Friday, August 25, 2023

Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken, Winter Park *Switzerland Travel Notes

I tried this biscuit chain in between Bulla and the new library (also think Shake Shack and Trader Joe's area) Wednesday at lunch. The name kept making me think of Aaron Judge. I grabbed the Righteous Chicken Biscuit (buttermilk) to go for $6.75. It was fine. Ok seasoning. Thicker and squatter chicken than the fast food places. Ok biscuit. Not excessively salty or dry (or moist). There you go. Not much offered. Not much to write about. They stick to their knitting. A cheese biscuit. A roll. A blueberry biscuit. You can add fake chicken and sausage. Real sausage, bacon, egg and maybe ham. A few sauces. Cheese (pimento and another). Almost all variations cost more. Sides included tots and a few other things. Donuts. They try and to avoid any inter-personal contact. You order at a kiosk and they put the bag in a locker. The guy directly behind the counter (ordering tablet) never even looked up once. I'm not sure what his job was. They open at 7am and close at 2pm. It is a small, long, rectangular foot print. Like a Domino's. Much more cheap, take out like than I expected (or saw in Savannah). Modern. White. Only seating (limited) is outside). I believe they started in NC. Finally opened this store around a week ago. Two others here while I was. Not much new or mindbending. You can just go to say you have. I don't get the biscuit (or bagel or muffin or donut) as bread line of thinking anyway. Just seems like being different for the sake of being different. These things are too thick to get into your mouth or too flimsy to keep their fillings in. And a biscuit is just formed sawdust.

