Travel Notes - North Carolina

Travel Notes - North Carolina: This was just a cheap time filler because Memorial Day was so early. I had originally rented a car. But, I checked three days before I left (because I don't trust the numbskulls at Hertz) and found a $132 ticket to Raleigh on Frontier. Budget also had a reasonable weekly rate of $289. They did try and cornhole me with a bad car. TSA only had two lanes of two open. And with the retard checking ID and the Clear Check line cutters, it took longer than it should have. Frontier moved me from the front of the plane to the rear without alerting me. They have absorbed all the Spirit customers. I stayed at the bath soap smelling Microtel (Booking 7.6) just at the airport exit for $76. The area around this airport is not squalid. Choose any hotel in the vicinity (Morrisville). Ate Bojangles' chicken.

The next day I tried to try a Man v Food place called Roast Grill in DT. I left after they delayed the already late 11:30 opening to noon. The meter maids were also lurking. It is unreal how far away from the city center they insist on robbing their constituents with pay for parking. I drove 40E to 95S. I stopped in Benson for two hot dogs (one was beef and one was some local specialty called Bright Leaf) with a side (mac) and a drink for $14 at Daddy D's. Does anyone put cheese in their mac anymore? Quick drive through the non-DT. Drove to Fayetteville. Stayed at the Baymont (Booking 8.8) for $76. Bought a ticket to the Woodpeckers v Nationals at Segra Stadium for $14. Parking was $5. This town is also meter crazy. Ate a Carolina Burger and Moon Pie Milkshake at Wiener Works. 

The next day I drove 87 past Fort Bragg to 421N to 40E to Greensboro. I stayed at the Sleep Inn Coliseum (Expedia 8.4) for $100. I ate one skimpy piece of catfish with collards and pesto pasta and a half beer for $30 at Natty Greene's Brewing Company. I then realized Greensboro was also named for Nathaniel Greene. Across the street for a small amber ale at Little Brother Brewing for $4 because it was rated the best in NC this year. Bought a ticket for Grasshoppers v Dash at First National Bank Field for $16. Parking was only $1.50 because I left early because of cold. In between, I saw the Coliseum and UNC Greensboro. Chipotle for dinner. FYI - the pitcher for the Grasshoppers was name Seth Hernandez. He is a top prospect. I also saw a banner that read that Derek Jeter (when this was a Yankee farm club) set the record with 56 errors here.

The next day I drove 40W. Stopped in Kernersville for Clark's Barbecue because of a sign. Had two ribs, pulled pork, fried squash, mac and donut shaped hp for $19. Pretty good. Drove on to Hickory. Stayed at the Sleep Inn (Expedia 8.4) for $85. Not much around. Fiber optic and furniture town. Saw Lenoir-Rhyne University. Found out the game here was moved to Winston-Salem because of a fire. I was getting really bored and exasperated at this stage. McDs.

The next day I drove 40E to 77S. I think the route became different in reality when I took 21S to 115 to 150. I ended up at 85S to Kannapolis. I got off the wrong exit for the stadium (the first) and had to circle back on Dale Earnhart Blvd. He and George Clinton were born here. Some museums near the stadium. Free parking around it. I bought a ticket to the Cannon Ballers v Pelicans at Atrium Health Ballpark for $13. This was a day game. I stayed a while and then checked into the horrible Econolodge (Booking 6.6) for $85. I had to do this because hotel prices were crazy because of the Coca-Cola 600. I had purchased a SRO ticket before I left for $57. It was about ten miles south on 27 in Concord. I found free parking across from Turn 4. Coming in that way at 4pm avoided any traffic. I left a bit early because I had been there so long before the race started and it was supposed to rain. The week started off really hot and then became cold and rainy. Ate some stuff from Food Lion.

The next day the hotel's decrepitude forced me to flee at 6am. Took 27S to 601S (to avoid Charlotte traffic) to 74E (don't get on the 74E toll road that comes up first). Tried to find the race track in Rockingham. Passed some town before that that had Jesse Helms signs. Took 140N before Wilmington to 17N to 24E. Passed Camp Lejeune. I was here to add some vacation to the vacation. I chose to stay in a strip of beach near Morehead City that I had learned of while I visited Cape Lookout NP a few years ago. I stayed between Atlantic and Indian Beach in Pine Knoll Shores at the Hotel Alice (Expedia 8.8) for $218 for two nights. It was almost half off. Eleanor Roosevelt's aunt. I did this because the other options were much more expensive. It was pretty good. Like most middle class areas. The weather became perfect (it wasn't supposed to). The first day I ate fried shrimp and mp and ps and finger shaped hp at Moore's Old Tyme BBQ for $17. Beach and pool. Food Lion for dinner. 

The next day I drove down the inlet to Emerald Isle. Had a shrimp burger (just fried shrimp on a bun with catsup) for $9 at Big Oak Drive In & BBQ. This sandwich was in an article they had framed claiming it to be great. It was not. Across the bridge and back east on 24 to 70 to 12 to the end to Cedar Island. That is also where the ferry goes to Cape Hatteras. Back to Atlantic Beach and Fort Macon NP. Ate a poor fried softshell crab sandwich at Atlantic Beach Seafood and Fresh Market for $15. Wine at Food Lion. Ate leftovers. Some local Steven's red hots. 

The next day I took 70N to Kinston. Stopped at King's Restaurant because a sign said "Since 1939". Fishy fried "trout" with ok fried shrimp and good creamed potatoes and bad ps and hp for $17. Drove 17N past many bbq joint signs to 40E. Dropped off the car. Flew home on a slight delay.

I spent $90 on tickets. $6.50 + $136 airport on parking. $124 on food and beverage. $639 on hotels. $139 on gas. $1466 Total. I was cursing out NC throughout the beginning of the week. Better ending. I can recommend these beach areas over the others in the state. Closer to Florida if you are driving and a better value. All this coastline is basically the same. Learned that people from here are the idiots that back into their parking spaces. Like a bank robber. And that's all I have to say about that.

Momazzita, Florida Mall Area

I tried to try this place just west of the intersection of OBT and Sand Lake yesterday night. It turned out to be a very noisy and empty nightclub. I believe it is Peruvian. I had to just walk out after the bottle service girl couldn't enter the order. There was just too much bad music to put up with. I doubt the food would have been any good. Like I said, it was empty at 10pm. I don't know who the hell could eat under these conditions anyway. It was black with some cool video mural on the far wall. Strip club vibe. Mostly square booths. You had to pass a pat down to get in. Things like mofongo. Expensive. Limited parking. Not open Tuesday. Open from 5pm to 2am. Not at all what I expected.

*I also tried to salvage this detour from the Airport at a place that I have passed by too many times to be open. It is an Indian place on I Drive called Aangan. Checked online. It is. Thank God I didn't waste time and money there.  I drove by Corazon by Baires. It looked too clubby to try at night. And, I saw today that the Crazy Buffet/Koy Wan era is to end at the strip mall just off the intersection of 436 and 434 on Sunday. Somehow the landlord thinks he get another tenant in this shit box strip mall. Good luck with that. Travel Notes in a few days.

Grub Crawl - Altamonte Springs and Casselberry: H&H Bagels and Roma's Bistro

I tried these spots on Wednesday at lunch. The first is next to Carraba's in a strip mall near 436 on 434. The next is on 436 in a Marathon station. Blame the Orlando Weekly guy for bringing it to our attention.

H&H Bagels - I ate them my whole childhood. It has been a while, so, I will admit that my recollections may be off. However, The sesame with cc I had for $5 wasn't the same. The outside was fine. Inside was too dense. Either underbaked, stale or that Florida v NY water problem. It also tasted honey sweet. I don't recall that. Who knows? Maybe they switched the recipe years ago. I don't care for it. They had around ten types and five flavored cc. Mostly trying to sell sandwiches for over $11. I actively dislike bagels as a sandwich vehicle. Too thick. Bad ratios. Opened ten days ago. Looks great. Vibrant dark blue. Some gray and white. Order at a counter. Four tables for four. 

Roma's Bistro -  I tried a beef and chicken soft taco for $3 a piece. Both good. Tortilla could have been processed and fresh or hand made and not fresh. Wasn't gridled. Chicken was better. Chopped. Both were full. Onion and cilantro. Salsa verde. Nothing Earth shattering here. Also sell sandwiches, salads and other things. Just a stall in a Marathon station at entry to the Red Bug Lake overpass on 436. Honduran and Mexican.

Grub Crawl - Florida Mall Area: La Verguenza, Picanha's and Viet Thai Cafe

I tried these spots on OBT and Sand Lake Rd yesterday at lunch. The first two are across from each other in the strip mall on the sw corner. Non-mall side. The third is across the street from them on the nw side. A block down from the intersection. None of these are new.

