Grub Crawl - Lake Nona: Sweet Mamas and Durrian Durrian *NoCA Travel Notes

I finally found a good route (Hoffner to 15 to Narcoossee) to this area on Wednesday. The purpose was to see the Quarter Finals of the NCAA Tennis Championship at the USTA Tennis Center. They did DIII and DII already. Started at the beginning of the month. Those matches were free. You take Lake Nona Blvd from Narcoossee and make a right at some unmarked point. They have an indoor arean if it rains. The ticket cost $10 (free parking) and was a ton of fun. Very sparsely attended. Coaches and parents. Sadly, I had to leave by 2pm to grab some grub and get the rental car back in time. I think this will be a yearly event until they jack the prices like they did for the Thanksgiving basketball tournament at Disney. With regards to the restaurants, they were both in a strip mall just up from Lake Nona Blvd. East side. Almost next to each other in the rear. *I also drove farther on Lake Nona Blvd to another area that I forget the name of. A few restaurants and shops and they had a "village" of food stalls in shipping conatiners called 1 Box or something. It wasn't open and they chased me out when I tried to look in.

Sweet Mama's - Opened in 2007. A 2020 Orlando Magazine article they had framed put them in te Top Twenty local breakfast places. I grabbed an egg and cheese and sausage sandwich to go. It cost $9. It came with pretty good (fresh for afternoon) home fries. The sandwich was good. Quality egg and sausage. Buttered bun added alot. They offer up: egg dishes, omelettes, burritos, bagels, bennys, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, pancakes, french toast, waffles, etc) for breakfast. $17 was the tops. Oddly for a bagel with lox. Most under $10. $5.49 early bird egg meal on weekdays. They offer: sandwiches, wraps, burgers, salads, fish and chips, hot dogs, meatloaf, apps, etc) for lunch. I think $14 was the high water mark. Desserts. Opens at 6am. Unsure of close. Unsure of off days. Farmhouse feel. Yellow. Six booths. Six tables. Counter. Good service. I guess if you are in the area...

Durian Durian - Asian Thai. I thaid (err tried) the Cashew Nut Medley for $13 because I hadn't before and it was in the Thai Classic section (6). It was acceptable. Came in a brown sauce (probably soy). I had chicken in mine. Veg. Cashews. Medium heat. I should have gone super sonic. It was bland. White rice. They sell dishes with noodles and rice (8). Soups (12). Salads (5). 14 small plates. 13 Chef Creations. 3 desserts. Highest price is MP or $20. Interesting dishes were: roti canai, tulip dumplins, jade edamame dumplins, tamarind crispy duck, Malayasian Curry Laksa and fried cheesecake). As you can see they have a pan-Asian assortment of dishes. Open for fourteen years. I think. Oddly shaped interior. Oval shaped. Light gray. Dark floors. Wood. Wall of Buddha panels. Plants. Wicker lamp shades. Durians. Seats about thirty. Good service. I guess if you are in the area...

