Aurora, UCF Area *AL/IN/OH/WV/VA/NC/SC/FL Travel Notes

I tried this restaurant in the Celeste Hotel Friday at lunch. It is on Alafaya Trail in between the front entrance and the theater entrance. They have valet parking, but, you can self park. Get a pass for the window. I think they said they have been open for a year. Light gray walls. Plates with primitive symbols on the wall. Maple tables. Purple-ish and lavender seats. Cloth napkins. The hostess desk was mostly unmanned. There for a short time when no one was present. Not there when they were. I had to chase down employees to get a table. I think they rotate the lobby and bar hotel staff. Only two on the wait staff. Rectangular floor plan. One big private room on the right side. Some two seater booth aside it. The rest are four seaters against the window. The menu was a bit dull and overpriced. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with bibb lettuce, tomato and avocado. The chicken was ok. A tad dry. Good bun. Fresh veg. Like a Chick Fil-a sandwich. However this cost $16. Came with ok fries. It was the cheapest thing. I recall a burger, two salads, an app with burrata and a sliced filet sandwich with goat cheese. I expected it to be a bit more engaging. Just the usual hotel restaurant fare. Service was good. It was mostly empty except for the private room. 

*Travel Notes - Alabama/Indiana/Ohio/West Virginia/Virginia/North Carolina/South Carolina/Florida: I rented a car from Budget for two weeks. $507 with tax. This trip was just a filler to avoid flying. I was going to go to Texas. But, it was too hot. Many, if not most of the things, I wanted to do did not get done. Mostly because things were closed on the days I was driving through them or teams were elsewhere. I drove the first day through Atlanta to 20 to Oxford Alabama. I was trying to get past Atlanta without traffic. And I had never driven that stretch of highway. I stayed at a Sleep Inn for $109 (rack rate). Watched the Wimbledon final. I then drove to Birmingham for lunch at Niki's West on 378 (on Bizarre Foods). It sucked. Overpriced cafeteria slop. I then drove north through Tennessee and Kentucky. Forgot about Fort Knox. Some distilleries were too far off the highway. I was intending to hit Memphis and St Louis, but, things wouldn't have been open and weather reports were bad. Diverted route northward. Got stuck in traffic for hours north of Nashville (downed cable). Had to sleep in Seymour Indiana because most hotels in between had jacked up prices or were booked due to kids' baseball tournaments and a Beyonce concert in Louisville. Found a Quality Inn for $106. I bypassed Hamilton Indiana because destinations (breweries) didn't open until 4pm and some had shuttered. Went through Cincinnati. Ate at White Castle (burgers) and Skyline Chili (coneys) in Sharonville. On through Columbus via 70. To Cambridge Ohio because I have this 2015 copy of Food Traveler (with Adam Richman on the cover) sitting on top of my toilet and they put an ad in there that I have been re-reading for eight years. It's on the SE border. It sucked. Like a more neglected Scranton PA. None of charm promised in the ad. I stayed at a Microtel for $85. Had a bad brownie and Swedish tea pastry at Kennedy's Bakery. Good blackberry pie at Theo's. Horrible (probably packaged and nuked) sopapilla at Mr Lee's. Beer from McKenna's Market. The next day bought ok peanut butter cup and chocolate covered graham crackers and chocolate covered rice crispy treat at Nothing But Chocolate. All these were in the ad. Drove south an exit to Lake Seneca. Had ok fried cod with mac and a baked potato at Dockside in Senecaville. Drove some backroads to see the northern edge of the lake. Through Wheeling West Virginia on 470 to 250S. I wanted a new route. Back on 79 to 19S. Stayed the night at a SureStay in Summerville WV for $101. Went white water rafting from 2pm to 5pm on the New River with ACE Adventure in Oak Hill WV (like 20 miles south) for $132. By far the highlight of the trip. Had a chicken salad biscuit and a blt biscuit at a chain called Tudor's Biscuit World. Kept seeing their stores. Drove over to Charlottesville Virginia via 64E through Staunton. That was a longer drive than I thought. Slept two nights at a noisy Super 8 on 29 just north of 250 loop for $98 a night. This area is gentrifying. Waited a half hour for a shitty chicken burrito at Torchy's. And they put it in a bowl. Not a tortilla. Tried wineries in the NE and NW quadrants over the next two days. Sampled wine from these: Barboursville Vineyards, The Barn at 678, Reynard Florence Vineyards, Stinson Vineyards, Grace Estate Winery, Glass House Winery and Hark Vineyards. Visited but rejected (mostly over pricing): Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard, Keswick