La Verguenza - I had the $9.99 fried pork lunch special. It came wit beans in broth and white rice. They also gave me something that looked like half of someone's peanut butter sandwich. They called it a sandwichito. Not sure what it was. Ate a corner to be polite. The meal was pretty damn good. I had no expectations. The last time I tried to eat here it was a non-English speaking mad house. The nine, large blocks of shoulder meat were mostly meat. One cube was all fat. One had gristle. The rest were just right. In between tough and tender. No foul oil smell or taste. Not greasy. Covered in sauteed white onions. The beans were pretty tasty. I dunked my pork in that rather than the french dressing they included. Served in a cup. The rice was fine. Served in a formed mound. Typical Puerto Rican menu and prices. The place looked like it had a bath since the last time. Only three tables eating at noon. Latin music. Colorful paint. Murals with guitars, bongos, etc. Huge tv with ESPN on right wall. A few smaller ones scattered around. Twenty-ish tables of four. A bar on the left. All the patrons and staff were latin. The waitress left me hanging at the end. The other tables' food seemed to take a while. They seem to have three locations in PR. This is among my least favorite cuisine, but, this probably not a bad place to get it if want it. Seems to mean shame. I'll leave it. Too easy.

Picanha's - Mostly an AYCE Brazilian buffet. You can get it by the pound or around four sandwich specials like I chose. It was $20 this winter. Now $24. $13 a pound, I think. The non-meat buffet wasn't that impressive. Sides to dry looking fish filets. One small oven with skewers of meat that they slice off for you. You know the drill. Different beef cuts, pork, chicken, etc. Around twenty, variably sized tables. Framed posters of Brazilian cities. One bug mural. Wood. Rectangular floor plan moving away from the entrance. The staff was extremely conscientious. About half full. I wonder why they had the waste disposal area right behind the register. They made the cashier do double duty. However, it doesn't make the greatest impression. I tried the steak sandwich to go for $12. The meat wasn't great. Gray, tough hunks. Neither was the roll. Some cheese, lettuce and tomato. I figured it would be bad. But, AYCE meat isn't really my thing and this was the cheapest way to give them some pub. It is among the cheaper options. Sadly for me. And maybe them. Three other similar types of restaurants just opened between here and I Drive. Although, I suspect that they will be twice as expensive. I just heard that the winter storms made the feed for cattle (among all the other things) more expensive. So, beef will be more expensive. Seems it means rump steak. Wouldn't you think it meant pike or sword or skewer? That's probably the crap they gave me.

Viet Thai Cafe - I tossed this in because I was in the area. It was bigger inside than I expected it to be. I just expected a small take out footprint. It has two sides. A dine in area and the register and kitchen area on the left. I had the chicken pho to go for $15 because it was the thing I hadn't had in the longest time. Plus I had ordered pork and steak already that day. It was what you'd expect. Pre-boiled chicken and noodles with bean sprouts, etc. Clean, fresh, veg. The broth was interesting. It had a taste of snickerdoodle. Quiet pleasant. The menu has the typical dishes of both countries at the typical prices. The girl at the counter was very sweet. The dining room was about half full. Dark. Teal walls with appropriate decoration. Better than it sounds or looks from the outside.

Grub Crawl - Lake Mary and Longwood: Touken Sushi, Good Way Cafe and Holy City Zoo

I tried the first place on Thursday at dinner and the last two on Friday at lunch. The first is on International Parkway in a strip mall between the Lake Mary and Sanford exits. Near a Marriott. The second is near the police station on Ronald Reagan (one block in) near 434. The last is in a strip mall near a tropical fish store on the other side of 434 on Ronald Reagan.

Touken Sushi - I have no idea what it means. Opened last Friday. Higher end/price. Therefore, I had the teppan grilled salmon with steamed broccoli and carrots and fried rice for $22.50 (listed as $21.90) to go. It was good. I usually don't get the cooked items. The salmon was a tail cut (un-sushi-able part?). A tad overcooked for snobs. Nice glossy/oily exterior. No fishy flavor or smell. I thought the menu cited teriyaki sauce. I'm not sorry if they missed that. I've been served alot worse. The veg were plain. On the hard side. The rice was a bit odd. It almost tasted like brown rice. Little specks of veg. Egg yolk. Oily, yet, not oily at the same time. You could also have white rice. I'm not sure I trust a Japanese place serving fried rice. Chicken and shrimp were also available. The menu is mostly sahimi, nigiri and rolls. Nigiri started at $4 a piece. Sashimi at $3. Rolls were over $10. They had something named djos on the menu. Seven booths and six tables. Nice. Light gray and white. Modern. Not gauche. Kitchen in the rear. Sushi bar on the left. It was a Curio burrito place. No one was there because I was there so early. I hope. One waiter. Seemed like two or three in the kitchen. It will be interesting to see if they can compete at these price points. 

The Good Way Cafe - Sadly the galette with curry tofu, sun dried tomatoes and onion was pretty good and I can't do my downward squatting expulsion pose (it is in a yoga studio) all over their reputation. I say this because it has everything I hate. Entitled white women (Ewws), veganism, yoga and substance abuse (whatever makes them so laconic). You thought I was going to end with ... the French. I actually am ok with them. The galette had more holes than I've experienced in general. I think it made it more delicate/superior. The tofu mimicked egg pretty well. The curry flavor wasn't a necessary mask. It came with a side salad of arugula and yellow and red cherry tomatoes in a vinaigrette. All fresh. It cost $12. A galette in France would probably run you 6E. The place is white. Three tables for two and two for four. Order at a counter. They had drinks, baguette, tartines, bean burger, etc. Some packaged baked goods that I am not sure are theirs. Slightly confusing to find. Look for Magnolia street. Had parking. Open for a few months.

Holy City Zoo - Opened a month ago. I took a half a pound of brisket and a pastrami sandwich to go for $15 and $17. They wouldn't let you choose the part of the brisket. I got round/point. The brisket seemed to be rubless. Thin bark. No smoke ring. Beefy. Fairly tender. I suspect they smoke it in foil. A guy there said they use indoor smokers. That seems suspect. It had a never-ending aftertaste of liquid smoke. I've had better. Not terrible mind you. Came with three pickle slices and two pieces of white bread. They offer up four sauces (sweet, hot, mustard and vinegar). Only sweet bbq was good. The way they do brisket makes them necessary. The pastrami was better. But, that may be because they may have grilled it on an oily flattop (and it has spices). Certain cuts were better than others. Some were half fat. Some were tough (because of the grilling?) and/or crispy. Came on dark rye bread (thick cut) with lackluster kraut and Thousand Island dressing and Swiss. They smoke 1/2 chicken (that looked great), sausauge, ribs, pulled pork. I think they ran $12, $6, $18 for a half slab and $14 for a half pound and less for a sandwich. The typical sides starting at $4. I didn't recall platters. They had other things. The pastrami was a special along with a tostada and fried twinkies. Beer, booze, wine. Heavy Metal theme. Van Halen, etc murals and boxed guitars. Tv playing Three Stooges. Red (including foam on the ceiling), black, aluminum siding, skulls, nick nacks, concrete floor, etc. Black metal chairs and gray topped, pressed wood tables. All twos. Clumped together in packets of four or five. Around seven clusters. Twenty one seat bar. Outside patio with three or four picinic tables. The owners had places in Illinois. Parking is limited. About a quarter full. A pick up truck may be required for entry. Food came out fast. Order at a counter. The first bite of pastrami had me in raptures. But on further inspection, I'm liking it (everything) less and less. This chemical aftertaste in my mouth won't go away. It has to be artificial. And I'm going to have to research indoor smokers. *Internet agrees with my assessmets. I think they have done a great job and it is a huge step up from what had been there. However, I think the experience will depend on your knowledge of true bbq and what you order. It needs more study. $30 a lb for brisket is pushing it. Some award winners in Texas charge less.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Travel Notes - Ohio Indiana Michigan

Travel Notes - Ohio Indiana Michigan: I flew to Cleveland on Frontier for $80. No issues either way. No lines. TSA were dicks here. Only one section open. Flagged for rivets in the same jeans I wear every time. So, of course they wanted to x-ray my SHOES! After they went down on me. I swear most of them look like they couldn't make it through the check point themselves. I rented a car from Hertz for $332. I drove 90E to Mentor and stayed at the smoke stank Super 8 (Expedia 7.2) for $79. The route of this trip was influenced by which sports teams had homestands in the area. I didn't check before I booked my ticket.

The next day I drove 2W to Willoughby and had an odd turkey and swiss club with fries for $18 at Chagrin River Diner. I drove to East Lake and bought a ticket at Classic Auto Group Park for the Lake County Captains v Great Lakes Loons match up for $10 and $10 for parking. I stayed a few innings and drove 90W until it became a toll road (around Midway) and 2W to Toledo. It is just as as much of a highway. I took 75S to 475W to 24S to Fort Wayne. Road work makes it confusing around there. And people in Indiana (and Michigan) drive like they are in a race. I stayed at Magnuson's North Coliseum (Expedia 7.4) for $88. Drove downtown. I bought a ticket to the Tincaps v Beloit Sky Carp game at Parkview Field for $9 and $6 parking. Ate at the game for $16.