*Travel Notes - Northern California: I flew Frontier NS for $67 to SFO. $117 minus $50 credit (late PMs). They delayed the flight home by nine hours. However, they did provide (onced asked) a meal voucher and a crap hotel (Focus) with a shuttle bus. Sent me an email with $75 voucher already. $468 rental from Hertz. Quoted at $451. Shitty selection. Stayed near rental car depot (because landed at 11pm) at noisy Atrium Hotel for $123. Drove up 101 over Golden Gate Bridge (free in this direction) through Petuluma to Sonoma (116E to 12N). Stayed at Sonoma Creek Inn for $133. Had Alotachocolata and Butter Cream Brickle Ice Cream at Sweet Scoops in the village square. Went to the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (tiny exibition) because it was free that day. Drove towards road to Napa and popped in at Gundlach Bundschu Rhine Farm, Scribe and Nicholson Ranch. Didn't do tastings because they wanted $50 and they sell bottles at retail in the low teens and who the hell has heard of some of them and the whole DUI potential. Plus they were too into themselves. I think the idiot at Grunlach told me they do Rhone style wines. I think she meant Rhine. All the winery stops (and the trip in general) were not pre-planned. FYI - most places charge $50 to $35 nowadays and I didn't do any. I had lunch at Lou's Luncheonette. Chicken biscuit with pimento cheese. Down the street to Hanson Distillery. Got a free sample of their grape based vodka and had a $15 Ladies in Lavender cocktail because I felt obligated and a tasting was like $30 and they just flavor the basic one. Vodka was fruity, so, I passed on an interesting sounding green tomato Bloody Mary. I think the breakfast at Atrium (or Lou's or BK at OIA) brought on a case of the squirts. As such (and the fact that road side dumps wanted $18 for a burrito), I drove quickly to Safeway for some wine ($15 for a $35 Gruner Veltliner) and Taco Bell for a night picnic in my room and watched hoops. Sampled and rejected some Mexican places the next morning on the way out. Drove north on 12 to Glen Ellen. Popped in at Benziger Family Winery (tried their Chardonnay last night and it sucked). Ate lunch of cb and ff at Jack London Saloon (above a stream). Drove up to Jack London SHP. Didn't go in because it was $10 and it is just his house and it wasn't a planned itinerary item. Popped in at Abbot's Passage Winery (daughter of Gunlach people), BR Cohn (some hippy music enabler), Imagery Estate Winery, Arrowood, Kunde Family Winery, Kenwood Vineyards, Chateau St Jean (cute faux chateau) and St Francis Winery (good view). Back on 101 south to Rohnert (hotels getting pricy in Sonoma/Napa area). Saw Sonoma State University. Stayed at Good Nite Inn for $84. Grabbed double cream brie, 1/4 lb of sliced Boarshead pepperoni (cheaper than packaged), Dutch Crunch bread and a bottle of Kunde SB ($10) at Safeway. Ate that by the pool. Drove down 101 to Petuluma. Drove through town. Ate two great bbq oysters and a half bbq chicken with cheddar and bacon potato salad at Lombardi's Deli. Drove back to Sonoma. Tried a short cut. Got lost. But, saw Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards (my room mate in college's fraternity kicked out one of them out) because of that. Past Napa Airport to 80N to 12E to 160S at Rio Vista to 4W. Saw Jelly Belly factory and Sacramento River. I did this route to avoid bridge tolls. Stayed at America's Best Value Inn in Antioch for $121. Dinner at Target. Drove 4W to Concord to Port Chicago Naval Magazine NM. This is why I made the trip. To knock out these landmarks. All were free. It is closed until August. Requires res. Was the ammo shipper during WWII. Onto Martinez for the John Muir NHS. Also contained Juan Batista de Anza NHT. Onto Richmond (80 to 580S) for the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front NHP. Nice view of SF and Berkeley/Oakland. Also had a good looking restaurant next to it. And a Ford Model A assembly plant and bay trail. Onto 580 to 24 to 680S to Danville. Ate a turkey dip at Pete's Brass Rail and Car Wash. Shuttle bus (only way) to Eugene O'Neill NHS. Back on 680S to Fremont. Stayed at brand new Hilton Garden Inn for $129. Grabbed sushi at Ranch Market and XXL fried chicken breast and crispy oyster mushrooms at a stall inside called Shihlin Taiwanese Street Snacks. Soooo much food. Got pregnancy belly and still had more for the next day. Drove 680 to 280 to 17W to 1 to Monterey. I was reading Cannery Row on the flight and it drew me here. Drove the coastal route. Many wildflowers. Saw Point Pinos Lighthouse and Pacific Grove Golf Links (public - $85 some guy said). Into town for Cannery Row. Ate rock fish tacos at Sea Harvest because Cannery Row Brewing (on 3D) closed down and Monterey Fish House (on 3D) didn't tempt me. FYI - you can park on Lighthouse Dr (four blocks up) for free. Drove past Presidio into the old dt. Saw City Hall. Walked to Old Fisherman's Wharf and Customs House. Had a great chocolate chip cookie at Rosine's (on 3D). Stayed at over rated Sand Castle Inn in Seaside (adjacent town) for $83. Had capicola and havarti sandwich and beer at Other Brother Beer Co. Weather on coast was cold and foggy. Perfect inland. Drove up 1 a few miles to Castroville. Had artichoke bisque and steamed artichoke at Choke Coach at Pezzini Farms (on Pizza Cuz). One exit up to Phil's Fish Market (had been in Moss Landing) for snapper sandwich with ff. On 3D, I think. Drove up 1 to Pigeon Point Light Station. Onto Half Moon Bay. No Maverick's this time. Had beer at Half Moon Bay Brewing Co and Hop Dogma Brewing Co. Petrale sole with smashed potatoes and asparagus at Sam's Chowder House. A packed, touristy spot with a good view. I'm not sure if it is famous. Drove 92 to San Mateo (101). Dealt with flight cancelation. Most stops were happenstance. Turned out to be a great trip. Avoided traffic (except in wine country). Saw some new stuff and revisited (expanded on) some old. Great time of year to go. Not a ton of competition for amenities. Gas was $6 in SF. As low as $4.50 elsewhere. Avocados were 7 for $1! (at farms). Not sure which kind. They seemed to also be birria crazy and into something called drunken oats.

