Grub Crawl - Millenia and Downtown: Isan Zaap, Craft & Common and Taco Kat

I tried these places at lunch on Wednesday. The first is off I-4 and the first road on the left (past the Super Target and that Pho place I tried this summer to a new build area on Gardens Park Blvd.). About two roads in. I think there was a Costco diagnol to it. The second is on Robinson St downtown near the ax throwing place. The last is in the old Cleo's Lounge spot across from the library (behind and over from Wall St).

Isan Zaap - Isan/Izan is a region in Thailand. I believe north. East? Zapp is the name of a hot Jewish girl with huge twelve year old tits at my summer camp who dumped me when I came back to camp without passing puberty. What zaap is is unclear. I think one of their soups was called zaap. But I don't think it means soup for some reason. I've been stymied on this one since the Spring. I didn't drive far enough twice before. I thought it was Middle Eastern food at one point. Well today, after not finding option one, I got myself sufficiently lost to be near here and I gave it a go again. Glad I did. Will be on the Favorites list. Not just because of adequate food or ambiance, but, because it is a little different. Sadly, that still gets a place points from me. Like the judges on most cooking competition shows that I criticize, I love a newish experience. They are Northern Thai. Not the first in these parts. But rare. I had the Boat Noodle Soup for $15 because it was in the recommended section of the menu and I wanted soup for my ailing tum tum and it reminded me of when the Vietnamese (and Thai?) used to be called boat people. It just made me laugh thinking about how much pearl clutching that would illicit today. Oddly the Northern Thai soup was pho like in construction and flavor. A sweet and sour brown (beef?) consume like broth, rice noodles, those gummy meatballs (pork - you could also have beef), bean sprouts, stems from some vegetable (possibly brocolli), chicken, kale and liver (pork). Except for the kale (maybe it was another leafy plant), liver and stems, it was a pho. A real mish mash. Like all the things they put in their other dishes in a soup. I liked it. The liver was the best. Good contrast with the broth. And odd/new. Obviously the meatballs and noodles had no flavor and an odd mouth feel like always. Chicken was dry. Ohh! It also came with lots of chicharron (fried pork skin). Not sure what they call them. I saved most for future microwaving. They also had larb. And larb with liver. Curries. Toms. Papaya salad. Seafood (fish, squid, etc). Pork neck. Custard sticky rice. Etc. A decently manageable menu. Most things under $20. Black and gray walls. White acoustic tiles. Wood tables and chairs. A couple of flower murals. 12 tables (mostly fours). Open kitchen in the rear. Not high end. Not a dump either. Almost full. Mixed crowd. Most dishes seemed generous. Open 11-9pm. I believe they opened just under a year ago.

Craft & Common -  I'm not sure if I tried them for you before or not. I remembered at least walking in a guffawing at the prices last time. Went back because of that Edible list. Grabbed a $4 Malawi tea because I've never had anything from there (unlike Madonna). It was a good tea. They also sell a decent amount of food. And it looked pretty appealing. Lots of beverages too. Most had exotic pedigrees (or good marketing bs). An open plan, white interior. Filled with youngins. Open for four years. New owner though. Changed a few things. 

Taco Kat - Sonoran food. T's, Q's and B's. I grabbed a barbacoa taco for $5. The beef was tough and stringy. Good flavors. Warm spices. Possibly nutmeg or cinnamon. Ok toppings. Tortilla seemed fresh. Also came in chicken thigh, beef rib (asada), pork and possibly one other. These options extend to the other "holders". They warned me (and this pissed me off further originally) that the portions here are small. Actually seemed slightly larger than most places. At least the taco. Still a bit high. This is the only location. Modern, white interior. Order at a counter. They have a secret speakeasy behind a fake coke machine. However, the entrance isn't through there for some reason. It's in the back. You have to get a password (online I believe) and reveal it there. Both are open to 3am. All days except M and W I think. It should become popular. Opened three months ago. Wish their barbacoa was a bit more tender. Would have made the Favorites List too. Get back taco kat.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Capital Tacos, Grounding Roots, Sushi Sake and Slidders

I tried these spots on Tuesday night. The first is on University Blvd and Goldenrod. Near Fullsail University The second is north on Goldenrod to Aloma and east to the strip mall that has Twisted Root Burgers. The third is in the old Boston Market at Lee Rd and N Orlando Ave (17-92). The last is actually in Maitland. Farther north on N Orlando to that condo complex next to Publix. I intended to do a UCF centric one, but, Capitol was way farther away than I thought and Bacon Bitch may have the record as the quickest place to ever get three strikes. Maybe someone else can give me a reason to rethink it. I'll wait.

Capital Tacos - They are out of Land o' Lakes (Tampa). If you recall when Taco Bus (Tampa) tried to "chain out" and failed by UCF, this will be a repeat. Crazy (inauthentic white guy) abominations. Taco, q's, burritos, etc. I settled on a Big Kahuna. Nothing cries La Raza like Hawaiian themed tacos. It was worse than you'd think. A nearly fishless fish taco. I think they should get an award for most batter stuck to a nullity. The tortilla didn't seem grilled/warmed. Typical mess of toppings and mayo based sauce. And each cost $5. And they are the cheap items. It's a fast food set up. Overstaffed. Empty except for two stoners. Two pinball machines. Adequate seating. Open for a month.

Grounding Roots - A health food place. Listed in that Edible issue. Shots, smoothies, salads, etc. Only the smoothies aren't pre-made and waiting in a refrigerator. I grabbed a chia pudding for $6. It was the cheapest thing. Actually damn tasty. Almost went with a pro-biotic shot to counteract the gastro issues I believe Smokey Jay's pork gave me on Saturday. I guess fresh pork shouldn't be "sticky". They said that either they had or have a place in College Park. I wonder if I alredy tried them? In this tiny location for three years. Wonder if I tried them here when I did Twisted Root? It didn't come up when a searched it. I probably bypassed because of price. If I saw it.

Sushi Sake - A chain from Miami. 20+ locations they said. I now recall seeing them on US 1 down to the Keys and in Key Largo. Glad I didn't waste my time on those. The problem is value. The menu (for say nigiri) looks normal. Around $5 per fish, etc. However, that's for ONE piece. A half sized California hand roll was $6. Same crappy surimi. Ok avocado. Rice was a bit too toothy and cold. No justification for the price. They are in a Boston Market. In a weird part of town. Hidden by foliage. There are a billion, established, cheaper, equivalent quality, popular sushi places in town already. I'm not sure how many morons they think there are in CF that have to have their "karate". I suspect they will fail. Open for a week. Ok, modern interior. They have hibachi/katsu stuff too. But, even the lunch "specials" on those items were mid to high teens. The lunch sushi platter was $36. Most places have sushi specials around $10. They have some rolls specials just above that, But, I'll bet it's one roll not two or three. 

Slidders Pizza - I rejected the thought of stopping here last week. After seeing it. They looked very Marco's like. An outside super chain. Sort of glad I decided I didn't have enough dinner yet and stopped again. It looks higher end inside. White marble. Modern. Digital menu board. Gelato. Wine. They also sell wings and stromboli and calzones amd pastas, etc. Prices seemed a bargain after Sushi Sucky. I grabbed the second smallest pizza with four topping for $14. 12 inch. It wasn't too good. I've tried it warm, heated and cold. Saldly, cold was the best. Possibly conveyor belt pizza. No crust. Dough was too buttery and sweet. That pastry kind some people seem to not hate. Not a terribly firm bottom crust when I flicked it. No color either. Sauce was spicy. Clashed with dough. Cheese was tasteless. Sausage (meatloaf like) and pepperoni were ok. Mushroom and onion got lost in some kind of herb sprinkle that I think they put on pre-bake. So, it burned and gave off bitter overtones. Not a disaster, but, could be better. I wouldn't write them off. The name is the past tense (in someone's mind) of slider. As in, to slide a pizza into the oven. Open for three months. They said their original location is in Winter Garden.

*I will have so many season ending posts that some will run into next year if I give you a day or two to digest them. Favorites will also bleed into next year.

Alex's Fresh Kitchen, Casselberry *SC/GA Travel Notes

I tried them at lunch on Saturday. Open for three years. They do breakfast, sandwiches, salads and burgers. I suspect that they fancy themselves as gourmet. The "Alex" is Alex Diaz. They had a few awards for burgers. I, however, needed something I could eat while driving. I chose a turkey with bacon and avocado on brioche for $13. It came with fries. The fries were far and away the best thing. Probably cut by them. Not uniform shapes. Mostly fried to firm. The brioche was good. The bacon was crispy, but, probably made a bit too far in advance. The turkey was grilled and probably Boar's Head or the like. Dry. All in all though, something in it didn't agree with me and I've been burping parts of it up ever since. Just had an avocado tasting one. Small space. Five tables of four. One family one. Pretty full for Christmas Eve day. Prices were all near mid teens. In a strip mall near the Red Bug Lake over pass and/or Tijuana Flats. 

*Travel Notes - South Carolina and Georgia: I rented a car for a week from Budget for $243. Drove to North Turn Restaurant in Daytona. It is closed until mid-February because of hurricane damage. This is the north turn of the original beach course for the Daytona 500. Drove straight through to Charleston (95 to 17). Stayed at the bad Creekside Lands Inn in West Ashley for $81 (rack rate with AAA discount) because I didn't pre-book and didn't feel like auditioning hotels. Ate tasty 1/2 chicken with mac and cheese and waffle fries and beer at Southern Roots Smokehouse across the street. "Saw" Middleton Place (too expensive at $28 or so) and Drayton Hall (too expensive at slightly less). Had breakfast at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit (from the PBS show How She Rolls) on King St. Great biscuits. Even had a sweet one (shortbread). 3 for $6. Had great oysters and an oyster po boy with ff at Rappahannock Oyster Bar on Bay St. It's a chain from Virginia. They started as cultivators. Now they have places in Virginia, DC, etc. Had other oysters too. I learned that wild oysters tend to be longer (blades) because they stretch to compete. Most farmed oysters are farmed at 18 months. Size depends on age more than type. Salinity is weaker the farther up river they grow. Most oysters are the same "breed". "Terrior" differentiates. They swore that though they are filter feeders that they aren't micro plastic vacuums. I'll have to do more research on that. Saw College of Charleston TD Arena and Charleston Museum. Had four types of spirits at Hi Wire Distilling Co farther north between King and Meeting. Had beer at Palmetto Brewing next door. Stayed at new Candlewood Suites across the bridge in Mt Pleasant for two nights at $112 per. Had a tasty smash cb and crinkle fries at recently opened Heavy's Barburger on Morrison Dr. Had beer at: Tradesman Brewing Co, Munkle Brewing Co, Bene Bevi Brewing Co and Fatty's Beer Works. A little farther ne from Heavy's. Also saw the closed Lo Fi Brewing. It was raining. Nothing else to do. Had delicious brisket and slightly worse than last time whole hog pork at Rodney Scott's on King St and Grove. Also tried sides this time. Mac and cheese and potato salad. Both good. Spicy. Drove to Hilton Head. Stopped at Frampton Plantation House at intersection of 17 and 95 in Yemassee (free). Had a poor fried seafood platter (flounder, shrimp, oysters and crab cake) at The Crazy Crab at Jarvis Creek. Stayed at the disgusting Red Roof Inn for $73. Ate a pretty good bagel with cc at expensive Gruby's New York Deli. A place had pizza cones. Rolled up slice.  Saw Pinckey Island NWR. Drove 278 to Bluffton (cute town) to 46 to 315 to 17 through Savannah to Tybee Island on 80. I WAS going to try at get to Ossabow Island. Too cold. Plus most ways are very expensive and/or long. Ate one of the worst meals (microwaved and frozen mussels covered with spice blend and almost crabless deviled crabcake) at The Crab Shack on Tybee Island. They copped to EVERYTHING being frozen. And I don't mean "on ice". Frozen for a LONG time. Had beer at Back River Brewery. More bad weather (cold and dreary). Stayed at poor Dune's Inn and Suites for $85. Walked the beach at Chatham Ave entrance. Got some nice wine at Dizzy Dean's. At brunch at Paula Deen's Creek House a few miles west on 80. Surprisingly good and plenty fried chicken breasts with mac and cheese and potato cracklings and good bread. Yelp didn't love them. Said everything was too salty, etc. Maybe staying away from the seafood or peppering them with questions helped the cause? Place used to be her brother's. Would have tried Sundae something on Tybee had it been open. Good menu and ratings. Expensive. Drove through Savannah to 95 to St Simon's Island. Stayed at Sea Palms Resort off Frederica Rd (near Sea Island) for $102. Nice interior. Marsh views. In a golf/tennis club. Drove home. It rained one day. Cold after that. So, never could lay out, etc. No traffic issues. 95 north on the way back had an accident around Palm Coast. Miles of back up. DT Charleston hotels were still expensive and scarce. Highest end one's on St Simon's were still asking usurious rates. Lower end was good. Same in Hilton Head. Savannah was expensive on the weekend. Avoided because of additional parking fees. I just tried to save money once I realized there were few bargains to be had and because of the poor weather conditions. 