The next day I drove by the Coliseum. Had two coney dogs and a soda for $6 at Mister Coney. 30W to 31N to South Bend. I stayed at the great Four Winds Casino (Expedia 9.6) for $99. I grabbed a gyro combo at T. Allen's for $10. Drove to Four Winds Field downtown and bought a ticket for $15 and parking for $10 for the Cubs v Lansing Lugnuts game. Back to the hotel. Back to the game. I left after two innings because it looked like rain. Got out just in time. Bought a bottle of wine at Star Liquor and a sandwich at Subway and watched the sunset. If you load up on provolone, olives, cucumbers, etc, you have yourselves a charcuterie board. Plus their daily special makes a meal almost tolerable at $10.

The next day I went back to T. Allen's for the rib tip combo for $11. Dry. Don't listen to women in the booth across from you. 31N to 94N to 196N to Grand Rapids. Drove through. It looked cleaner this time. Stayed at the disappointing Comfort Inn (Booking 7.4) in Comstock Park for $138. Bought a ticket to the West Michigan Whitecaps v Dayton Dragons for $18. Back to the hotel. Walked to the game. Had to do Subway again because of minimal options. Did you know these "grand" cities are called so because of the Grand River?

The next day I drove 96W to Muskegon. Drove the coast of Lake Michigan. Through Grand Haven. Had a disappointing Golden Hour Bowl (quinoa, brown rice, avocado, feta, etc) at Noto's for $24. It was on the beach/lake. Only the pasta looked ok. South through Holland (Tulip Festival detours) and Saugatuck. Falafel pita and chips and beer for $43 at Saugatuck Brewing Co. South a bit to the Michigan Wine Co in Fennville. $17 for a flight of mostly bad wine. Stepped in a not so deep drainage hole sizing up a photo and somehow crushed my right ankle. Thankfully, I think I did not pop my Achilles as I originally feared. But, that put an end to that day and hobbled me from then on. Drove through South Haven to Benton Harbor. Stayed at the BW (Expedia 7.8) for $106. All the exits were closed for repairs around here. It is the cheapest/worst part of this region. BK.

The next day I took 94E through Ann Arbor to 23S to 475S to Toledo. Bought a ticket to the Mud Hens v Redbirds for $13. $4 for parking because the idiots wouldn't take credit for the flat $10 event charge and let you then pay by the hour. Drove 75S. Stopped in Bowling Green. BK. At Findlay, took 68E to 15E to 23E to 30E to Galion. Stayed at the quiet Sleep Inn (Expedia 8.8) for $97. KFC. 

The next day I drove to Mansfield to see the prison from Shawshank Redemption. It is a tour now. I believe it was $30. I was too hobbled. To downtown and had so-so eggs and sausage and potatoes and toast and a coney dog at Coney Island Diner for $22. There are more movie locations here and in the surrounding areas. Tango & Cash and Air Force One were also shot in the prison. Took 94E to Strongville. Stayed at the BW Plus (Expedia 7.6) for $73. It was close to the airport, but, better than the options north, east and west. Stay south of the airport. Chipotle. Oddly, Shawshank was on tv that night.

The next day I had Subway again and flew home. I used a free week coupon on parking, so, I only spent $4 on that plus $30 on the trip. $680 on hotels. $157 on gas. $65 on baseball tickets. $276 on food and beverage. Total $1624. 

This was just a filler trip. Still ok. Wished I had done more wineries in Michigan. I had been meaning to see that area again. Shawshank was a suggestion by the mascot in East Lake. Cold in the beginning. Then dry and warm. All the food stops were non-scripted. Nothing noteworthy. I may go back to Ohio in the summer for a tennis tournament. International airfare is double last year. Pissing me off. I just used miles on the next booking. I think it is time to stop being lazy and use up all my miles while jet fuel is a problem. Should have forced myself to go to Toledo U. Cleveland was too expensive and most of the restaurants on tv have closed or I have been to. Greek Village Grille and Slyman's Deli are still in business. The house from a Christmas Story is also near Cleveland. And that's all I have to say about that. I have been meaning to make that my sign off. It cracks me up. And that's all I have to say about that too.

Grub Crawl - Thornton Park: Osteria Ester and June

I tried these spots yesterday at dinner. They probably deserved their own visits, but, I am only paying for parking and fighting rush hour traffic once (they are mostly only open at night). Why I hadn't jumped on them to begin with. The first is at the corner of Summerlin and East Central. Part of the Good Salt Restaurant Group (Seito, Osprey, Reyes, Monroe and Sparrow). The other is a block north on Summerlin at East Washington. I believe this is the group with Alfie's, etc. All those Mills locations. I parked in the building across from June. $8 for what I think was an hour plus. The first thirty minutes is free.

Osteria Ester - They had a card that explained that Chef Michael Cooper says "that this is my love letter to that feeling". This being "neighborhood red-sauce joints" from New Jersey. Not exactly reaching for the stars, but, I get it. In that vein, I eschewed the $27 sea bream and went for the chicken alla parmigiana at $24. It was good. Three large, crispy cutlets without any nasty oil flavor. A red sauce that was mostly just tomato. It had a sweetness that I would be impressed to learn was God given. The mozzarella was a bit tough. They tossed on some purple basil. The flavor profile of that didn't hep the dish. It has an uncomplimentary flavor compared with the real stuff. They most likely salamandered it. Came in the dish it was cooked in. They brought over a helpful steak knife. More than enough for one. You don't need the pasta side they were pimping. The menu had all the courses. Apps were around mid-teens. Primos in the mid-twenties. Secondi were mostly above the high twenties. An outlier was a $37 lasagna. They seated me in the bar area. They said the rain forced them to cram the patio parties inside. At least they didn't try and "bar" me. There were three or four tables for two in there. Ten person bar. Wood. A type of gray with orange areas. Black gauze drapes. The decor didn't scream Italy. The main dining area seemed similarly arranged. It is a two hostess joint. Nearly full. The service was top notch. The meal came out quickly. Water was refilled. I wasn't abandoned. Friendly vibe. Nice and casual. Some at the bar were in shorts. Rod Stewart, etc through the speakers. I never found out if they validate. It was an enjoyable dinner. Open for a few months.

June - I believe it is a Mexican menu. However, the thing I ordered to go for $15 (fried chicken) was more Panda Express. Sixteen tiny, fried nuggets of chicken in a sweet sauce with sesame seeds. Fine. I'll have it with my own rice tonight for dinner. The menu seemed written in invisible ink. Made harder by the rendez-vous lighting. It was this or a similarly priced tostada. I think I saw duck on the menu. It wasn't very large. Maybe a dozen things. The place looks great. Wood. White washed stone, Two bars. Cactus on string. Around twenty five tables. Almost full. Hip crowd. Lots of young staff in unis. Deserving of a second look that will never happen. Opened last summer. I'll see if either of these make the Favs. I am being harder on them than usual. Because of the lack of parking, hours and value. I suspect I won't find many better in their category for the rest of the year and they will sneak in. Neither disappointed.

Handel's, Oviedo

I tried a small (three scoops) coffee Heath bar cup for $5 on Alafaya and Alexandria (near Michell Hammock) on Wednesday. It wasn't great. Too watery and fluffy. Out of Youngstown OH. Many flavors. Ice cream sandwich was $3.75. Walk up window. One picinic table. All outside. Some parking out back. They seemed to have built in front of an older strip mall. Opened recently.

Grub Crawl - College Park and Winter Park: Yumee Katsu and Luca Turci

I tried these places on Sunday at lunch. The first is in a decrepit strip mall on the northeast corner of Lee Rd and Edgewater. The second is on Morse off Park.

Yumee Katsu - Open for a few weeks. In the K-Jumak location. Doesn't seem to be a chain. Also promotes the name Robot Lounge. Not sure on the why of the Korean spin on this Japanese invention. I had a Yummee Katsu for $16. The menu and board lists it at $15. It was good. Nicely fried pork loin. Eight strips. Not pink, but, I wouldn't want it that way anyway. It cames with four little cups. Kimchi, pickled radish or root, ssamjang and salt. Rice and a slightly spicy (black pepper) beef broth soup with fried rice puffs. They sell six katsus ($15-$19), seven curries ($17-$21), two specials katsus ($17-$20), six soondubu ($1-$18), six mains ($16-$35) and three noodles ($13-$20). The place is grubby. Way too grubby for a newbie. Why I had it to go. Eight tables. No ambience. One order taker. Closed on Wednesday. The dish was good, but, everything else is lacking. So, no Fav for you.

