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.
No comments:
Post a Comment