*Travel Notes - Switzerland: CH is for Swiss Francs. Exchange rate was 1 to 1.15. Not in our favor. It was over 90 and sunny every day. I flew Delta through JFK to Geneva for $770. Late PM there. Midday back. Three hour delay in JFK for air-con issue. A minor air-com issue delayed us on the return. Same plane? Took the bus to hotel for 3CH. Internet said they had a free one. It stopped two years ago. I took train for same price back. I think that was faster. Stayed at Hotel de Geneve that first day for $105. All hotels had some city tax that sometimes the booking sites included and sometimes did not. I will leave those out. Figure 2-4CH a night. Maybe per person. I was alone. I walked the old city and lakefront. Cathedral, Rousseau's house, Parc des Bastions, Red Cross birthplace, beach, waterspout. Not my first time here. I'll add at this point that I did almost no eating out. Just supermarket buys because everything was double even our inflated prices and the selection was good and I was usually tuckered out. I'll list the goodies at the end. I also bought a train pass. Last time I remember choking (and telling them to f off and get me a ticket to Milan) at the prices. It was worse this time. I do think the tellers (especially if you get a jerk) quote you the first class price, etc. There is on online site called Trainline.com where you can by exact time departure tickets for less. I wasn't sure if it was legit though. A conductor told me it was later on. I decided I just didn't want to play 20 Questions while jetlagged with an extra three hour delay and bought a six day Flex pass for $384CH. It was smart. This is why. You start getting more for your money the more days you add. I could have done eight. That might have been perfect. Maybe one day too much. If you stay two or three nights in each city, you can make it all the way back to the start with no drama. And I advise you to hit two or three cities in one day to squeeze the most out of these cheapskates. You will see how I did this as we go on. To Basel the next day. Through Neuchatel and Olten. Stayed at the Hotel Metropol near the station for $197 for two nights. It was supposed to be the Hotel City Inn. They ran three hotels next to each other. This listed for more, but, had no AC. I didn't notice the switch. Just decided to leave it be after I did. Easy walk to city center. Saw the usual. Rathaus, cathedral, tower, museums, city walls, etc. Bathed in the Rhine River. Walked both sides of it. They have Art Basel here. I had never been. I expected more. Still it was cute. Took train through Zurich to a town in the north called Schaffhausen. I should add that many of these place I learned of through this guy on PBS that has a show where he rides trains around Switzerland. It was cute. Paid 6CH (though I learned later that my flex pass probably was good for this) for a return bus pass to these waterfalls about four miles away (you pass them on the train) called Rhein Falls. Came back and walked the town up to a fort (Munot). Back on the train (this was a slow one) aside the Bodensee (we call it Lake Constance) to St Gallen (named for an Irish monk). Stayed at the Hotel Elite for $224 for two nights. Same sort of things. The best part was a trail above the city. You pay 2CH for funicular that is behind the Cathedral. I only walked it a few miles. You can take it to the lake. It passes by these three ponds that the locals use to swim in. Great views of the city and beyond. It was Sunday and almost everything was closed. Next I took the train to Zurich and on to Chur. I should say at this point that I never checked a schedule and just showed up and no matter where I was going (big city or small) that I never waited more than 15 minutes. Chur is on the way to St Moritz (in the southwest). I came here to check out a small ski village nearby called Arosa. It was cute. Slow train to there. Oddly, it was full of Hassids. I read about in USA Today. Before that, I checked with the ticket office to see if they had open spots on the Glacier Express. Amazingly they did. I paid the extra 49CH you need to reserve a seat. I used my flex pass for the rest (it is usually $100 just for that). If you can get a seat. My seatmate said he booked three months ahead. I probably shouldn't have jumped at that opportunity. I should have asked if they had seats two days later. They might have. Then I could have done St Moritz too. But, I have been there before and hotels were in the $200 range (outside of the center) and I did end up having fun not doing much at the end of the journey. So, because of the jaunt to Arosa, I didn't see much (not much anyway) of Chur. Cathedral. museums, etc. Stayed at Hotel Franziskaner for $90. Glacier Express to Brig the next day. Most go to Zermatt and the Matterhorn. But, I have already been there and wanted to stay on the main line because I wasn't sure how up to date it was. It was just like the rest of the country. I probably should have gone on to Zermatt. The ride was ok. Not life changing. Brig was cute. Very busy rail/bus hub. Same things. It was some stupid holiday, so, all the stores and markets were closed. Had to scramble for food. I had a room with a balcony at the Hotel Victoria across from the station for $112. Onto Lausanne. Stopped at Martigny. Roman ruins (arena, etc), cathedral, fort, Barryland (St Bernard dogs museum). You can get to Mont Blanc from here. Stopped at Montreux. This is back on Lake Geneva. Walked the lakefront to the Chateau de Chillon. Lord Byron made it famous and some say it started the whole "Grand Tour" romantic movement. It took about 45 minutes. I think you can get a bus or train too. Onto Vevey. Same things. Charlie Chaplin ended up here. His grave is here. You can tour his house. It was too late for that. Onto Lausanne. I stayed away from the lake this time. It was grimy up there. Up two stations on the funicular to the Hotel Crystal at $256 for two nights. I also chose to stay up here to hear the town crier at the Cathedral. Went up there for a great view. 3CH. Walked the area. Took funicular down to the lake again. They have the Olympic Museum here fyi. They have some new area of converted warehouses called FLON. Too many addicts, etc though throughout the city. Lots of young girls. Onto Bern. First time. Now my favorite city in Switzerland. The capitol. Uncorrupted. Feels like the old days here. On the Aare river. I rented a locker at this park (Marzilibad) for 5CH and put my stuff in there and floated/swam down the river five times. Or you could buy a dry bag for 50CH. The best part of the trip. Dove off a bridge. Would have gone five more times, but, I got a huge blister walking barefoot from the point to point. That was day two. On day one I walked the town. Clock tower, Parliament, casino, Einstein's house, bear zoo, waterfall, bridges, other side of the river, churches, museums, theater, etc. Stayed at the Hotel Pergola for $210 for two nights. It was slightly west of DT. But, in a great, quiet neighborhood called Monbijou. The city was so clean. Quiet. The people were well dressed. Not so many tourists. My pass ran out here. A ticket to Geneva was 51CH. I stayed at the Hotel Astoria for two nights for $212. Near the station. Quiet somehow. They had AC. Cute hotel. I immediately put on my suit and walked to that beach on the lake. It was Sunday. So crowded. Still good. So many girls. Swam, etc. Walked a bit further to a private beach area and back and past Park la Grange on the other side of the street. The next day I walked past the WHO complex on the opposite side of the lake in the morning (great stroll) and back to the beach after lunch. Not as crowded. That's it. I won't list the wines I had. Mostly Swiss. There were so many vineyard areas throughout the country. 

