The Old Jailhouse, Sanford

I tried this American restaurant on South Palmetto Ave tonight. I thought they were kind of new, but, they opened in February. I had Low Country Shrimp and Sausage for $23. It came with collard greens and cheese grits in a sausage gravy. Aside from the price (a shrimp and grits - which this basically is - usually goes for $15), it was very good. The shrimp (5) were medium sized and seemed to be a cut above frozen bag shrimp. The sausage (4 thin slices) was fine. Didn't seem to have too much provenance. The greens were plentiful. A little salty. Stewed in a vegetable or chicken stock. The gravy was thin. Pleasant. The grits were the best component. I was going to order a $24 bouillabaise, but, it only came with a crostini. Those two sides would have added around $10 dollars to the bill if taken as sides. The plating was fine. White dish. Grits in the middle. Boy - Girl Boy - Girl on the sausage and shrimp. Greens at the top of the plate. Gravy moat. The apps were all around $10 and basic. Wings, cheese fries, soup, pork belly, Caesar salad, etc. The mains were all over $20. Sans a burger ($15). Two chicken dishes, steak, fish special, etc. They serve beer, wine, hooch. It seats fifty in the middle room. Twenty on the patio. Maybe more in another enclosed side patio. Eight or so in three different private areas. It is purported to be the site of the old jailhouse, They built on that reputation. It looks Western. Which is cool because I always feel Sanford had a ghost town type charm and should play that up. The interior is white washed, red brick. Black ceilings. Metal fixtures. Gray tile floor. Natural wood tables. Black plethora chairs. Old time photos. A few tvs. Service was ok. They had six or so waitresses/floaters, so, each table had their own server. Mine seemed to get lost more than she should have. The food also wasn't exactly streaming out of the kitchen. They don't do lunch and are closed on Sundays. Seems like an odd schedule for the area. I found it charming and the food was good enough. It will be on the Favorite's List. A slight trim on the pricing or more creativity on the menu would be welcome but not required. It was about a quarter full at 6pm. There didn't seem to be a dress code. Nice addition that I wish I had learned of earlier.

*Sanford has had some turn over. Shannon's is back in a new location up the street. Another place opened in her old location. Seemed different from the last replacement. Zocalo (a new one or a resurrection) is next door. It remember another place with that name on the main street. A bar (Throwbacks) is a few doors down. I forget what it replaces. The "fish" bar is a cigar bar. A Buddha something place is next door. I think it was food. These are all on that street one down from Palmetto (I forget the name). A F&D Italian is opening on the main street into town (also forgot that name).

**Saw a recipe on Cook's County for North Carolina Lemon Pie. It looked cool. Like Key Lime Pie, but, a saltine crust!

***The news said that the I-4 project is almost 260 days behind schedule and has two years left. They tried to say that it will be done by 2012. Late 2021! As in 2022!

Cherish this post because you (all five of you - thanks Google shadow banners) aren't getting a new one for a while.

Proper & Wild, Winter Park - Closed

I grabbed a salad to go at this vegan spot in one of the "locations of death" on Morse (diagonal from Bosphorous) on Wednesday. I believe it was a vegan place two iterations ago. So they either don't think much of history (or past management) or didn't do enough research or really think tastes have changed in a short period of time. The lunch menu is boring. Apps, flatbreads, sandwiches, "burgers" and salad bowls. The dinner "mains" (same menu as lunch with mains in for sandwiches) are more creative. That means they have a pasta and a curry dish and one more burger. I had a Medina bowl for $14. I'm not sure if it was a good thing (because it was so bad) or a bad thing that it was a very small portion. Hardly a half a cup of the star element (pearl couscous). Maybe a fourth. Some rubbery carrots. Charred cauliflower. Acrid taste. The arugula was the best element. It came with a weird tahini like dressing. Every element was bitter. They even added teeth busting coriander seed to the mix. A side shot cup of a harissa hummus (if I'm correct). The designer of this dish is the taste bud equivalent to tone deaf. And I'm judging it as a vegan place. That means it is below soul food in the pantheon of flavor/complexity. They are a branch of another vegan place downtown - Sanctum Café. I can't remember what grade I gave them. In any event, I didn't expect to like this much and ended up liking less than that. It's a shame because it looks cute. Very white, clean and modern. They had some customers. All women and one dude just there to flirt with the girl at the front bar. I'd like to say I won't be back, but, knowing the location's track record, I will. Just under different management. Maybe those who haven't had real food in an eon will find the food more pleasing. Although, I think my dish would disappoint even them and was one of their weaker efforts. Opened recently.