Luca Turci - Open for more than a year. Exactly what I thought it would be. Exactly why I didn't make a bee line. I had the tagliatelle with mushrooms for $25. Stodgy. Very thick and rich mushroom sauce. Probably canned mushrooms. Unnecessary microgreen garnish. Impossible to pick around and ruined any bite it was a part of. If you must, just add edible flowers. At least one can eat around those. The pasta was good. I assume it is fresh. That is their claim to fame. They served foccacia and slices of grana padano (cheaper than parm-reg)  with balsamic drizzle with the meal. The foccacia was a bit stale. If it seems like I'm being a bit tougher than usual, it is because of the price points. I liked their Dad's place in College Park. I hope to like their new venture in Maitland. I have just always thought, since I first saw the menu, that they were acting a little above their station. Here are a few (non-food) examples. They have a fresh tulip (good) in the vase at the table. It was wilting (bad). The tablecloth is plastic. The waitress never refilled the water glass. If you want to charge like a cloth napkin sort of place, you need to attend to these sort of details. The menu has around eight dishes in each category. Lasagna was up to $37 and in the Mains portion. Meats were over $50. Salads were in the teens. My pasta was the cheapest. None of them were too creative. They had a prix fixe of four courses with one glass of wine for $69. The place is small. Ten tables. Six on the patio. Faded brick covered with astroturf walls. It's cute. Pergola walkway. Sinatra+ music. Glass windows up front. Four or five, uniformed staff. Only open for lunch on Sat and Sun. No to go. The liberal dress code was nice. One special occasion table while I dined. A family came in as I left. Two parties inquired as well. They left. Unsure why. Price? Zero parking. I'll reiterate that I didn't dislike it. I just don't consider it a good value. 

*I re-reconned Tieling Express. It does seem to be a gross looking food truck aside a restaurant called Los Brothers. Both were closed. I also saw that a Thai (Saba?) food truck was parked in the gas station Chevron?) in front of Cairo Express on Lee Rd at the I4 on/off ramp. And to be comprehensive, a cool looking Mexican air stream food truck (not new) sort of across from Tieling. All not open. 

Grub Crawl - Downtown, SoDo and Hourglass: Uma, Sabai, Raine's Pizza, Ligature Coffee and Banh Mi Go

I tried these spots on Friday at lunch. The first is on the corner of the condo across from the Courthouse on Orange. The second is past Michigan on South Orange in a strip mall on the left after the one with Mooyah in it. The third is in the old gas station that has the Foxtail Coffee on Curry Ford Rd. The fourth is next to So Dough and Tin & Taco on Michigan near South Orange. The last is on the corner of South Orange and Michigan. Four out five were replacements for places I had been to too recently. I was not relishing this retracing of steps.

Uma - This must be the fourth Japanese restaurant of this type that has tried to make a go at it at this location. I didn't like the value proposition of five pieces plus a roll and tea for $20, so, I just grabbed a hamachi roll for $8 and skeedadled. It was better than expected. Fairly respectable rice. Lots of yellowtail. Although, that lacked flavor. Second time recently that yellowtail had disappointed. Eight wide pieces. Tobiko covered. Fresh wasabi. A bit loosely rolled. Their sashimi/nigiri sets are all over $30. Cold apps all over $16. Ten ramens over $17. Signature rolls over $16. Others start at $7. One piece of nigiri starts at $5. Only eleven types. The place is small. Windows. Ten tables. Sushi bar on the left. Clean. Interesting rope lights. No parking. One waitress. They weren't ready to serve at 11:30 though they open at 11am. I thought it was in another condo complex. Not that thrilled to be here eating basically the same menu for a fourth time. One other diner. Open since December. Not the space to try to try an elevated experience.

Sabai Thai Street Food - I had the Sabai fried rice for $16. Excellent. Not greasy. Short, barbed grains of rice. Lingering essence of Thai basil. Little, red hot balls of pepper (chiltepin?). Scallions. It starts with a sweet Thai sausage and they let you add three meats. I added beef, pork and chicken. None of these were adulterated. Good. A ton of them. Maybe forty percent of the dish. They have six apps ($5-$11), three soups ($12-$17), two salads ($11-$14), ten mains ($14-$18) and two desserts ($8-$12). Favs like larb, pad thai, papaya salad, tom kha in addition to fun items like jerky and crab fried rice. Isan style. Thai mother and son duo in the kitchen. No wait staff. Just a manager. Polite. Small. Maybe seven tables. They did a nice reno. Was Dragon King. Framed pics of slice of life scenes on the left wall. About half full. It will be a Favorite. Pricing was fair. Open for a month or so. Name means something pleasant like good energy.

Raine's Pizza - Also open for a month or so. I just had a slice for $4.50. Should have ordered a $18 16" pie. Excellent. Great chew. Good cheese. Proper spicy garlic tomato marinara. Grated parmesan. And this was a reheat job! They had six pre-made styles or you can design your own. $10 garlic knots. Two $8 salads. You can sit in the communal space. Didn't get a look at the oven. It has to be a wood or coal fire one. Closed M and Tu. In the Leguminati space. Will be a Fav.

Ligature Coffee - A few weeks old. Grabbed a good $2 lemonade. They do tea and coffee. No food I believe. But they have merch. Stark set up. One large room with bar area on the right rear. One server/pourer. Five circular tables for two and one square one for four on the left. Packed with what if we were in Los Angeles would call "screenwriters". Are there still people without wifi at home? Parking is minimal. They need a sign. Impossible to spot from the street.

Banh Mi Go - This was the most annoying change of ownwership. I think this is the fourth place I have sampled at this location in the last two years. It was JUST Mii Cafe. Guess what I had then? Correct. A banh mi. So what did I do this time? Three protein banh mi for $11. I tried steak, pork belly and chicken. All good. Came with pate and the usual veg. Baguette was proper-ish. Probably supermarket. Great value. And I usually hate all grilled meat bahn mi. The meat is usually gristle. The menu is similar to Mii Cafe. A little Chinese-y now. Five apps like egg rolls and dumplings ($5-$6). $3.50 spring rolls (6 kinds). Six bahn mi ($8-$11). Six rice dishes ($12-$16). Five pho ($14-$17). Five three for $12 bao. Eight vermicelli (bun) bowls ($15-$16). Great pricing. I love the addition of the Chinese stuff. The place has the same layout. Looks cleaner/fresher though. Parking is minimal. Open for less than a few weeks. Upgrade from Mii Cafe. Probably a Fav. Which is impressive because I was seriously considering just pretending it hadn't changed hands. Closed Sunday. I probably should have found out if the apps are frozen or home made.

*Guess what? Lane closures on I4 due to a crash. Just like Monday. Thankfully this was farther towards Disney this time. Can law enforcement focus on these imbeciles instead of speeders? Stop speed trapping and start driving along with us so that you can see the nonsense we have to put up with. Maybe even discourage it. Here are some things to look out for: fast laners going under the speed limit, semis in the fast lane, people passing in the slow lanes, people swerving in and out of lanes, people racing off the hov lanes, people racing off exits, misloaded truck beds, people driving on spare tires, obviously unroadworthy vehicles, texters, speakerphoners, make up puteroners, seniors, Canadians, people with things (usually weed masking pine fresheners) dangling from their rear view mirror, cars with PR paraphenalia, jeeps with rubber duckies on the dashboard, cars with the stench of weed emanating from them, pick up trucks that think they are sports cars, Hyndai Sonatas, lawn maintenace trucks...

Grub Crawl - College Park and Longwood: Zayn & Co, Grand Roopram Roti, Jerry's Pizza and Paddy's Pub

I went to these spots on Wednesday at lunch. The first is on Edgewater at Digress Wines. The second is on North OBT one block north off Lee Rd. I think that was 441? The next two are in a strip mall off 434 half way between I4 and Ronald Reagan. Don't ask me how these fit together. Alot of things I thought had opened hadn't. Oleo - didn't seem close. Tieling Express - couldn't find it at reported location on Edgewater. Pop Up Bagels - said they were waiting on city to hook up electricity. Joe & Juice wasn't close. Naya - said next month because waiting on inspections/permits. One was even closed on a Wednesday (Yumee Katsu)! After that ball punch, I was just trying to salvage an excursion.

Zayn & Co - For a few weeks they have occupied a little hut to the left of Digress Wines. Their food truck (Mashawi) serves on Wednesday night. I tried two snacks at $4 a piece. The first was a meat focaccia. A baked, sealed dough concoction of chipped beef in a red sauce with tahini coating. Good. The second was also in a baked sealed dough and had pieces of chicken in it. Possibly with onions? A bit bland. They called this a Julia's Triangle. They gave this to me for free because the POS device rang it up as $8 and I guess they were too apologetic about that. They did have a $8 item. I forget what it was. Something similar. They also had a cheese one and another of these baked items (veggie?). They also serve drinks. I think that is the focus. The cuisine could be called Palestinian. Seems mutable. A nice couple runs it. Probably a Fav for behavior/attitude/price alone.

