Grub Crawl - Mills Ave and Winter Park: Pigzza, Purple Ocean, Maya and La Patrona

I'm going to jump these one post up because the next will be shorter and I have a Travel Notes to attach to it. I went to these spots yesterday at lunch. The first two are on Mills. Across and aside (by one neighbor) from Hawkers. The last two are at the intersection of Howell Brach and Lake Howell Rd on the border to Casselberry. 

Pigzza - Son of Pig Floyd. Opened last week. Packed at dinner (according to them). It was ok. A bit incongruous. They offer up (too) excellent $50-$100 wines and prefer reservations. But, the food is Federal Hill Italian (at best) and the space is a converted garage (with that level of ambiance). Personally, I'd restock the cellar with $20 wines or add some impressive entrees that would pair better with the current selection. I guess the formality will depend on how long the heat (if there is actual heat) lasts. I had a smallish $16 pepperoni pizza and a $12 half portion of spaghetti and meatballs. The pizza crust is sour dough. It didn't really stand out. There were too many bubbles (air not pounded out). Rookie mistake or laissez faire attitude. The bottom had some firmness. No char on the bottom. Not a deal breaker with me. Voluminous crust. Mostly air inside though. Nice chew. Not tough. The cheese was good. The sauce was too. Natural. The pepperoni (small circles) was also good. Good coverage. There were some shreds of something in there. Garlic? Husks? They also put the herbs on during the bake. Needless to say, they turned to ashes and didn't help the taste. I also plucked out some hard object. No idea. Packaging? I didn't see what type of oven or ask what temp. The spaghetti was cooked properly. Probably dried. There were little bits of spaghetti in the bowl. Fresh spaghetti doesn't shatter. Same natural sauce. Three meatballs. Golf ball sized. I prefer when they are baked or fried a little at the end and get a crust. Not dense. Some parmesan in there and atop the dish. I don't think they dressed the spaghetti in a sauce pan. Basic. Why I call it Federal Hill (American Italian) cuisine. This size portion (w/o any pizza) would have been enough for me today (I only ate one slice of the pie). The rest of the menu is dull. Five more pizzas. Five more pastas. Three sandwiches (eggplant, chicken and meatball). Cacio peppe fries sound interesting. But, will they taste interesting? Rhode Island calamari is another tell on what their inspiration is. They only pull in Pig Floyd with some brisket and pulled pork options. I think that is a good thing. Beers and cocktails are also pricey. Basic plating. Friendly (eventually) service. Dressed. More than enough. But, I think places over hire at the opening. There is a central room with a bar and an area to the right of the entrance and a large patio (almost half the seats) in front and room for a patio (future?) on the side. High ceilings. Open kitchen. About a quarter full. Some parking. Closed on Monday. L & D. I expected it to be a take out pizza place. It was more (and less). I think I'd have preferred the simple business model. Still, it was a nice experience. They just need to get their z's in sync. I don't blame them for dreaming though.

Purple Ocean Superfood Bar - This is one of the last places on that Edible list. It's two vegetarian food trucks. One acai, etc. One hot food. Puerto Rican style. They said since 2016. They said they have other trucks. It's in an alley next to Track Shack. I never espied it. I just sampled an alcapurria for $5.50. It looks like a churro. Fried. Filled with fake meat. It was ok. I started wrapping it in part of a future meal and dipping it in a future dipping sauce. They also do sandwiches. Fake burgers, chicken, etc. A few more snack items. There is a half built building next to them. They are moving there in the future. A few tables. A few parking spots in back. They have been around since 2016, so, they must be doing something right.

Maya Cafe Lounge and Gallery - I tried the panini for $10. Just two slices of poor quality prosciutto and swiss cheese on bad bread (buttered). They didn't even really press it. Some stale chips. I was told it was better. It probably is. I'm trying to remember some of the mixed Latin (Cuban, Venezuelan, Argentinian, Mexican, etc) offerings. Burger. Tuna sandwich. Cuban. Simple things. And desserts and drinks. Small room. Two or three tables. A bar. Art on the walls. Bohemian. Nice people. Opened four months ago. FYI I wrapped the prosciutto around the alcapurria.

