Dexter's New Standard, Winter Park - Closed

I tried this upgrade of Dexter's in Hannibal Square today for lunch. It is located on Lee Rd and 17-92 in the spot that was that gastro pub from Tony Roma's (next to Miller's Ale House). They shut down the most recent locale and went a little higher end here. They have been open for six months. The interior seemed similar to the last tenant. I'll bet they did an overhaul. But, you can't really tell. The band area in the back is new. Maybe the patio? The color scheme is like Morgan Freeman's stubbly face (without the moles). Brown, gray and white. It's kind of farmy steam punk. It looks good. They even have a live succulent centerpiece on each white table clothed table.

The food was excellent and seemed to be taken seriously. They print the menus daily, so, I won't go into too much detail about what they serve. It probably changes a lot. The insta-celeb of the moment seemed to be tilefish. Therefore, I had to try some version of it. This took me away from my desired choice, so, I had that to go. The tile character I settled on was the cornmeal fried oyster and tilefish po boy at $12. It was served open face on a respectable bottom half of a baguette. Not overly lengthy. The oysters and the tilefish were done perfectly. No grease. Moist. Crunchy. Superb. They drizzled a little remoulade on top and the micro greens, slaw and tomato were very fresh. It was assembled with care as well. Probably tonged. It came with fries. They managed to crisp up some skin on numbers. Usually beyond the skill of most gastronauts. And the folks at El Vic's should come and see how to incorporate the paper in a fry arrangement. And actually how to run a restaurant in general. I digress. The to go show starred their pulled duck sandwich. Dexter's does one of my absolute favorites. This is not that. I would submit that this one is not as good. It is still good, but, it's too healthy. It's just duck (not very unctuous) and slaw and cranberry something or other on a brioche. Not very manly. It cost $13. It was pretty good. The po boy was better. Everybody say Po Po! Do you think someone should do a "po po" po boy? It would have to be made with pork, wouldn't it? So many possibilities.

The pricing, in general, isn't that onerous. A soda did not top $2.50. And it came with a fancy bamboo straw (it was paper, plastic police) in a nifty looking glass. And they brought an entirely new glass in lieu of a top up. I would have bet you lunch that the soda would have been $3 or $4. Finally a place with a conscience. Service was uniformed, informed  and attentive. Answered all my questions. Like "what is terses major". An inner shoulder cut that looks like a tenderloin. They even came over and served me a slice. That is on the lunch menu. Mostly sandwiches and appetizers. The dinner menu has a few more things like rib eye (kind of expensive at $39 I think), pork chops (slighty better at high twenties), chicken (low twenties) and some vegany stuff (oddly expensive). It's a very manageable menu. The kitchen is on the left side walking in and is open. Bar and patio an the right. Seats about one hundred. Around three tables full at one pm.

I'll most likely put them on the favorite's list. It may take one more tasting. This will be the last post for a little while, so, reread the previous ones if you get withdrawals. I felt I had to squeeze this one in because they deserve the pub. This will sit on top of the queue for a little while. That should benefit them.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Sundown Smokehouse, The Taco Shack and Uncle Chicken's

I tried these three places on US1 to the left of 44 (north from inland downtown) on Wednesday afternoon. The first two I had at lunch. The third I got to go later in the day. As usual (part of the flawed or sadistic design or the Universe), the worse the place looked on the outside, the better the food was.

Sundown Smokehouse - They are on the right side of the road about a quarter mile down. They opened six months ago. I had their beef brisket sandwich with potato salad for $10. It was roast beef. No smoke flavor at all. No bark. No fat. No oil. And they sliced it thin. We know I disagree with that.  It barbeque not delicatessen. They said they smoked it for 20 hours. That seemed odd to begin with. Either the help doesn't know enough or there has been a change in the practice of smoking meat. And if it was smoked that long, it just makes the results more perplexing. I won't say it was bad roast beef. Just not barbeque. The bun was also low grade. The potato salad tasted and looked like Publix potato salad. Over all a weak showing. They also sell pork, turkey, chicken, tri-tip, burnt ends and ribs. It appears that they hail from St. Louis. I haven't had true St. Louis style (in situ), but, this doesn't make me anxious. And I believe that St. Louis style ribs just refers to the cut. So, they may be bland too. The place is in a little shack. Around five table inside and a patio spot on the side. It is all new and clean. I think Monday was the only day they are closed.

