I tried these places two Wednesdays ago. The first and last are on Canal St in what I have been referring to as the "old" center of town. The second is on Flagler across the bridge nearer to the beach. I went to the first at lunch. I grabbed to go meals at the other two on the way back to Orlando.
Big Joe's Subs and Eatery - This is a very decrepit looking spot right on US1. For a long time I believed it was no longer open by the looks of it. Imagine my surprise when I popped in and saw not only a lunch counter, but, an entire sit down area with booths. From what I remember, they opened this area kind of recently. This owner (from Massachusetts) took over around twenty years ago. The place had been around twenty years before that. I had the 12" All Italian". That is genoa salami, mortadella, capicolla and provolone on a sub roll. They also have 8" and 16". This cost $7.50. The meats were bad. Nothing was cured more than a week or so. Typical Mass-hole stuff. They have no idea how to do deli. I can't remember if the roll was any good. I have a suspicion that my amnesia means it wasn't good. But, I kind of also remember thinking that it was sad that this was the best thing about it. The veg weren't that great either. I had to ask for oil and vinegar. They put mayo on cured meats. This sandwich aside, they also serve pasta, burgers, salads, baskets, fryer snacks and the usual assortment of sandwiches. Maybe those are better? There was a bit of a wait. Only two people composing. It seemed to be popular with the locals. Prices are good. The most expensive thing is a dozen meatballs with garlic bread at $10. Lots of things (ie fried fish sandwich) under $5.
AA Garden Fusion - They renovated this space around a year ago. It has been one of the last ones to get reviewed because they open at 4pm. Way too late for any lunch visits and usually an hour late for take out on the way home. I remembered it as a sushi place (with a different name), but, they said it was always Pan Asian. I grabbed an order of Sunny's Poke chips for $9 because the rest of the things seemed like they'd take too long or didn't look worth the price or I wasn't in the mood for. It was pretty bad. Some store bought shrimp paste chips and some cheap ahi tuna. The only interesting thing on the menu was some thing served in a betel leaf. The rest was everyday Thai, Japanese and Chinese. The place has a patio, a bar and dining area. It has a pastel color scheme. I remember green and blue. It's next to the Hampton Inn. I think they open a bit earlier on the weekends. I think they are closed on Monday or Tuesday.
The General Public House - They took over for a beer-centic place (something silly like Taps) in December. I should have come here for lunch, but the other times I tried, they told me they only did dinner. Must of been the old owners. I grabbed a fried redfish sandwich to go for $15. It came with fries. I had just had a grilled redfish platter in Cedar Key days before and a friend had it fried in a sandwich. I wanted to compare. Their cut was much thicker. It was fried beautifully. The more aggressive cooking treatment didn't seem to harm it. Nice crust. Non-oily. Moist flesh. I liked this better. If they didn't sub it out for grouper (why would anyone do that?), the meat is very flaky. Each "shingle" was a quarter inch thick. I ate the fish on its own and used the vegetable slaw in my tuna sandwich the next day and also used the brioche bun. I ate little bites driving home to make sure that I didn't cheat myself out of the true fried experience. Obviously, those bites were the best and it wasn't as great after a car ride home. I did manage to pop open the to go container to minimize steaming. That helped with the fries. They did the best you can do with these skin on pub fries. Almost crispy. All in all, I liked this dish and the menu. Not too many things. Seemed seasonal. I'd trust them for a full sit down experience. The place looks nice. They also have that gray and black and wood interior design. Brick too. A open, square space. Full length bar on the left side. The staff seemed knowledgeable. Service was quick. I recommend them. They are open all day through. They also serve alcohol.
*This is the end of the road for now. But you can bet that I'll be the first one out of the gate once the panic dissipates.
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