La Patrona Tacos and Birria House - A food truck that was on OBT. Here for four months. A relative of Maya owner(s). Mostly birria dishes. Also a Guadalajara salad and flautas (maybe off the menu). I tried something called tacoketos. Not sure if I've seen that before. Maybe? They melt cheese around the filling instead of tortillas. Excellent! I had a birria and and a chicken one. Only onions and maybe a sauce inside. The best of all the dishes I tried on that day. $3.80 a piece. Big. They claim the have been awarded with some honors in the past. I can believe it. Of course the place I didn't even know existed (and the meekest) won the food war. This is the Bizarro world after all. FYI I used the green sauce on the alcapurria.

*I saw some meadery is open (or close) near the spots. Zymarium. I also finally found this Hawaiian shave ice truck called Hanalei or something. On that Edible list. At 1308 Lang. Behind Pig Floyd in some girlie store. Not sure what THEY sell. No one there at lunch. The store said she comes in the the mid to late afternoon. Sounds like open at night too. Try and beat me to them. I will have a review of a Sand Lake Rd spot and Travel Notes in the next post. Probably beginning of next week.

Alez Caribbean Cuisine, West Colonial (50)

I tried this spot in that large shopping area I call Chinatown at dinner last Monday. It was not plan A. I believe it is Haitian. I had the fried chicken platter for $18. Way too expensive. Seana's is much less. It was three unbreaded drumsticks, a pound of black wild rice, a bad lettuce and tomato salad, spicy onion salad and whatever they call tostones. I tossed the rice because I was leaving the next day. Tostones and drums were ok. Side of Ranch and some spicy orange sauce with cloves. They only had a few other versions of this meal. One slow cook. No server. You need to speak French. Shabby interior. A mouse trap may have been on cushion. Haitian music videos on tv. Every plot/song seemed to be aimed at keeping girls from becoming prostitutes. I only, hesitatingly, went because I hadn't before and I am running low on possible encounters. I almost passed by Pigzza, but, thought it wouldn't be open. It was. Sacre bleu!

Chilispot, Universal Area

I tried this Szechuan spot in the Publix strip mall at Kirkman and Conroy on Monday at lunch. I had shrimp with salted egg yolk for $19. It was great. Maybe my second favorite Chinese shrimp prep of all time. It is basically salt and pepper shrimp dusted with yolks and colorful peppers in place of black pepper. Creates a sticky sauce. Not as good as butterflied salt baked shrimp, but, excellent. They trim the eyes and beak off the shrimp. They leave the rest and shell on. Fried well enough that you can eat it all. And I did. Even the peppers. And I hate non-spicy peppers. 13 huge shrimp. If these were a little fresher this would be an A+ dish. I started loading the heads with the peppers. Tasty. They threw in properly steamed white rice. I could have stopped eating halfway. Would have if I wasn't traveling the next day. Family size portion. Pretty stacked plating. Most of the dishes I saw coming out looked great. Most cost less than mine. They even have some dishes from other regions in China that are more bland. "For the kids", they said. They have funky things too. Things like: mashed eggplant with century egg, croaker leap frog,  pork feet, duck blood and a dessert soup. All the customers appeared to be Chinese. Like fresh off a plane Chinese. Maybe tourists? 8 four seat booths on the edges. 2 six plus seater tables in the middle. Some had hot plates in the middle. Monochrome tones. Black, white and gray Some slogans in English on the wall. Maybe a remenant of when it was U and Me. Some Chinese symbology too. The front has a refrigerator on the wall that should be hidden. They opened in July. I think it is better than that YH one I Favorited last year. Because is it is much cheaper. If you want a solid taste of Chengdu+, get over here. And try not to door ding your neighbors car when you do.

Grub Crawl - Lake Mary: Mr Chuy and Sobol *AZ/NV Travel Notes

I tried these spots in the strip mall on Rinehart that has the BurgerFi on Wednesday at lunch. They are next to each other.