Vineyards, Horton Cellars, Well Hung Vineyard and Knight's Gambit Vineyard. Some of these idiots wanted $25+ for a flight (4). $17 for a glass. Most of the places I went were under half that. Good quality. Especially the reds. I ate a late lunch the first day at the Blue Ridge Cafe on 33 and 29 because I kept missing the places I wanted to eat at and ended up here by chance. Had liver and onions and mp and a baked potato. The red wine was talking. Got a pulled pork sandwich at BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville because I passed by it. The next day I ate a good pizza from the Crustworthy food truck at Hark Vineyards. I should say that I lucked out on the wineries I went to. Didn't review any of them before hand. Nice people and locations too. Beautiful drives through the country. This has to be the most livable city in America. Stayed night three at a Red Roof Inn closer to 250 loop for $98 because I extended the stay and didn't love the Super 8. Drove 64E through Richmond to 295 to 95. Had a spicy fried chicken biscuit with honey at Biscuitville in Roanoke Rapids NC. Stayed the night at a Comfort Inn in Lumberton North Carolina for $93 because I overestimated the time (and traffic) to Charleston. Ate good fried chicken at Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q. Drove 95S to 26S to Charleston South Carolina. Ate fancy hard boiled eggs and pickled shrimp on toast at Baba's on Meeting (HSR). The following restaurants were either from How She Rolls on PBS or a Travel and Leisure article. HSR and TL from now on. Had beer at Baker & Brewer. Met the beer guy there and he told me to go to their other brewery (Holy City) in North Charleston. It is in an area near the Naval Yards called Park Circle. A new hip area. I did after some fried chicken to go from Leon's (HSR). Then over Rittenberg Blvd to Frothy Beard Brewing (TL). Then on to 17 to West Ashley and a Sleep Inn. Stayed there for two nights at $112 a night. Dinner of bad chili cheese fries and pulled pork at Hugh Baby's. It was new. Hockey puck burger the next day at Little Jack's Tavern (HSR). Near Leon's. King and Race. Back to Park Circle to Wind & Waves Brewing. Coneys at Park Circle Coney Island and fried cod at the Codfather. Both surprisingly good and cheap. Visited the Naval Yards. The place that houses this old sub (Hunley) was closed. Went to Riverfront Park. Cute area with nice houses. Back to Spruill St (that Meeting St turns into) to Firefly Distillery. Willie Nelson is playing there in late October. Did a tasting for $13. Over to Coast Brewing Company. They weren't open, but, this guy inside just gave me a four pack for free. Over to Common House Ale Works. I should say that some of these places are really visually impressive. Back to West Ashley. Bento with enormous portion (like 4x) of teriyaki chicken at Konnichiwa. Maybe because I scolded them for $12 two piece nigiri that I still think must be a typo. Breakfast of chicken salad from East Bay Deli. On to Vilano Beach Florida. That brewer told me about it. It is north of St Augustine Beach channel. More pristine. I'm glad I learned of it. Will go there from now on. You take 16 off 95. You can see the fort and downtown from the channel side of the beach. I stayed at the too dog friendly Magic Beach Motel for $110 a night. There are new hotels (ie Hampton Inn, Hyatt Place, BW) there too. My hotel was almost on the beach. They have a Publix too. A few restaurants. Beach road connects to South Ponta Vedra in the north. Bought some rum the first night and drank rum and coke on the lifeguard stand at dusk. Had iffy sauteed mahi and wild rice (awful pairing) and ok veg at The Reef the next day. Good ahi tacos with bean and chick pea salad and cole slaw at grubby looking 180 Vilano Grill for dinner. It rained that afternoon/night. I guess it was an ok trip. More booze and food and less sights and adventures than I would have liked. But, the next trip should make up for it. Where could it be? They gave me a new SUV instead of a gas friendly compact, so, I tried to compensate with low priced hotels. Gas is actually more expensive here then anywhere I traveled to. The weather also effected where I ended up. Dodging heat, hail and tornados. Thankfully, the car had satelitte radio. How conflicted am I that I like to listen to Larry the Cable Guy's talk show and Tom Popa and Fortune Feemster's too? 

Grub Crawl - West Colonial (50): Meet Fresh, Friendship BBQ and Paul's Unique Gourmet (Closed) *UK Travel Notes

I tried these spots last night. They are on West Colonial. The first two are in "Chinatown" on either side of the Enron (I know that is incorrect but close) Market. The last is closer to I-4. John Young intersection?