The Taco Shack - Kind of like 'the" Ohio State University (who else was exactly causing the confusion?), this is "the" taco shack. And like the Buckeyes, they are pretty good at what they do. They are down the road a little bit on the left. In a covered patio attached to the take out window. It's like a food truck with attached seating. They have been here for nine years. It had a line! Parking was wait and see. I grabbed the 3 for $5 Shack Taco's ($2 a piece). They let me have one of each (ground beef, roasted pork and shredded chicken). I also selected hard corn tortillas. They were damn good. American style. Lettuce, cheese and tomato (not too hot sauce on the side). The ground beef had some kind of spice in it like turmeric or nutmeg. The roast pork was so oily good. The chicken was a bit bland. Still good. They packed them full of meat. They also sell steak, shrimp, fish and black bean filled tacos. The usual other Mexican options and some Latin options like tripleta, pastelon, mofongo, empanadas, Cubans, etc. Prices are great. They even do a puffy taco. Great find.

Uncle Chicken's - They are also on the left side. Diagonal from Sundown. They have a tiny space and sign that you can easily drive right by. There is a building next to it that they say will became a sit down adjunct one day. Attached, uncovered, picnic style seating is what they have now. I was stunned when I saw that the menu had creamy Pinot Grigio chicken and mushroom soup and Maine lobster for example. I don't trust any one really to deliver good lobster outside of the Northeast or Canada, so, I stuck to the soup and some barbeque (to contrast with Sundown). They also fessed up to using frozen lobster. However, they said they have relationships with other spots in town to help with the sourcing of certain things and to make sure the stuff the get is as good as it gets. It seems like they give a damn. The soup cost $5.75 for a bowl ($3.75 for a cup). It was almost very good. The chicken and little black mushrooms were plentiful and tasty. The wine in the soup was a bit overpowering. Either the alcohol hadn't burned off or it was old or it was cheap to begin with. Otherwise, very good and good on you for trying. I also had a Briskporken sandwich. That allowed me to try their pulled pork, brisket and chicken. It cost $12 and came with fries. All meats were properly done. They cut the brisket thick. It had smoke flavor and bark. They, also, said they smoked it for 20 hours. The smoker is in the front of the parking lot. The bun was good. The portions were large. The fries were very crisp. They also sell burgers, hot dogs, gyros, livers, gizzards, quesadillas, tacos, wraps, ribs, chicken, sandwiches, beer, wine and more. They even sous-vide. They have been open for 2 and half years. Great little snack bar plus.

Susuru, Disney Area *SF Travel Notes

I tried this post year old Izakaya in the second strip mall off I-4 (Disney Springs exit) on Tuesday night. The road the strip mall is on is called Palm Parkway. It's up a block or two on the right. There is another Japanese restaurant on the end. Let me start by saying it will be on the Favorite's List. If I lived down here, I would eat here every week. Too bad it isn't open during the day. I had a sampling. $3 takoyaki (2). $6 Cashu Gohan (rice bowl with pork belly). $7 okonomiyaki (fritter/hash like dish). $5 short rib yakitori (skewer) . 2 $2.50 chicken heart hatsu (skewer). I needed a baby Bjorn for my stomach on the way out. The takoyaki were very soft. The only other time I've had them this way (I believe the proper way) was at a five star yelp rated place in Vegas. These were a little more "runny" than those, but, at least they are failing in the right direction. The octopus was fresh and tender if not pervasive. I think they are a Tuesday only event. The okonomiyaki was served first and could have served as the whole meal. The only other time I've had this was at a little shop near NYU and they were filming it for tv, so, I suppose they did it the right way. This one was thicker and more formed than the one in NY. There they threw some cabbage on a grill and then some batter and other things. That one I think had some sea critter in it. Possibly octopus. This one was disc like. Less greasy. It came with a spatula to cut it into slices/pieces. Very good. The rice bowl was an afterthought that I'm glad I afterthought of. The pork (belly) was unctuous and delicious. Tons of it. The rice was great. It came with other toppings which elude me at the moment. Again, it could have been the meal unto itself. The short rib replaced beef tongue which they ran out of. It was great too. Four big hunks of (once again) unctuous beef. So good, I saved it for my last bite. *Do you ever find that the second to last bite usually is the best for some reason? And even though you have only two bites staring back at you, you always take the wrong one (if you are saving the best for last), the best one. Anyway. The chicken hearts were also magic. Four to a skewer. A half a heart was a piece. Great grilled flavor. Fresh. A soda was even only $2 (with refills). And to think I almost stormed out because they told me there was a thirty minute wait (it was only five minutes) with plenty of open tables at nine pm. And that could be the sole issue. They don't have enough bus people. The hostess had to help out and many tables sat in their grossness for far to long. Not to mention the opportunity cost. The place is a square room with the kitchen in the right rear corner. A high chair area is in front of it. It seats about sixty. It was full and people were still coming in after me. The crowd was all over the map. It's decorated with all kinds of Japanese pop culture and marketing paraphernalia. The menu has five or six sections. I ate a thing or two from most to give you and idea of them (not the ramen though). The Japanese sake, beer and soju selection was good. Not too expensive either. The service was as fast as the kitchen would allow. Polite. The owners (2) are not Japanese, but, you (or I) wouldn't know it. This place has been on my hit list for a while and I've had several hiccups trying to scratch it off. I'm glad I persevered. It's worth a potential battle with I-4 and Disney traffic. I believe they also run Jade in College Park. This is much better.