The Dough Show, UCF Area

I tried this Egyptian restaurant Tuesday at dinner. It is behind Bacon Bitch in a strip mall on University near Alafaya. Last on the left. It opened three months ago. I tried one of their "pies". It's an oblong object with wettish, raw, phyllo dough texture. Kind of like baklava versus a pastry. I didn't love it. It's topped with mozzarella and what they call Roman cheese. Tomato and olives and peppers. Kind of bland. Heavy. Cut into squares. No sauce. I've got a bit left and will try dipping it in hot sauce tomorrow. I had "home made" sausage in mine. It was plentiful. I'm not a huge fan of beef sausage. Bland. Inferior taste. They charged $16 for it. I think this style works best with flavorful vegetable add ins. They offer many add ins (ie shwarma, pastrami and other items they carry). Eighteen sweet ones too. They round out the selection with bowls (rice or greens), wraps and apps (ie $8 hummus). It's a narrow foot print. Not much decor. Four tables. Full. Pleasant reception. The place is already getting ratty. Smudged windows near the register. Oil stained fry backsplash. Muddy trim. Things stored in plain site. What will it look like going forward? The meats on the shwarma spits also looked a bit underwhelming. I'm glad I tried it because I like to try new things. But, I wouldn't go out of my way to go back. And I thought I would. Not open on Monday.

Grafton Street Pub, Lake Mary

I tried this replacement for Liam FitzPatrick's on Tuesday at lunch. It is in the strip mall across the street. Open for two weeks. I had 2 lamb sliders with ff for $4. Better than I expected. Came with tzatziki, l, o and t. Ok buns. Not overcooked. Shoestring ff. Apps, (ie beef carpaccio, wings, mussels), Five salads and sandwiches. Entrees like $29 branzino and $36 pork tenderloin and $45 steak frites. Bar room, patio, main room and speakeasy. Typical decor. Full all the time. If you like pubs, you good do worse.

*Thai place here is still in limbo. Halal Guys closed and is being replaced by Daddy's Chicken or something. F&D is becoming a F&D Steakhouse.

Grub Crawl - New Smyrna Beach: Lost Lagoon and Mikey's Pizza

I tried these spots on Monday at lunch. The first is up 1 at the airport. The other is across from Publix on the main road over the Intercoastal. 