Eola General, Downtown

I tried this market/deli on Amelia near some cross street like Cathcartt (or something like that) for lunch on Wednesday. Near the middle of Lake Eola in between it and 50. They have only been open for four months and already have swapped out the food supplier. So much for the Weekly's review. Why a guy with a week to compose a column is visiting these little establishments lately is confusing. Now (for two weeks) you can get some sandwiches (six or so) on a bagels via Swan City Bagels. I had the Waldorf chicken salad at $9.50. I don't like bagels as a sandwich bread. It really makes no sense when you cut chicken breast into large pieces. You'd have to be a boa constrictor or a Tri Delt to get that thing in your mouth. Even if you split in in halves, the salad spills out all over the place. The salad was also bland. Too healthy. I think they use Greek yogurt in lieu of mayo. And not a lot of it. The bagel was good. Sadly, I could taste it through the salad. Another indication of the total lack of flavor. It came with a side. I tried the potato salad. It was basically three (too large) pieces of red potato with onion and a bushel full of parsley. It was frigid. The potatoes were rubbery. Bland again. I also tried a gimmick they have called a garlic-y pickled egg. It's two pickled hard boiled eggs on a skewer with pickle slices and pearl onions dusted with Everything bagel seasoning. It was nothing to write home about. Sour and salty isn't my thing. Plus old, cold hard boiled eggs aren't either. Maybe a softer yolk would help. It cost $3. They really don't sell much else at the store. Beverages.and some produce. Very underwhelming. I would only go for a bagel with cream cheese. And only if I lived nearby. I am also assuming the cream cheese isn't girly-fied via Greek yogurt or the like. They also have a coffee provider (outsourced). Coffee means nothing to me, so, I didn't commit it to memory.

Bocadillos Cafe, Winter Springs

After the disastrous trip to UCF (read below), I at least had a little luck on my way home. I stopped at this Puerto Rican restaurant on 434 in between Winter Springs and 17-92 and grabbed a steak sandwich to go. It cost $8. It was a pressed sandwich with potato strings, Swiss cheese and mayo. The steak on it's own tasted a bit gamey and grainy. However, the texture and flavor worked when joined by its buddies. I can't guess the cut of meat or the method of preparation. I'm guessing - boiled? It was like tough meatloaf. The serve pork, beef, chicken, shrimp on sandwiches and with mofungo and with platters. They have a special plantain "bun" sandwich. They have a singular fish special. They have wine and beer. Open for lunch and dinner. Seats about thirty. Family run. It's in a mostly (since time immemorial) vacant strip mall behind Vittorio's. Very hard to see from the road. It was a café the last time I checked. They painted it a burnt orange and black. Some painted flourishes on the wall (like the PR flag and their name). They have survived for two years. I believe the name (as I've previously stated) translates to "little bites".

Grub Crawl - UCF Area: Gyroville (Closed) and Omelet Bar

I went to these places at lunch today. The first is on 50 in between 417 and Alafaya Trail in a strip mall. The second is in the shopping area across from UCF (University) near the McDonald's.

Gyroville - I had a traditional gyro for $7. It was junk. This is a fast food chain from South Florida. It's as if someone took the gyro off the Miami Sub's menu and opened a chain that only sells that. The meat is bought formed into a slab. They don't even freshly shave the meat. It's some kind of blend. Spam. Gyram. The other option is chicken. Wings, Greek salad, veggie soup and falafel burger. And that is it. I'm not joking. They also monkey with the sauces. IE Honey Mustard Tzatziki. Ugh. Open since March.

Omelet Bar - I'll review the meal first and then tell you about some concerns. I had a lobster eggs benedict for $12. It came with house potatoes. It was bad. One yolk was already spilled out on the plate. The English muffin wasn't toasted enough. The lobster was not lobster (sharimi blend). It didn't taste good. The potatoes seemed like they had been left out since the morning rush. The rest of the menu is uneventful. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, burgers and sandwiches. Now let's get to my concerns. The first is the "lobster". I had a chat with the manager and he proffered that it is a 60-40 blend that they buy frozen in bulk. This is more than puffery. It is mis-labeling and fraud. They at least need to put quotation marks around the word lobster on the menu or have an asterisk with explanation. He said he suggested this to the owner and was told to zip it. That brings me to me next concern. An owner with that kind of mentality is not one to reward with your patronage. The place's look (water stained ceiling tiles, clutter, etc) also denote a lack of pride. One last concern. The hostess may have meddled with my soda ($2.50 un-refilled). I may have been a bit snippy (to a snowflake) about being asked to sit at the counter and she looked too happy when she came back with my drink. Let's hope it was just spit and she doesn't have mono. As I said, the look is bit messy. Booths. Two sided room. I would submit that almost every other chain (Keke's, First Watch, Broken Egg, etc) is better. They have been open for two years. They close at 2pm. Too bad it's not for good. Surprisingly not a chain.