Smokey Jay's Bar B Que, Orlando

I tried this bbq place in a hidden strip mall on 50 (farther east than 417) today. Look for the sign. It's the way I found it. They said they have been in business since 2008. I think. Here for only six months. They do pork, brisket, chicken, ribs etc. On site. Only Wed-Sn. Until sold out. I've mistimed it twice before. I tried a pulled pork sandwich for $8. Very moist. Maybe a bit tacky. Good taste though. I had the spicy yellow sauce on it. Bun was plastic bag quality. Didn't eat it. Place is nothing to write home about. Not even an open sign. I think I need another deeper dive to decide on it. Order at a counter. Only owner and another here today. It was x-mas eve though. Said they would be closed until January 3. So, put that on your calendar.

*I drove through Winter Park last Monday night. Park Avenue Tavern is still not open. Did see a place next door that seemed open. Just not that night. Piano something. Not sure how long they have been there. Hen and Hog was open but closed on Monday. Next to Tin and Taco on Virginia. Plus the coffee place next door that I reviewed recently is now a bagel place. Only day hours. Ramen place near Virginia seemed still not open. Pizza place in Maitland seemed too fast food like. Fresh and Co open next to 7-11 on Park Ave. I also learned that carrots are now orange thanks to the Dutch and their love of Phillip of Orange. Hundreds of years ago. Will have another review and Travel Notes soon.

Dental Check Up Tutorial

Previously I gave you some information on root canals. This time it is just some anecdotal information on your garden variety dental work. All of the parties listed are in the Lake Mary area. I'm doing this to give some idea of how to combat all the games they seem to be playing on us. These prices are for people without dental insurance. I suspect they will be higher for the insured. I've been seen by all before (except the one I chose).

I used to just take the most current $49-$69 new patient flyer they mailed you. However, the scam that started repeating itself is that they would say you needed a "deep" cleaning once you were in the chair. These guys kind of try and hose you on your initial visit on on the recurring visits. You have to ask for both prices. And the prices changed if I called more than once. Could be my error in transcribing. You also have to demand the dentist you want. They have a staff.

The dentist I selected gave me a bi-annual cleaning, exam, xrays, etc for $300. And they didn't find any other issues. This was more consistent with previous exams. Some of the dentists here said I had cracks in multiple teeth, massive gum recession, etc and wanted to charge me mega bucks for further procedures. Now maybe this guy missed things. We'll see.

Jessica Du: $45 initial exam, $25 xrays, $79 full mouth xrays, $110 cleaning, $180 recurring visits (?), $500 deep clean/scaling per zone (upper and lower).

Kevin Bonn - $89 initial exam, $122 xrays, $164 full mouth xrays, $166 cleaning, $375 recurring visits, $884 divided by quadrant if 1-3 teeth and $1136 divided by quadrant if 3+ deep clean/scaling.

Bryan Oeth - $50 initial exam, $65 xrays, $140 full mouth xrays, $90 cleaning, $205 recurring visits, $800 divided by quadrant if 1-3 teeth and $1040 divided by quadrant if 3+ deep clean/scaling. $300 BI-ANNUAL ALL INCLUSIVE "INSURANCE" OPTION. Deep Cleaning/Scaling not included. But, discounts on such things. (20% I think).

Tim Tiralosi - $125 initial exam, $170 xrays, $250 full mouth xrays. I couldn't get more out of them. Didn't care because it was obviously ridiculous already. I went to him once in the past. Didn't take to him. He kept trying to sell other things like botox. Prices soared since then.

Alexsandra Shaykova - $60 initial visit ($112 after) exam, $111 xrays, not sure of cost for full mouth xrays, $114 cleaning, $337 recurring visits, $1294 divided by quadrant deep clean/scaling.

Once again, I chose Bryan Oeth because of the $300 plan. His regular visit was more than that. I basically got an extra exam per year and if he had tried to do the deep cleaning  boondoggle, he was competitive on that too. And I actually expected I would need that and more before the visit. I came in with tooth pain that remained since the root canal months before. It is all gone after the cleaning. I guess I had some residual infections. I believe he went to University of Indiana. His hygenist was top notch. Good because his exam wasn't exactly thorough. She did most of the explaining/diagnosing. He has another dentist in house and other hygenists.

Upsala Grocery, Sanford

I tried this spot at breakfast on Tuesday. It looks like it was once a gas station. Indian owner. Said he took over eight years ago. Re-branded two years ago. He also owns the Bubbakoo in Lake Mary. This place has two claims to fame. Craft beer selection and food. I tried an egg and sausage and cheese for just under $4. It came on a croissant. Not sure why. I thought it would be a roll. Ok. Yolk was broken and cooked to a solid. They also sell sandwiches around $9. Plus Indian dishes. Even things like a chicken tikka quesadilla. I'll have to go back and try one of those items. Not a destination spot, but, better than a chain if you need a to go meal around this area. It's up from the 46a exit off I-4 to Upsala near the golf club at Country Club Rd. Left a few hundred yards to 300 Upsala.

Grub Crawl - Lake Ivanhoe District: El Greco and Norma's Italian Eatery

I tried these stalls at The Hall on Tuesday at lunch. To go because they charge if you sit. The place was empty. Most stalls had only one employee. The Mexican place in the corner switched to another Mexican place (Itzayana) since my last visit. The Hall is closed on Monday.

El Greco - Because of Edible. Ok to good chicken gyro with fries for $19 (the Hall carges for credit). Good pita. Average thigh meat. Needed trimming. Large portion. L, T, O and Tzatziki. Seasoned fries. The first properly done ones I've had in a while. Side of some red pepper dressing.  They sell 6 apps (ie flaming cheese at $15) and 2 salads at $16 and 4 handhelds up to $25 and 4 entrees (ie branzino $38 or lamb ribs $35). You can see the prices a unjustifiable. Even for a "real" restaurant's overhead/responsabilities. And that is across the board. Most stalls were a worse bargain. You can tell they never learned that it is best to pick a sales price and then work backwards on adjusting costs to make your desired profit margin. And if they argue that they won't sacrifice quality, I'll have to belly laugh. This is marginal food. Marginally better than a mall food court.

Norma's Italian Eatery - Ciao, Norma. Now vaffanculo. The department of health should shut you down. The $15 Caprese Chicken Sandwich you served me would have been thrown in your face had I eaten it there. How old was that chicken breast? How much freezer burn? How many times was it defrosted and frozen again? It had the texture of rubberized plastic. I can't find an analogy. Like tough pork. Just terrible. The roll was equally as tough. The tomato was tasteless and rubbery. The mozz was dry and spongy. The only ok element was the Caesar salad. And it was just cheap mixed greens that had a few strawberries and blueberries in it for some reason. The dressing was bad too. Their other poisins (for example) are: $9 garlic knots, $38 charcuterie board, $16 pizza, four mid-$20s pastas. You don't need me to tell you that I'd be suspicious of any of them. Quality is obviously not Job 1.

*Driving around to my initial destinations, I saw that this is the state of the union around this area. Pigzza is no where near close. The new ramen (Kamen?) place at Virginia and Mills isn't open either. You shouldn't be able to show your sign until you are. At Shine and 50, Moderne (what will they be?) isn't open. Haan Coffe was. An ice cream place named something like Mesaquinta seemed done, but, no one was in there. There is also another chain tea place open near that Asian market a little further east. And I drove by The Strand. Another recipient of a Bib Gourmand. Another head scratcher. I don't remember them being anything special. But, then again, they also singled out Z Asian and Bombay Kitchen.  Two more head scratchers. I almost disliked them. Their "Recommends" made more sense. Even if they weren't complete. It's a list a tourist would make after a week's immersion. Well, I guess that is what they do after all.

Grub Crawl - Winter Springs: Pho Au Lac and Parlour Ice Cream *Florida Keys Travel Notes

I tried these places in that strip mall near the high school at Tuskawilla and 434 at dinner on Monday. They are next to each other across from the McDonald's. I originally planned on trying Joliebee on 50. They STILL aren't open. And the internet said they were weeks ago. I also learned that Cafe Linger in College Park and Sushi Pop in Winter Park closed. I guess the answer to the question is that you don't have to let it linger.

Pho Au Lac - Another dull Pan Asian maquerading as Vietnamese. Same dull menu, etc. Open for four years. I avoided it for this long because of this very possibility. I tried a spicy chicken dish with chicken and basil and onion. It was to have snow peas. Of course they retract the most expensive element. It was ok. Thin pieces of chicken. Probably a Thai dish. The rice was man handled. Every grain was ripped apart. It cost $14. Shabby interior. It seats around sixty. They also do boba. It was empty.

Parlour Ice Cream - A cute (if overpriced) ice cream parlour that probably makes their own ice cream. A kiddie is almost $5. I tried a french toast shake for $8. It was good. Bits of some carb. Like tough, stale french toast. Some fun flavors. Bright white interior. Only location. Empty. Opened in April.

*Travel Notes - Florida Keys: Car rental for week was $324 with Budget. I rebooked days before because the quotes almost dropped in half from when I last looked. I had had a res with Hertz for $50 less. But, I hate working with them. No traffic issues (95) going down on Wednesday afternoon. Started at 9am. Ate a terrible (one fingers worth of lobster in a fritter) lobster reuben at Snook's Bayside in Key Largo. Ok mahi tacos at Alfredo's Cookhouse. Stayed at Rock Reef again for $102 a night. Dove French Reef with Rainbow Reef for $134 (dive and gear and tax). Ate a probably all frozen itemed mixed (mahi, clam, shrmp) fried basket with ff at The Catch. Ate an ok Margherita pizza at Italian Food Company. Ate (I'm going to save time and say all the rest of the egg meals mentioned were basically the same and mediocre) over easy eggs and hb and sausage and toast at High Tide. Went to Harry Harris beach. Grabbed a beer at Caribbean Club. They claim that the movie Key Largo (I guess the Bogart one) was shot there. I've seen scenes from it. Didn't look like familiar. Grabbed an ok meatball sub to go at Avenue Subs. Also, a good 1/4 chicken with a rice bean and pork combo and sweet plantains from Denny's Latin Cafe. Drove back to Florida City to save money by staying at Fairway Inn (again) for $85. Watched Utah dismantle SC. Drove back to Key Largo and had eggs, etc at Doc's Diner. Drove to Islamorada. Took a boat to Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park from Robbie's Pier. Usually $50. But, they were doing a X-mas celebration for $15. Stayed at under renovation (failed to disclose) Breezy Palms for $154 with taxes and fees. Ate a terrible chicken parm with rigatoni at Ciao Hound. Grabbed a bagel with rancid cc at F-ing Bagels. Drove to Marathon. Ate eggs, etc at Wooden Spoon. Went to Sombrero Beach. Walked the recently re-opened 7 Mile Bridge walkway. Ate a good seafood bisque and ok chicken piccata with side (baked potato) at Key Colony Inn. Mag said try their Sunday brunch. It is discontinued. Stayed at Bonefish Bay for $105. Drove back through Islamorada and had eggs, etc at Mangrove Mike's. Stopped in Coral Gables (on US1) at 3 Chefs for terrible, tiny and overpriced grilled 1/4 chicken. And had a great donut at Mojo donuts (on 3D). Had one blip of traffic around exit 35. Someone's furniture and clothes flew off their vehicle. The other side was a different story. Totally closed down from exit 40 to 30. Poor bastards. Good week to go. Weather was warm. Pretty empty. I booked most rooms through Booking before Thanksgiving. Not sure which way pricing went. But, overall better than last year when I did it last minute (and I didn't even risk weekend prices last year).