Lost Lagoon - I had the fish and chips for $14. One big piece. Perfectly fried. Probably swai. A tad mushy in parts. Proper fries. Typical plastic menu restaurant selection and prices. Looks cute. A bit lived in. White and lavender. Pottery Barn decorations. Beachy. Two rooms separated by a bar. Five booths and five tables in road side room. Patio in back. Ok service. Only two. About half full.

Mike's Pizza - Conveyor belt pizza. I passed on that for a $9 Italian sub. Ham, salami and provolone. Stale roll. Large. Not sticklers for cleanliness. No gloves. Cut veg right on steel counter. A few apps. Four subs. Phoning it in. Seems like two retirees. Said they were there for almost thirty years. No seats. Tiny parking lot. Open at 3pm. 11 on F/Sa. No Tuesday. Not one of the better options in town.

*No seaweed on the beach. None at St Augustine either. Great water temp.

Grub Crawl - Winter Garden and Ocoee: Norigami, Bruno's Oysters, Bangkok Thai Passion and La Fonda de Ocoee *NC/TN/GA/FL Travel Notes

I tried these spots yesterday at dinner. The first two are in the Plant St Market. The second two were add ons after Matthew's required reservations. They are in a shabby strip mall at the intersection of Maguire and 50. There was also a gross Chinese take out and a promising Colombian joint in there.

Norigami - I believe they just received that third level Michelin award. I forget the back story on the people behind it. It seems to be reservations (only seven or so seats) or take out. I got there just as the were going on break between lunch and dinner service. The guy took pity on me and I took pity on him and ordered just one roll. An akami (bluefin tuna) for $7. It was fine. Hard to weigh in on such a limited sample size. They have interesting items like: beakfish, thorny head, black throat, sea bream, stripe jack, yt, king salmon, fatty tuna, urchin, scallop, blue crab, etc. Nigiri or sashimi or temaki. I think they price per piece. $5-$13 if so. They do a few snacks like: cucumber salad, popcorn hamachi, baked fish collar, miso soup, etc. Omikase is $70. If they really are Michelin level, then this is hardly the most expensive sushi option in town. No M/Tu. Mostly dinner time. Lunch on WEs. 

Bruno's Oysters - They said their poohba has some connection with the Norigami people. He now has opened a place in Winter Park called Foreigner or something. Here they share a small counter space and some tables (mostly outside) with a brewery. The location is in the front of the market place. Mostly open at nights and weekends. I forget which day it is closed. Probably Monday. I tried a dozen oyster for $36. They let you try all the options. They had five of six left. Canadian, NE and Washington. Two were ridiculously small. Shouldn't have been served. One was funky. A few had shell bits. Plus the ice melted fast (or was melting to begin with) and flooded the shells. They weren't great at letting you know which were which. Still, it was enjoyable. They also had some real interesting hot items like: bone marrow, confit duck grilled cheese, roasted oysters, lamb LT, chicken pate (I know that's not hot), lobster roll ($21), etc. Most items were single digits or low teens. I should have come back for those after Matthew's fell through.

Bangkok Thai Passion - Hardly. They only allow take out for some reason. They should stop that too. I had the worst Red Curry Chicken I've ever had for $14. The most watery, milky curry ever. The chicken was dyed red. ??? Just a few veg. Small portion of rice. Not that you weren't going to anyway, but, avoid.

La Fonda de Ocoee - A very good Mexican meal. I had three tacos for $10. Lengua and birria soft tacos. Ground beef in hard shell American style taco. That had a great thin shell. Beef had a bit too many bits. But, that makes it authentic. Lengua was tender. Double tortilla. Beef was a little tough. Oily. A few seats. Clean. Regular menu items plus dessert chimichangas, wings, chilaquiles, fire beans, etc. They have a Jalisco platter. Jalisco styled food? Mexican clientele. Nice find.