*Travel Notes - San Francisco : Here are a few things I tried or saw in San Francisco. Salt and Pepper Wings at Dim Sum Corner on Grant. They were ok. Needed a stint in the oven after frying though. They also had a egg custard lava bao that I've never seen before. I also asked about the cheese topped tea that I mentioned I saw this summer in England (and they offered). They said it tasted like cheesecake. I was too parched to take the chance. Went with iced coffee milk tea boba. I, also, had a great lettuce cup dish at R&G Lounge on Kearney. It was like the squab or chicken cups you see at other places. This was made with shrimp and scallops and Chinese sausage. So good. Quality seafood. I also had a really good chicken salad at Trader Vic's and a double double on the Wharf that renewed my faith in In and Out. And since I appear to be going into detail, I had a good brisket sandwich at Big Nate's at the Chase Center of all places and some interesting sour dough options at Boudin on the Wharf.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Sanford: Louise's Cellar, Ellen's Wine Room, Brix & Mortar, Loggerhead Distillery and Tuffy's

I tried these spots in downtown (on the lake) last Friday in between the hours of 7pm and 11pm.

Louise's Cellar - I stumbled upon this little tapas themed place on Sanford Ave (near Westside or West End whatever it is Bar) after I was informed that Brix & Mortar does not serve anything other than a shit-cuturie board and everything across the street at Seoul Sushi cum food truck (at Celery City) was two times more expensive than it deserves to be. It is also a bottle shop and odds and ends shop. It has been in business for two years. It's easy to pass by. I settled on some lamb lollipops (2) over couscous (Israeli). It was one of the few "entrée level" things on the menu. It was better than I expected. Especially the lamb. It cost $16. The bar and food are run by separate entities. You will have to pay two checks. The food was served (and I suspect prepared) by a one armed woman. Not that it matters in any way other than I'm impressed at the adaptability of the human species, but, it's not something you are exposed to every day. The bar is run by a very attractive and boisterous Puerto Rican woman with a seemingly larger than average familiarity with world culture. The place is named for her grand mother and it seems like she could have been the interior designer. It's very boho chic. If chic at all. There is a bar and the rest of the "dining room' is just a few tables and sitting areas with sofas. They have a big selection of non "me too" wines and craft beer. The food menu is heavy on the little Spanish appetizers that are nearly as expensive as the mains. There were four people at the bar and two idiots snickering over on line (and headphone-lessly broadcast) videos. Is that what passes for date night now? They were ancient too. What gives? There is a large-ish patio too. Not a bad little find.

Ellen's Wine Room - I walked down the block to see what was new (a cigar bar, a goth bar named Mannikan;s, a bar called Buddha something, Throwback's Bar, Sanford Ave Bar. - a few of these I named before) and ended up here. It is a wine store that serves some things by the glass and has live music. Me and one other man on a computer were the only ones there. I had a glass of wine for $8. Big pour. It was relaxing. They said they have been open at night for nine years. I could swear it was closed every time I've walked by in the evening.

Brix & Mortar Urban Winery - On off shoot of a place in Austin. They buy grapes and make shitty wine out of it. I had a watery and disappointing 2018 dry rose made from Washington grapes for $8. This batch was from the Austin "winery", so, it should have had any kinks worked out. It doesn't bode well for the Sanford made inventory. Rose has to be one of the easiest types to get right. They offer four whites, three pinks, eight reds and three fruits. A flight (5) is $15. The place is an L rectangular shape. Skinny from left to right. The bar is on the right side in the front. There is a mingling area in the rear. It looks nice and modern. Some wood and a lot of white. It is next to The Old Jailhouse and you can watch them eat through a curious window wall. They opened two weeks ago.