Meet Fresh - I think they opened just a few months (or weeks ago). They said they are a world wide chain. I believe it was Taiwanese sweet items. I had the almond pudding with sweet beans for $3.50. Or something like that. There were too many new things to absorb. Add in a single terminal that would not display prices until check out and I was awash selecting anything. They also did "soups", bowls, waffles, mochi, drinks. Many things. The non-"snacks" were near $9 to $10. My dish was like a coconut custard with sweet red beans around it. Ok for water and tofu. The place is hospital white. Lots of open space. MODERN. If it is a choice between this and boba places, I choose this.

Friendship BBQ - They opened very recently. I think they have some prior association with the post-apocalyptic wokeland of New York. I don't think their target market is the West. The sign (and clientele) is mostly in Chinese. Tiny English lettering. I almost couldn't find it. It is mostly a skewer place. And their presentation was a bit gross. The waitresses just carried them from the kitchen to a table like they were a bouquet of flowers. Add in a waste trolley hanging out in plain site and it all started working against the modern interior design. Is this mod-cuisine or a street market stall? I settled on the lamb and potato burrito for $12. Firstly because most of the menu was mostly skewered meat and secondly because they said they had already raised the price (by 25%) on the menu on the fired rice with lamb and thirdly because it sounded weird and fourthly because I didn't feel like eating in before I began a road trip. It was just skewered lamb (2) in a naan like fried bread. Didn't taste any potato. Just wilted lettuce and tomato. It was ok. I had to cook the meat a bit more in the micro. Cumin flavor. Some spice paste. The menu has crazy things like: cow aorta, lamb kidney, bullfrog, chicken heart, bone marrow, quail, skeleton, lamb spine, and abalone. The place looked cool. Modern. Three columns of seats. Around six rows. A bar (with no stools) in back. Alley like lay out. About 1/5th full. Good, young, cute service. It just needs to clean up its act.

Paul's Unique Gourmet - I had them on the list and then I went by months ago and the place looked closed. I guess it was a break. They opened in October. Haitian. They seem to be big in Miami. Let's not get into that. I already had dinner, so, I ordered their cheapest thing (tenders were not available). 6 wings for $10. They turned out to be ok. Plump. Three of each type. I had to cook these a little bit too. Jerk flavor. I added no flavor because they seemed not to be dips. Maybe I was wrong on that. Most meals were around $20. Goat, pork, seafood, ribs, chicken. Around eight sides. Fried and grilled. No one was there. Still looked half done. The half done part was modern and clean. An upgrade over the place they replaced. This place may have potential.

Travel Notes (continued) - England: I left you while I was on a National Express bus to Bristol. It doesn't appear that they factored in Friday traffic when they planned the route (nor explained all the stops or e-cig breaks). However, we were so late getting through Manchester that there was no traffic to Birmingham and I make it in time for the transfer. And guess what? It's canceled. The only one. They promise cabs. That they will pay for. It takes an hour, but, they actually come through. The driver was probably drunk and there were eight to a cab, but, they get us there. At 11pm. Started at 11am. I stay at the Holiday Inn near the bus station for $107. See nothing of Bristol. Wake up early and thankfully check the bus web site and run to the station and claim a 10L fare to Taunton at the station. So much more money later on. Arrive in Taunton (in North Somerset) and stumble upon the other bus area that has the bus I want. I just jump on it. A 2L fare (each way) to Minehead. Pretty drive. I like it and decide I will book a room there the next night. So, I just go back to Taunton after a brief investigation. FYI- Minehead seemed as close to Exmoor National Park as I could get without a car. I was wrong. You can get another bus at the same price along the coast westward. I did that the next day. Back to Taunton. Cute town. I stayed at the Royal Ashton for $74. Near the station. Walked the town. Saw cricket stadium and Minster. Bought a train ticket for the next day. Back to Minehead. The other bus (Exmoor Coaster) to Porlock and Lynmouth. It goes on to some cute towns (ie Ilfracombe) on the Bristol Channel. I will do this (but from Barnstaple) next year. This is really hidden gem of an area. Also Lorna Doone country. That's a book (and a character). In Minehead I stayed at the Duke of Wellington for 72L ($91). Most things closed earlier than I expected (Sunday). Back to Taunton in the morning. A 32L train to Salisbury. I think they lied about the anytime fare being the same as a directly timed one. Machines seemed to be rigged to get you to buy those too. FYI - those 2L buses ran all the way to Glastonbury or Wells. I would have done that if they ran on Sundays. I figured out a different route. In Salisbury, I stayed at the Kings Head Inn for 89L ($113). Saw the Cathedral (Magna Carta) and Church of St Thomas Becket. Cute town too. It was rainy. Ate a chicken and leek pasty at Reeve the Baker (and bought a baguette). Had a Saveloy Sausage at Stoby's. Bought a timed train ticket to Bath for 10L. They were starting to strike that week. In Bath, I found the bus station (down the block on the left) and the bus to Wells was there. So, I hopped on. Also 2L. Endless trip. More stops than a school bus. 17 miles took almost 2 hours. It was raining hard. so, I just took a few quick pics of the Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace. Missed the Rector's Close. Cute town. Back to Bath. Bought a timed ticket to Manchester (through Bristol) for $44L. Most were near 100L. Still raining. Stayed at Z Hotels for $105L. I have been there before, so, I just watched tv and kept my things dry. Walked the town a bit in the morning. Train to Manchester. Stayed at the noisy Easy Hotel (near train station) for two nights at $84 per. The next day I bought a 5L unlimited bus pass and took one to Manchester United's stadium at Old Trafford and back (Picadilly Garden) and one to Manchester City's Etihad stadium and back. Ate chicken in black pepper sauce and some nigiri at Sushi Mami. Bought 7L train ticket to airport the next day. Flight back was ok. Had to circle for an hour before landing. Saw Avatar and full season of White Lotus (Sicily). Breezed through customs. 