*Travel Notes - North Carolina/Tennessee/Georgia/ Florida: I rented a car for a week at $255. Drove to Colombia SC because all the hotels I checked in at from 95 on were asking too much. Like $150 for crap in a crap town. Found a Quality Inn in an area called Fort Jackson (sketchy adjacent) for $73 (rack rate). I should explain that I wasn't supposed to be here. I was going to go up 75 to Georgia and then come back this way. I zoned out and missed the 44 exit to 75 and went with it because the Universe had been shitting on me all week (and that is the last exit for miles). I drove to Charlotte and did the Pro Am day at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow for $40. Got there a day early, so, I went to buy a ticket and they talked me into going in. Then I bailed on the next day because it would have been to redundant. Not much difference truth be told. Saved $50. I stayed at Best Western Pineville for $92 because it was easiest to find and next to the parking for the golf at a theme park called Carowinds. I actually got them to let me park free to get the ticket. It would have been $20. I drove to Shelby NC to try some liver mush. Andrew Zimmern did a show on it. Not sure if I found where he ate (although I think it was a fair), but, Shelby Cafe came out when I researched liver mush. I think they are a century old. Had it on a biscuit there (and a huge egg breakfast). It's like deep fried pate. Drove on to Asheville NC. Stopped at Chimney Rock SP and Lake Lure. Went atop Chimney Rock for $17. Stayed at Downtown Inn (one of few hotels with free parking downtown) for $96. FYI - most hotels I stayed at were fringy. Drank at Wicked Weed Brewing and La Zoom. Ate a curated meal at Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse. Too many items to list. $90 with beer and tax and tip. Don't make decisions when drunk. Took so long I just crashed after. Drove to and through Sevierville TN. Stopped at Bush's Baked Beans and Tennessee Legend Distillery (bought moonshine for $33). Drove towards Pigeon Forge. Ate ok brisket sandwich and bad pork burnt ends sandwich at Preacher's Smokehouse (Jimmy Fallon talked about eating there). Stayed at Travelodge Dollywood Lane for $110. Got in too late to pay the $90 plus $25 parking for Dollywood. Visited Applewood Grill and surrounding shops (ie Cider Mill) technically in Sevierville. Great Muscadine Grape and apple cider. Got a four piece fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes (with gravy that also had potato chunks in it), mac and cheese and apple fritters. Very good. So much food. Had breakfast at Flapjack's Pancake Cabin. Got the eggs when I found out it is a chain owned by a mega food conglomerate. It (and Applewood) was listed in a magazine article I read. Drove through Gatlinburg (it and Pigeon Forge were like one big I Drive) and the north part of Smokey Mountains NP to Chattanooga. Walked a bit. Saw a Look Outs game. Ate at a cb with cole slaw at Wooden City. Stayed near 75 at Stay Express Inn for $105. Drove to Rome GA to see Braves. Drove down to Kennesaw. Stayed at Baymont for $78. Drove to Athens. The place (Pulaski Heights BBQ) I wanted was closed. Had a tire issue. Had to waste time replacing it. Ate a good chicken salad sandwich with cheese straws and cookies and cream cupcake at Bee's Knees Bakery because it was only decent (or non chain) option near the tire place. Drove to Augusta GA. Stayed at Microtel Riverwatch for $77 because it was easy get from here to my destination. Saw Woodrow Wilson's (and some SC judge) boyhood home and downtown. Didn't want to continue to find James Brown's house. Saw the Green Jackets play. Next to Savannah River. Drove on south via 25 to 16 to 95 to Fernandina Beach. Grabbed a 1/4 smoked chicken sandwich at Bob's Famous BBQ in Yulee FL. Stayed at Florida House Inn for $144. Mistake. Ate a chimi at Pablo's. Drank at Mocama Beer Company. Had a few beers at PJD's. Ate egg breakfast at Beach Diner. Saw Jumbo Shrimp game in Jacksonville. Drove home. Ate enchiladas at Tacos Queen in St Augustine. Slept at home. Had lunch (see previous post) in Titusville and NSB. Drove to St Augustine Beach. Took Crescent Beach exit in. Stayed two nights at Regency Inn for $207 because it seemed near enough to beach and pier. And it was the cheapest with the best rating. Lounged on the beach. Had a red drum sandwich with red potato salad and pasta salad lunch the next day at Florida Cracker Cafe in DT SA because it was written about in AAA magazine. Walked the DT. Exhibit at Governor's House. Didn't go into Lightner Museum because I doubt it is worth $17. Churches. Found free street parking just a few blocks away. Back to the beach. Coffee Bean and Coke Float at Cone Heads Ice Cream. Ground Beef and Thai Chili Chicken Pies (half off at closing) and a pastry named Lamington at Kookaburra. Drove home. Stopped at North Turn Grill in Ponce Inlet for lunch of 1/2 bbq chicken with baked potato and cole slaw. It has a museum and was part of the old Daytona 500 race course. Read about it in AAA magazine. As usual, missing meals were fast food. Gas was under $3 in TN and GA! I extended the rental by a week at same price because I felt like keeping away from the Universe. Didn't feel like listing all the roads this time. Most of the trip was finding places to go on the fly. Would have done other cities if their teams were playing at home.