Mr Chuy - I guess not the other Chuy. Never been there either. Disappointing, yet not. I have still never been impressed by an upmarket (priced) Mexican endeavour. Same layout as the last two tenants. The last one was Grato, I believe. Always confuse them and Prato. Maybe extra patio seats in front now. Changed the wall decor to murals. Trying for a modern look. Mostly booths. I tried to try as diverse a selection as sensible. Because the cheapest lunch special was $12. I tried a lengua taco for $5. Raw tortilla and much too salty. Texture/cook was ok on the tongue. Didn't eat most of it. Large size. Next, an al pastor gordita for $6. Tough sope (that they cut in half for these). Tough pork. And chunks. Not shaved. Large size. Finally, a chicken tinga sope for $6. Stringy chicken. Watery bean puree. Better/fresher sope. Still unevenly cooked. Large size. Their free chips were good. Salsa was a bit thin and bland. So, pretty much the disappointment I was anticipating. The menu draws from most regions in Mexico. Not much that is special. Perhaps chilaquiles with eggs and another egg dish I can't recall aren't on all menus. Just because it is breakfast at lunch. They do birria style tacos. That is becoming less of a treat. Ohh..they do burgers ($15) too. Bar. Service was good. They actually had too many employees! This place was seemingly under construction forever. I believe they opened a month or two ago. There are already a few of these on Lake Mary Blvd and 46A area. I can't see them all finding a following. And they are doing burgers next to a burger chain. Perhaps this should have been another kind of restaurant? I can't see myself returning. Ahh (Mr) Chuy, God Bless You.

Sobol - A chain that started in NY that sells acai bowls (granola), drinks and smoothies. They claim all the virtue signals. Free range coffee beans. Locally sourced air. Non-GMO ice. Vegan fruit. Free trade plastic. The Kid's bowls started the bidding at $8 and smoothies ran around $10. I just grabbed a small iced coffee (not bad) for $2 because I'm not really into these things at any price. Just saw it there after leaving Chuy's and thought I'd give it some free pub. It has been open for six months. All kidding aside, the owner was nice. Small place. A few high tops. Order at at counter.