Things I ate in England: Blacksticks Blue (ok), Abergavenny Goat's Cheese (ok), Aldi duck liver and orange pate (horrible), Moroccan hummus, Scottish seeded oak crackers, white crusty bloomer. Some other sights 

I saw: Inverary Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, Dunster Castle, Thurso Castle, Bristol Suspension Bridge, Isle of Hoy, Old Man of Hoy, Isle of Lismore, Duart Castle, Aston Villa Stadium. The UK was already jammed packed. All the Euros and even some Chinese and Japanese. Tons of Yanks. I was mostly on the west side (and north). More south coast next year. Air fares seem to drop in August. Maybe that will change if the demand stays high? Still love my Gogglebox, QI and Top Gear repeats after a busy day. Plus some Rick Stein. He was in Mexico this year. Their knowledge of Mexican culture is so comically behind the times. BTW - my page views are exploding. Any idea why? You idiots seem to like the travel stuff more than the Orlando stuff.

Mongolorian, East Colonial (50) *UK Travel Notes

I tried this Mongolian stir fry spot on Saturday at lunch. I have only seen about five minutes of the series that it borrows its name from, but, I hope it isn't as disappointing as this place. I have heard that it has been a hot ticket since it opened around two months ago. It was nearly empty on this day. Maybe the word is out. And the word is not good. It already looks ten years worn. Red and black coloring. You order and pay at a terminal. And of course they still have a tip prompt. You add a number. They call it. I paid $15 for a small bowl of Mongol Empire (beef and chicken on rice). A bit tough. Scant veggies. Not much rice. Not very spicy. They have some kind of (4) cement mixer spinning next to the flat top where they were cooking the meat. I'm not sure if that's where they mix the dish. It was only spitting out water (cleaning?) when I espied it. They have a few "predetermined" options. Or you can make your own. Same prices. Pork, beef, chicken and I think a fake meat one. Maybe shrimp. A few types of noodles and rice. A few sauces. Eight or so apps (ie wings or edamame) around $7. Six tables for four at the window. Two high tops of four in the middle. Open 11am-3pm and then 5pm to ? Adequate parking. Near Bumby on East Colonial. Just low level take out that should cost half as much. Avoid.