Grub Crawl - Milk District and East Colonial (50): Black Magic Pizza and Sanshi Rice Noodle House

I tried these spots yesterday at dinner. They got matched up because the places on Mills and East Colonial I was going to pair with Black Magic weren't open.

Black Magic Pizza - I tried a Cheezus to go for $16. It was good. Around 14". Regular and fresh mozz. Good sauce. Touch of garlic. Dough was a tad overworked and under pounded (chewy and bubbles). Thin with thicker crust. Char. They sell four other types and wings and poutine and mozz sticks and cannoli. On the corner of Lou's dive bar. Said it was a chicken place before. No seats. Open a few months. Said they were pop up people before. Open Th-Sn. Nights. Day on Sn. Wednesday soon. Next to Milkhouse.

Sanshi Rice Noodle House - Yunnan (sw China) province food. Disappointing. Mostly hot pot junk. I tried a fish maw and chicken broth pre-planned one for $17. Broth tasted like Campbell's Chicken Noodle. A tad more interesting  in with chili oil. Only real substanative add in was a big drum stick. Mostly veg. Quail egg. Noodles were too thin and rubbery. Hard to eat. Needed knife and fork for drum. Chopsticks for noodles. Ladle was really to big for a spoon. They sell a variety of these soups. Plus skewers and some other snacks. Place is open. Three columns of seats. Gray. Faux wood tiles. Big mural on one wall. Chalkboard on back wall. Good service. In that strip mall with Ten Ten and Sparkling (or something like that) market. Open for lunch and dinner. No Tu. It's also a NY chain. Mostly Chinese clientele. Opened recently. Go to expand your horizons mostly. Or if you think soup is cuisine. God do I want to punch auto correct in the face.

Grub Crawl - Titusville and New Smyrna Beach: Wild Ocean, Bagel 13 and Local Bite

The first two are in Titusville. The second is on Garden St (the first exit south of 46 on 95) and S Park. The first is a right on S Park to 405 (2 blocks). The last is over the bridge on 44 by Publix. It was a bagel place before.

Wild Ocean Market - From that Edible list. More of a market than restaurant. A few seats. A few sandwiches, tacos, soups, baskets, etc. I grabbed a half pound of shrimp salad for $13. It was ok. Didn't seem like the greatest prices or selection. Not bad. But, not worth a drive. Looks like a warehouse.

Bagel 13 - A few other locations. Looks like a Dunkin Donuts. Just grabbed a jalapeno cheddar bagel for $2 because only 2 employees and the guy before me ordered a ton. Ok bagel. Thick. Puffy.

Local Bite - Started selling stuff as Sharkuterie. Ended in retail. I grabbed a good bootle of wine for $20 and an ok turkey and brie sandy called Jellyfish for $11. Closed on Monday. Around 6 sandys and sweets and quiches, etc. 