*Travel Notes - Arizona and Nevada: I flew to Phoenix (NS) on Frontier (PM there and early AM back) for $158. This was an audible from a planned trip to a golf tournament this week in Hilton Head that sold out from under me. Rented a car from Hertz for the week at $431. It gave me a check engine light the first day and they overcharged by $15. Soooo mis-managed. FYI - there is a new sky train to the rental area. I stopped in Carefree (on 17N) for some TB and In & Out. Stayed at Motel in the Pines just south of Flagstaff in Munds Park for $104. TV/SAT didn't work. Went skiing at Arizona Snow Bowl for $49 plus $19 ski package. It was much better than I expected. Granted the season has been great and it snowed more the night before, but, it was a surprise. A little chillier (30's) than I expected. Because of the warning light and a side trip to the Flagstaff airport (no exchanges because many people in my situation already had to dump lemons on them because of Phoenix Hertz), I could only eat some shit Del Taco and drive to Vegas before nightfall. Stayed at The D in downtown for $37 plus $34 RF. Free parking. Also, I didn't catch that Circa must own them and you can use their pool if you stay here. Not that I had time to. But, now you know. Ate good carnitas, adobado and cabeza tacos across the street at Tacos & Miches. I later saw at least one more location elsewhere. Bought some wine and beer at ABC. Pretty fair prices. Got trapped by lesbians and horny bartenders (it was a slow night I guess) at Hogs & Heifers. Too many cheap/potent drinkies! Checked out and ate a few pieced of sushi at Kura Sushi  on Spring Mountain Rd before I realized this was the same place that we have here. Went to Wynn Rd intersection to try excellent poke at Hawaiian Style Poke. Checked into the Resorts World Hilton for $101 plus $51 RF. Parking ($10) became free when I signed up for some club they have. Went to the pool for a bit then out to Red Rocks area for LV Aviators game ($25 for a few rows back at third base dugout). Free parking. Spent $28 on a full sized batting helmet full of carne asada nachos and a souvenir soda. Returned and tried lechon lumpia (like spring rolls) at Pepita's Kitchen in the food court. Too hurt from night before to rally. Woke up and got a sausage and egg and cheddar sandwich at Sun's Out Buns Out in the lobby. Drove 95N (two ways in and out) to Lee Canyon Ski Resort. Lift ticket was only $30, But, shitty ski gear was $59. They ran of poles! Line was forever. $10 to park. One of the two lifts went down. Really poorly run. Yet, because of good weather and fresh snow and warm temps, it was enjoyable. Less than Snow Bowl, but, good for 30 minutes from Vegas. That was basically the end of the to do list. Drove back to Vegas and pit stopped at Dan Han Banh Mi and Hell's Chicken on Spring Mountain Rd for a pate banh mi and double chicken sandwich. Most of these places I marked down to try last visit. Got back on 515 from Flamingo. I was hoping to find cheaper gas. Nope. Drove to 95S and Laughlin again. Easter Weekend prices were comparatively too high in Vegas. Stayed at Edgewater for $46 plus $21 RF. Free parking. Took some pics at Davis Dam. Did a walk up the strip. Had breakfast at In & Out. Over the river to AZ and saw the other side of the dam (Lake Mojave). Got some cheaper gas (like $1 per gallon) in Bullhead AZ. Ate Arby's. A few mom and pop places I tried were overpriced. Drove 95S to 10E back to 95S to Yuma. One area had all those RVs like that movie from last year (Nomad?). Passed through Yuma Testing Ground. I think it is an artillery range. Checked into iffy Ramada near the airport for $97. Stay at a lower avenue number. This was on 32nd Ave. Decided to do the "Euro" dinner of cheese, wine, charcuterie (and CA roll) at Albertson's. Actually found some great sales (great feta for $2 and half off antipasto mix at $5 and a good NZ SB I had never tried for $10). Plus tried some veggy combo puffed chips. Ate at sunset by the pool with some Lithuanian kids on their way to SD. Woke up and saw the downtown (Colorado River). Ate chili cheese fries and a hot dog at Hamburger Stand. I think they are owned by Wienerschnitzel. Never been before. Drove 8E to 85N to 10E to 202E to Scottsdale. Stayed at 3 Palms for two nights at $173. Free parking. Cheapest place I have ever found near there. It was ok enough. Had beer at Scape Goat. Grabbed a proscuitto, cheese, spinach stuffed chicken scallopine from Olive and Ivy. Grabbed beef taquitos and a cabeza taco from Super Burrito. Tried to do Pizzeria Bianco the next day downtown. One hour wait. Grabbed a Traffic jam sandwich at Sticklers instead. I just had to try something from DT because I made the drive. Didn't want to sit in plus I parked in the wrong side of town and it was over 90. Drove back to Scottsdale and had beer at Goldwater Brewing. Sushi dinner at Bei. Dessert at Bosa Donuts. Woke up at 3:30 am for flight. Of course flight delayed an hour due to mechanical issue. That's that. BTW gas in PHX area (and Vegas) was almost $5. $3.50 elsewhere.

Grub Crawl - SoDo and Winter Park: Dragon King, House of Mac (Closed) and Just Salad

I tried these spots on Tuesday. The first two at lunch. The third at dinner. All to go. The first two are on South Orange Ave around Michigan. The third is on South Orlando in between Fairbanks and Lee Rd.

Dragon King - I only went to this ancient Chinese place because I needed more of an incentive than just House of Mac and it was the last thing in the area (my route to the airport) that remained untested. What I expected (except for the high prices). Average take out in a decrepit environment. I had the Moo Goo Gai Pan lunch special for $11. Isn't that about twice the going rate before Bidenflation? I swear my local place has it at $6 with a soda. This a bland chicken dish if you were unaware. Came with broccoli, onion, cabbage and carrot. Not as unfresh as some places. Side of fried rice and a mostly fillingless eggroll. Like I said, it was acceptable (not greasy). But not worth the premium price. All the dish prices seemed high. And weird numbers. Like they were lucky numbers or they just took the old spreadsheet and multiplied the old prices by some new profit margin at a fixed percent. Usual menu. 7 tables. Mostly four seaters. Empty at 2pm. Sounds from the kitchen sounded Chinese. One front of house girl. Didn't seem Chinese. In a non-descript strip mall with no real landmark to point you to. Not that I would.

