I was in the area for a supposed birthday celebration at a local bar (the only reason I'd be there), but, one should never trust pot heads. Therefore, I ended up trying these places instead. The first is on Edgewater Dr between Lee Rd and College Park. The next is a little closer to CP. The last is on Lee Rd (ex Colombian place) in between Edgewater and I-4 (the obstacle course).
Zeytin Turkish Cuisine - The guy/girl at Orlando Weekly put them on a best list. I have some standards. It stunk. The wine was spoiled. The lamb was overcooked. The menu was cliche. The neighborhood is bad. The venue is unappealing. The main problem is probably lack of staff. The food took a while to come out. There were only thirty or so (40 max) people at dinner (their only service). I would wager that one guy (Zeytin?) is cooking everything. Not only can't he keep up (people were complaining about the wait), he can't oversee his own dishes. My Lamb Beyti (some kind of enchillada-like minced lamb kebab wrap that I've never heard of) was way over cooked. Not much flavor. Only one kebab at $18. I've never had less than three kebabs at this price point. It came with mushy rice and a bowl of raw onion and a bowl of tomato and cucumber salad. That must be the trade off. The rest of the menu is a too typical mix of cold sides/apps and skewered options. They offer one fish (the very Turkish salmon) that I overheard was AWOL. The decor is just hookahs and plates and rugs nailed to the wall. It still has the yellow paint job from the last place (Woodys?). There is a lame fish tank in the corner. Everyone gets a view of the kitchen/staging area. There was little reason to seek this place out (especially for dinner) other than good food at good prices. It has neither. The guy/girl at the Weekly has an Arab sounding name. Now either he/she is a total "homer" graded on a curve or he/she has got special attention or he/she has no business recommending restaurants. This is not the first dog he/she has approved of. Skip. Not even good if adjusted for the type of cuisine it is.
Tornatore's Cafe and Pizzeria - I grabbed a medium pie to go after being stiffed by my "buddies". I didn't want to have to come back to this area for a while, so, I tried anything that seemed undone. I believe I ignored it when it was Cafe Positano (because I had been to others). The partners split and they renamed it this. Apparently, they were on Restaurant Impossible with the 'roid monster and terrible talk show host Robert Irvine (who probably has a small penis because of his over sized corpus and Asian wife). Whatever they did (you see the interior design redo - wood paneling, paint job and salad tongs on the wall), didn't stick. The pizza was bad. Cheap cheese. Very salty. Almost no sauce. The sauce was salty and garlic-y. Uneven topping distribution. Too much crust. Bubbles. Too chewy. Slightly under cooked. No surprise. I watched them bake it in a basic steel box. They moved it around once. And that was once more than most of the other pizzas they made. They have been there for 8 years (3 under this name). The locals who came in seemed to like it. I'd bet that that is less of a certification than an indictment of their sophistication. Maybe another meal would be good. A rigatoni alla massimo sounded nice. The menu looked ok. It is a little expensive though. The medium pizza cost $10. A full Chicken Parm sandwich (most sandwiches) cost $11. I don't see a second seating in my future. Hard to be worse than Cafe Positano. Mission Possible.
Mee Thai - Somehow this bad smelling basic Thai restaurant ended up crafting the best meal of night. I had your basic Red Chicken Curry with rice to go at $11. It was very sweet and not hot (or very red) at medium. The chicken was fresh and white and plentiful. Zucchini, carrots, basil and peppers rounded out the components. The rice was mushy. It really was no different than any other Thai place in town. Same prices. Same dishes. But, the neighborhood stinks and the place is ugly. I mentioned the smell? I don't see them surviving. Too expensive for the 'hood. Too drab to attract outsiders. A shame because the kitchen isn't the issue. They have been open for three months. People seemed nice. They say that the are "the best Esan Thai food". I searched it and there are some "Esan" Thai restaurants but no Esan regions. There is a Isan language near Laos. Now I'm missing something or this is one of the most wonderful ESL mistakes (Asian?) that I've come across on a menu. Maybe they should work for the local news? I saw a "Pheonix" spelling two nights ago.
*I do have to compliment the Weekly for the list they compiled of restaurants that are opening in 2018. Great work.
3 comments:
They misspelled "Isaan" as the region.
In that area, the Mexican place a few blocks up on the opposite side of the street is very good, as well as another one off Edgewater near Forest City. The Korean grocery store has hot takeaway food on the weekends only.
I believe I reviewed the first place you speak of of. I liked it too. Have you ever tried the food truck at Lee and Edgewater?
Yup, I think there's a small truck in front of the restaurant. Really good if we're talking about the same place a block up from the Cuban sandwich place.
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