Latin Sisters Cafe, Lake Mary

I tried this spot  on N Country Club Rd near City Hall on Tuesday at lunch. They are open until 2pm. Closed on Sunday. I had a turkey and Swiss panini for $9.50. It was pretty good. Came with plantain chips. They do a few sandwiches, snacks, breakfast items and drinks. A few tables. Cute look. WiFi. Parking across the street. Open for two years. I think Subway charges these prices now for their garbage. And no chips.

My Lounge, Sand Lake Rd Area *CO/NM Travel Notes

I tried this Turkish spot in the Via Dellagio strip mall on Tuesday at night (9pm). It has been open for six months. There was only one other table (2 women) occupied at that time. There were about six men outside hookahing it up on the patio overlooking Sand Lake Rd. The menu pricing was ridiculous and if I wasn't keen on doing this, I would have just left. I did the next logical thing and ordered the cheapest entree and only an entree (and no drink). Kulbasti Shish at $26. It was eight tiny pieces of chicken thigh (probably singular) with minimal spicing atop a thick (likely congealed) schmear of tasteless (except in an off putting way) eggplant puree. And it took them about a half hour (remember empty restaurant) to deliver on that. Basic plating. Pide (their terrible 'pizzas") are about the same price point. I think a soup was $11. Other items were in the forties or sixties. And one was seventy five dollars. Just lamb, fish, etc. The table next to me had a branzino encased in salt. The menu described a branzino. But, not that way. Not sure if it was a special or they can't properly describe their dishes. That was in the forties, I believe. Sides are even around $8 or more. I hate this type of value proposition. Dishes only some kind of criminal or a government agent throwing around his people's money (same thing) or bribes (same thing) would have no compunction about paying for. Or a dilettante or arriviste or two. Anyone spending someone else's money or who with feels they won't be taking it with them and that date with destiny is coming sooner rather than later. But I digress. It's Turkish fare. Slightly less simple than Greek. To give you a for instance, I had a lamb and beef shwarma (see Travel Notes below) recently for $7. It was way better. More quantity. Better quality. More expensive types of meats. More flavor. The kitchen is open until 2pm on the weekends. Twelve or so otherwise. That's a plus. There is a big pide oven on the left side (with baby chair seats). A bar in the rear. A private room at the left rear. A stage (with instruments) in the middle. Lounges and a bar out back. It's very black (walls and lamps and chairs and ceiling). Too black. You can barely see. Some white and gray and tan (seat backs). Granite or marble table tops. The main room seats around 100! Ten baby chair seasts at bar and the aforementioned. Square room. High ceiling. Some art. Donald Bachelor looking pop culture collages. Plastic plants. Over all it is just tacky. I realize taste is subjective. Someone spent a few bucks on this vision. It just isn't what the cis gender (actually maybe not them in matters of style), Western, patriarchy (again maybe not them in these matters) brain washed into me. At least for a restaurant. Service (one guy with two floaters) was good. However, I can't recommend it. I'll mention that I popped by the London House while there. Despite what the internet says, they are back to being a private club. Only $5,000 a quarter though. But the money goes toward your meals... Still may be a cheaper than My Lounge in the end. Ooh that's needlessly snarky. But, it is making me grin. So it stays. Man my grade school English teachers would hate all these sentence fragments. Screw them! I'll write like I speak even if it isn't right. Ooh, good word play. Write. Right. Right! It's my life (lounge)! Go ahead with your own lounge...leave me alone!