Grand Roopram Roti - Seems to be a fourteen location franchise from Suriname. That's NE South America to the uninitiated. Four in the Netherlands (it was a colony). We are the first in America. Open for a few weeks. Seems to be in an old fast food location. I had something new to me. They call it barra with chicken. It is a brown roll (probably pea flour) filled with chicken in a yellow (probably tumeric) powdered curry. It cost $9. The chicken was a bit tough. Plus it was supposed to be chicken livers. It was ok. One note. Flavorful in only a savory respect. No brightness, sweetness, spiciness, etc. Don't love the raw and gritty taste of powdered curry. How about we simmer the chicken in it? I also had to have a roti at a roti place. I had the plain roti for $3. I asked for the small. They didn't hear that either. Maybe if they had more than one guy taking orders from the drive thru and the counter...? It was great though. Made right then and there. Makes such a difference. Made with pea flour or whatever that is. The menu is pretty big. Rice dishes, roti, barra, etc of many kinds. Some odd fillings. They called out tumeric flavored in a section of dishes. To be honest, I have never experienced an expat Indian cuisine to be as good as the motherland's (even though it is usually better than the native cuisine). But, it is a novelty.

Jerry's Pizza & Italian Restaurant - I think I ate there a long time ago. They sent out mailers trumpeting a reno, so, it had been in my sub-conscious as a fallback. I hope the rest of the Italian menu is better than the pizza special I had for $8. Two terrible slices and a soda. NY style. Underbaked even after reheating. Bad cheese. The worst flavor combo for a pizza sauce - sweet with garlic. The place had two rooms with around sixteen tables. A bar in the side room. Some tvs. Spaced out tables. Some Orlando Lions stuff. This place is a dime a dozen.

Paddy's Pub - I had a fairly good Irish Cheese Steak (corned beef) with steak fries for $13. Apps, salads, wings, baskets, sandwiches and burgers. Prices were fair. Wish I knew about the $5 eat in burgers on Wednesday. Also had $1 wings on Thursday? I had been here once before. Don't remember it as being good. Looked new and clean. A bit gloomy. Seven electric dart boards. Three pool tables. Six large tvs. Thirteen little ones. Sports only. A large bar. Maybe twenty tables. Black and wood and a gray accent wall. Slight smell of cigarettes. Seems like they only had one guy maning the kitchen. One bartender. Pretty empty at 2pm.

*I also saw that a place called La Fonda or something at the left corner of the strip mall with Ali Baba is becoming a Colombian bakery. I read that a bbq place is opening on Ronald Reagan. I also learned that day old pizza toasted crusts can fill in for a bagel.

 

Travel Notes - Florida Alabama Mississippi Louisiana Georgia

Travel Notes - Florida Alabama Mississippi Louisiana Georgia: This was a flight-less/rental-less sports extravaganza. I drove this first day to Pensacola and saw the Blue Wahoos play for $20. All games were near homeplate except for the last. Parking would have been $10. However, they told me no one cites you if you get there before they show up. On the way I stopped in Gainesville and had a bagel with red onion and caper cc at Humble Woodfire Bagel Shop (3D) for $7. CC was better than the bagel. Before the game, I had  a bad fried flounder and ok fried shrimp platter with ff and cs and hp at Nick's Boathouse (next to the stadium) for $20. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express (Booking 9.1) on 10 and Davis Hwy (next to 110) for $87. 

The next day I drove through to Slidell. I stayed at the Quality Inn on 10 (Expedia 7.8) for $65. I drove around town. I had 2lbs (probably shorted me) disappointing crawfish at Kenney's Seafood for $11. In their defense, the fried stuff looked amazing. I then had a great redfish in crawfish etouffee sauce with sauteed zucchini and squash for $34 at Fatty's Seafood. Did you know a fatty is a one in ten thousand blue crawfish? At dinner, I had a bad Asian tuna wrap with ff at Peck's Seafood for $18. I found these restaurants in a magazine I picked up on my last trip to the North Shore in January. 

The next day I drove to Avondale (other side of 90 bridge) and saw the Zurich Classic for free. And free parking. It was a practice round. Monday is also free. This was the real reason for the trip. I went back to Slidell. A bakery (Randazzo's) I wanted to try wrote that they had sold out and was closed. I had 2lbs of good crawfish and six good $1 oysters and a soda at Pearl's Seafood for $20. Plan A was to have been to eat at the original locations (above 610 in New Orleans) of Deanie's and Drago's, but, some nimrod started a fire under that and it was closed. I drove on to Biloxi. I stayed at the excellent Legends (Expedia 9.6) on the shore for $132. It has a Rat Pack theme. They gave me the corner penthouse! It demanded that I get lit. I bought a bottle of wine at Liquor Therapy. I walked to a Biloxi Shuckers game for $24. Just had McD's and gas station cheese popcorn for dinner. Ended up wasting the buzz making reservations on Expedia.

The next day I drove to Montgomery. I stopped at Exit 57 for a boneless ribs (just three) sandwich at The Shed for $12. They don't do crawfish on the week days. And only start in March. I took 65N. I bought a ticket to a Biscuits game for $19. I toured downtown Montgomery. Legacy Museum, Rosa Parks Museum, Troy University, Capitol, Freedom Riders Museum, etc. I had been here once before. I got more out of it this time. Had a terrible $5 Chris' Famous hot dog at Chris' Famous Hot Dogs. I am unclear on how I learned of this and the other two places I ate at. I checked into the Econo Lodge on 65 and South Blvd (Booking 6.4) for $86. Hotels here and the next places were confoundingly overpriced. I parked ($10) next to the stadium. Walked to Ravello Ristorante. Had a fine trout with grits (they replaced them with truffle risotto when they grits weren't ready yet) and a micro-green salad for $37. Saw the Riverfront. Watched the game.

The next day I stopped at Rosa Park's house. Grabbed a sauced up chopped pork sandwich and Coke at Brenda's Bar-B-Que for $10 (cash only). Open from Th-. I drove up 65N to Birmingham. Stayed at the Quality Inn Exit 24 in Pelham (Expedia 7.4) for $78. Drove past 20 to the Finely exit. Had ok  3 fried wings with two sides (did double mac) at Eagles (Bizarre Foods) for $17. Bought a ticket for the Barons game for $13. Watched draft prep until 5pm. Had two beers across from the stadium at Good People Brewing Company for $12. Parking was a pain. Had to pay $20 in cash! McDs. Watched the end of the draft.

The next day I drove 20 past Talladega to 285 to Lawrenceville. Technically Suwanee on 85. I stayed at the Quality Inn (Expedia 7.0) for $91. This exit was a mini Koreatown. Their H mart had the worst sashimi prices that I have seen. I bought a ticket to the Gwinnett Stripers (cheapest) for $10. Parking was $12! Watched draft stuff. Went to two innings of the game. Watched the draft. Ate TB and Chipotle. At 3:30am, the smell of tar almost made me leave the hotel.

The next day I drove 285S to 75S. Stopped in Valdosta for Cook Out. Made it home.

I spent $539 on hotels. $286 on food and bev. $182 on gas. $42 on parking. $86 on tickets. $16 on misc. $1151 in total. Knocked five minor league stadiums, some restos and a PGA tour stop off the list. Every stadium said "only digital". I have five ticket stubs that say differently. Huntsville and Columbus also have teams. Were away. Only one minor windshield ding. Saw two huge crash back ups on 65S and 285W. 10 through Mississippi is a truck cock blocker nightmare. Weather was clear. So nice not to have to deal with airlines and airports and rental car companies. Would like to erase the 2000 miles from my odometer though. 

Hooked Fish Camp, Sanford

I tried to try this new seafood restaurant aside the Seminole Mall today at lunch. It was a Hooter's. However, after waiting fifteen minutes to NOT have my presence acknowledged by one of three waitresses in a ten table section with two tables occupied, I left. Never to return. It is run by the increasingly experimental F&D group. Can they do seafood? Their forays into Italian and Mexican have been hit and miss. Not quality wise. Acceptance wise. This is a bit less authentic than I was hoping for. But, maybe that IS their lane now that I think about it? Fake aged/distressed cabin feel. I wouldn't be surprised if the goal is to franchise the concept. The menu is more clam strips and fried fish than tuna tartare. Mostly snack bar level. The three dishes I espied from the table across from me looked so so. The fried flounder was THIN. The fried chicken strips looked ok. They said the grouper was bad and everything was bland. The french fries looked starch coated.  Open for a week and a half. I guess I should be thankful that forced me to turn this meagre lunch into groceries for the week. Open every day from 11am.

*Travel Notes in a few days. And could someone explain to me who is in charge of street light synchronization? Especially around 50, Sand Lake and 436. Hell EVERYWHERE!

Grub Crawl - East Colonial and Goldenrod: Ming Garden and Tambayan at Kusina

I tried these spots on or around East Colonial on Friday at lunch. The first is in the old Peter's Kitchen location near the Executive Airport. That's about halfway between I4 and 43. The second is in the second strip mall on the left after you go north on Goldenrod.