House of Mac - This is another South Florida franchise. Pit Bull's ex-manager. It was announced over a year ago. But, just opened in February. I really thought I was going to flame throw this spot (for a variety of reasons), but, it may have saved itself slightly. I tried the cheapest item because it is just stupid mac and the rest were overpriced. The World Famous Five Cheese Mac and Cheese at $13. I believe they sprinkle it with chemicals (err truffle oil). I was expecting a ramakin of mac. It was a casserole. One of those big tin circle containers. Maybe eight portions worth. I've eaten two. And it was ok. Properly cooked elbow macaroni. Ok sauce (except for the oil and rosemary accents). On the thicker side. Coated with a layer of cheese that I could live with out. But, it's more product. I do believe they pre-prep these. Maybe not. They said it would take ten minutes to prepare. No one can be that slow wrapping up a container. Right? And you can't nuke metal. Not sure because I didn't try it until a bit later and it was room temp then. Not sure if it was ever hotter. I nuked some and it was way better hotter. You can even put the cheese side down and it will leave a skin of cheese after you pick around it. Then you can use that to make a grilled cheese. So, in summary and in conclusion (that's an SNL reference) ok mac - would prefer the non-family size portion at a lower price. Then I MIGHT be tempted to try the $18 burger or more expensive salmon or higher priced macs. But, probably not. Salmon? Here? Defenitely not. The place already looks grubby. They still keep the real estate lady key holder lock on the front door. It never looks open. Just a tiny, unfurnished, square room with a counter at the end. Some pics of the owner with celebs and his spots on tv on a loop on the tvs. That's three "on" (ons?) in one sentence. Not changing it though. I'm torn. It's really just another stupid novelty restaurant. However, it's not as terrible as I thought it would be. But, the sizes and prices aren't single guy (or calorie) friendly. You decide. More people (women) patronize the fake health food dessert (err smoothie) place next door. I guess being associated with Pit Bull isn't quite the same draw up here. It's always empty. How do I know? I've tried this place four times over the past year because of bs info from the internet. But, I guess it would be empty when it was never open. I came one time just before 11am. Open 11am - late (maybe past 11pm). Maybe 7 days? It's near that condo complex in between the hospital and Michigan. There is a Foxtail Coffee at the corner. Parking in back. And homeless people! Some in wheel chairs!

Just Salad - You knew this was coming...Just Stupid. It's it isn't even just bad looking, expensive salads. They also ruin wraps and bowls and soup. I tried the cheapest thing because I was only doing this for you to begin with and even then it everything looked disappointing. I "curated" (actually I don't think they abused this word) a half filled, recycled, cardboard quinoa bowl with three items (shredded broccoli, chick peas and cherry tomatoes) and a protein (they do abuse this poor word). That would be six "nuggets" of dry, supermarket salad bar chicken. The guy gave me a tiny dressing cup (avocado something), but, he kind of made it sound like it should cost extra. Made me think of that scene in Beverly Hills Cop where Damon Wayans tells Eddie Murphy to "go on and take those bananas" (for the tailpipe of course). It cost $11. Most listed things were a few bucks more. They have around fifteen add ons. Just tofu as an extra "tein". Rice or sweet potatoes too. Order at a counter. Modern build. White. Tile. Counter in rear of building. Seats aside and up front. Odd because parking is in the rear and most people will see their ass before their face. See what I did there? Ass and rear in the same sentence. This is another unnecessary (and hopefully unwelcome) South Florida franchise. There are at least five other "healthy" rip off chains in the area already. I was ambivalent about this place when I thought it was an all you can eat salad bar. This was another punch to the nether region entirely. It's across from that Knife Cake place (Golden Knife?). Closer to Fairbanks. Some place listed as Superica is being built out at the end of the strip mall. Seems months away. 

*I heard that Farm & Haus opened a location on Park Ave. Don't look for a review. See the one from when I went to the East End market location.

Grub Crawl - College Park and Lake Ivanhoe: Turci Pasta and Ivanhoe 1915

I tried these spots at dinner last Monday. The first is on Edgewater near Princeton. The second is on Orlando near Princeton.

Turci Pasta - It was Trevi pasta. Some Brazilian partner made it more of a restaurant a few years ago (2019). It ended up being pretty high end. I tried one of the lower priced off ramps to go. It might have been an app.  Gnocchi au Gratin for $13. It was really good. Delicate gnocchi. Tasty cheese and cream sauce. Big portion. They have a $50 prix fixe. I think lasagna was $44. Around eight apps and eight mains. Mostly pasta. Expensive.  They also sell uncooked pasta. Seats about 40. Dressed up staff. Odd layout. Small front room with rectangular hall on left side. I believe they open for lunch at 1pm. I was very impressed.