Grub Crawl - Hourglass District/Curry Ford Rd: Papa Lllama, Bad A's Burgers and Charlie's Bakery and Creamery

I tried these places on Tuesday at dinner. The first is in a strip mall with the supermarket. The second is in a strip mall closer to 436 that has been two Indian places recently. The third is in a strip mall in between. I may have reviewed them before. They changed ownership and aren't the same place in any event.

Papa Llama - I'm not sure what to say about them. They received a Bib Gourmand from Michelin. Google states this "Although Michelin stars are highly coveted, the Bib Gourmand designation signifies a restaurant delivering a high quality dining experience at a reasonable price. To be precise, a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand restaurant must offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for around $40." I didn't see any of that. They had a a very limited and blase and expensive menu with an even more ridiculously expensive wine list (good, but, at least a 3X mark up). The least costliest bottle was $50. I chose Huanc Noods for $18. This is (oh btw they are a Peruvian restaurant) a goopy garlic paste that is usually put on potatoes. They do egg noodles. It was ok. Very goopy. Toothy noodles. Unclear if they make them. And that was the cheapest thing on the menu. 2 apps. Olives were like $8 and something equally dull. two chaufas (that's fried rice) that I think were over $20. A skirt steak at $26 that they call lomo. Lomo is Spanish for tenderloin. Skirt is diaphragm. Google says lomo can be called Romanian tenderloin. This is misrepresentation in my book. I think they had one other main and one dessert. That's the whole menu! This is who Michelin singles out? I can think of forty more deserving restaurants in CF. Not that they are bad. Just not award winning. The place is equally unimpressive. A small, rectangular room that seats around 40. Bland decor. Kitchen on the right. I was their only customer. Wines ran up to $100+. $5 sodas. Service was fine. Open for two years. Husband and wife team. Third gen Peruvians. Open 5-9. No Sn/M. It just struck me as another example of a bad value from Gen Z. They want to earn X amount. Not a realistic ROI for a restaurant or a cook. And so they charge more than is sustainable/warranted. And they obviously blew someone at Michelin or Michelin is as thorough as Guy Fieri or this is just diversity grading because they ain't that good. And worst of all, Michelin only selected around eight spots (inn CF) to receive this honor. More "experts". How did they even hear about them? I hadn't.

Bad A's Burgers - Too expensive. Let's get that out of the way. Same Gen Z complaint as above. They think a fast casual double burger is worth $16. I grabbed a single for $8. They say it's Australian waygu. It was ok. Beefy. Not miniscule. L, T, O and some sauce. Good bun. Sesame. They also sell soup and bone tallow fries. Around seven types of cheese. Some meat toppings. Small, hall like space. Counter. A few tables. Open for a month. I was the only customer.

Charlie's Bakery and Creamy - Original owners started this in 1971. Sold a year ago. They remodeled big time. Looks great. White and black. Bright. Now they sell home made ice cream. I grabbed a bad chocolate torte for $6.50. Dry chocolate cake topped with icing balls covered in bad chocolate. Looked way better than it tasted. Open until 8pm. Flan, cookies, cake, rugalah (sp?), cupcakes, etc.  Other items are probably good. I reviewed them as Charlie's Gourmet Pastries back in the day.

Grub Crawl - Oviedo: Chiffon, Irish 31, Salsas, Slam Dunk Sandwiches *Spain Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Red Bug Lake at lunch on Wednesday. The first is in a strip mall that as a Walmart Market. Actually in Winter Springs. The next two are in a strip mall at the Alafaya Trail intersection. Although they list the address as Mitchell Hammock. Maybe I'm off. The last is in between near the Oviedo Mall. I should add that I learned that P is for Pie and Bikes, Bordeaux and whatever in Audubon Park have closed.

Chiffon Culture Bakery Cafe - They do donuts, buns, cakes and other pastries. I grabbed a lemon bun and a pork bun. To try both possibilities. Both cost $2.50. Odd. One had a glaze of lemon and one had meat. You wouldn't think they have the same cost to produce. Both were disappointing. The pork was half gristle and half salt. The lemon was barely lemony. The bun was ok. Not sure if this is an "Asian" bakery. Evidence on both sides. Not too impressive. Some seats. Open for four months. Open for breakfast. I think they close after lunch (2pm).

Irish 31 - On that Edible list too. Better than I expected. I was avoiding it. Irish pubs don't excite me. I had their cheapest item. A Jax burger with chips for $13.50 ($1 for cheese). It was much better than I imagined. White cheddar. Properly cooked. Juicy. Good, rich flavor. Fresh T, L. O and P. Ciabatta like roll. Fresh. Freshly fried, home made chips. Plentiful. The only criticism is that both were over salted. Most things are semi-expensive. Near $20 and higher. Decent menu. Their main differentiation are boxty(s). One big, open room. Bar at one end. TVs. One big one. May have had a patio. Open for almost three years.

Salsas - Grabbed a chicken burrito to go because they weren't in the origianl plan. In the corner of the Irish 31 strip mall. Stringy chicken. No beans or rice. Cost $10. Came with chips, salsa (ironically bland and bad) and sour cream. Justified my suspicion that I should get the cheapest thing. They had some possibilities on the menu, but, it was too hard to decipher what was available and what would be an up charge. Open room. Patio. Black and white tiles. Murals. Star shaped ceiling hangings. Seen it all before. All in all, just another insipid Mexican restaurant in this "higher priced" category. Open for two years.

Slam Dunk Sandwiches - 10 types of panini. all $10. I tried a Chad. Boar's Head (they seem to be proud of this) chicken roll, cheese and a pickle sliver. It ws ok. Only two or three slices of roll. Bread was blah. Not enough color on the toast. Tried it cold and re-warmed. Better warm. Buffalo sauce. Also had two soups and two salads. One basic rectangular room. Order at a counter. A little expensive for what you get. Open for four months. Near the Lowe's. The only location.

*Travel Notes - Spain. AA flight (1 stop) to Madrid cost $605. I also booked at that time (two weeks before) a RT to Mallorca for $58. Booked RT from Mallorca to Ibiza ($83) and Mallorca to Menorca ($111) when I landed (so only a few days before). Stayed at Hostal Apuntadores in Palma (the main town) for $61 a night. Bus from airport was $5. Saw palace, cathedral, marina, castle, etc. Lovely old town. Only ate market food. Boquerones (sardines) and canned mussels. Fresher than most restaurant mussels I've been getting and only around 1E per tin. Also some local cheese called Grimalt. And chips called pajitos. Flew to Ibiza. Bus cost $3. Stayed at Play Hotel at Figueretes Beach (slightly outside port) for $72 a night. Probably better than in town. On the bus route. 5 minute walk into town. Only issue was that beach was loaded with seaweed this time of year. Ate lengua and suadero (veal skirt steak and rib meat) and Sinaloen (stewed) tacos at Tiki Taco. Ate tenere (steak) empanadas at Panaderia Gatzara. Otherwise markets. Had a chicken curry empanada. So many empanadas! Ibiza was disappointing. A castle. A port. Pretty much it. Flew back to Mallorca for the night. Stayed at Costa Azul in the marina for $82. Flew to Menorca. Stayed in port city of Mao at Hostal La Isla for $41 a night. $3 bus. Ate solely at market. Chocolate Napolitana, jamon y queso cresta, pate (two types), camot (like blood sausage - local), chicken teriyaki hojaldre, steak empanada, spicy chicken rubiol, spinach and cheese empanada, cabra (goat) cheese, queso Mahon (Mao), Iberico ham (not good). Very cute island. More green and natural. Port had churches and fortifications and was on top of a cliff. Wish I explored more. Liked this the best. Mallorca was huge. Hard to get around/appreciate. Here you can probably take a bus everywhere you want to go. Flew to Mallorca and connected to Madrid. $5 bus to Atocha Station. Learned (later) that I should have exited at Cibeles Fountain stop. Much better area. I thought Atocha was the focal point. Not really. And I ended up NOT taking the train to other cities on top of that because most left from other stations and other reasons (ie weather). Stayed at the terrible Hostal Los Arcos for $80 a night for the first two nights and lovely Hotel Cortezo for $106 a night. Ate churros and hot chocolate at Maestro Churrero. Quail egg and chorizo and langostino tacos (in an eatable taco bowl) at El Fisgon Taco Sam at Mercado de San Miguel (MSM hereafter). Snow crab (spicy and cocktail sauced) on bilinis at King Crab at MSM. Did these on a Saturday. A zoo. Did these on Monday (empty): Bacalao tartar and foie (great) on toast at La Casa de Bacalao at MSM, squid ink and potato tortilla (omelet) with garlic cream (great) at Picolisto at MSM, bocadillo de jamon Iberico (great) at Mas (Carrasco Ibericos) at MSM. Also, found a food hall at Galeria Canelejas on Alcala and had a great beef and pork cheek brioche de carrillera at John Barrita (also had stall at MSM). Had a jamon serrano bocadillo at Museo del Jamon (chain). At the market, I tried a tuna empanada (tomato sauced) and a calzone. I saw, but didn't try - Iberico Ham Pate, McDonald's burger with fried egg (Benedict) and a big pie like empanada cut into quarters. Glad I stayed in Madrid. Went to Prado, Reina Sofia, many churches, park, palace, bball arena, bull fighting arena, etc.

 Every day was full. A little chilly. Sometimes overcast or a short rain shower. Still did it in shorts and wind breaker. Very safe. People were well dressed and attractive. Women wore little whore make up and had few piercings. Not a very diverse populace. Everyone seemed on holiday. Only problem was that they have no indoor voice and they don't cover their mouths when they cough. Gave help. Spoke English. The weather on the islands was also a little overcast. Still, not an awful time to visit. I also drank many wines. Ate many cured meats. As usual. A nice little jaunt that I have been waiting to do (Covid rules now lifted) for a while. I also learned that I can do day trips from Madrid to some of the places I was going to take a train to. Will be back soon.

Seana's Caribbean, West Colonial

I tried them at lunch after the places in Winter Garden. Saw them on a list in Edible magazine too. They had signs saying Top 6 Black restaurants in the US and articles on how they fed the NBA during the covid tournament. On Good Homes Rd near West Lakes Mall (?) And Apopka Vineland Rd. Near a pond. Small place. Little decor. Not sure what islands they draw from. The Monday Special (of jerk chicken with rice, sweet plantains and two sides and soda) didn't taste Jamaican. The rub was wet and had some sweetness. It was good. Cost $10. Small bird. Good yellow (my choice) rice and plantains. I chose mashed potatoes and potato salad. Both good. Garlic in mp and had gravy.  Real potatoes. PS had sweet mayo. Had a full menu. Interesting apps. Oxtail was $30. Not a bargain basement place. Open for four years. Worth a visit.

*Saw a food truck on the way back at 50 and OBT.

Grub Crawl - Winter Garden: The Whole Enchilada, Way Chocolate & Coffee, Sweetland Cake & Tea, Daniel's Cheesesteak House

I tried these places at lunch on Monday. The first three are on Plant St downtown. The last is on E Plant a few blocks away in a bodega. I am going to give another spot it's own post in a few days. Also saw a new place called Mangoni. Sweet Dee's not open until Th. It's funny. My views have gone up again since Elon Musk became a competitor again. Either Google is playing games or you just can't quit me. Maybe time to take my free content to Twitter? What do you say Google Gestapo? Am I finally going to be off the naughty list?

