Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Baracoa, Ocean Breeze and Tayton O'Brian's

I feel bad demoting that wonderful Florida Gulf Coast Travel Note in the last post so soon, but, it seems (by the statistical tool supplied by this site) that everyone who reads these posts does so right after they are posted. The inevitable result when you are shadow banned. Doesn't portend well for when they disable the email announcements later this month. Here we go anyway. Oh one more thing before that! Try and find a documentary about Cambodian donut shops in California. I believe it is called Donut King. 

I tried these spots on Flagler Ave (the main street) today at or just after lunch. I expected big crowds at the beach and in town. It was deserted. I believe two spots on the other side of the Intercoastal have closed or changed hands. The Oyster place had a new name. Will have to pop in and see. The Thai place seemed to have closed. Glad I waited (or was thwarted). As Forrest Gump would say, "one less thing". On Flagler, The Beacon was closed and requesting donations to reopen. A new "fancy" (according to a local) place is being built across from the gas station. In the Publix strip mall on the beach side, the steakhouse is turning into a Colt (I forget the rest of the name) bbq. Colt's something Stand. Pig? They raised the area just after the bridge. It had a crappy seafood place. There is a new Starbucks just beyond that.

Baracoa - A town in Cuba. Not the best option at Chipotle. I had (what else?) the baracoa for $10. It's a Cuban on sweet bread with baracoa (paprika) sauce. It was good. Plantain chips made by some local guy. They sell around 9 sandwiches, empanadas, soup, tacos, Sloppy Joe's, sides, desserts, wine, beer, coffee and "rafts". Those seem to be maduros (sweet bananas) under lettuce, rice (coconut, yellow with peas or white), under meat and topped with veggies of some kind (the slaw of cabbage, coconut and pineapple) seemed interesting. They have patio seating and a small counter. They market themselves as "to go" though. It's the only Cuban I can think of in town. A nice, casual play. Closed Sn and M. 11:30am - 6pm. In a courtyard on the north side of the street around the gas station in the middle of the road. I really thought I'd remember the name. Open for two years.

Ocean Breeze Bar and Grill - They are at the beach parking lot. Up some stairs. Good views. I sat at the bar. My idea. Still could see the ocean. An open environment (no windows) that looks like a tiki bar. High ceilings. I had the sesame encrusted ahi tuna app for $16. This was after the beach. It was damn good. A whole tuna steak. An inch thick. Fresh. Sliced into strips. Not that much "floss". A real surprise. Came with seaweed salad and avocado. Not bad for a plastic menu tiki bar. They also had burgers, fish, quesadillas, tacos, salads, sammies, grouper cheeks, etc. Big bar up front. Lots of seats on the patio (beachside) and along the exterior. Fast service. TVs. Way better than I expected. Forgot to ask how long they have been there. I think it has been a while. 

Tayton O'Brian's Irish Pub - An Irish pub at the beach. What could be more natural? That is why it is one of the last to be tried. It also looks dingy from the outside. I expected a smoke stenched shit hole. It was really nice inside. Cool. Clean. No odors. They sell the usually junk food and Irish staples. They claim some awards won long ago. I had some chicken strips called Lucky Toes wrapped up to go (for $9) because I already had my fill and they were low risk. They were ok. Probably just thawed from a bag. However, I wouldn't be put off by my order. I'd wager they can deliver a competent (nice to see I still can't spell this word) meal. The inside has dollar bills all over the ceiling, a live music area in the corner, booths, etc. They said there is an outside area out back. Open for ten years. 

*I also checked into what I think was the first place I every went to in NSB. Right on the beach on Flagler. The Breakers. Pre-blog. It is kind of skanky. They serve lunch and dinner. A dull menu. More of a bar. A bar in the middle of a rectangular floor plan. One side hangs over the beach. The other is inland. I believe there is A Marriott behind it. Just thought I'd include it even if I probably won't be making a return visit. You can inform me if it needs a second looksee.




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