Grub Crawl - Disney Springs: City Works and Pepe

I tried these two spots at lunch last Thursday. They are closer to the Cirque du Soleil tent. Orange lot.

City Works - This is the new (one month) pub type place across from HOB. I had fried chicken sandwich for $18. Needless to say, it wasn't worth it. Dry, mealy meat. Thin, long piece. The crust was ok. I didn't care for the honey mustard or pickles. Shredded lettuce was the only other element. The bun was the best thing. It came out in two minutes. They must have them pre-cooked and ready to go like a fast food place. It came with fries. They had a good color, but, they didn't have a crisp mouth feel. Plus, some had little pockets of oil (remember Aqua Fresh gum?) living inside them. The oil they used was old or poor tasting. It came on a rectangular white dish. The menu is mostly burgers and sandwiches. They have some 'cue, tacos and breakfast items. Some salads, soups and apps. The "Mains" are $22 to $36. On the app side, they have things like kung pao cauliflower, firecracker rolls, fried pickles, cheese curds, flatbreads, etc. From $10 to $18. On the breakfast menu, they had burritos and even that Middle Eastern egg dish (shakshuka). That was surprising. The place is very large. It must seats over one hundred easily. Huge TV's at the bar. Lots of craft beer. That seems like their signature. It has very high ceilings. Wood on wood, exposed air ducts, black ceiling. Lots of high tops. Service was good. It's mostly what I expected it to be. If they could actually deliver on the concept of the menu, it may be worth the Disney pricing. Since you are ostensibly at Disney and will have to get hosed somehow by some one. They need to get that part of the equation sorted out first.

Pepe by Jose Andres - They said this was open when Jaleo opened, but, I don't recall seeing it. My loss. This little take out spot is possibly the best value at the Springs. I grabbed a gazpacho for a mere $3 and a Serrano ham and Manchego cheese "Flauta" (skinny baguette) for $9. The gazpacho was sold in a little plastic bottle. It must have had some (or all) beet in it. Never had that before. I prefer tomato or almond. It was fine. But, I loved the packaging and the price. The sandwich was extremely tasty. They sell similar quality ones in Spain for $5 euros, so, this is a bit more. But, it was twice as good as my chicken sandwich that costs twice as much across the street. The bread was great. They oiled it up. Ham and cheese were obviously delightful. They also sell patatas bravas, two other sandwiches and just a few other things. It's a peculiar assortment of hand held items.

*Also new will be an ice cream place and another restaurant where Bongo's was. The restaurant will be called Beatrix. I'm not sure what it will serve. Nothing has started there yet. The sign said - restaurant, market and coffee bar. The ice cream place said - Ample Hills Creamery. Their sign said they opened in 2011 in Brooklyn. I guess it was a craze I never was informed of. It seemed closer to completion. And the NBA store is open. No restaurant there.