*Travel Notes - United Kingdom: I will split this into two parts (Scotland and England). 1L = $1.28. I paid $960 for a NS to Manchester on Aer Lingus. London was $300 more. Red eye there and 11am return. Our terminal 3. Breezed through customs. It cost 6L for a train from the airport (you have to walk very far now from their new terminal 2 to airport station) to Picadilly Station. Thankfully, I booked Motel One at the last minute before I left for 90L ($166). They let me in my room at 9am. I have been to Manchester a few times (and seen most things), so, I just slept and grabbed dinner at a market and bought a train ticket. All the missing meals from now on were supermarket meals (mostly Co-Op or Sainsbury) of cheese, hummus, bread, charcuterie and wine or beer or cider. A few trips to McD's too. I went to Edinburgh by train (no xfers added around 10L to cost) for 57L. Stayed at Royal Princes Suites for two days at $166 a night. It was almost impossible to find mid-priced accomodations. I walked to Leith via some great old train paths in a park. Saw the Royal Yacht. Came back. Wandered around this side of town. It was drizzly. Went to National Portrait Gallery (free) the next day. Bought a bus ticket. Ate lunch at Oink on Royal Mile. It was whole hog sandwiches. I had one with haggis spread and apple sauce. Very good. Walked up to Arthur's Seat (hill at end of Royal Mile). Mostly why I was there. Came down and walked over to some stadium that I saw from up there. It was the one for Hiberian FC. Back past some sights already seen (and you should find) to a newish mall with some interesting food options (and retail) that I didn't eat at. Ate lunch of Bunny Chow (chicken and potato curry in bread loaf) the next day at Mowgli. Some famous Indian chef (Nisha Katona) there. A dish for South African train workers. Walked to Haymarket station and saw the Cathedral and National Records building. Tried to find other soccer stadium (and rugby). They were too far. Boarded the bus back in city center to Inverness. It cost 21L. Stayed at horrible Castle View for 60L ($76). It was also hard to find rooms here. Took train to Thurso (most northerly point) for 36L (RT) because bus ticket office was closed when I came into town and I needed certainty. Stayed at Royal Thurso for two nights at 58L ($75) a night. Walked the coast. The next day I walked a mile or so to Scrabster Ferry (nice path) because the bus wasn't working and a taxi was 10L. RT Ferry to Stromness on the main Orkney Island for 43L. Just there and back. Didn't see the main sites. Bought Donaldson's of Orkney smoked beef (tough) and The Island Smokery Orkney Kirkjuagr Gin Flavored Orkney Cheddar at The Bay Leaf Deli. Saw Guns and Roses at Glastonbury on tv. Back to Inverness the next day. Bought a three day pass for 56L. Stayed at Travelodge for 70L. Had to book direct on their site. I think a few chains are off Booking or Expedia. This was a Sunday. It was double the next day when I tried to extend and triple days before. Saw Elton John phone it in at Glastonbury on tv. Took a rt bus over bridge to Portree on Isle of Skye the next day. Past Loch Ness and some other cute towns (Kyle of Lochalsh). Stayed at Columba in Inverness for $144 (see the price swing?) again. Better this time. Had Cullen Skink (almost a chowder) and Curried Mallaig Mussels at a stall in the Victorian Market called Red Shank. Mussels were tiny here too (see Ireland Notes from last year). Had a beer at Uile Bheast Brewery. Used pass for bus trip to Oban through Fort William. Saw Loch Ness and Ben Nevis and Loch Lomand again. Stayed at Kelvin Hotel near the train station for two nights at $130 per. Had lunch of haggis roll the next day at Food from Argyll at the Pier. RT ferry to Mull for 8L. Three island tour was 81L and it was rainy. Dinner of haddock at Oban Fish and Chips because this chef on tv that I love over there (Rick Stein) said it was the best in UK. Or they wrote on the front of the store that he did. It was very good. On to Glasgow the next day on that pass. Bought bus ticket to Bristol (44L) for the next day. Of course it was a shit xfer because Citi MC thinks it can send me a code overseas on my phone that I seem to need to use on web site purchases and the good bus was sold out by that point. I don't swap sim cards when I travel! Walked to areas not explored yet. To Banksy exhibit at art museum. Weather was not great. Stayed at Grasshoppers near train station for $114. To Bristol the next day. That was an ordeal that I will get into later on. Could have bought more bus passes and hit other remote ports and onto islands but I was getting sick of the rain (or threat of it). Will do that next year. 

Some things I consumed from supermarkets to this point: Austrian smoked cheese (bad), Wensleydale with cranberries (bad), Wookey Hole Goat's Cheese (ok), Creamfield's French Brie (good), Belton Farm Cheshire (bad), Brussels pork pate (ok), Ardennes pork and mushroom pate (ok). I'll leave out all the charcuterie (mostly cheap and good and from Spain or Italy) and wines (mostly South African or Australian whites). Beer: Lerwick Brewery 60 North, Loch Ness Brewery, Fyne Ales Farm Brewery, Six North, Belfield Brewery. Cider: Sxollie (South Africa) and Thistly Cross (Scotland).