The Whole Enchilada - They have other posts in Oakland Park and Ft L and Plantion or Plant City. Reminded me of Latitudes DT. More of a bar. Patio. Roof deck. All brown wood. Order at a counter. Typical Mex options. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas. I grabbed a Bob chicken burrito to go for $10. Had guac and sour cream and beans and rice. Ok. Grilled chicken. But had freezer burn. Guac was cheap kind of avocado. Spongy salsa. Chips side. They wanted $3 for a Coke. I ain't paying no 300 cents for no Coke. Open for 5 years per them. Seems more like more like 2 to me. Ok fast casual quality in a better atmosphere. Prob way better with booze in you.

Way Chocolate & Coffee - Was another similar place before. Kirwins? They said it was a Brazilian family. Now drinks and pastry and dipped chocolate. I spent my 300 cents here on a chilled Amercano because it was the cheapest thing and I needed a drink still and I have to buy something to write about. It was fine. Open 4 years per them.

Sweetland Cake & Tea - Near the covered public space one block in. Behind Mangoni  An Asian fusion drinks and pastry place. I tried a spice cupcake for $3. Tiny. Fine. $7 drinks. $6 - $9 cakes. Samurai ice bowls. Hokkaido ice cream cake. Cute. Open 4 months. Trumaine St.

Daniel's Cheesesteak House - Read of them and Sweet Dave's in Edible magazine. Open 30+ years. Latin owners. Had Best of signs. Wings too. Grabbed a cs for $10. Short roll. Ok. Stuffed. I asked for only onions. Thought cheese was presumed. Nope. Still good. Good quality beef. Not overcooked. Thin. Open 9 to 7. 978 E Plant St. Mostly crackers eating there. I must be the last to know. They had some fun bodega items like Rap Chips and candy versions of those 99 cent Arizona ice teas. I think they do a bigger sized cs too. Took a while. Nice staff.

Grub Crawl - International Drive Area: Hampton Social and Twenty Pho Hours *Greece Travel Notes

I tried these spots on I Drive on Wednesday at lunch. The first is at Pointe Orlando. The second is past Sea World and CF Parkway. The second strip mall on the east side around Westwood. At 11951.

Hampton Social - A chain out of Chicago since 2015. This location has been around for two years. Lunch (early) and dinner. They get some of the Hampton ethos correct. I can see the white and blue color scheme being consistent. They add touches of rope and other components to the look. Not out of place. They name some of the dishes after actual places. There is no true Hampton cuisine (aside from potatoes, sweet corn, pies, duck and maybe seafood), so, the menu doesn't confuse the senses. All in all, I guess it's Hampton-y. The prices really capture the spirit of the more high end or touristy spots. Everything is double what it should be. That is why I settled on the Shelter Island Chicken Sandwich at $19. It was a Chik-fil-a like fried breast (a little bigger to be fair) on a glossy, buttered bun with green apple, slaw and pickles and some cheese (maybe emmanthaler) with a ranch like dressing. The side is chips. They served a fair amount and they were home made. A little stale. Cooking oil could probably use a change too. It was good. You could upgrade to small cup of fries, etc for around $5. Full sides were $19! I shit you not. A burger was also $19. Chowder was $9. Oysters were $5 each! Beer was $8. Most things $20+. And most things more than that bottom line. The worst offender was the $34 lobster roll. It was neither bursting at bun level nor bursting from out of the top of the bun with lobster. The bun hardly stretched itself. And the meat looked like limp, shrunken claw meat. Sad. It was hot and buttery lobster. Connecticut style. Not Hamptons (mayo and cold). Big place. Three rooms. Bar plus main (mostly high tops). Patio. And back room. High ceilings. TVs at the bar. Fairly full. Service was good. Not a bad experience. I parked behind Miller's Alehouse because Point Orlando charges. Forgot to ask if they validate.

Twenty Pho Hours - They opened in January. A modern Vietnamese place. Order up front. A small rectangular room. White with black drawings. Very bright. Seats about thirty. More apps than I was expecting. I tried a spicy tuna summer roll for $7.50. It had the cheap, non-Haas avocado. Spring mix. No vermicelli. Ok. I still am not a fan of rice paper (or noodles). Too chewy. Other apps were: dumplings, edamame, egg rolls, squid on a stick, spring roll, etc. $4 to $6. I also had a trifecta pho for $13. Udon noodles, beef broth with brisket, chicken and shrimp. I liked having the thicker noodle and mix of meats. Three thin slices of beef and three small shrimp. More chicken breast. Scrawny chicken. Not sure how much was home made versus bought. But, it was good. They also offer up 12 other bowls. With things like filet mignon, pork belly, oxtail, lobster tail and a Shanghai Dumpling Soup ($12 to $45). And three noodles dishes. Plus a few desserts and lots of drinks. A very good option at this price point. If you don't do lobster.

*Travel Notes - Greece: I flew through Newark to Athens on UA for $755. Booked a rt flight (and hotel) on Sky Express (right before boarding) to Paros for $107 for right after I landed. It was the cheapest island I had been researching. It was ok. Hotel Pandrossos was $50 (all these numbers are with tax) a night. Oceanside. Bus was less than $2. But, I was too tired to wait (and too anxious on the return day) and wasted $20 each time on a cab. Plus the bus took four times as long. You can take buses to most of the island. Alleys to roam. I ate charcuterie, cheese, wine, dips, etc from the markets most of the trip. I took the bus from the airport ($5.50 each way) to Athens (Syntagma Square) for one night. Took an hour. Last stop. No probs. Stayed at Pan Hotel for $103. I had been getting rates much higher than this on my landing date. Why I went to Paros first. Ate a pork and a chicken and a squid gyro at Hoocut. $3 each. This place was on the Gordon Ramsey show where he and Fred and Gino travel to places. The one on the show (pork) was the only bad one. Stale, hard pita. Squid had a bb in it. This was near the hotel and square. It was drizzily, so, I just re-saw the Acropolis and the Olympic Stadium and Hadrian's Arch and Palace, etc. Grabbed at mushroom pie/pastry at Harry's Kitchen. Then back to airport to Santorini. On Sky Express and Volota (sp?) for $108. Had a spinach pie at Gregory's at the airport. Bus from airport to Fira (main town) was $1.60. Stayed at Hotel Leta for $48 a night. One of the cheaper options. On main road. It was overcast for most of the trip. Walked around the town/crater and to Skaros rock the first day. Ate a pork souvlaki with ff at Why Not. Ate most dinners from markets. Walked 7 miles to Oia the next day (and 7 back). Had a falafel at Yogi Vegetarian Falafel with a Brazilian girl after sunset. Took bus to Black Beach at Perissa (under $2) and to Red Beach at Akrotiri (same) the next day. Had a cb at Anasykthrio (or something like that - Greek letters) snack bar on the way to Red Beach. Drank mastiha and tsikoudia. Flew back to Athens (they almost overbooked me) and onto Rhodes on Sky Express and Aegean for $145. Ate a ham and gouda croissini and a ham and cheese at Everest at the airport. And a chocolate and chestnut (on a) bagel at Koulourades. Very interesting. Bus from airport was $3 each way. Slept first night at a dump called Hotel Savoy for $33. Was where bus stopped and I got in at night. Moved to excellent Cactus Hotel (on the ocean) for $65 a night. Went to Old Town - Palace of the Grand Master, old fortified City, Street of the Knights (Rhodes was a Crusades port), location of the Colossus of Rhodes, etc. Very cool town. Went swimming in the ocean. Ate a sausage (hd) roll at Il Borgo. Next day did much of the same. Ate a tuna sandwich and sausage and tomato and cheese pie at the Eatery. Got up at dawn and back to airport to Athens and then Naxos for $136 on Sky Express. It was the cheapest flight of the remaining possibilities (and I had done some research on it). Ok island. Kite surfing, etc. Shared a cab for $5 ($15 total). Hotel was supposed to pick up for free. Stayed at Venetian Suites for $35 a night. Saw Temple of Apollo and two beaches. Walked the alleys. Back to Athens (this time I got the free transport) and into town. Stayed at Kimon Hotel for $60. Walked around acropolis. Saw oldest house in Athens. Retook some pics from the drizzly day. Bus back to airport. Salmon and cc sandwich at Gregory's.

 Except for freak "storm" from northeast in the middle, weather was perfect. Water was a bit chilly. No real issues flying. Tried alot of Greek wine. Ate some cheeses called Graviera and Manouri. Some Armenian blood sausage. Time well spent. Rhodes and Santorini were much better islands.

YH Seafood Clubhouse, Sand Lake Rd Area

I tried this spot on Monday at lunch. It is in that strip mall in front of you when you exit Sand Lake from the north. On Turkey Lake Rd. On the far side of the mall. It opened six months ago. They have a more basic place in Altamonte. This is fancy. I had a lunch special of Golden Prawn with veg and rice and sweet and sour soup for $16. Regular menu dishes were almost twice that. The six, small, semi butterflied shrimp and celery and broccoli and snow peas claimed to be in a wine sauce. Rice wine? Not bad. Fresh. Cantonese (Guangzhou) style. Soup was ok. Rice was a little dry. I also had Abalone siu mai dim sum for $8.50. Three big dumplings. With tiny abalone on top. Soft abalone. Large. Not much noodle covering.  All dim sum were over $7. The menu was large and pricy. IE $88 Peking Duck app. Lots of cool things like geoduck clams. Apps start at $15. Soups at $15. 10 four seats, two threes and two family tables in the back room. More up front. Bar in between. Gold tapestry behind screen walls. Gray tile floors. Service was hot and cold. Mix of Asians and guys who look like they do business there. Three year old pop on the radio. I was impressed. Stands for Yummy House. Recommended.

Grub Crawl - Longwood and Lake Mary: Daniel's Bakery and Colombia La Bella *France Travel Notes

 I tried these spots on Tuesday night (got last flight in from Europe) and Saturday afternoon. There was an event of some import in between. The first is in a strip mall by the tracks and Ronald Reagan on 434. I think it was a Puerto Rican place before. The second is in a strip mall at Lake Mary Blvd and Rinehart. I also saw that that Shriraz Market had moved near Rookies at 17-92 and 434. Can you believe the GD H key on my computer broke? This is taking forever.

Daniel's Bakery - A Middle Eastern/Mediterranean menu. Small. Mostly bread/shwarma/desserts. I had a chicken shwarma for $10. Good wrap/pita. Not so stuffed. Almost no veg or spreads. Maybe pickled something? Maybe a touch of something with yougart? I think they were wrapping up for te night. The chicken spinner was off. Took a while to shave the chicken. It had a nice flavor. Nutmeg and Cumin? Not real thighs piled on top of each other. Probably a pre-fab. Seemed to be from Chicago. Unsure if they have/had a place there. Probably. They have a pizza oven too. They offered steak, chicken, falafel, eggs and zingers. Zatar. Open until 8pm. Big, open space. Little decor. They said the opened a year ago, but, refurbed three months ago. Said dishes were from all over the ME. Jordan, Lebanon, etc. I would try them again.

Colombia La Bella - Opened two weeks ago. I tried some apps because the mains were expensive and not to my liking. And I'm always apprehensive about other people's refrigerated stuff after a hurricane and I wanted to get back and watch college football for the first time in two weeks. I had a beef and a chicken empanada for $2 a piece. I had a chorizo and a morcilla (blood sausage) with arepa for $4.50 a piece. The beef in the empanada was good. Soft. Moist. Not old. Probably brisket. The chicken was moist and shredded. Both had mashed potatoes inside. Deep fried. Nice size. Came with hot hot sauce. The arepas were not what I was expecting. Just two large (probably store bought) links aside a small puffy arepa. I thougt they would be on top and cut up and covered with something. I thougt the arepa would be larger and flatter. The morcilla was better than the chorizo. Not as tough. The menu is steak and shrimp heavy. Around $20. The chicken dishes are breasts. They also serve breakfast (it said $14 after 11am). I think that was for the big platter. They had some fun stuff like a $20 fish soup and sugar cane drink with cheese. More than most places. Light gray walls. Hat decorations. "Coffee table" tables. Two rooms. To go/front/cashier on the left. Bar/main on the right. Tables far apart. Open 7 days a week. 9am-10pm most days. Less on Sunday. I'll go back. I also went to Stacked Brownies next door. Still good.