Ming Garden - Open for two months. I'm a little confused as to the history. Even after asking. I thought this was a re-emergence from hibernation/retirement. Maybe just a move down the street? The guy said the old location (unsure if he said was still operating) was down the street. In my mind, I had eaten at a Ming's on I Drive. And if it is where the guy led me to believe it is/was on 50, I believe I had eaten there too. But, I can find no evidence even when I use the "master" search I have over this site (ahh it is one block deep at the intersection of 50 and Mills. Been there. I guess pre-blog). Anyway. I had the $13 lunch special because they really pushed it. Excellent value. The service was suspect. In seconds they delivered the egg drop soup. You have a choice of two options on most courses and around eight on the main. Then the main came out around fifteen minutes later. It was NOT a challenging lunch service. Then the dessert (sesame ball) came out around five minutes after that. Then the appetizer har kow (2) came out ten minutes after that. The egg drop soup had a touch of sesame oil. Good. My main (shrimp with broccoli and carrots) came in a pleasant clear sauce. Probably chicken stock and garlic. Six, huge, plump, not too iodine flavored shrimp. Ten stalks of broccoli. A little mushy at the florets. slices of fresh carrot. It came with rice. I chose well with the pork fried rice. Tons of wonderful roast pork. They must do that well too. Big portion. The sesame ball (I usually don't have these) was delightful. Huge. Filled with black bean paste. The har kow were the best in recent memory. Filled with real shrimp. I dipped them in the leftover sauce because I couldn't find soy sauce and figured shrimps is shrimps. Smart figuring. Worked like a charm. They still do the AYCE dim sum For $20 on Sunday. Although with the pace of service, you might have to spend hour there to break even. The dim sum menu prices from Small to XXL ($5.45-$9.25). Thirty four items. Only pork buns at the small price. Typical, large Cantonese menu. Soup, Rice Dishes, Roast & BBQ, Seafood, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Noodles, etc. Fair to generous pricing. That part is locked down. The ambience is weak. The did nothing to the interior. And it was a bad retro-fit of a fast food place before that. Off white (from age) and black. Bar on left as you enter. Five family tables. Around ten twos and fours. Five other tables seated at lunch. Plenty of parking. Closed on Tuesday. I got the feeling that business isn't meeting expectations. You may have to give them a boost sooner rather than later. I feel I'm giving out Favorites like candy, but, it probably will be one. 100% because of the food and the value.

Tambayan at Kusina - They said it means "gather around the kitchen". Receipt says Tambayan Kitchen by Maya. I just read about them. They said they have been open for a year. Filipino. I tried Pinin Yahang Manok Sa Gata (chicken with pineapple stew in coconut milk) for $16 to go because I hadn't had it before. It was good. Not Thai good. But, good. Lots of skin on (that makes it yucky for me - slimy skin) de-boned chicken. Alot of dark meat that I don't think pairs well with coconut milk. Tasteless pineapple. Ginger. Carrots. Potatoes. Big portion. Came with white rice. Over-fluffed. Big menu. They even claim to do sisig with pig face. Many others don't. I didn't memorize the menu, so, you will have to put in the work. I remember lumpia! Narrow floor plan. Counter in front. Around ten tables in an L shape around it. TV playing Rihanna. One waitress. One cook. She said the kitchen staff is from Mindanao and Cebu. That may influence the menu/experience. I've never been to either. Just Manila. Haven't had enough Filipino food to be able to differentiate regionality. Beige. Wood. Tiny stage with bongos. Not bad. 

*Next door to Tambayan was a new deli (Deli Counter?) serving $14 sandwiches and $11 baked potatoes. And that pincho place that was on 3D is still there. 

Travel Notes - Vermont Massachusetts New York

Travel Notes - Vermont Massachusetts New York: I flew a mixed ticket (JB/SW) to Albany for $227. JB's crew was late arriving and I almost missed the 12am closing time for Hertz. I rented a Kia K4 for $302 for the week. Received a brand new Toyota RAV 4. 9 miles! The return flight on SW was flawless. One page online check in. Kiosk print it out. Nice plane. No baggage hassling. Better class of customer. I had avoided them for years. No longer. The even fly out of a better terminal here. Only issues were no seat back entertainment and no boarding pass download. I stayed the first night near the airport at the Baymont (Expedia 5.8) for $76 because they had a free shuttle. I originally booked here because I thought we might be late because of weather and was getting ahead of cosmic mischief (not getting the rental car).

The next day I drove 66 mi on 7E to 9E to 100N at Wilmington. I stayed at the Hideaway Inn (Expedia 8.6) at Mt Snow in Dover for two nights at $202. Didn't love the self check in, robo-staff, room location and oppressive heat. I drove to the ticket office to buy a ticket for Mt Snow. They closed that office, so, I drove to the one area still open (Carinthia) and let them rip me off for a ticket two days later at $149. I drove fifteen miles to Stratton Mountain and bought a lift ticket for the next day at $80. Came back and rented skis ($70 at the resorts) from the one guy still renting (World Class) for $50 a day. I bought some wine at Black Diamond Spirits for $34. Most things were closed until summer. I drove back to Wilmington for cheese and crackers and a whole smoked chicken at River Valley Market for $27. Not many hotels around Stratton.

The next day I drove to Stratton and skied. Back to Dover and bought some salami, english muffins and mini pies at 7-11 for $9 to add to the leftovers. Lunched outside. Watched the Masters.

The next day I skied Mt Snow. A pathetic six trails open. One lift. And this is the bitch part of the resort. Returned the skis. Drove 9W to Bennington and 7S to Lenox MA. I stayed at a Howard Johnson's (Expedia 7.6) for $88. Drove the Main St through Pittsfield. Bought wine and brie and hommos at Guido's Fresh Marketplace for $25. Bought hamburger meat (nuked it in the microwave in a coffee cup) and crackers at Price Chopper for $7. Watched the Masters.

The next day I drove to 9D in NY through Red Hook, Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. Went to the Vanderbilt Mansion NHS. I had already been to most of sites including FDR sites. Ate an ok turkey club with fries for $21 at Eveready Diner (3D). I stayed at the Red Roof Inn Plus (Expedia 6.6) halfway house in Poughkeepsie for $95. I'm still high. Drove to Wappinger Falls (10 miles) and saw the Hudson Valley Renegades play for $21 and $10 parking. First row/home plate. Stayed the whole game! Received a free hat! Drove back. Bought surimi and shrimp salad and empanadas at Shop Rite. Watched the movies. FYI - This was the last of the agenda. I was just filling time after this.

The next day I drove north through Marist University and Culinary Institute of America. Their restaurants (American Bounty, The Bocuse, Caterina di Medici, Apple Pie Bakery, The Tavern and Al Forno) weren't open Sunday morning. I stopped at a sake brewery (Dassai Blue) having a festival. It wasn't open for another hour. I tried to find a winery from a sign called Clinton. Didn't. I learned it was out of business. Found one (street sign) called Milea Estate Vineyard in Staatsburg. Wasn't open for an hour. I stopped in Rhinebeck for some dumb house called Wilderstein. It wasn't open until May. Hopped the gate. Back in town, I had a shrimp salad sandwich at Matchbox Cafe for $25. Tried to eat at a diner in Red Hook. No parking. Saw the first public school in NY in Clermont. Followed 9N (there are many alternates). Saw Union College in Schenectady. Through Albany to Sarasota Springs. Took 9D to Lake George. Stayed at the Fort Willian Henry Hotel for $112 plus $20 RF (negotiated rack rate). Greatest view. Bought goat cheese, bologna and cashews at Price Chopper for $13. Two bottles of wine at Duffy's Liquors for $31. Watched the Masters and the view.

The next day I drove 9S through Glen Falls (Harding Mazzotti Arena) to Sarasota Springs. Saw Skidmore College. Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn (Expedia 8.0) for $105. Grabbed so-so corned beef sandwich (tough) and very good matzoh ball soup at the Broadway Deli for $24. Most places were closed on Monday. Watched tv. Grabbed a meatball sub combo from Subway for $10 because it was the closest walk from the hotel. Yes, I had been to the track. No, I didn't try the springs.

The next day I grabbed cauliflower soup with bread for $6 at Mrs London. Egg and cheese panini at Putnam Market for $7. Most places hadn't opened yet. Drove 9S to Albany/Latham. Was there way too early, so, grabbed a chicken salad sandwich at Metro 7 Diner for $11. Returned car.

Gas was around $4. Most places were empty. It was a joy driving around on non-interstates. 30 degrees when I landed. 80 when I left. Did this instead of Colorado because of cost and I am always saying I am going to ski these places. These were closest and still open. I bypassed all the breweries. Spent $698 in hotels. $61 in gas. $333 on skiing. $21 on games/parking. $121 on airport parking. $263 on food and bev. $21 on misc. Total of $2047. Skiing is a budget buster.

