/hid around a curve (under an overpass) on the West Bound lanes at the Maitland on ramp. Not only does it take forever to cycle, it is hidden from drivers entering the highway. Drivers have to jam on the brakes just as they are accelerating to merge onto the highway. This is a multi car pile up waiting to happen every minute of every day. And they could easily push back the light or place a warning sign. Back to the day of frustration. Chela in downtown closed before I got there. I arrived at 2:45pm. They say they are open until 2:30pm. I think they started closing early. All the chairs were stacked on the tables in fifteen minutes? So, my first choice was out. And a wasted gauntlet. I tried to make the effort worth while by walking past Lake Eola in the heat to see if that ramen place near the 7-11 in Thornton Park had opened. That would be a "no". Back to the car and off to Bem Bom in Audubon Park. Still not open. The guys in the parking lot said two to three weeks. Waiting on permits. Are we at two years yet? Then to 436 in Casselberry to see if 4 Guys Pho was open yet. Nope. The sign says June 19. That's tomorrow. Lucky me. I threw in the towel and started home. Then I saw this sign where Holly and Dolly's used to be.

It's now a mostly Mediterranean place run by an Iranian couple who own the building. I had a 1/2 chicken with two side for $8. This is funny because I just scoffed at a whole chicken at Winn Dixie yesterday because it was $7. That aside, this chicken was very good. A great herb coating. Cooked in a rotisserie. On the rare side. Not pink. How the professional chefs say chicken should be served. The skin was crisp. Hard combo to pull off. I tried their hummus and roasted potatoes. The hummus was especially good. Thick. A little olive oil on top. No flavorings. Great, toasted, thick pita triangles. The potatoes had a lemon flavor. I was impressed. Sodas were only $1.75. I refilled three times. Parched from that lake walking. They also serve gyros, pastrami, cheese steaks, turkey, grilled chicken breast, Caesar salad, Greek salad, and desserts. Around $7. They redid the place with metal wainscoting, nude wood shaded table tops and black metal chairs. It seats around sixty. You order at the counter. There were people there (and they were open) at 4pm. A mixed crowd. They have been open for seven weeks. Not a destination, but, a real value. It also probably saved me from slashing my wrists, but, don't hold that against them. And at least they stay open all day.

Rossellini's, Lake Mary - Closed

I had lunch at this new (three weeks) Italian restaurant in the Winn Dixie shopping area off I-4 on Thursday. It was previously Luigino's. Sign on Lake Mary Blvd still says that. It doesn't appear that they did much re-decorating. I could be wrong, but, it seemed the like the same stuff. A little scary because I think they had been closed for a while. The windows looked like it. Still covered in grime. The table was also a mess. Visible streaks from a dirty wash cloth. Same with the oil and vinegar bottles. Crumbs on my chair. It isn't a surprise. All the help quit after a poor opening. Could be the fact that it is in a remote corner and they haven't done enough (any?) or the right advertising. When I took in my surroundings and the lack of staff (one) and the empty restaurant and the lack of AC penetration to the tables by the windows (the hottest area and their prime real estate). I was really apprehensive. Luigino's was pretty mediocre by the end (maybe always). Was this more of the same? I set my fate on a lay up. A Chicken Florentine sandwich. Hard to screw up. I wasn't rolling the dice on a potentially rock hard meatball sandwich or a $18 Chicken Park from the dinner menu. This $10 sandwich was the limit of my faith. They surprised me. The sandwich was good. A little small, but, fresh. Fresh (unsalty) mozzarella. Fresh, thick meated tomatoes. Reasonably fresh (a little freezer burn taste on part) chicken. A great, crispy baguette. A nice pesto sauce. Even a little tarragon leaf decoration. And the steak fries were fried perfectly. I was really worried that the fryer was going to be cool or they were going to have other issues that "empty" or new places have early in the day (or existence). They were ready for business. The one flaw was bloody chicken. They didn't let it rest and it released its juice. Hey, at least it still had some. I didn't like the $3 soda. They need to include that in the lunch price. Terra Mia sells most lunches at $10 and they include the soda. The meal is doable at $10. Remember we have to tip. At $13 it becomes a discussion. That $10 is now $16 or $17 with drink and tax and tip. That's double what most take away lunches go for. And that's the competition. Dinner prices are even more out of line. Either they offer a full experience (clean environment, working AC, mood music, excellent food) or you reduce the prices by 50% until you do. You can't expect full remuneration when you aren't executing to your fullest. It's self-serving. A micro crime. It drives me crazy when businesses do this. They never excuse the buyer from full compliance. And I'm not sure there is a need for a high priced, rustic Italian restaurant. A new one is opening near City Hall in a few weeks. But, if you don't blink at a $30 steak (or seafood pasta) or apps in the mid teens are pastas (second courses) near $20, then this place is for you. I don't see myself returning for that. Luigino's used to be an expense account type of place. But, that was when the town had few options. It also attracted alot of the real estate agents. But, that didn't seem to save them. *Actually it could have closed for non-economic reasons. In any event, I wish them luck. The owners name is Paulo. He runs a similarly named place in Daytona Beach. He seems to care about ingredients. His one helper was on the ball. Two others came in at lunch (and some looky-loos). They have some Green Sea (or something) Salmon (with green peas) that sounded interesting. Food quality seems to be Job 1. It isn't perfect, but, it can't be written of yet. They are really reliant on the quality of the food at this point. Should it drop off, the restaurant won't survive for long. Here's hoping the solve the other issues.