*Travel Notes - France: I was going to take the train from Paris (cheapest ticket to Europe at $595 on VA and AF) to Germany, but, the weather forecast was bad. Took RER train from CDG Terminal 2 (goes from 1 and 3 and 1 is closed down anyway) to Notre Dame station for $10. Euro is just below USD, so, I'll write in dollars. Easily purchased from a kiosk. Walked from there down the Seine to Gare du Lyon area (where trains south depart). Stayed at noisy Paris Hotel Mediteranen for $127 times two nights. Easily the cheapest I could find. I mostly ate hunks of cheese, rose, charcuterie, baguettes and packaged sandwiches most of the time, so, don't look for much restaurant advice. Walked down Seine as far as I could. Verged over to Bois de Vincennes (zoo/park/museums). I think this is the 12th arrondisement. I should say I've already seen all the big stuff. I just go where I haven't been before now. Then back. There was an old viaduct near my hotel that they turned into a "Highline". The train to Lyon had some issue on the track, so, I decided to start with Marseille and work back. Train cost $98. Bought at kiosk. Kiosk printed a bar code. Didn't need smart phone. Stayed at BW Marseille Bourse Vieux Port for $107 times two nights. Not far from station. Marseille was far less sketchy than I've been told (since birth). I should say I've never been to the proceeding cities. The port was down right nice. Lots of Arabs and North Africans (all France is like that now). A little tension. Not alot. Deeper inland is probably dangerous. Walked left side of the port to Fort St Nicolas on the hill (free) and down to the Plage des Catalans to get my first look at the island where Chateau d'If resides. Where the Count of Monte Cristo was held (and Man in the Iron Mask for five years). Came back and walked right side to the end (Muceum). Walked up to Notre Dame de la Garde (big views) the next day and through the Arts district (Vielle Charite). Took the $11 ferry to d'If. And island of Frioul. Took train (kiosk) to Arles the next day for $14. I should note that my plans changed because of train prices and availabilities in areas and weather forecasts. Would have stayed south. Arles is where most of Van Gogh's famous exploits happened. Saw those sights and their famous Roman stadium, Rhone, etc. Stayed at De Mussee for $106. Had an Esquimo (chocolate ice cream bar), Quiche Lorraine and Fig/Apple/Cassis Chaussons (slippers) at Masaki Yamamoto (seemed posh). Train to Nimes for $7. Stayed at Odaly's in front of Roman stadium (bull fighting arena) for $69. Saw cathedral, churches, Roman temple, etc. Didn't see that ticket to Lyon left from Pont du Gard station (new). Had to sort out how to get there. 30 minutes away. They have a $2 bus. Worked out. Damn kiosks that don't filter like you selected! Train cost $39. Lyon was great. Much safer and cleaner than I expected. Known as their culinary and financial city. Anthony Bourdain got me interested in it. Tried to go where he went. One was super fancy. One was out of the city. One (Comptoir Abel) I was never around during their hours. You are supposed to eat cannelles (fish balls) there. I stayed near my station (Part Dieu) at the Appart City for $102 times two nights. By far the cheapest. Walked to the island (twenty minutes) that houses the old town (where everything is). Walked past Rhone and Saone. Walked up 250 stairs and then meandering paths to Notre Dame Place de Fourviere. Then found out there is a $3 funicular. Great views. Back down to Cathedral of Lyon St Jean. Along river (past Abel) to other train station (Perrache) and then north up main drag to Opera House and Hotel de Ville and back to hotel. Next day I stayed on my side and walked up to Parc de la Tete d'Or (zoo and botanical gardens, etc) and then over river back to Hotel de Ville plaza and tried a chicken kebab (shwarma) at some place I read about on a web site (La Broche). Joe Gatto says "on the broche" means "on the arm" ie stolen in Italian. I wonder if this is the same? They put weird stuff like yam in it. Good. I continued to the funicular to see the Roman ampitheatres on the hill (left of the Cathedral). Could have walked this one more easily. And had to walk down because the funicular broke. Oh well. Took train to Strasbourg (my main goal) for $80. Could only stay one night (at Ibis Centre Gare for $90) because trains to Paris a day later were full or expensive as hell and I couldn't risk missing my flight because of this bitch called Ian that was coming to wreck my home. Oh and rain forecast. Strasbourg was (no duh) much more German. An island old town like Bruges or Amsterdam. Cute. Walked through the center. Cathedral, churches, university, the usual. Had a cheese and sauce panzerotti at Mitico. The next day (5pm train) walked around the perimeter and saw more 'hoods and the Palais Rohan (museum) and an area called Ile de France. Ate great eclairs at Donatien Maitre Eclair. He did savory ones and sweet. Had an olive and sun dried tomato with herb creme fraiche one and a pistachio with some sweet creme one. He did one with magret of duck. This is the new "cupcake" craze. If you are smart. I tried their local Alsacien specialities at Woerle (just one of many options - not particularly good). Bretzel (not pretzel!), gauffre (waffle) and Kougelhopf with chocolate. Is this what Seinfeld was talking about? Had a sample of Meule de Tarentaise at Cave d'Affinage de Riquewir. Took train ($63 - a bargain rate) de Gare de L'Est in Paris. Stayed near there at Garden Saint Martin for $131 times two nights. Cheapest by far. Bought a Petit Boyard at La Creamerie. Walked to the Marais via Rue de Temple (once an artsy area - now gentrified beyond belief) to Cirque d'Hiver and Picasso Museum and the Jewish Quarter (more of a street) and churches. Ate a bad (too thin an odd seasoning) corned beef sandwich at Janet by Homer. Walked on past the Pompidou to the Chatelet Les Halles (a stop on the RER) and up Blvd de Sevestapol to the hotel. Found an incredible canal near by. Too tired to follow it far. This is the NE part of Paris. Walked same way the next day. Had iffy dim sum stuff at Le Chinois Gourmet. An ok falafel at Falafel du Liban. $10 RER from Chatelet Les Halles to CDG. Stayed at Ibis at Terminal 3 for $116. Left out of Terminal 2. 

Weather reports were shit. Often forecast rain. Barely had any. I wonder if Germany would have been doable? This was great though. Two hour weather delay iat MCO almost made me miss my connection in London. Luckily the connector was late too. Late coming back to London too. London flight was also late (part issue). All the cheese and pate and meats and stress probably weren't great for the ticker. Worth it though. Learned of these items: Ktipti (dip of red pepper, yougart, mint and feta) and Petales (potato crisps shaped like petals). And they punk Putin by spelling it Poutine.

Grub Crawl - College Park: Honolulu Harry's (Closed), Uncle Louie G, Jeff's Bagel Run and Quesa Loco

I tried the first two places at dinner on Monday. The next two at lunch today. The first three are on Edgewater. The last is between I-4 and Edgewater.

Honolulu Harry's - In the condo on Princeton. I had Huli Huli chicken rice bowl for $16. It was good. Dark meat, shredded chicken. Moist. The rice just seemed like white rice. Sweet platains. Pickled onion. Canned pineapple. Aoli. Decent portion size. The menu is small. 4 entrees. 2 chicken bowls, ahi and watermelon bowls. 6 tacos. 3 salads. 6 apps. 3 sliders. Not terribly Hawaiian. Spam fries? Ahi was $20. Most things seem a bit high. $6 tacos. But maybe that's the new normal. Odd hours. 3p-10p. No Monday. Two, connected rooms. A bar and another. Seems more of a bar that does food than vica verca. Open for 2 months.

Uncle Louie G Ice Cream - I tried a small coconut. for $4 It was good. A chain from NY. Many flavors. Shakes, smoothies, sundaes, etc. Ices also. Near the high school. Open 4 months.

Jeff's Bagel Run - Next to the strip mall at the intersection. Other location near Ocoee on Old WG Rd. Had a $2 asiago bagel. Ok. Thin. Good chew. About ten kinds. Also a lox box. CC was on the side at $2. No toaster. Self taught. This location open for a month? Closed M and Tu. Closes at 2?

Quesa Loco - Had a birria taco (shredded beef) for $5 and an asada for $3 and a pastor for $3. Very big. Asada and pastor were a little tough. Tortilla not crisped. Birria was better. Crispy shell with guac and dipping juice. Many options. Too many to list. Street food. Northern Mexican. Order at a counter. Quick delivery. 16 tables. Thought it would be a run of the mill Mexican place, so, I've bypassed it for a while. Isn't. More "modern". Also think it was that kind of place before. Anyway. It's this now. Brown walls. Big, open space. Mural. Opens at 12. Closed M. Opened in January. Recommended.

Grub Crawl - Orlando and Lake Mary: Friends, Catrina's and Citrus City *AL/GA Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Wednesday at lunch. The first two are on 436 near 50. The last is across City Hall on Country Club Rd in the strip mall that has Dalli's Pizza. Halfway between I-4 and 17-92.

Friends Indian Cuisine - I tried the buffet for $15 ($13 on week days). It had the usual suspects. I tried: korma, butter, Tandoori, birayni chicken and goat, naan, rice pudding and potato cake and rice. All acceptable. They also had a soup and a few vegetable dishes and some fruit. They weren't exactly busting their asses to refill empty containers. And it was surprisingly full. A mix of all kinds of people. The regular menu ranges from $13 to $22 for plates. Goat, lamb, chicken, veg, seafood, wraps, etc. 5 booths. 8 tables. Not much on decor. In the old Yucatan location. Near Curry Ford Rd. They must be Muslim because the wife was in that dress and they promote halal. They charged a fee to use a credit card. Open three months.

Catrina's Mexican Fusion - I just grabbed a tortilla soup ($9) to go because they weren't honoring the lunch prices on Labor Day. And that rubbed me the wrong way. It was fine. No chicken. Avocado was Haas and fresh. They tossed in some chips and a watery salsa. Ok flavor. Usual menu and prices. They are in the old Garibaldi's. Near the overpass. You can drive by before you know it. It is not affiliated with the Miami based chain at the Florida Mall that I wrote about before the summer. Same exact look though. And no "cantina" in the name. They said people are often confused and they get that locations bad reviews. 6 booths. 20 tables? Private room. Bar. Colorful decor. Opened three months ago.

Citrus City - A bar. No brewery. The people from Celery City in Sanford. Good, rotating selection from all over. Fair prices. Patio. Woody. Large windows. Tables and stools at the bar. TVs. Opened in June.