Ate alot of roast chicken and smoked salmon. Tried these meats: chorizo, ochsenmaul (like beef head cheese) and schinken (ham). Samuel Bell was the brand. Cheese: Frontal, Helvetikuss, Aarganer Traum, Moron de Jura, Herzstuck, Tome Aletsch, Fromage frais au lait de Brebis (sheep), Ziger, Tomme de Geneve and three other goat cheeses. Most were Swiss. A few French (ie the goat). Maybe a few misspellings in there. I also had Johannisberren, watermelon and hazelnut yogurt. Some cheese topped bread called Langenkase Knopf. I bought from Coop and Migros. Migros doesn't sell alcohol. The best values were Migros .60CH dark chocolate bars and 2.50 CH pasta salad. Coop had 6.50CH half a roasted chicken, $4.50CH smoked salmon, .60CH liter soda, .60 yogurt, 1CH mozz, and 1CH rice cakes. That became the go to with goat cheese. Watch for prices marked in 100g. I really only had two other purchases - great cassis gelato at Cuckoo in Bern and some cheese and beer and bad cider (oh yeah, I tried about five Swiss beer brands) from Zenhausern (a fancy market) in Chur. I also had one McD's hamburger for lunch at 2.50 (or a cb for 2.90) a pop on most days. Too hot to eat much else. I think the increase in my page views may be ChatGPT related. I understand that you can ask it to make you a travel plan. It scours the Internet for the info. Maybe I'm being scoured?

Friday, August 18, 2023

Duck & Drake, College Park

I went here two Mondays ago because I believe the OW had written that this was their new address. Nope. Just the same food truck at Digress. They did say that they plan to move to DT at Radius condos or something soon. I won't be attending based on this unimpressive display. I tried the butter chicken pie because I thought it would be pre-made and come out quickest. Nope. And that just makes it worse. It was a tiny thing that they felt unembarrassed to value at $16. I did mention it was a food truck? I've had better pasties or meat pies for $3. Bland. Boring. They married it with a mail order bride of a dry field green salad. Sad. They have about a dozen snacks on the menu. Three were unavailable. Priced from $9 to $18. Not much new or inventive. You can pass and maybe wait to see if they improve the menu when they go brick and mortar. Although, would you be shocked if the prices grow more imbalanced in the process? Next!

Friday, August 11, 2023

Pho Drive Thru, OBT

I must have some serious brain damage to interrupt my current drunken repose in a secret location to inform you of this mediocre Vietnamese play.  I'm really doing so to hip you to some time sensitive travel info. It will follow.

I had a pork roll and pate banh mi for a ridiculous $10.  Hey, auto correct coding imbeciles! It's not bang mi. And if you correct banh. Why not the mi part? Anyway. Thin, Publix bought baguette. Sloppy with the butter. Not much roll or pate. Veg ok. Fresh. Limited menu. Just around six sammies (not jammies mfers) and two phos. Chicken or beef broths with noodles for $10. You can add the usual meats for up to $8. The place looks like an old fast food restaurant. They tried to spruce it up with some color, but, it looks worn already. A hodge podge of reclaimed, bankruptcy restaurant furniture. It had a few customers at 2pm. Surprisingly mixed crowd. It's at OBT and Central Palm Parkway. That is about half way between I-4 and the mall. You can avoid it. Just go to Chinatown or Mills for better at half the price. Open for around a month.

*OK. If you were interested in England or Scandinavian bargain flights, I think Norwegian Air has become Norse Air. I just booked a non-stop to Gatwick last night on Labor Day+ for $395. It was like $1200 in June. Stockholm and Oslo were around mid-$600s. Connects in London. Dates didn't really matter. It might have been a five day flash sale. So, hurry up. They aren't paying me. I'm too lazy or stupid to monetize. They go all over Europe. FYI - one more post in a few days for the dinner before I left.

Friday, August 4, 2023

Grub Crawl - Milk District: Otto's High Dive and Smoke & Donuts

I tried these two spots on Friday night. The first is on East Robinson and just off Bumby. Next to Stasio's Deli. The second is closer to 50 on North Primrose. Next to Seven Bites.