Grub/Pub Crawl - Mills and East Colonial: Lorelei and Grumpy's

I tried these spots around Mills and East Colonial last night at dinner. The first is a year old wine bar with some food behind Tori Tori on N Thornton. It has been open for a year. The second is near Tako Cheena. Plan A was Raine's Pizza (sold out) and a new ramen+ place by the Executive Airport on 50 that turned out to be just a new branch of a previously sampled concern on Red Bug Lake (Tsaocca). 

Lorelei - I grabbed one of the four flatbreads (fig, duck prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula and balsamic) for $20 though I disdain the concept. The rest of the offerings were salads or finger foods. It was the best flatbread I have ever had. I'm not sure if it was kitchen kizmet or talent, but, the bread was 95% perfectly crusty (one soggy circle). Not stale. Thin. Cut into sixths. The toppings were nice. Not much goat cheese or prosciutto. Came on a cutting board. Came out fast. The wine list wasn't me too. Glasses started at $14. Bottles at $60. It has ambitions. The place looks really pleasing. Kind of a Italian lakes or Riviera vibe. White! Marble counter tops. Gold accents. Grecian/Roman statuary. Copper terrines. Wine as decoration. Most tables (12) on the patio in front. The indoor bar area with side room. There was some street parking available. I believe they are closed on Monday. Mostly pm. I think day time on the weekends. Not a value play, but, elegant without being pretentious. For the vibe, I think it'll be a Favorite come year's end. Owned by the Death in the Afternoon people.

Grumpy's Underground - Dive-y. Been around for since 2018 according to the internet. Two rooms. LMGA sign above the left door. Some food like wings. Live music. Karaoke. Parking is impossible. You can pass.

Lima 1535, Orlando

Oh Jesus, I think I put the receipt with the notes in my car while I took the other one with me. This is a typical Peruvian concern in the strip mall at Goldenrod and Lake Underhill (aside 408 near 436). It used to have Meatball Stoppe. I had the calamari on Tuesday at late lunch for $16 because the menu looked unispiring, only had a qr menu and was overly expensive. Plus I began with prejudice because they open at 3pm. Why? They read their clientele well because one person was there at 3pm. I believe the skinny cut squid was nuked. No glossy oil. Too hot. Came out too quickly. Tough. They tossed in three very hot and greasy yucca croquettas. Added a to go surcharge. Two sauces. Hot and tartar. Typical menu. Most over $20. Thirty, low end tables. White, gray, black with individual walls in orange and blue. One area with sign over turf wall. Bar in back. Ten seats. Light gray tile floors. Steel fish objects. Turf wall. Two idiots. Weak on English. I knew this was going to be the outcome. Not awful, but, why? And I used to prefer/champion Peruvian cuisine.. They way over estimate their value. You understand that you are just slightly above Tex-Mex? Tiradito? Guess not. Open for a few months. Closed on Monday. I think they close at 8pm.

Grub Crawl - Longwood and Winter Springs: Siziling Grill, Indian Express, Rangoli Sweets, The Human Bean, Taiwan Cafe, La Pino'z Pizza

I tried these spots on 434 Saturday at lunch. All to go. The first two are in the strip mall between I4 and Ronald Reagan that I just brought to you. It has Three Odd Guys Brewing. Look for a Huey Magoos out front. The next two are in a strip mall past 17-92 across from a Taco Bell. Look for Victorio's. The fourth is in a strip mall back closer to 17-92. It had Chilanago's (closed). The last is back past the first two places on the way to I4. It was Max & Meme's. I had only planned on doing three of these. The others just revealed themselves.

Siziling Grill Bistro - I saw a placard they put on the road. It opened this week. Their calling card is an AYCE breakfast buffet. I ordered something that might last a few days in the fridge and was hard to screw up. I had the chicken quesadilla for $12. Stuffed with chicken. Didn't love that they use cheddar. Some peppers and onions. Sour cream and a chipotle salsa. Basic. Came with fries. The menu is all over the place. Mostly American. Burgers, sandwiches, apps, salads, burritos, etc. And three steaks, grouper, lobster tail, catfish and pork chops. This didn't seem like a places for those. But, I could be wrong. High water mark is $35. One page breakfast menu. It is a large space on the corner. Maybe thirty tables and booths. Drab. Brown/beige. No one there. Two guys working. Open all day. I think this space was a restaurant before. They told me the Pho place next door has a new owner and menu. Same name. This whole strip mall has turned over. FYI - that is their spelling.

Indian Express - The first surprise. I threw this one in my route because I read the night before that it had just opened. I thought it would be low end buffet dining. The exterior remains unimpressive. However, the interior is appealing. They tore out the booths and opened up the floor plan from Uno Mas. A tasteful redesign. White, soft gray and maybe green. Some decorative, scenic painting on the walls Around twenty tables. Modern. I think the seats were an earth tone. I was speaking too much to the hostess/owner. They may have done away with the patio. About half full. Closed between lunch and dinner service. The parents had run Kohinoor in Altamonte. Had had a place in the strip mall with the Walmart near Lark Mary Blvd and 17-92. Never saw that. I tried the lunch portion of Chicken Vindaloo for $13. It came with naan and rice. Nice packaging. Six cubes of chicken and 1 1/2 of potato. The size of that die for betting in backgammon. White meat. No bones. The sauce was red chili based. Also had a hint of black pepper. Oily. The rice was good. The naan was ok. The menu is pretty traditional. Veg, tanoori, biryani, shrimp, lamb, apps. The most expensive thing is $20. Naan starts at $4. For value and flavor and environment, it will be a Favorite. I have been saddened to see the post Bayridge Sushi occupants go (F&D and Uno Mas). They were also the best things in the area. Hopefully, this iteration will last.

Rangoli Sweets - Also Indian. I thought it was Italian the one time I swung by. I believe it was (or I assumed) closed. They have a large selection of baked sweets. Mostly packaged in a refrigerator. Also a huge menu on the wall that the guy there had problems explaining in English. I believe alot of it is non-sweets. He pointed me to a five item daily special menu. I selected the samosa aloo for $7 because I thought it was potato samosas. It was a whole dish of chick peas, onion and potato and masala (sweet and spicy tamarind I believe) with empty split samosa shells. Delicious! The best thing I had in this whole food extravaganza. A deconstructed samosa. Probably what they do with leftovers. Crack 'em in half. Still good. The place is in the right corner of the strip mall. It has a dark window. The open sign wasn't on. Small, narrow space. No tables. Two guys came in when I was there. They said it has been there for years. Great find. And I guess if I wrote that it was the best thing I ate all day, it has to be a Favorite as well. Now I have to go back and get educated on Indian sweets.

The Human Bean - Opened in January. A chain from Oregon. A stand alone hut in the middle of the parking lot. Drive thru or walk up. I had a terrible bagel with cc for $4. They just throw a plastic cup of cc into the bag with a Lender's quality bagel. They do icees, smoothies, energy drinks, espresso, coffee and tea. A breakfast sandwich line up like Dunkin. Warmed in an oven/toaster. Two other customers while I was there.

Taiwan Cafe - The impetus for the journey and the greatest disappointment. Basically a to go joint with a fancy backsplash. The menu is straight up Chinese take out. No Taiwanese elements that I could observe. I want to make a forward looking geo-political joke here, but, it may come back and bite me in the ass if I ever travel to China again. You know what I'm saying though. I, idiotically, ordered something I thought would go with white wine better tha Indian food at dinner. The $10 lunch special of scallops in garlic sauce. Then I realized that seafood isn't the greatest thing to let sit until dinner time. Six frozen bay scallops. With preservative taste. Mushy broccoli, carrot, celery, baby corn, water chestnut and that floppy mushroom I can't remember the name of. That was actually a nice surprise. Better than the usual mushroom. I never order garlic sauce. Is it always a sweet, dark brown sauce? I thought tan and salty. It came with alot of low soy, egg fried rice. I couldn't tell how oily. I think the wok wasn't hot enough and it soaked in. Also the basic, almost empty, cheap cabbage egg roll. As I said, the menu is typical. I swear there is a place that changes the heading and prints the same menu out for all these places. Four large booths against the left wall. One large one in an alcove on the right. Dark. Red brick. Wood. TV playing music with sub-titles. I think the one cashier/waitress was using to learn English. Two people ordered take out while I was there. Open for under a month. Closed on Monday. You don't need to concern yourself.

La Pino'z Pizza - A worldwide chain with over 700 locations they said. The guy said he had owned Max & Meme for it's last two years. From Pennsylvania. He moved here and changed brands. This is fast food with an Indian vibe. Pizza, tacos (folded pizza without cheese), bread sticks, stuffed garlic bread, pasta, mac & cheese, brownies and wings. I chose the eight wings for $12 because I'm not into this level of pizza and certainly not an Indian version of it. I can't wrap my head/taste buds around Indo-Italian. Yet. The wings were ok. Small. Too many drums for me. The taste was crazy though. Just like McNuggets. Very fried. They said they coat them or not. I did without. I also didn't have them toss them in sauce. I think it defeats the purpose of crispy skin. The peri peri sauce I got on the side was creamy. It looked weird. I tossed it. The place looks like an already old fast food loacation. Around twenty tables. Spartan. Open for three days. I was the only one there. They didn't itemize the receipt and either the price is listed wrong or they add surcharges.