*Travel Notes - Alabama and Georgia: I ate a sliced pork sandwich at Fat Boy's Bar B Q in Ocala. Took 75N to 96E at Tifton. Stopped at Lane's Southern Orchards and had peach ice cream and peach cobbler. They grow 50 types of peaches! Onto 280 to Columbus and the Chattahoochee River. Fort Denning and they do river rafting too. Ate a three piece (2B and a W) fried chicken with potato salad and corn bread at Country's on Broad Barbecue. They have half a Greyhound bus you can eat in. Should be on 3D. Had a strawberry and cheesecake shake at Southern Roots Milkshake Momma. Slept across the river in Phenix City AL (no sp) at the Courtyard by Marriott for $133 (rack rate). Up 280N to Birmingham AL. Stayed at the Hampton Inn Mountain Brook for two nights at $125 per. I stayed here because of free parking. However, it was an easy jumping off places. In the better part of town/suburb  and aside 71 that ran into town. Near the zoo and botanical garden just south of UAB (that's probably a good place to try too if you want to walk the city). Half the price as well. I saw these things over the two days: Vulcan statue (highlight) and view from, UAB, Regions Field (minor league baseball), Protective Stadium (new stadium downtown for UAB), Art Museum, Legions Field (old stadium where USFL played this season), 16th Street Baptist Church (KKK bombed it and killed girls in the 60's), AG Gaston Motel (MLK planned here), Civil Rights Museum, Jail where MLK wrote Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Rickwood Field (oldest baseball stadium - 1910), Lyric Theater, Alabama Theater and other things. A day and a half will be enough time. Ate chicken kebabs and Greek Salad and red potatoes across from hotel at Taziki's. Also a good wine shop there (Finch's). Ate a pulled pork sandwich at Saw's BBQ (on 3D). Ate a huge amberjack po boy with fries and slaw at The Fish Market DT (on 3D). Ate Pueblo Chicken with black beans at Mexican Lindo near hotel. Birmingham has a Maxi-Marxist mayor, so, downtown is a little seedier that it once was (according to pundits on local radio). Western and northern parts are the least good. Not a ton of people out because of the heat. So, not that much interaction. UAB Area was getting a make over. I drove on up 65N to 157W at Cullman. Had a pulled pork sandwich and a pulled turkey sandwich at Lawler's Barbecue. Stopped in Oakville to see the Jessie Owens Birthplace and Museum. Continued on to Muscle Shoals because it is mentioned in Sweet Home Alabama and it thought it was a guy. And I thought the lyric was "Muscle Shoals has the swamp bus". Figured it was some hippie van a friend had that they liked. The reality is Muscle Shoals is a town known for music (and mussels at one point) and there was a group of studio musicians called The Swampers who played for Aretha Franklin on Respect, etc. "Muscle Shoals has the Swampers". Near there was Tuscumbia and Hellen Keller's Birthplace. I drove across the Tennessee River to Florence AL on 17N. University of Northern Alabama, W C Handy Birthplace (he was mentioned in Walking In Memphis by Marc Cohn and appears to be the Father of the Blues) and I stumbled upon a Frank Lloyd Wright house called Rosenbaum. Who knew? West on 72 to Huntsville. Stayed at an Extended Stay America for $112. Ate great pulled pork and brisket sandwiches at Boarhog's Barbeque (on 72). They have 4.5 stars on Yelp. First time I've had brisket with slaw and mayo. They need to be on 3D. Onto Scottsboro and the Unclaimed Baggage Center. They sell the stuff from the baggage airlines, buses, etc lose here. Only in America. Onto Bridgeport to see Russell Cave NM. I popped by here when Covid started at it was closed. Now just one last snowflake abusing his/they/us' agency by making people wear masks. It's a small cave that Indians used. South on 72 to 117S to 59S to 68S to 411E to Weiss Lake in Centre AL. Cherokee County. 411E to 100S to 27S to 16E to 75S to Macon GA. Trying to avoid Atlanta and cutting trip short due to weather forecast. Stayed at Best Western Riverside for $96. Visited Ocmulgee Mounds NHP. Indian mounds from about 900 AD. Also was closed due to Covid last attempt. 75S to Carroll's Sausage and Country Store in Ashburn GA. Had two sausage dogs and a brownie. Also bought some hillbilly prosciutto called biscuit slices that I learned had to be cooked AFTER I ate them. Not dead yet though. Who knew there was all that to do in Northern Alabama. And I already had done the Huntsville stuff. You will see billboards for some of these places. That's why I tried them.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Cava, Bitebound and Cafe Don Juan *CA Travel Notes

I tried these places last Wednesday at lunch. All are off 17-92 or Orlando Ave or whatever one of many names they use for this stretch of road. The first is in the strip mall on Lee Rd. The next to are closer to DT. Across from the Krispy Kreme.

Cava - Same owners as Zoe's. They said out of Bethesda MD. I almost left when I saw signs stating the "curated" bowls. May be the most unnecessary and over(mis)used piece of pretentiousness that the smarmy hipsters that swarm around us have concocted in their short but annoying time on our planet. I settled on the $10 Greek Chicken Pita because it was the cheapest item and they wouldn't let me get a bowl with only grains (and not salad too). Too jet lagged to argue. It was ok. The guy filling it gave me too much (I think). He seemed new (or liked the cut of my jib). The girl next to him gave him a look like - you gave that guy way too much. Thigh meat. It had an large gumball of hummus and tzatziki. They smeared those. Big, fresh pita. Made out of something not ordinary. Feta. Pickles. Tomato. Open for five weeks. It was jammed. Fast food look. Order at counter.

Bitebound - A one off. Open for seven weeks. Almost the same as Cava. More things. Less pricey. I grabbed a mini bowl for $6. A large bowl is probably the same things with a little more salad or grains. This was plenty. I topped grains (quinoa, rice and some other grain) with fajita beef and brocolini and avocado smash. The beef was a bit tough. To be expected at this price point. The broccolini was dried out. The smash was made with non-Haas avocados. Could have been worse though. You choose (no curating here) from a big menu of add ons. More than bowls. A big bowl is $10. Good value. Clean, new store. Order at a counter. Empty.

Cafe Don Juan - Not to be confused with Juan Valdez. A Puerto Rican place. More than coffee. Next to Bitebound. Biggish space with white and black tiles. Order at the counter. Breakfast all day. Looked interesting. Lunch too. Mainly sandwiches and soups. A bit pricey. mid teens. Thusly, I just tried a spinach empanada for $4. Tiny. Barely filled inside. Worth a try. They have those drinks too. More of restaurant than a coffee shop.

Travel Notes - California: I flew into Ontario for $191 on Frontier. Car rental by Budget was $398. Slept the first night near airport at Ontario Airport Inn for $105. Drove 10 to 15 to 8 the next day to SD (Point Loma). Had lunch at Hodad's. A cb with ff. On 3D. Walked Ocean Beach. Drove to Cabrillo NM. Slept at Sunrise Inn for $97. Ate yellowtail sashimi and chowder in a sourdough bowl at Point Loma Seafood. On $40 a Day with Rachael Ray. Walked the docks. Had beer at Eppig Brewery. Ate lunch the next day at Phil's BBQ. On 3D. Saw Pechanga Arena (old Clippers arena). Drove 8 to 15 to Temecula. Stayed two nights at Rancho California Inn for $115 a night. Went to these wineries: Hart, Callaway, Peltzer, Doffo, Lorimar - Day 2 - Altisima, Leoness, Masia de la Vinya, Cougar and Somerset. Popped in (but left for various reasons) to: Vindemia, Akash, Miramonte, Maurice Carrie, Chapin and Bottaia. Had beer at Refuge Brewery. Had dinner of hd and chili cheese ff at Dogs n Suds. Had lunch of tri tip and potato salad (in the sandwich) at Hobos's BBQ. On 3D. Drove 15 to 74 to Manhattan Beach. Stayed at Wave Hotel for $170. Ate lunch of chicken salad at Manhattan Beach Bread and Bagel. Had a donut at Randy's Donuts (in LA). Went to Sofi Stadium to see Chargers and Cowboys. Had drinks at Hermosa Saloon in Hermosa Beach. Drove 405 to 10 to 1 to Malibu. Ate a hd at Malibu Mutt's Grill. Had a tuna and avocado sandwich with salad at John's Garden. Drove up PCH. Stayed at Good Nite Inn in Camarillo for $101. Stumbled upon an air show. Went back down PCH the next day to Malibu. Had a turkey and avocado panini with Caesar salad at Tra Di Noi. Had a fried scallop sandwich at Malibu Seafood. Drove back up PCH to Ojai (101 to 33). Stopped at these beaches: El Matador, El Pescador, La Piedra and Sycamore Cove at Point Mugu. Stayed in Ojai at the Chantico Inn for $83. Had wine at Topa Mountain Winery. Had lavender valley ice cream at Ojai Ice Cream. Saw Lake Casitas. Drove out the opposite side of town (150?) to 101 (it met up with another highway in between). Drove down PCH to Malibu. Had a mortadella sandwich at Malibu Kitchen. Drove PCH to 10 past Ontario to 330 to 18 to Big Bear Lake. Ate dinner of meatball sub at Village Pizza. Drove to airport. Red eye home. I bought chicken tamales and Bucheron goat cheese one night. When I ran out of crackers I put the cheese atop the tamales. It worked.

Grub Crawl - UCF Area: Dave's Hot Chicken and J-Petal *England Travel Notes

I tried this two spot in or near the Waterford Lakes shopping center a week ago at night. 

Dave's Hot Chicken - Started in LA in 2017. Now a chain of overpriced chicken sliders and tenders and fries. I ponied up $7 for a single slider. It was like every other chicken sandwich. I didn't do a crazy sauce. It was bigger (being called a slider) than I thought it would be. Still smallish. Place was packed with hipsters and college kids. It's deep inside the market place. On the right. Opened a few months ago. *Saw some place called White Rabbit or something was being built in there. Desserts.

J-Petal - Across the road in a strip mall near some big box store. They said they opened three years ago. Don't know why I bypassed them. Weird combo of Japanese stuff (poke, misubi, ice cream in crepes, drinks, tacos etc). I had dinner and most things were pricey, so, I grabbed a spam and egg misubi for $7. It was good. Big. Good rice. Fresh. Even the fried egg was gooey. They have a barrier of plastic between you and them. However, it only goes up half way. Love these Covid alarmists. They won't let it die. I think they need it to make their lives seem important (or oppressive - so they can seem victimized and get pity).

*Travel Notes - England: I flew into London (the county) Stansted for the first time. Still a busy airport. Seemed like mostly Easy Jet and Ryan Air to European cites. Took a train (underneath airport) to Liverpool St (East End) for $32L round trip. Had to take tube to Paddington Station for $6L. Slept at Prince William Hotel for $82. Ate curry chicken at Prince of Wales. Walked to Somerset House and Court Auld Gallery. Didn't go in. Too much. Walked back to hotel. Took train to Oxford for $30L. Stayed at West Gate Hotel (near station) for two nights at $113 per. Took bus ($6L rt) to Blenheim Castle. Duke of Marlborough. Gift for beating Louis 14th plus Churchill's home ($20L). Came back. Walked to Christ Church College. Had salmon and cc bagel and Eton Mess ice cream at G & D's. Saw the clock tower and castle. Took train ($7L rt) next day to Warwick. Saw castle and cathedral. Didn't go in. It was cheezy and around $50L. Like a theme park. Back to Oxford. Went to covered food hall and had a lamb and mint slice at David John. Had pineapple gelato at iScream. Tried Christ Church again. Sold out again. Harry Potter dining hall is there. Walked to the other colleges. and Ashmolean Museum. Good and free. Train to Reading. Cornish Beef and Potato Pasty at Pumpkin. On to Exeter. Train cost $72L. Stayed at Holiday Inn for two nights at $92 per. Ate at a great gyro fast food chain called Original German Doner Kebab. Out of Berlin. Had a mixed Kiki. Got a croissant at Truffle Hounds. Got cheese and cider at Pullo. Saw the High St and cathedral. Next day ate cod pieces and salt and pepper squid at Hook Fish and Chips. Took train ($8L rt) to Okehampton and Dartmoor National Park. I could have picked a better entry point. Had strawberry milkshake and brownie at Love Brownies. Went to Paignton to wait out a train strike ($7L). Stayed at Berry Hotel for $51. Ate fried chicken and chips at Mariner's Fish and Chips. Ate a Bakewell Slice at Hallet's. Took a steam train to Dartmouth and back for $20L. Paignton is on the sea and has a pier. Took train to New Quay for $18L. It is their surf area. Lots of beautiful beaches and coast line. Was going to go to a King Arthur site. but, too much of haul. Stayed two nights at Beresford Hotel for $125 per. Ate lotus biscoff ice cream at Freddo's. Ate steak and Stilton pasty at Morris Pasties. Ate Pondicherry (a French part of India) cod curry at Rick Stein's at Fistral. He's a television star there. And I just bumped into one of his places. Took unlimited travel $5L bus to Penzance. Stayed at Union Hotel for $108. Took bus to Porthcurno. Pretty beach, outdoor theater on the cliffs and site of first underwater cable (to India). Bus to Mousehole. Cute harbor. Train back to London for $78L. Stayed two nights at Nayland Hotel (Paddington) for $115 per. Walked to Chelsea stadium and a cemetery. Walked to British Library (Magna Carta), British Museum (Rosetta Stone), Churchill War Room ($24L), Dickens Museum, Hyde Park, et al. Ate fried dumplings and pork rice dumpling (like misubi) at Lin Lin Crepes in Chinatown. Tube back to Liverpool St. Train to Stansted. Stayed at Radisson Blu at airport for $158.