Otto's High Dive - It is upscale Cuban inspired fare with a rum bar (I think they call it Abandanza or something). I wonder why it is called Otto's? It opened in December. Only dinner. Seven days. It will be on the Favorites List. I had the pork belly for $28. It was one of the better dishes I've had (not just in CF) in a while. The pork belly was so tender and succulent. Maybe the best I've ever been served. Like buttah. I would have eaten it even if it was all fat and no meat. It sat atop a corn puree with pickled blueberries that may have been even better. They said there was no funky aged cheese accent added to it. Through some accidental (or purposeful) alchemy it tasted like there was. And it tasted magical. The portion size isn't huge, but, it packs so much intense flavor that you won't need more. The menu is smallish. Media noche is the cheapest at $16. Ropa vieja at $24. A few other things (like chicken) from the low twenties to over thirty. $2 imported oysters. $18 tuna ceviche app. A few more apps like that. I think I remember an interesting fish tiradito for $20. They have a section of finger foods like croquettas. They were $6. Sides as well, of course. The dishes I saw around me (and comments) all were encouraging. The dish came out fast. But, not too fast. I sat at the bar because it was full to capacity. There is also a patio in front and a slender area in between. Some other bar like seats at the window. There are so many people on the staff. Seven alone around the bar area. Two hostesses. And it is a small foot print. The staff is hopelessly on trend. Nose rings (on the men now) and tats galore. You know. Comformist originality. Though it really has been going on for so long that it is probably better described as retro or normative at this point in time. At least they aren't back to slicing their tongues in half. The crowd was diverse (not just in superficial tones). The place has a black, white and maple color palette. The bar is well stocked. Many "curated" cocktails. It is separated from the main room by a half wall. Maybe ten seats at the bar and ten tables in the main room. Five outside. Parking is an issue. I forget the story about the man behind the magic. I think he has some credentials. If not, this place should supply hin with them. I was ambivalent (mostly because I have found that Cuban cuisine has a low ceiling) about the place before I ate here. Just the next on the list to try. Now I'm convinced. The standards seem high. The creativity is present. The execution is flawless. I just wish there was a special or two to really push the boundaries. And I'm not even complaining about the prices. You know it's good! I would find my way here asap. Ohh, they add in a 18% gratuity. But, at least they informed me of it. Query - is mandatory gratuity going to be the new participation trophy? Because, you know, apparently any kind of praise is no longer OPTIONAL. And ownwership is another Gen X parent. I will end by stating that when I compare them to some of the questionable selections in the Michelin Guide that I have eaten at recently, I surely hope they put these guys on the next list. Or make them the bar you have to surpass to get on it. They present you with a praiseworthy product. Not just a praiseworthy product that fills a slot. Though (if they aren't vile Anglo appropriators) they do that too. And that goes for all the other ratings entities or individuals engaged in diversity scale im/re/un/balancing.

Smoke & Donuts - Now the flip side. I had the pit sampler for $18. It was a choice of three meats (I did brisket, pulled pork and sausage) with one side (I did mashed potatoes) and cornbread. The cornbread was the best. And that's the rub (no pun). The baking side seems solid. The bbq is not. The brisket tasted like roast beef or prime rib. No smoke. Rubbery. Tough. Not sliced right. The pork was thick strands of tough and flavorless meat. The sausage was ok (some nice earthy flavors). But, I'll bet they buy it. The portion sizes were also not too generous. And they bragged about how well they do this. Reality check? The mashed potatoes (with gravy) were a goopy mess. Sort of like runny Boston Market mp. The sauces were also not great. And man do you need them! They also had ribs and chicken and maybe turkey. The usual sides. Not cheap. I think sandwiches started at near double digits and single meat plates at mid teens. The best bargain seemed to be a chopped brisket on a donut for $6. You order at a counter. They have a few tables. The donuts (behind the counter) looked amazing. I think the do breakfast too. Not much ambience. I think it was an ancient diner/cafe before this. Parking in front. Don't expect too much (or hope I had a bad sampler) and you may not be disappointed. Maybe avoid the "smoke"? Open 7 days. L & D. Open for a year or six months? I forget what they said.

*Congratulations to those old crones Downtown that spent 3 million bucks for the next homeless encampment at Lake Eola. And have you seen this meat crust pizza from Argentina? Am I late to the table on this one?