I tried these spots on Sunday at lunch. The first is in a strip mall on 436 where Aladdin and Alex's Fresh Kitchen are. Near the Red Bug Lake overpass. The second is in a strip mall on North Orlando Ave (17-92) near Lee Rd. On the corner with Miller's Ale House. I believe The Ravenous Pig's meat offshoot was there last. The third is in the Winter Park Village in the old Brio location. I also passed by Chayote, Crisp & Green (in the old Johnny Rocket's location) and an ice cream place (Nina's?) in that marketplace. Everything else was the same. I'll try them at some point. Chayote was way more fancy than I expected. They wouldn't do take out. I will post the Favorites List on Sunday.
El Toque - A Venezuelan spot. It means "the touch". Open for a month. I had a $14 Platano Mini Bowl. They form three mini bowls (pretty large) out of plantains. Fried. They fill them with shredded pork, beef and chicken and pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado and cheese. They were good. Some of the meat was dry. They also offer two other bowls (chicharron and nacho). And tweleve empanadas at $5. Three pasteles. Four tequenos. Three arepas. Fajitas. Tacos. Two cachapas (sweet corn pancakes). Three pepitos (sandwiches). Six burgers. Three grilled meat plates. A Sancocho (looked like a stew). A Patacon (plantain sandwich). Sides. Prices for most are in the mid-teens. Lunch special at $15. Order at a counter. Some tables. Black paint. Mural. Posters of local sites. Square room. It was better than I was expecting. And more expensive. I would try it out. Favorites possibility.
Chuan Fu - They said it translates loosely to Home of Szechuan. They put the chuan in Szechuan! Get it? Same people as Chuan Lu at Mills and East Colonial. This is a fancier. Nice interior. Classic, traditional look. Some large tables. Booths. Open for a month. I made a huge mistake and ordered Ratten Pepper Tongue for $19. The tongue tasted like thin sheets of plastic. I'm not sure if it is meant to or not. Bad. Caustic, spicy broth. Tasted like lye and black licorice and raw ginger. I think it was the green peppercorns. I had to rinse it with water to make it tepidly eatable. The veg sucked up the broth or were the cause of its terrible taste. Sliced potato. Bean sprouts. Cloud Ear Fungus? Huge portion size. Came in a cool to go bowl. Rice. I was going to cheap out with a $13 lunch special, but, they wouldn't do it on a Sunday. A dish with soup or egg roll and rice. They have a crazy menu with things like frog, tripe, cloud ear fungus, chitterlings, shrewish kidneys, tomato omelette soup, pig snout and overwater fish. Normal stuff too. They break up the menu into these sections: boiled, beef, chicken, pork, fish, hot pots, vegetables, rice, noodles, featured, apps and soup. Most in high teens. a small Wonton Soup was only $3+. Some values like that. Open for lunch and dinner. No Tuesday. I wish I had tried something else. Anything else. I bet I would have put it on the Favorites List. Just can't because this was such a total failure. My worst choice since a bittermelon mistake in Chinatown NYC many years ago.
Bar Italia - I have been avoiding them because I feared they were a chain and how much different from the place they replaced could they be. The answer is - I don't know. Can't remember Brio. They were "Favorites" good though. I had their lasagna for $19. I'm not sure if this is the usual portion size, but, it was a double. Good too. I'm not sure if they mix ground meats. I tasted some fennel seed, so, maybe pork sausage too? Good whipped ricotta. Nice, fresh sauce. Some of the top layer of cheese had a funk. Aged provolone? I was very happy with it. They also serve twelve primi (ie sausage bread, carpaccio) from $5 to $17. And four salads from $11 to $14. Seven pizzas from $16 to $18. Eight pastas (ie garganelli) from $17 to $18. Eight secondi (ie halibut risotto) from $19 to $36. You will find staples and some unique dishes. It looks nice. L shaped bar with reverse L shaped bar room on the front right. Main room behind it. Large, wrap around patio. Huge ceilings. Seats many. White, gray and stained wood. Pottery Barn catalog look. Kitchen on the left. Large amount of dressed staff. Open for eight months. Only location. I was pleasantly surprised. You can go without reservations (the emotional kind). And probably without the other kind. It always seems busy.
*Travel Notes - Florida: I drove to Delray Beach. Stayed at the Atlantic Hideaway (Expedia 9.2) for $114. It was more like a 2.9. Had a lunch of Fusilli Boscaiola at Dolmoros. They have a machine that spits out fresh pasta. They say they started in Venice Italy. They claim they are coming to Orlando. Someone should tell them that the Bumby Arcade will never happen. The pasta was very pasty. The sauce was bland. Saw the Delray Tennis Center. Their tournament is on February 9-18. I went to the Boca Raton Bowl that night. At FAU. $35. They actually printed a ticket. Parking was $20. Nachos at the stadium by Tacos al Carbon. $2 less than the stadium's kiosk. Good. The next day I drove to Lakeland. 95N to 706 to 710 to 70W to 27N to 60W to 98N. That is up through the center of the state. I was going to go to the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa (didn't want to sleep there though), but, I was too tired to deal. Plus two accidents on my route required rerouting/extra time. Stayed in Lakeland at the crappy Lakeview Motel (Booking 6.9) for $88. Had good beer at Dissent Craft Brewing Company and Swan Brewing Co. Ok pulled pork with ff at a food truck at Swan (Bad Dog BBQ). Decided to call it quits after that. Went home. Tip - You don't have to pay for metered parking in either city. Go a few block away from main drag in Delray (they have some free lots as well that are always full though) and find the covered lots in downtown Lakeland.
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