**Some oddities I experienced: pop dots, pulled beef with bulgher wheat. Learned that John Dory may be Jaune D'Oree (the colors in French) and most English Indian food is really from Bangladesh because that's who cook it for them.

Grub Crawl - Lake Mary and Altamonte Springs: Bubbakoos Burritos and I Heart Mac and Cheese *Northern Ireland Travel Notes

I tried the first place on Saturday. It's in the strip mall on Lake Mary Blvd that has a Beth's Burgers and Winn Dixie. I tried the second yesterday. It is in the strip mall on 434 called Jamestown Place.

Bubbakoos Burritos - I heard about one on John Young and Sand Lake and then I saw this location. They opened a week ago. A franchise from NJ. Needless to say that NJ and redneck does not equal quality Mexican food. They didn't even really have a redneck-y menu. So, I don't get the marketing angle. I grabbed three tacos for $10+. Ground beef. Flavorless. Typical toppings. Also bland. I had a coupon from a mailer for a free taco. Tried a carnitas. Also blase. They sell bowls and burritos and tacos and some oddities (ie something like a rice ball). Assembly line ordering. Nothing much too recommend.

I Heart Mac and Cheese - Almost the same story. More food court America. Mac and grilled cheese and tacorinos here. I believe they are from Michigan. This branch opened in May. I had the Classic Mac and Cheese bowl for $7. The spiral pasta. Some wet cheese sauce. They let you top it with superfluous slices of cheese. I picked mozz because I just didn't care. The bowl was ok. They let you top the mac or grilled cheese with meats, etc. The lobster was $20+. Not sure I'm trying lobster at a place like this. Assembly line ordering. Red, black, wood interior. Nothing much to recommend.

*Travel Notes - Northern Ireland: Bus from Dublin to Belfast Victoria Street on Air Coach was $17E. I stayed the first night in Belfast at a Travelodge for the rack rate of $99L. I came back a few nights later and stayed two nights at $98US. I took a train to Derry for $13L. Stayed at Art House for $88US. Ate cotton candy ice cream at Maiden Heaven. Chicken sandwich at Hillbilly's. Beer at Rough Brothers at a food fair. Walked the old city walls. Saw St Eugene's cathedral. Peace bridge. Cute town. Train to Coleraine for $8L. Bus to Bushmills for $3L. Saw Portrush and Dunluce Castle and Royal Portrush Golf Course on the bus. Stayed at Finn McCool's for $53 US. Saw distillery. Took tram to Giant's Causeway for $7E. Excellent. Free. Ate cod burger and cb at Hip Chip. Took bus back to Coleraine for $3L. Train to Belfast $13L. Ate blt and ff at Deane's Love Fish. Sent back their puny mussels. Ireland mussels are terrible. The main place has a Michelin star. Saw Queens College, Botanic Gardens, Ulster Museum, City Hall, Ormean Baths, Titanic Museum, Crumlin Road Gaol, Shankill Road, etc. Had honeycomb ice cream at Izabella's Delights on Shankill Rd. Cool city. Better looking people. Took bus to airport for $8L. Flew to London Stansted for $144US. Had a flight from Dublin to Heathrow cancelled. It was $114US. I learned that gnocchi means knuckles. Paul Hollywood had a show on Japan. They eat KFC for Christmas and grow things in molds (ie square melons).

Ga 2 To (renamed Ga Ta), East Colonial *Dublin Travel Notes

I tried this Northern Vietnamese spot in the rear of the strip mall near Mills on Friday at lunch. I had their namesake. It is a two piece dish. One soup. One rice dish. The only problem is that they didn't give me the rice dish. The soup was ok. A kind of pho. Spicy sweet. I didn't like the boiled chicken. Very bland and tough. It reminded me of cheap Chinese boiled chicken dishes. Scrawny chicken. Bad cuts. Limp skin. It even looked unappealing. It even had a boiled egg that could have been a bouncy ball. Gizzards and hearts were also hard plastic. And they had already taken back the meatballs described on the menu. It also cost $15. Plus they charge for to go orders. They serve around eight things. Hanoi pho, mung beans, egg coffee were interesting. The two apps are $12 and $15. The mains were $14-17. They sell wine and beer. Name means "dried" or something. Nine tables of four. White. Modern. Closed on W or Th. L and D. Open for a few months. I would have liked to have liked it more because it's not me too.

*Travel Notes - Dublin: I'll break this trip into three parts. This will be the shortest. Flew through ATL for $687. Just did last three days there. Stayed first night at Beresford Hotel near bus station for $106. Next two nights at Hotel St George for $107 a night. Had a beer at Kehoe's. Ate Smoked Salmon on Irish Soda Bread with creme fraiche at Neary's. Had cured salmon with sea beans in ajo sauce, bouillibaisse and strawberry souffle at Peploe's. Other odd things I tried: jaffa cakes, apple and blueberry trellis and vanilla rice pudding. Saw Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, Guinness, Jameson's, Hugh Lane City Gallery, Writer's Museum, Museum of Modern art, Christ Church, Chester Beatty Library, National Museum, National Library, Parliament, Abbey Theatre, Canal Area, Aviva Stadium, Francis Bacon's Birthplace, National Gallery, Oscar Wilde statue and others. Air Coach to and from airport was 8E. Food in markets so much cheaper and better than ours. Mostly ate from there. City smelled of cigarettes and pollution.

Grub Crawl - Winter Park: Ava and Jacked Up

I tried these spots last night at dinner. The first is on Park Ave in the old Luma location. The second is on Fairbanks near Spatz pool hall. 

Ava- Opened (limited) in February they said. I had the Chicken Tagine for $28. It was ok. Two drums and a thigh. Soapy tasting couscous and squash and zucchini. It's an expensive place. $90 steaks and $70 fish. My dish was second cheapest. A seafood orzo was $21. Apps were $14ish. They say they are Mediterragean. It's still mostly rustic level. I never got the upscale Greek trend. You are paying more for the 'tude than the food. The service is top notch though. The place looks like it should cost you. Greek Islands feel. Casual area, bar and dining areas. Open kitchen. They tossed in some olives, pits chips and a form of tarramoussalata. I'm sure I misspelled that. But in a rush and battery fading. High end experience if you can afford it. Dress code was lax. I came in ratty tshirt and shorts. Just no flip flops. Only open for dinner.

Jacked Up - They originally had Vegan in the name. Took over the old Wine Barn. Kept most of that. Part of Winter Park Collective. That includes Prickle Babies (plants), desserts, empanadas and a new pizza guy (Pizza Nova). I just grabbed mixed tacos with side (ff) for $10. They (fake ground beef and jackfruit) were ok. Small. OK tortilla. Cooked in a food truck. Place looks good. Very green. They put fake grass throughout. Expanding hours. Now mostly evening on week days.

Coyoacan Cocina, Lake Mary *LA/MS/AL/FL Travel Notes

 I tried this Mexican place on 44A in the strip mall with Halal Guys on Wednesday at dinner. They have been open for two months. It was one of the more satisfying Mexican meals I've had in town in a while. I had the Carnitas Quiroga for $15. They came with beans and rice and guac and tortillas. They wrote that the pork was cooked in a copper pot or something. It was mostly tender (some tough white meat) pork. Probably from the shoulder. They gave a pretty healthy cup full serving of guac. It was fresh. Even the beans (I did refried) and rice were pleasant. In addition, the free salsa had great flavor and the chips were fresh. They serve a pretty traditional, fairly priced ($16-25) menu with some specialties. This is the fourth or fifth incarnation I have tried in this pace (lastly two Turkish places). The layout is the same. They repainted (orange, pink) and added some flare and wood accents. Service (one bartender and one bus boy) was ok for the crowd (six tables seated). May be inadequate for a full house. Good play if you live around here. Bar stuff too.

*Travel Notes - Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama/Florida: Remember this is part of the last post. On the way out of Florida I stopped at the Appleton Museum (art) in Ocala. It was free that day. $10 usually. I always love a museum. Some mid-west business man's collections. I ate a turkey sandwich at Jim's Pit Bar BQ in Reddick (Exit 368). Always meant to because of billboard. Stayed at Bay Inn in Loxley AL for $109 (rack rate). Ate at fingers chain called Foosackley's in Spanish Fort AL. Ate turtle soup, oysters and shrimp at Felix's Fish Camp in Mobile AL. Visited Longfellow Evangeline Plantation SHS in St Martinville LA. Tried to eat at Big John's Seafood Patio in Erath LA. I closed for the season in April (oops). Stayed at a bad Days Inn in Abbeville LA for $89. Ate fried catfish at Riverfront. This area is supposed to be the crawfish capitol. Drove through Lafayette to Shreveport. Ate pork tamales at Quebedeaux's in Alexandria LA. Passed a place called Mensura LA. It has some festival for cochon de lait every spring. Stayed at Sam's Town Casino for $125. Saw a building used in Factory Girl. Also saw a hockey rink, baseball field and Independence Bowl. Ate a comped Caesar salad at the cafe in the casino. Went to Texas. Drove back to south of Lafayette (90) to visit the Tabasco factory on some island near Iberville. Stayed at a Quality Inn in Morgan City LA for $90. Drove on to New Orleans. Stayed in Garden District at Hotel Indigo for $199 one night and $129 the next. It was the 4th plus some Essence festival. They also lied about parking. $30 valet. Ate a good chicken salad sandwich at new place called Rabbit's Foot. Had a champagne cocktail and shrimp in papilliotte with hollandaise sauce at Brennan's (French Quarter) cocktail hour. Thus avoiding dress code. Ate fried turkey necks and a great cheeseburger at Meril's (Art District). Named for Emeril's daughter. Saw Place Lafayette. Ate oyster po boy with bad fries at Gris Gris (Garden District). Grabbed a chicken thigh banh mi at Elizabeth Street Cafe at the St Vincent hotel (Original in Austin) for dinner also in the GD. Did the cocktail hour/late lunch thing at Peche (2014 James Beard) in Arts District. Had a mind blowing fried catfish with pickled greens in chili broth and smoked drum with kolrabi kim chi and grilled cabbage and peanuts. Cheap too. Drove to Stennis Space Center at exit 2 in Mississippi. Of course VC was closed (just Th-?). Stopped on causeway at Mobile/Spanish Fort AL for grilled red fish, oysters and shrimp at Bluegill (billboard). Also an Original Oyster House there. Did the one in Gulf Shores already. Stayed at a Clarion on 27 in Tallahassee for $72. Ate spinach ricotta tortelloni at a new  mostly vegan place called Black Radish. Had beer at Ology Brewing. Ate a terrible Skeeter skillet at the original Canopy Road Cafe.

The Garlic, New Smyrna Beach *TX Travel Notes

This place is near Norwood's after you go over the Causeway/Intercoastal. I went there for dinner on Thursday (over a week ago). It's a quirky place. All these different areas. Like the Swiss Family Robinson house (if my dim memory of it serves me well). I ate in the main room. I should say that they open at 4pm and even that early it gets full. Plus parking (non-valet) is a crap shoot. I wasn't even hungry after the Ten Ten lunch. Yet, I still managed to finish the huge chicken marsala meal with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad because it was so sloppy good. It cost $26. Also came with a conference/symposium dinner level salad and a smashed whole head of garlic in vinegar with bread. The chicken was 3 or 4 tender thigh pieces (can't remember because of head down determination and food induced coma). Probably egg washed. They were drowned in sauce and oil. That should have ruined the dish, but, somehow the food floated around it (mostly). Some mushrooms in the sauce. The garlic mashed potatoes were good. Thick. The menu is mostly Italian (even pizza). A burger ($19) and such as well. Things could get pricey. Some $40+ items (ie steaks). People also seemed to be making good use of the several bar areas. Service (so many) was attentive, polite and knowledgeable. Most have refilled my ice tea four times. Which was good because of the salt from lunch mixed with the dehydration from the drive over. The place is decorated with crap. In the best way. Nick nacks, plastic grapes, wine stuff, candle wax sculptures, X-mas lights. I couldn't tell if the diners were locals or tourists. Probably both. Only open for dinner. I've passed on it for years because I've always come during the day and am usually tapped out before 4pm. I think it is probably something that needs to be experienced at least once in your life. Real old school experience. Now I only have two places remaining to be tried in NSB.