Travel Notes - Fiji and Samoa

Travel Notes - Fiji and Samoa: I broke up my flight segments after last year's fiasco. I flew Frontier to Dallas for $109. I believe Fiji's combo with AA adds $300+. I flew Fiji Air to Nadi for $648. These were about as cheap as I have seen. No issues (this time) there or back except a thirty minute wait at MCO for the moron to attach the jet way door. In Dallas I purchased a RT to Samoa for $385. It actually dropped from weeks and days before. I almost did Tonga. The times and costs didn't line up as well. I now have a whole list of places (that I will write about later) that you can visit from Fiji. Subway Club at DFW for $17. I took a room near the airport at the Airport Ace Hotel (Expedia 7.0) for two nights at $93 because it was cheap and near the airport for my trip to Samoa. That was when I thought I was leaving in two days. They let me in at 5am. I'm not sure if it was because I told them I was leaving after one day. I just ate snacks I had brought from here. FYI - I had to declare them. They didn't seem be bothered by tuna or pepperoni or chips. I also bring packages of mayo and mustard. There was little need. There were enough markets, etc in both countries. I also got fed on the planes. Went for a swim. Walked a couple of miles towards Nadi. Saw the National University and Namaka Market. Went back to the airport for water. Watched the one (Aussie) tv channel. It was pretty hot. Around 90+. It is the end of the rainy season. It rained at dusk. No TSA worries at any of the airports. 14 hour flight. You land two days later. Customs in Fiji and Samoa took minutes. On the return to the US it took three minutes. Had to go through TSA again. I gave myself three hours cushion there and four on the return. 

The next day I took a two hour 10am flight to Apia on Upolu (there is also Savaii). My ATM card didn't work at the ATMs. I converted $70 at the currency desk. They gave me a rate of 2.66 with no fee. The rate was 2.7 when I left. Best deal I've ever seen at one of these (usual) rip off joints. The taxi rate is now 80. Not 60. Iran? It takes 45 minutes. I stayed at the Tauese Sea View Hotel (Expedia 8.4) because it was dead center on the main street and they offered a free Cantonese breakfast. I walked around the cove and through the Samoa China Friendship Park. The Chinese are doing all the investment here. The imposing Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was next door. I walked passed the McDonald's to the Lucky Foodtown Market. They had choices. I just grabbed the two local beer choices and a soda for 10. It started to rain. It had been cloudier here. I watched their seven tv stations. Mostly religious ones and a Disney one. 

The next day I was awakened by hymns at 5am. Palm Sunday practice. I guess. I had the buffet. Mostly western stuff and fried rice, congee and broccoli in bean sauce. I went to the tourist office and bought a magnet at Janet's. Back to the market for one more beer, tuna and Doritos for 20. The taxis took most of my funds. I walked past the port to a beach I saw on a map (Vaiala) at the hotel. The guy at the tourist office said you couldn't swim there. It seemed like you could. But, I wasn't in my swim trunks because of his advice. I waded. I contemplated taking some shells. I chickened out. That was actually the highlight. Back to the room. Watched tv. The wifi didn't work. Had to use their office computer to check in for my return flight. It was cloudy again.

The next day I was awakened by music again. Ate the buffet again. Noodles, steamed bubs and broccoli again. Watched tv until check out at 11:30am. Most things are closed on Sunday. Took their shuttle (better than the open cab) to the airport for 60. They (and a cabbie I met the day before) told me a taxi is 80 back as well. They won't check in (except for long haul) until three hours before. And then I think I waited until 2pm before they let us through customs into the air conditioned area. Their airport is less advanced. The flight was an hour late leaving. This screwed up my night. In Nadi, I successfully withdrew 60. A cab was supposed to be 20. The Indian shylock I chose wanted 25 and then claimed no change when I paid. It cost 30. The exchange rate here was 2.2. It was a five mile plus ride that I thought I could walk if I had ATM issues again. Would have been rough. It is a beach area (Wiloaloa Beach). I stayed at the Aquarius on the Beach Hotel (Expedia 7.8) between a Ramada and a Wyndham. It was really more of a house. Lots of noise. But, a great ocean view balcony. Two nights cost $190. It was dark by the time I got settled. Mostly issues with the room like the tv. They also claim satellite tv. Nope. Just nine crummy channels from an antenna. I walked to the True Market I had read about down the block. It had a good selection. I bought Australian wine and water for 17 with my credit card. Upstairs was a great. Multi-cuisine restaurant called Olive Tree. Drank the wine with the Doritos from Samoa. Watched the fire dance at the Ramada from the balcony. Walked the beach. It was black sand and all these white shells upon it sparkled at night.

The next day I was awakened at 6am by their staff noise. I took a walk to the far end of the beach around 10am. Went for a short swim. It was eerie. No one else was going in. They said it was fine. It was too hot and shallow anyway. Swam in the pool. Took a Matthew McConaughey book from the book swap area (few in English). Read a bit. Went to the market and Olive Tree. Bought Australian wine, one local beer and pineapple soda for 20. At OT, I bought a shitty pizza and good fried chicken strips with great fries and a curry sauce for 33. Started drinking before sunset because I was bored because I had stayed in my room to long because I was too burnt from my morning walk. Videoed the sunset. It got packed on the beach. I'm not sure if they were away on day tours or show up for the sunset. One hotel brought out horses to ride. Back to the balcony and drank the rest of the wine with the chicken and half the pizza. The weather was clear both days.

The next day they woke me up again. I did a mini walk. They tossed my out at 10am. Had them call me a cab. Only 20 this time. Arrived at the airport and twiddled my thumbs and read until 9pm take off. Had a Whopper Jr before customs for 10. A double cb combo on the other side for 21. The return flight (12 hours) was a bit more crowded. I smartly asked if I could change seats and got farther up. Fiji makes you pay for seat selection online. Lands on the same day. Brisket and soda at Sonny Bryan's at DFW for $18

The trip ended up better than I expected. I also justified the miss last year by doing two countries. I will go back next year and do Tonga or Vanuatu. And back each year until I do all the Fiji connection possibilities (if they turn out to be reasonable). They fly to Tuvalu, Kitibati, Kiritati Atoll, Solomon Islands as well. Never heard of some of those. I believe the shit times are because they wait for planes from NZ and AUS transfers. They had many flights to there (as well as Quantas and Air NZ). Fiji has many islands as well. The next biggest is Vita Latu. I was on Vanua Leva. They film Survivor on the Mamanuka Islands (Mana and Malolo). Castaway was shot on Manu Riki. There are boats that go there. Not too far. I believe they leave from Port Denarau just south of my hotel. The airport and the islands are on the northwest side. I'm not sure what there is to do in Fiji. I saw flyers for mud baths, Orchid temple, gun site, sands, sky diving, scuba, etc. It looks like Hawaii. The people in both places were nice. Most spoke English. Fiji had an Indian presence. They ran most things. There were buses. You could rent a car. It was less of a hassle not booking a combo air ticket. I had issues checking in online with Fiji last year. The American segment screwed that up for some reason. And they were the only ones who didn't refund me. And they caused the missed flight!

I spent $459 on hotels. $128 on parking. Around $95 on food and bev ($37 was in our stupid airports). $72 on taxis. $11 on magnets. $1140 on air. Total of $1905. No visas, pre-flight forms, psuedo visas or shots. They had out entry forms on the planes. No forms returning. Now I am getting a bit jaded and most places on this Earth look the same as other places that are closer to you. This could have been the Caribbean or Hawaii or Mexico and it would look and feel almost the same. Yet, it isn't as daunting as you would think. I bought really well airline wise. Those rates will probably be higher for you. Did this trip change me life? No. Did I do all I could to make it so. No. Next year I'll add some fun excursions and see if makes a difference.

Hoshi Hibachi & Sushi, Orlando

I walked out if this tiny rip off joint in that strip mall off South Orlando at Gaitlin on Tuesday when the $7 yellowtail nigiri on the menu rang up at plus $8. The inane menu read that ALL were the same price. Even vegetable ones. So stupid. And evidently incorrect. Even an avocado roll is $11. All are at that price like the nigiri. Not sure how they will ring up. And the fish in the case looked as mediocre in quality as every other entry level sushi bar. I'll toss in the helpful AYYCE price points of $13 at Koy Won and $18 at Ocean Buffet to shame these short busers. The menu was mostly hibachi as well. They had months of delays opening. Maybe there should have been more? They are on some serious drugs price wise. Open for under a month. Will be out of business before the end of the year. Avoid. I could smell this was going to be a waste of time. Just like the coffee place next to it.