Loggerhead Distillery - They can't sell here, so, it is free samples. They have four options for now. A flavored and unflavored moonshine and a flavored and unflavored vodka. All were very good. The flavored moonshine was apple pie something or other. It was very tasty. The swag is cool as hell. Great logo, etc. The place looks cool. Wood and glass. It is on West 2nd near Fuel BBQ and a restaurant I can't think of right now. They closed at nine pm. Open for under a year.

Tuffy's Bottle Shop Lounge - Down the street (leaving town) by a block from Loggerhead. I wrote about them a year or so ago. This time it was packed. I camped out in the rear bar (serve yourself area) and never left. The bartender and another couple were throwing around "tastes" of all kinds of great beer and cider and whiskey. It was a very 'informative" experience. The selection is excellent. Prices weren't bad at all. The only irritating thing was a $3 corkage fee on all drinks. Still a good deal. Probably my favorite bar in Sanford for whatever reason. They are also building some big events space in the rear.

*the food hall on the main street into town may be two weeks away.

Cask & Larder, OIA

One more interruption before I get back in order. I ate here last Saturday night. I never fly out of this terminal (Gates 100+). Of course we give Southwest and Alaska our best terminal with the best food because everything is ass backwards in this town. They told me that they closed the one in Winter Park and this one is not just an airport knock off but a "real" dining effort. It has been here for a few years (3?). I wasn't really hungry, but, I grabbed a bacon cheeseburger (with chips) and an ice tea from the to go window. It was good. The burger was a bit worked over and over cooked, but, it still had a nice beefiness and char to it. The bun was good. The bacon was very good and thick and smoky. The tomatoes were treated in some unusual way. Almost a cross between a pickling and  a sun dried flavor. It also came with bibb lettuce. It cost a reasonable $10. The tea cost under $3. The chips were an artisan sounding packaged kind. The burger costs a few bucks more if you dine in. They said it would be bigger though. The menu seemed similar to the Winter Park one. It has been a while. Prices too. They also sell pre made meals and local snacks l(ike Wondermade marsh mellows)in the to go area. The setting is open with a kind of latticed dome over head. There is a separate bar area too. It's easily the best food experience at the airport. I believe they stay open until around 8pm (or when the place clears out).

Grub Crawl - College Park: El Vic's Kitchen (Closed) and Bagel Bruno

I'm going to go out of order for the first time because I feel I need to contribute a public service asap and give a gut check to an establishment that is in a death throe. I will tell you about my Friday night when I get back. I went to these places today at lunch time.

El Vic's Kitchen - They replaced a nice French place (Tartine) on Edgewater (where Tin & Taco is) around two months ago. That is more than enough time to work out the kinks and less than enough time to be showing such weariness. They have already abandoned the breakfast menu. However, they haven't even changed the hours on their window. Anal is not something I would ascribe to management. They did next to nothing with the interior. They took down a poster of France and put up some lettering that calls out the name. My table cloth and seat had crumbs on it. No table setting. When the only other people (2) got up to leave, they didn't replace the table cloth or even "snap" it out or brush it down. I doubt they have EVER been changed (or laundered). The floors were equally dirty. And the counter top. I'd hate to do a finger test. They had only one well meaning, but, mostly clueless tween waitress. I'd wager she was a relative. I ordered a Golden Cubano because it seemed like the simplest and cheapest way out of this apparent nightmare. They didn't even press it. It was to come with cheddar cheese. The "golden' part. It was a shredded cheese blend from the supermarket. As was the "baguette". Straight up Publix bread complete with the machine "braille' marks underneath. It was also stale. 3/4 of the sandwich was bread. The one piece of ham was probably from Publix too. The veg were of poor quality, flavorless and wilting. The Swiss cheese was not melty. It came with fries. 3/4 were undercooked. Plus, in a bit of Indian thrift, they put a crumpled piece of paper in the container to limit the fry out take. The best part of the dish for the garlic spread. It cost $11. The plating was cute. On a slice of tree trunk plate with a basket for the fries. $3 mini glass of soda with ice. It took too long to come out. They seemed to be more focused on their buffet (which should have already been finished by 12:30 for a place that opens at 11). Plus, I doubt any more people were coming for the buffet than were coming to Eleanor Rigby's wedding. The menu is a weird collection of "world cuisine". Mostly Indian though. They had some things that seemed interesting (mushroom cappuccino soup) and some that did not (Shepard's Pie quesadilla). But, I think the soup was just a play on names. The only thing they described in the description line was that it came with truffle oil. What makes it cappuccino? Probably just the color. I saw three of the kitchen staff.. They looked like a work release. I could continue to list the failings of this endeavor, but, I doubt they would benefit from any of it. They need someone with management experience. It seems to be a cook run business. A cook that doesn't have front of the house or back office experience. I expect you will be reading their obituary any week now and I'll have to haul my ass back here to chronicle the next disaster.