*Travel Notes - Texas: I am breaking the latest trip up. A road trip. Rental car cost nothing because I used points. Would have been $500+ for two weeks from Hertz. Budget was more. Slept at Quality Inn at City Place near Highland Park (SMU Area) for $90. Ate lunch at El Fenix downtown by the Ross Perot Museum. All these Dallas meals were probably from some article I read on the oldest Mexican restaurants in town or something. This place is 1917 or something. Just had an average chicken burrito to go because I wouldn't download the gd app for parking in Dallas. Place was disappointing looking anyway. And menu was basic. Had dinner at the supposedly highest end Mexican place in town. Called Javier's. Same deal with the parking. Grabbed chicken mole with rice and beans to go. Place was kind of weird. Taxidermied animals, etc. Was packed though. This was in Highland Park. No shorts. 1950's I think. Had lunch the next day at El Bolero off Riverfront. More dt. This was only ten years old. The best meal. Modern place. I had crema de flor de calabaza (squash blossom) soup and Taco Arabes. They were shaved pork (al pastor) on a pita. I saw White Rock Lake and Park ne of Highland Park and had beer at Civil Pour while waiting for my Sonesta Select (a few exits north on 75 from the QI) to let me in. It cost $86. Much nicer. As was this area. Had lunch down the street (why I stayed here) at Tupinamba Cafe. 1950 something. Now owned by an ex A&M basketball player. I had a beef and a chicken Tupay taco (fried like Jack in the Crack) and a guacamole tostada . Drove out of town (75 to 35E). Stopped for a cinnamon roll and strawberry kolache at Slovack's in West. It is in a gas station. Billboard's all over. I've meant to try it forever. Stayed at the Shady Villa Hotel in Salado for $94. Had beer at Barrow Brewing. Saw some things in town like gas blowing (the town was on Day Tripper on PBS). Had more beer at Chupacabra. Too full from lunch and tired to get dinner. Cute, ghost town-y type of town on a creek. Further on to Comfort Suites in Round Rock for $103. Drove from there to Taylor on 79 for Louis Mueller's Barbecue. Had the 10 Gallon sandwich of brisket, pulled pork and sausage. Drove back and saw a Round Rock Express (Texas Ranger's AA team) game for $32 (home plate) plus $15 parking. Freddy's dcb for dinner. Drove back up to Jarrell to the Granary (was a John Mueller place - he just died). Had pork ribs and brisket and they gave me some brisket tamales (because I'm so damned charming) for free. They also sold pureed squash with cheese and an ice pop made with pickle juice. Didn't try. Drove east from there to 95 past Taylor to Elgin. Then east on 290 to Houston. Stayed at BW in Spring for $97. Ate a brisket and pulled pork sandwich at Cork Screw BBQ (also on Day Tripper). All bbq places were excellent and very highly ranked. Cork Screw had the best flavors and pulled pork. The ribs at Granary were so so. Their brisket was the most traditional. Had intended on trying Snow's. They only open on Saturday and were closed this week. Also by passed on Austin because hotels were through the roof and the traffic, etc.

Ten Ten Seafood and Grill, West Colonial (50)

I tried them at lunch on Thursday. In the Golden Sparkling something or other strip mall at Kirkman. I think I alerted you to them (their build) almost two years ago. They said they finally opened a few months ago. One other location in Sunrise (wherever that is). It's a mostly Cantonese menu. Dim sum even. That is what I ended up having. Language issues. I had: beehive fried taro (3 for $4), har kow/steamed shrimp dumplings (4 for $5) and lobster fried shrimp balls (3 for $5). All were large sized. The taro was new to me and good. Had the look of crazy frizzed out hair. Mushroom and maybe pork inside. Also had a slight seafood taste. Let's hope it wasn't cream of sum yung gi. Dumplings were not great. Pasty. Mostly shrimp goo inside. Not real shrimp. Thick skin. The balls were good. Covered in ribbons of dough. Like the stuff you put in wonton soup. Probably the same goo as the dumplings inside. It just cooked better this way. They have a big dim sum and regular menu Here are a few of the crazy things: durian crisp, fish egg curry, sweetbreads, spiced salt water, pig ear, fuqi feipian, spring fish, zilling, whiteboard fish, frogs, pigeon, sea cucumber, jellyfish. Let's hope some of those are misprints. Most platters in the $16-$22 range. Beef, chicken, pork, seafood, tofu. Free tea. One open room. Three columns of mostly family tables. Huge wall tv playing music videos. Traditional decor. They had a decent crowd. Crowd started off Asian and then filled in. Pretty good attempt. Way better and cheaper than Dim Dim Sum or whatever that was. May have best dim sum in the area. Not a high bar though.

*I also was going to try a chicken place (Pollo Chicken) a little farther west on 50. I turned out to be a Haitian place. They didn't change the name. It looked creepy (dark) and the prices were ridiculous. But, if you feel the need. Now you know. There are a few places around there that offer up that type of food now. And I saw a new Korean BBQ place in the strip mall across from Chinatown.

Grub Crawl - Oviedo and Winter Springs: Japanatolia, Oyishi, Heart of Jerusalem and Kabuto *VT/NH/ME/NY Travel Notes

I tried these places at lunch on Saturday. The first two are in or near the food court at the Oviedo Mall. The last two are in the strip mall on the near right side of Red Bug Lake Rd (Tuskawilla?) coming from 436. It was a surprise that the first two made the better dishes.

Japanatolia - A fusion of Turkish and sushi. Kind of. They only sell five rolls. And they are barely Japanese. More Eastern European menu if anything. No fish. Mostly veg. Only rolled in roast beef. One was rolled with collard greens. At $8+ I deviated from the plan. Oh. It's also not a restaurant. It is a stall. I did settle on the chicken in bechemal sauce with rice and mashed potatoes and salad. It was very good. Very rich. Cost $10. Lots of tender chicken. Some pieces seemed like they were ground chicken. Some whole pieces. Bechemal was fine. Mashed potatoes were very rich. Rice was ok. A little mushy. Salad was just carrots, etc in vinegar and oil. They had a few other hot dishes. One with meatballs. They gave me a sample of a lemon semolina dessert. It was good. I think the owner said he was from Istanbul. And the logo has the bridge that spans the Bosphorous on it. Maybe they call it Anatolia because that is the Asian part and Japan is in Asia? Not what I expected, but, acceptable. Very good for a mall stall. And if you need a Dr Oz impersonator, see the cook. Open a month.

Oyishi - They have a decently appointed restaurant with hibachi tables and a bar and a sushi bar. A little aged. Way better than the to go area. I popped into there because this was not planned. That area looks like a worn out Chinese take out place in a dirty city. I ordered the salmon (smoked) and avocado and cream cheese roll for $7 because they didn't look trustworthy to deliver the hibachi side and my stomach had been waiting for sushi. It was a shock. I'm not sure if they made a mistake, but, they gave me two 8 piece rolls. The rice was done correctly. The ingredients were fresh. Came out fast. They also do teriyaki, hibachi, bentos, etc. Probably has been open for years.

Hearts of Jerusalem - The worst of the four. And I expected it to be the best. Arab Jerusalem cuisine. The menu said they have three in Colorado Springs. Open for one year. I tried the $14 Ultimate Plate after they tried to up sell me to a $23 kebab plate. It had thin, non-descript lamb/beef gyro meat and terrible chicken shwarma. Also a Greek salad (best thing) and bland hummus and raw pita triangles. I suspect the gyro meat was not even shaved. And definitely not from their own slab. The chicken looked like the stuff you get from a fast food restaurant/supermarket salad bar in their salads. Bag chicken. Plus some of that was even plastic-y. Frozen. No rice. Biggish menu. The usual suspects. Local color decoration. TV showing Medina. Three columns of tables. Japanatolia was way better.

Kabuto Sushi - I think it was Nagoya before. Only tried because I was there already. Plus I could see, if I did, that this could be a two cuisine food war post. Compare and contrast. I tried the Alaska Roll for 47. Only 1 roll this time. 8 pieces. Fresh salmon. No cc. Avocado and cuke. It was ok. Salmon was a bit soft. Looks good inside. Black and modern. Small. They said kabuto is the hat samurais wear. Open for two years. Menu looked good. Ramen+. 

Travel Notes - Vermont/New Hampshire/Maine/New York: Flight to Albany cost $182. Rental car (Budget) cost $436 for week. Spent the first night in Latham NY at a Microtel for $107 because late night flight got in two hours late. Ate a breakfast Beach (cinnamon and vanilla icing) donut at Duck Donuts because I saw a billboard. Drove north on 4 to Saratoga NHP. Continued up to 30 and 7 to Middlebury VT. Saw the college. Continued north to Burlington. had a cream cheese and tuna fish bagel at Feldman's Bagels. It was as bad as it sounds. Or more correctly, couldn't taste the cc. The road it was on had a lot of interesting looking food options. Went east on 89 to Richmond. Went to Cochran's Ski Area. Like 4 Olympian skiers learned there. It was just some guys backyard hill. Saw it on ESPN or 60 Minutes. Further east to North Woodstock NH. Stayed at the Inn 32 for $137. Ate falafel plate with naan and beer at Pemi Public House. Had a beer at Woodstock Inn Brewery. Went to Franconia Notch SP. Just north. Flume Gorge for $21. Aerial tram at Cannon Mountain was $29. Didn't do. Went back to town and saw a place called Clarke's Bears and Hobo RR. The RR was $20, but, just left. Ate an egg and cheese muffin and a great Rueben at White Mtn Bagel in Lincoln NH. Took 112 east to 11 to Maine and up 202 to avoid tolls to Augusta. Then 3 to Belfast and 1A up to Bangor for the same reason. Stayed at a shit box called Queen City Inn for $114. Up 95 to Medway and then Millinocket to Baxter SP and Mt Kahadin (Appalachian Trail northern terminus). $16. Back south on 95 to Orono. Saw University of Maine. Down 15 to Deer Island and Stonington. Had a $26 lobster roll at Stonington Ice Cream Company. Not bad. Back up and over to Belfast. Stayed at Yankee Clipper Motel for $130. Ate at Young's Lobster Pound. Bad (boiled) 1 1/8 lobster for $26. Nice view though. Got 4.5 stars on Yelp. Went to Rockland to buy ferry tickets. Had half dozen Damariscotta River oysters for $16. Very good. Bought round trip to North Haven Island for $17. Spent rest of day driving the coast off 1. 32 to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. 27 to Booth Bay. Etc. Back to Rockport for a cheese and herb flatbread at American Flatbread. Slept in Rockland at the Ledges on the Bay for $140. Great view. Bought some cheese and wine and Joseph's by Riverside from Lawrence MA hummus and ate it looking over the ocean. Took ferry to North Haven. Not much there and most things weren't even open. Saw it on tv. The draw was the Nebo Lodge restaurant. Closed. Went up some path to Ames Knob. Good view. Nice ferry ride. Drove south on 1 again to Waldoboro. Grabbed some clam strips and a hd at Delano Seafood Shack. Farther down to Brunswick. Slept at Relax Inn for $102. Down 1 to Wells. Had haddock bites and clam chowder at Wells Beach Lobster Pound. Had bad mussels at Baston River Fish Camp Brewing. Beer was good. All other food dishes looked great. They just opened. Stayed at Anchor Inn for $116 (they tacked on a RF that I will dispute). Took 9 west through Concord to 393 to 202 to 9. Stopped at Franklin Pierce Homestead in Hillsborough NH. To Brattleboro VT. Had a great Roundabout Russian on Marble Rye (T and CH and Sprouts) at Vermont Country Deli. On to Bennington. Saw the college. You should read Rules of Attraction to see why. Onto Albany/Latham and I had cannoli ice cream at Control Tower. Plane left on time. Gas was around $5 everywhere.

** Some interesting ice creams; coffee brandy, vanilla and eclair crunch swirl with red caps (Maine Lobster), vanilla and raspberry jam with caps (Maine Black Bear), espresso and heath bar (Maine Deer Tracks).