*Travel Notes - Colorado and New Mexico: I flew Frontier to Denver and back (mid days) for $178. They were being dicks about personal item size in Denver. Hertz rental was $330. Brand new car. The weather reports were iffy and many resorts didn't extend their seasons (or weren't discounted at all), so, I didn't even ski. A whole week of audibling. First one. Drove 270 to 25N to Fort Collins. $208 (plus $15 parking) at Best Western University Inn for two nights. Walked to some breweries and a restaurant. Prost Biergarten and Black Bottle Brewery. Music City Hot Chicken. Avuncular Bob's Beerhouse. Had an expensive turkey pesto sandwich the next day at Ginger and Baker. Beer at Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and Maxline Brewing. Samples of gin and whiskey at Mobb Mountain Distillers. Walked the CSU campus. Dinner at Welsh Rabbit Cheese Bistro. Snails and mushrooms in cream. Pate de Campagne (Alexian from NJ). Cheese (Scharfe Max from SWI and Prima Donna from NL). Max tasted creamy and oniony. Donna was like parmesan. Sweet potato gnocchi in wild game curry. Tough, stringy game. Drove 25S to Raton NM. Freddy's and Arby's for meals. Stayed at Raton Pass Motor Inn for $87. Drove 25S to 285 to stop in Santa Fe NM for lunch of Eggs Consuela at The Pantry (on some show called Burger Land). Back to 25S to Albuquerque NM. Stayed at Sleep Inn Airport for $96. Snacks of a horrible slice at Slice Parlor and hot dog at Clown Dog. Saw Isotopes (AAA) play for $22 (walk up purchase of first row behind home plate) and $7 parking. Souvenir soda was $9! Everything closed at 9pm, so, had that shwarma at Sahara (I think it was Jordanese fare - a first if so). Lunch (all these places mentioned are on Central Ave) at Phat Stax Burgers. 2 Pac CB with ff. Buttermilk biscuit (great) at Ihatov. Back to Santa Fe NM. Stayed at Motel 6 for $96. It's close to city center and fighting Saturday rates. Went to Rail Yard area. Farmer's Market. Galleries. Beer at Second Street Brewery. Whiskey and vodka tastes at Altar Spirits. 1/4 lb, good brisket to go (ate next day) from Whole Hog Cafe (Arkansas bbq). Tamale in green chili from Chicago Dog Express. Into town center. More galleries and churches and some lady's house (Elliott Barker House) that had something to do with Smokey the Bear. Beer at Paxton's Taproom. Dinner at Cow Girl BBQ. Five Pepper Nachos (gross) and lame Margarita as seen on Best Thing I Ever Ate. Woke up early (actually the Universe woke me up early as usual and I went with it) and drove the 400+ miles (25N to 6W to 93N) to Golden CO. Went to Coor's Brewery. Free shuttle and parking to the plant and gift shop. Need reservations for tour. 93N to Boulder. This is the back way. Every one of these were all audibles by the way. Because of threatened cold temps and/or snowfall. Stayed at Boulder University Inn (close to CU and DT) for $103. Walked to Pearl St (DT). Decent turkey and gouda sandwich at Organic Sandwich Company. They had some kids' fair going on and all the restaurants were jammed. Walked to Boulder HS and CU. Pizza from Barchetta. I just stumbled upon it walking around. Patrons there said it was the top ranked on Yelp. Chicago dog at Mustard's Last Stand because of the name. Egg, etc breakfast at The Buff (on Man Versus Food). 93S to Golden to see Buffalo Bill's grave. 93S to 70E to 94S to 38th St to Tennyson to try and eat at Axios (saw it on 3D during the trip). It's gone now. Grabbed a steak and gorgonzola (or blue cheese) pasty at The Pasty Republic. Tennyson had many cute restaurants. Back to 70E to airport. Stayed at Sleep Inn for $113. Chocolate muffin at Corner Bakery Cafe because it was new. Nuggets from McD (just in the mood). Burrito and taco from TB (same). Egg, etc breakfast at Moonlight Diner. Because I always bypass it. Better than The Buff's at half the price. No probs with car return or flying home. Just missed a storm front. Gas was about $3.50 in both states. I saw some episode with Travels with Darley while there and she talked with George RR Martin about a train he saved in Santa Fe. I saw that train at the Rail Yard. Engine is painted like a dragon head. Saw that they have a Breaking Bad Tour Bus in Albuquerque.