Bagel Bruno - They took over Hubbly Bubbly near Edgewater High and Ollie's  in November. They sell bagels with schmears and as sandwiches. Around 5 breakfast types. Nothing out of the ordinary. And 5 sandwich like bagels. Same. I grabbed a $4 sesame with cream cheese. It is a properly made (puffy), good looking bagel with proper cream cheese. Full sesame seed coverage. The bagel is $2 and the schmear is $2. They partner with Foxtail Coffee. The place is modern and cute. Bagels are displayed on a glass wall (hanging on glass poles). They have a little patio. Parking is sufficient

Mai Thai, Downtown *NV/AZ/NM Travel Notes

I tried this Thai (though not all dishes are Thai) spot (in the old Artisan's Table location) on Pine yesterday at lunch. I think I recently remarked on it as Muy Thai. That would have been more clever. I'm not sure why my synapses misfired when I plugged this into my brain. It has a mostly ordinary selection of Thai dishes. The outliers include grouper, short ribs and a rib eye in the Specialty section. Other than that, it is 4 noodle dishes, 7 stir fry dishes, 3 fried dishes, 2 duck, curry rice dishes, 11 apps, 5 soups and 5 salads. I chose the red curry with chicken because I hadn't had that in while. It comes with bell pepper, carrots, bamboo, snow peas, zucchini and basil. I avoided the peppers. It cost $10 (at lunch - $13 at dinner). It was fine. The chicken was a little plastic-y. A fair volume. The rice was over cooked. The veg were cut into little shapes. Served on a white plate (rice) and a trapezoidal white bowl. The meal began with a comp Thai spring roll and a iceberg lettuce and carrot salad with an orange zest dressing. The décor is similarly ho hum to the menu. A huge, open plan, high ceilinged box that seats over 100 in 25 tables of 4. A bar area is up front. The colors are white, black and some shade of pastel that I believe was in the red spectrum. Maybe it was green. More synapse degradation. The front side is all glass window. I don't think they did that much to the old space. The tables were a bit worn. Service was fine. Parking is obviously an issue. There were around sixteen people eating there at 1pm. They aren't open on Sunday. It's fine, but not worth a trip. I think they said they have been open for six months.

*Travel Notes- Nevada/Arizona/New Mexico: Here are some Thai dishes I had last week in Las Vegas: Tom Kha (coconut milk + soup), Kana Moo Grob (fried pork belly and broccoli stems in an oyster sauce), Khao Man Som Tam (coconut rice topped with sweet pork), Green Papaya Salad, Ju Pa Bao (a Macanese style bao of pork cutlet with the bone in). The first two were from Krung Siam on Spring Mountain Blvd. The second two were from Pok Pok in the Cosmopolitan. It is run by some famous chef from Portland.

**The other interesting items from the trip were: Blueberry Milkshake from Mr D'z Route 66 Diner in Kingman AZ, Lobster Taquitos and French Fries smothered in NE Clam Chowder from Slapfish in Glendale AZ, Green Chili Burrito from Taylor Freeze in Pima AZ and Itsa Burger from Blake's Lotaburger in Truth or Consequences NM.

***DT News: Cucina is still not open. Graffiti Junction closed. Elize replaced Rusty Spoon. Artisan's Table is across from it. CFS coffee shop is open on the side of Cucina. Orange County Brewing is being replace by Motorworks Brewing. I think they spell it "werks". The market near Morgan and Morgan is not open yet. The "depot" building seems to be some of kind of crafts store. I keep meaning to see if El Buda is still open. I think it closed down a while ago. Speaking of which. Does Hamburger Mary's have a Booty Burger? I was thinking it would be a natural. I don't think it would be that offensive. And it rolls off the tongue.