Ivanhoe 1915 - Not a year. The address. Was another gay bar a while back. This for a year. Exactly the same. Now they do a moderate lunch plus snacks at dinner. Just grabbed a hot dog with chips for $4 because I was less than impressed with the options. They have some relationship with Savoy. Not my scene, so, not certain of what is going on here. You can ignore them. 

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Stoked Poke, La Fiesta and Perfecto Pizza

I tried these spots on Monday at lunch. The first is before the bridge to Flagler Ave. The second is right after the bridge. The last is across from Publix after the other bridge.

Stoked Poke - It was a cookie dough place called Dough Girl. Now the same people sell a bit of that from a fridge and poke, tacos and acai bowls. I sampled a tuna taco with bacon and avocado for $5. Not bad. Good combo. Why hasn't it always come with bacon? Raw tortilla. Big portion.  $15 bowls. $13 for acai. Basically salon and tuna. Opened four months ago. 

La Fiesta - I had the shredded beef taquito (3) app for $9 and tortilla soup bowl for $8. The beef was tender. Flauta sized. Tons of guac and sour cream. Could have stopped with these. Soup was also huge. I left half. So much rice. Chicken and avocado and cheese and strips. Fresh veg. Even green beans. Fresh broth. Two winners. They have a big menu. The usual plus things like cazuelitas. Dishes from Veracruz, Cancun, Guadalajara. Booze. Weird design. Some mismatching. Green turf on wall by hostess desk. They should have redone the floors. Bar in center. Patio. Bare decor. They opened in July. Open 7 days for l and d. They have another location. Port Orange I believe. Quick service. Small parking lot. Much better than I expected.

Pefecto Pizza - They bought out Planet Pizza a year ago. Seems the same. Bought a slice for $2.50. Terrible. Cardboard. 

Grub Crawl - Oviedo: Ford's Garage and Maple Street *UAE Travel Notes

I tried these spots on Wednesday at lunch. They are both in some shopping complex on East Mitchell Hammock Rd (beyond Alafaya Trail). 

Ford's Garage - The first of these I saw was near the outlets by Disney Springs. It is a chain from Ft Myers with a licensing deal with Ford Motors. This is number 22 of 23. Most are in Florida. Two years or so old. They serve the usual and have a large beer selection. I tried the usual. A CB with ff for $14+. It was pretty good. Sizable. I tried the 1/2 lb one (also in 1/3rd). Almost medium rare. Not much flavor to the meat. Tough bun with Ford emblem branded in. Greasy lettuce. Hopefully from the meat and not the mouth. Ripe tomato. Fresh onion. Rubbery, dry pickle. The cheese melted around the patty like they steamed it. Tasted like McD's cheese. Good (normal-ish) fries. They also sell: sandwiches, mac and cheeses, meatloaf, chicken tenders, ribs, salads, brisket, salmon, ahi, nachos, pretzels, soups, wings, fish and chips, desserts, etc. Ribs are costliest at $26. Most things in the teens. Sodas were $3.50. Bar at end of room. Old truck above it. Tap wall had some kind of back splash. Pennies, I think. Tables between bar and entrance. Patio in front. TVs with sports. It was almost full. Napkins rings were those clamps they put around hoses. Gas pumps handles at the door. Things like that. Wood. It's a theme restaurant. But, not as bad as you'd think. 

Maple Street Biscuit Company - I saw this driving in. Turns out they are owned by Cracker Barrel. Quite a few locations. The guy said they opened six years ago. Menu claimed 2012 (probably the chain's birthdate). I ordered a spinach and goat cheese one because it was almost the cheapest at $7. They gave me the other one (the cheapest) for free. Because I'm so charming. I think it cost $3. It was an cinnamon iced one. I liked that better. The other was ok. The toppings were fresh. But, their biscuits were tough. And I don't love the salty aftertaste you get with them (biscuits in general). This is funny because I think everyone goes to Cracker Barrel because of the biscuits. I never found them that much of an enticement. The place is just a square room. Like a Johnny Rockets or Panera. It had a few old gals for lunch. They also sell breakfasty stuff. Like eggs. Some biscuits ran to double digits. They need to call in that Callie lady from Charleston to oversee their biscuit execution. It will be interesting to see if that Southern Rise chain is any better when they finally open in Winter Park.

*Travel Notes - United Arab Emirates: I flew to Dubai (Air Canada thru Toronto and United thru Newark) for $764. In at 7pm. Didn't have to rescan bags/self in Toronto. They had a Susur Lee restaurant there. I took the Red Line Metro from T1 at the airport right to my hotel at Burj Khalifa stop for under $3. They have enclosed overpasses to either side of the highway. On a map you wonder if you will have to play Frogger. I stayed at the Rove City Walk for two nights at $95 (a bit of tax on the room). I explored around the hotel (mosque, shopping center and sports arena) the next day and onto (using the overpass) the Dubai Mall. This is where the fountains and the Burj is. Should have gone up the Burj. Saved it for last day and it was cloudy and I had my bag, so, I didn't go. It costs around $40. Got money from the ATM here and ate lomi soup with side of shu mai at Chow King in the food court. Explored the area. Ate dinner at McD's. Tired. Booked the Holiday Inn Internet City that night for the rest of the stay. Didn't know what area to nest in. This area had the beach and that palm shaped island nearby. Marina seemed a bit too isolated. It wasn't. This was also closer to the Metro station. It cost $70 a night for three nights. Free breakfast. Easy to find. Tram here cost the same. Walked to Marina. Took another tram back (same price) past hotel to stop closest to beach. The track is down here, but, they must need to build the stations or something. Ok beach. Seemed like sand was brought in. View of Burj al Arab hotel. Too tired to walk all the way to it. Grabbed some crap (beef pepperoni, chips, bread, etc) at a market. Took a $39 day tour to Abu Dhabi the next day. By far the best call. Abu Dhabi is cleaner and nicer. Plus you could see alot more with a car. The main excursion was a giant mosque. Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque. Bring long pants. Leftovers for dinner. Stayed in the next day for fantasy baseball draft purposes. Can you believe it happened then? I need better planning. It was to be a beach day as well, but, I decided that I could live without it. Plus I was getting little rest. Dinner of smoked salmon, Omani potato chips and chicken with pasta from the same market. Flight (like most to US) didn't leave until 2am the next day. Bought an all day Metro pass for $6. Went to Emirates Mall to see the indoor ski slopes. Then to Gold/Spice Souq area in Al Ras. Then to Creek area in Al Shindagha. Then to Al Fahidi (oldest/original area of town). Then back to Burj for dinner. Two falafels with ff at Nablus Eats in the food court. Waited for the fountain show to start. It didn't. Left for Terminal 3 in the airport. Had popped lotus seeds with tumeric from a shop there. The funny thing about going here is you fly over places like Mt Ararat and Baghdad and Iran and Kuwait. The original flight route had us over Kiev. It was cloudy going there. Saw more on trip back. Persian Gulf is calmer than I expected. No waves. Emirates are like 80% foreigners. Mostly Indians, Filipinos and Euros (lots of Rooskies). English spoken everywhere. No real dress codes. Safe. Most everything in Dubai was in reach of the Metro. It is like a mile inland. Not anymore expensive than elsewhere. Western food. An outpost of every type of trendy worldwide famous (many I hadn't heard of) food producers. Not too hot yet. Weird smog/pollution. Dry but humid. Your throat won't love it here. Easily the most familiar Arab destination I've visited. A mix of DT Miami (buildings/water), Chicago (metro) and Vegas (heat/sand). Every type of modern architecture. A bit boring, but, ok. I had planned this trip three years ago. Then Covid. Prices were almost equivalent now. It was a non-stop flight though, last time. With Emirates. And Rove hotel in the Marina. Never could find ligamat (local donut with date syrup). Don't use the pod hotels in the airport. You have to go through customs and check in before you can get to them. My airline didn't open desk until three hours before take off. And you had to physically check in. Not sure if they let you in on arrival (or if you come in through another terminal) because you haven't cleared Customs. You seemed to have to take a taxi to the other airport hotels. Just take the Metro into town. Not much benefit for staying near airport.